Despite a solid first half performance, the Tiger boys’ soccer team were handed a 3-0 loss by Mount Pleasant on March 3.

Mount Pleasant controlled much of the possession in the game which eventually wore down the defense and led to highly deserved goals as a result.

“We started off strong and were able to contain their counter attacks early,” sophomore John Powell said, “but we couldn’t hold up in the second half, and that contributed to the loss.”

Mount Pleasant had many early chances in the final third and procured a penalty kick within the first three minutes. However, an impressive save by senior John Debenport kept the game tied.

It seemed as if the contest would remain scoreless in the first half after constant back and forth possession until with seven seconds left before halftime, a Mount Pleasant striker converted on a rebound to build a 1-0 lead.

“The goal at the end of the first half was a big blow for us,” Powell said. “It swung the momentum in their favor, and we couldn’t recover.”

The start of the second half saw promising possession from the Tigers and made a goal seem inevitable. Missed opportunities, though, kept the Tigers off the scoreboard. Soon after, the game began to open up as a yellow card to junior Logan Snell and miscommunication led to a second Mount Pleasant goal in the 63rd minute.

“We weren’t clicking on all cylinders this game,” Powell said. “There were some moments in the second half that we wish that we could have back to fix.”

A brilliant strike in the 17th minute from a Mount Pleasant midfielder was the third goal which sealed the deal. The final score, however, did not take away from some of the positives the game provided.

“The last time we played this team, we lost by a much wider margin,” Powell said. “The score doesn’t justify how close the game actually was. We held more possession and had many chances to capitalize but weren’t able to.”

On a side note, the game give the coaching staff a chance to experiment with some younger talent. Sophomore Thomas Strutton and others made their varsity debuts and look to be promising for the future.

“I enjoyed the opportunity to play up for a game,” Strutton said. “There was a noticeable difference in the speed of the game and the skill of the opponents, and I found that I was running a lot more than usual. It definitely was a challenge to keep with the pace.”

Despite the loss, the Tigers hope to use the positive aspects from the game moving forward and finish out the season on a high note.

“We improved a lot since the last time we played Mount Pleasant.” Strutton said. “Hopefully, we can translate the progress into wins in the future.”