Alumni Wins Fifth Straight against Varsity

The Saline Hornets men’s varsity soccer team played, well, the Saline Hornets in the 16th annual Alumni Scrimmage. The alumni took a 1-0 victory to win for the fifth straight year.

The first half started off with the varsity putting pressure on the alumni keeper, but the older players were able to hold back the onslaught and keep the game tied at zero. The game’s only goal came after the alumni switched in a new field of players. 2008 graduate Alex Ocampo put a hard shot past the varsity’s senior keeper Kyler Jacobs.  Jacobs made some critical stops later in the half to keep the deficit at one, and the alumni took the 1-0 lead into the half.

The varsity team started the second half moving the ball better, but the alumni were able to keep fresher legs on the field with the larger team.  

Head Coach Dana Restrick unleashed a heavily offensive field in the end of the game and the varsity mounted some solid offensive runs, but they were unable to even up the score. The alumni had strong counterattacks during the second half, but Liam Foster, the varsity’s junior keeper, came up big and kept the deficit at one. The game ended with Ocampo’s goal deciding the outcome.

“We’ve got two more than capable keepers. Kyler is a senior that is new to the program; we’re really excited to have him with us. Liam is a junior in his second year on varsity. He made came up with some great saves in the second half. They’re both very confident and there are not a lot of weaknesses to either of their games,” said Restrick.

The Hornets, whose roster was finalized earlier Friday before the scrimmage, are hosting the Hornet Classic, an 18-team soccer bonanza on Saturday, Aug. 13.