HAMPDEN-SYDNEY, VA - The Hampden-Sydney College Tigers soccer team made sure to put on a good show for the alumni on Saturday as they posted seven goals in a 7-0 victory over the visiting Royals of Eastern Mennonite University. The seven goals are the most scored by a Tiger squad since dropping eight on Ferrum on September 7, 2008.
The Tigers wasted no time getting a score on board as Bryan Wharton (Glen Allen, VA/Deep Run) sent a pass into the far right post as Chris Whiteside (Virginia Beach, VA/Frank W. Cox) slid to receive the ball and notch the sliding goal just 2:19 into the game.
The next goal came off a well-placed Jackson Parker (Raleigh, NC/Sanderson) throw-in and Wharton flick. The ball went to Wharton who promptly flicked it directly to Nick DeProspero (Midlothian, VA/Cosby) who collected the ball and went right by a defender. He shot the ball, and Eastern Mennonite's goalkeeper, Ryan Baker, attempted to clear the ball but it bounced off his upper leg and into the net to make it a 2-0 game at the 17:12 mark.
Bo Burns (Raleigh, NC/Leesville Road) did a great job creating the third score. He beat his defender to the end line and served the ball into the box from the right side. Whiteside then flicked it to Curran Blackwell (Wilson, NC/Greenfield) in the middle of the box and right in front of the net. Blackwell proceeded to kick the ball over the goalie and off the bottom of the crossbar as the ball bounced into the goal at the 24:00 minute mark and give the Tigers a 3-0 lead at the half.
Like a mirror image of the first goal of the contest, the Tigers used little time to open the half to tally the fourth goal, and it was nearly the same type of play. DeProspero got the ball in the box near the right post and served it across the goal to Wharton at the left post who then pocketed the goal at the 47:46 mark. Wharton would score less than three minutes later as he received a long pass for a one-on-one opportunity. The first shot was blocked and the goalkeeper came out to retrieve it, but Wharton outworked the defense to get the ball and score the fifth goal at 50:18.
The Tigers wouldn't score again until the 83rd minute when a Royal foul in the box gave Andrew Berg (Aberdeen, Scotland/International School of Aberdeen) a penalty kick shot that he sent into the back of the net. The final goal came in the 86th minute when an Alex Thexton (Midlothian, VA/Cosby) cross found the feet of Andrew Sperr (Charlotte, NC/Charlotte Catholic) as the two freshmen connected for a goal, giving Sperr his first career collegiate goal.
John Robert Plyler (Charlotte, NC/Myers Park) and Jay Bowman (Durham, NC/Durham Academy)combined for four saves to shutout EMU. Wharton totaled six points (2g, 2a) and four shots while DeProspero and Whiteside each had three points (1g, 1a). H-SC outshot EMU 20-6, and the Royals had four corner kicks to just one for the Tigers.
The Tigers host their final regular season home game on Wednesday at 4 p.m. against the Bridgewater College Eagles. The game also marks the final regular season home game in the careers of Plyler, Sam Turner (Richmond, VA/Benedictine), Matt Hampton (Virginia Beach, VA/Floyd E. Kellam), and Berg, and they will be recognized on Senior Day for their outstanding contributions towards the Tiger soccer program over their four-year career.
