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topicnews · August 29, 2024

New-look preppers continue their red-hot start – News-Herald

New-look preppers continue their red-hot start – News-Herald

The university’s white away jerseys could use some time to be broken in since they look so new.

The same could be said of the Preppers’ starting lineup, which scored just two first-team goals in 2023. However, where production ends, opportunities arise.

On August 28, the United States continued on a non-conference trip to Riverside and attempted to allay any concerns about the transition with an exciting night of work before making the return trip to Hunting Valley.

The Preppers scored four goals in just over nine minutes of the first 40 minutes, with goals from Alex Borden and Joe Gilligan kicking off the onslaught, and took control en route to a 9-2 victory over the Beavers.

University’s Alex Borden vies for possession with Riverside’s Ogden Abel on Aug. 28. (Barry Booher – for The News-Herald)

“One of the things I really appreciate about this group is their focus,” U.S. coach John Ptacek said. “They work hard for each other, even without the ball. This group is experienced, even though they may not all have started last year. That’s a good thing for us because last year we were so loaded that it kind of held people back. This group is great.”

The score remained scoreless until the 17th minute, when Borden took the ball with a nice first touch to the left side of the box and shot wide with his right foot, which was his third goal this fall.

Amidst a 40-minute line of quality off the ball, this simply opened a floodgate that the Beavers, despite their best efforts, could not seal.

Gilligan increased the lead to 2-0 in the 19th over. Aaron Moss served over the edge of the six for Peter Watkins in the 21st over to extend the lead to 3-0, and Mike Fioritto underlined the momentum with a strike in the 26th over when the USA were already well on their way.

“So in the first half I was kind of on a roll,” Borden said. “On the last man, I did that run over and over again. And it worked. And then in the second half, everything went smoothly.”

“We have a lot of seniors this year, a lot of leaders. I think I heard we’ve had this many seniors in I don’t know how many years. But we have a lot of seniors. I mean, honestly, it’s been really smooth.”

Borden is an example of how to make the most of that opportunity. As a junior last year, he had two assists all year. He leads the team in goals (1-0) entering Labor Day weekend and looks like a seasoned pro with a lot more to offer.

The US is 4-0, having previously defeated Hawken, Mentor and North Canton Hoover, and has a big game coming up on August 31st when they host Massillon Jackson.

“We have a lot of seniors this year, so a lot of players who were on the varsity team last year know our training method,” Borden said. “They know the little training things that someone new might not know.”

“I don’t think we really have a limit. I know we all want to get to the playoffs. We have a lot of seniors. We have years of experience. I think we have everything we need to be really successful this year.”

Riverside scored a goal in the 30th minute through Johann Ledesma with a clever right-foot shot, and in the 63rd minute Jimmy Goldy shot from distance just over 90 seconds later.

Originally published:

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