Head coach Philip McCarter said before their home opener that he wanted his Catawba Ridge boys’ soccer team to “outwork” any opponent on the pitch this year.
Following a 3-1 home win against non-region Lancaster on Tuesday, March 3, McCarter said his team achieved that goal. Still, given all the chances the Copperheads produced, the scoreline could have been more one-sided.
“We were fighting for every ball,” he said. “The goal was small today. We worked on creating chances all week, and we created, but the final shots were just slightly off the mark for a big chunk of the game.”
Freshman Benjamin Holtzclaw opened the scoring in the 29th minute, Yulian Campos Morales equalized for Lancaster just after the hour mark, but senior right-back Landon Boston converted a penalty in the 71st minute before junior Christian White tapped in an insurance goal in the 78th minute to seal a win for Catawba Ridge in the first home game of the regular season.
Catawba Ridge, now 3-2 on the season, pressured its opponents from the opening kickoff, putting three shots on goal in the opening 10 minutes.
Junior midfielder James Robbinson stung the palms of Lancaster goalkeeper Harold Gomez Ortega in the 10th minute with a strong shot at the top of the Bruins’ penalty box.
Junior striker Christian White found himself in space in the six-yard box, but couldn’t quite turn in a cross from the left wing just three minutes later.
And junior Bennette Audiffred saw his shot from 20-yards out get ping-ponged in the Lancaster box, then cleared off the goal line by a defender before being swept away.
Catawba Ridge finally broke through to take the lead in the 29th minute when Holtzclaw appeared in the box. A Lancaster defender added the final touch on a cross, which beat Ortega and gave the home team reason to celebrate.
White nearly doubled Catawba Ridge’s lead in the 50th minute, but his flick in the 6-yard box from a cross was cleared off the line by defender Seth Duley. Nathan Finley was unable to turn his header into the net just a few minutes later.
Lancaster equalized in the 61st when Catawba Ridge goalkeeper was dispossessed just outside of his penalty area. Morales tackled the goalkeeper, and the ball rolled into the net.
But Catawba Ridge recovered quickly. Bennett Audiffred earned a 71st minute penalty kick when he was tripped in the box, and Boston stepped up to beat the Lancaster keeper from 12 yards.
Christian White sealed the game with one final goal, a half-volley at the back post to finish off a cross that was initially blocked. White is the younger brother to Jeremy and Joshua White, who were both All-State players in their own right.
Catawba Ridge returns just three starters from last year: junior center-back Dawson Forrest, senior midfielder Nate Finley, and sophomore forward Declan Hogan. There are five seniors on the roster, a big difference from McCarter’s 12 seniors last year.
McCarter said his overall team is a lot younger, but his bench is much deeper, which means less of a drop-off in quality when he needs to make substitutions.
“As a coach, it’s great,” he said. “It gives you a reset. When you have an older team, you’re looking to see it through. But here, we’re building, and it’s good to have that opportunity.”
McCarter said the team has been able to gel cohesively as a unit over the offseason with winter training and a varsity dinner this week. He said the team will also help support the local Fort Mill Parks & Recreation kids by cheering at a game in the near future.
“We’ve been blessed with some really good men,” said McCarter. “High-character men with the program, they’re excited to give back.”
Catawba Ridge fell to eventual state champions Riverside High 2-2 (5-4) in last year’s 5A-D2 Upper State championship match.
McCarter said his team works hard for each other.
“Our hope is that we outwork our opponent,” he said. “We’re a possession team, but we’re a team that always goes forward when we can. We’ll start playing forward immediately if we can.”
Catawba Ridge next plays at Chapin High at 7 p.m. Friday, March 6 before returning home to play cross-town rival Fort Mill Tuesday, March 10.
