ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The William Peace men's soccer team made history Saturday afternoon earning the program's first ever win in an impressive 3-0 performance on the road against the Owls of Warren Wilson College.
The Pacers have come a long way since their 12-0 loss in last year's season opener, and they are relieved to get the proverbial monkey off their back with a win in their first game as an official member of the USA South Athletic Conference.
"We have talked about this first win all last season, and pre-season, and it's a great feeling to know we finally got it," said head coach Zane Hill. "The boys deserved to get this win today, and I couldn't be more proud of them."
While the Pacers took 23 total shots during the game, thanks in large part to superior depth in the flank and forward positions, much of their success started with the ability of the defense to effectively build possession out of the back, which led to some great chances on the other end.
Following a scoreless first half, Alex Donadio got things started in the 53rd minute with a goal on an assist from Joel Hall.
Dylan Shields connected with Chris Deleon in the 65th minute, and then Andrew Suarez put the icing on the cake scoring with less than seven minutes remaining with some assistance from Jon Cabe.
The William Peace men's soccer team will return to action in their home opener Sunday, August 31 against the Quakers of Guilford College on their home pitch at 4:30 p.m.
After suffering a 6-0 loss to the Quakers last year at home, this will provide Coach Hill and his squad with a great opportunity to gauge their improvement from where they were one year ago.
QUOTES FROM THE COACH: ZANE HILL
"Our defense is a lot stronger this season and more confident, which helps the midfield and forwards take more chances. It's early in the season, and as runs and the timing piece gets figured out more opportunities and scoring opportunities will come."
"As the other team started to tire, we were able to continue rotating players that were able to get in behind their backs and started to attack in numbers behind their back line. I was always told you miss a 100% of the shots you don't take, and the boys really seemed to be taking more chances as well as sharing the ball around the box so their teammates could have a crack on goal."
"The game is played at different speeds and the boys are getting used to each other. The back line has to be the first line of our possession, and they have to be able to connect with the midfield. Each game they are able to do that more and more, and the longer we have the ball, the more confident we become."
"When the ball is moved around one and two touch it is truly a joy to watch. The boys are understanding sometimes it is important to play an early ball and push the tempo and other times its important to pull it back and be patient."
"The coaching staff is extremely proud of the boys today. They worked extremely hard last season, though the results were not there, and learned how to struggle and be resilient. I hope they can take that resilience through this season, always able to bounce back after a tough match or when we are down. I told the boys all week that winning breads confidence, to focus on getting that first win, and go from there."
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