The 2016 Panthers are 1-0 after a nail biting
win over the Camels on Saturday. In a game with limited possessions due
to Conn's deliberate offense and zone defense, we were able to do just enough
to come out with the win. The game ball went to junior Will Ernst who
played the best game of his career in between the pipes. He made a few
saves down the stretch and in the final minute to preserve the win, none better
than a point blank stop with a few minutes to play that he had no business
coming up with.
Another factor in this one was our riding game
and the extra possessions we gained from it. Our starting attack unit, Sean
Carroll, Jon Broome, and Parker Lawlor can cover some ground. We ended up
riding them 35% of the time which is about as good as it gets. Just
tremendous work by those three.
We had some outstanding play out of our short
stick defensive midfield group on Saturday comprised of Harrison Goodkind, Joey Zelkowitz, Nick
Peterson, and Wes Quinzani. We're fortunate to
have such a tough and athletic group of d middies. Our first goal of the
season came from a Joey Zelkowitz caused turnover
that he was able to turn into a slow break and nice lefty shot on the run.
The second goal of the season went to first-year
Jack Gould who ripped one in the upper corner on our first man up possession.
Hopefully the first of many for Jack over the course of his career, he
has all the tools to be a special player. Another big time performance
came from sophomore Henry Riehl who has moved back to
his natural position in the midfield this year. He came up with two big
goals in the 4th quarter including the game winner, a low to high blast that
brought the bench and the crowd to their feet.