Once again there were no goals scored against the Harwood boys’ soccer team. They rolled past Thetford Academy on Saturday, September 17, to move to 2-0-1 this season.
Senior captain Ethan Riddell opened the scoring early in the game with a beautiful free kick in the third minute that found the back of the net. The strike would stick in coach Don Haddox’ mind for a long time as one of the better goals he has seen, he said.
Junior Cyrus Zschau dominated Thetford’s defensive line during the second half. Zschau first struck in the 55th minute and then again just two minutes later.
This is Zschau’s second year on the varsity team and he finds that playing with higher-level players every day has pushed his own game to new heights.
“I just tried to make good runs and even when I didn’t find the ball I just tried to create space for my teammates,” Zschau said after the game.
“I feel like we have one of the best defensive back lines in the league and just training against them every day has really helped,” he added.
Don Haddox wants to make sure that his team makes the most of their opportunities. “One of the things we have pushed really hard this year is possession with purpose and I think that has been missing sometimes historically,” Haddox said.
He noted that the Highlanders have always held the ball a lot, but in the past they have not made the most of it.
Zschau, who did not start the game, took this to heart. He was only in the game for seven minutes before netting two goals.
Sophomore goalie Max Hill is filling big shoes this year after the team lost a great goalie who let in only three goals firing the regular season last year, but he is filling them well, according to Haddox and his own teammates.
“We feel super confident with Max back there; he has stepped up a lot,” Zschau said of his team’s last line of defense.
