Written and Media by Yoshiko Tanimura.
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The Greenville College men’s soccer team saw some abnormally warm weather Saturday, October, 29, for their last game of the 2016 season. It was obvious that the players were determined to play well in front of their home crowd, but strong will and determination were not the only emotions seen on the player’s faces. Saturday also marked the last collegiate soccer game for two of the Panthers. Seniors Brent McCollum and Coleman Childers ended a long career of soccer. It was evident that these two players encouraged and supported the team throughout their time playing soccer. GC’s motivation to win was not merely for pride, but to also give the seniors a victorious moment to end their soccer careers.
GC started off strong against Blackburn College and had some great moves from the start of the game. Every one of the Panthers showed determination and pushed forward into the attack. The determination could be seen by the number of fouls committed by GC. Although GC supporters did not agree with the calls being made, the players still gave it their all.
Greenville created several scoring opportunities but Blackburn’s defense was not backing down. The Panthers continued to push numbers forward but had little success. The game went back and forth even though both teams had some very close scoring opportunities.
The halftime whistle blew with a score line of 0-0. A level score at halftime was not what GC wanted because they knew they could do better. As the second half whistle blew, both teams attacked with fire to increase their score. The game continued back and fourth until GC produced five shots and two corner kicks. With less than four minutes left in the second half, and after a scramble in the box, Sophomore, Charles Dalton pushed the ball over the goal line. The Blackburn goalie managed to grab the ball and clear it as the Panthers protested that the ball was over the line.
The whistle blew and the center referee ran over to the sideline referee to confirm whether the ball was over the line. After a few seconds of discussion, the center ref. blew his whistle and held his arms in an ‘x’ that indicated the clock to stop. It was a GC goal!
The crowd went wild as the GC players ran together to celebrate the goal. Freshman defender, Max Finley, is credited with the assist. The final whistle blew and GC came out on top with a score of 1-0.
It feels like the season just started but I’m sure if you speak to McCollum and Childers they will tell you that time flew by fast. The end of the season is always a bittersweet moment but the memories made at GC will never be forgotten.
Check out the podcast below as Dalton discusses his thoughts on the game. Also, check out the video interview as McCollum and Childers reflect on the memories they made throughout their time at GC!
