One goal was all it took to get the Nation Ford Falcons to start Region 3-5A play on the right foot.
Nation Ford senior Alec Lindenberg was able to break away from the Indian Land Warriors’ defense and scored the only goal of the game. Lindenberg scored with 3:36 left in the match essentially giving the Falcons a 1-0 win. Nation Ford stayed on the attack a lot in the match and outshot Indian Land.
“I felt if it came in the first five minutes of the second half, we would have got more,” said Nation Ford head coach Kenny Halas. “The goal came from the pressure we applied. We compete. We can keep pressure. The sky is the limit for these guys.”
The win put Nation Ford at 9-2 overall on the season and 1-0 in the region.
The first five minutes of the match both teams were trying to feel the other team out, but it was clear early on that Nation Ford was strong on their home pitch.
The Falcons got their first shot on goal about nine minutes into the match, but the Warriors’ keeper Dane Fuehrer wasn’t surprised by the shot. Nation Ford had a corner kick about three minutes later but came away empty handed again.
Nation Ford got multiple corners as the half went on, but the Indian Land defense crowded the box clearing the kick. The Falcons controlled possession consistently as they peppered the Warriors keeper and keeping them on defense.
Indian Land’s offensive opportunities picked up towards the end of the first half as they started to control possession more and got off their second shot on goal.
Coming out of the half with no score in the match, The Warriors started the second half with a throw in about 35 seconds into play. Indian Land made some halftime adjustments and controlled possession early on.
As the half wore on, Nation Ford again started to gather momentum and was able to start to move the ball around better.
Both teams traded possession more in the second half, but neither was able to get good looks on goal. Nation Ford had their best attempt of the second half just under the 20-minute mark on a cross that went wide right.
The Falcons nearly sent a ball past the Indian Land keeper with about 10 minutes, but couldn’t find the back of the net. Nation Ford also had a free kick with about five minutes left again gobbled up by the Warriors defense.
Up next for the Falcons is an away match on Friday, March 21 at Rock Hill.
March 18 Roundup
The Nation Ford girls’ soccer team is 8-2-1 on the season after picking up a 5-0 win at Indian Land to improve to 2-0 in Region 3-5A play.
The Nation Ford girls’ lacrosse team picked up their first win of the season with a 17-5 win over White Knoll on the road. The Falcons are 1-5 on the season.
The Nation Ford softball team fell to Indian Land 5-1 at home and dropped to 7-4 overall on the season and 0-1 in Region 3-5A play.
The Nation Ford golf team finished fourth in the Yellow Jacket Invitational at Brookstone Golf Club. Justin Wosje and Carter Smith shot a 75, Harrison LaPointe shot a 76, and Connor Mills shot an 83.
The Nation Ford tennis team beat Rock Hill 4-2 to improve to 2-0 on the season.
The Fort Mill tennis team beat Northwestern 6-0 to improve to 4-0 on the season.
The Fort Mill softball team blanked Rock Hill 10-0 to improve to 2-0 on the season. Fort Mill is 1-0 in Region 3-5A play.
The Fort Mill girls’ lacrosse team lost to Cuthbertson 18-8 to drop to 0-5 on the season.
The Catawba Ridge tennis team fell to Indian Land 4-3. Winning for the Copperheads were Koen Tesimale 6-2, 7- 6 (7-1), Andrew Santana 2-6, 6-2, 10-5, and Kyle Southwood and Aahan Singh in doubles 6-2, 6-2.
Mac Banks: mac@fortmillprepsports.com, @fortprep
