Men Win Close, Women Put up Five in Green/White Scrimmages

Reggie Thompson
The Paw Print

Adams State’s men and women’s 2011 soccer teams took the field in a game setting for the first time this season Friday evening in the annual Green and White Scrimmage or “Black and White” scrim-mage as is it turned out to be.
These scrimmages were intended to evaluate both the projected starters (M-White; W-Black) as well as the redshirt and developmental players (M-Black; W-White) through three periods of play made up of 30 minutes each.
The men’s scrimmage was the first of the two.  Defense was the theme throughout the event.  Athletic and solid saves from goalkeepers junior Raul Sanchez and sophomore Paul Pizza resulted in only one goal in the entire game.  No official scores or statistics were released for scrimmages.
“The defense was outstanding,” said men’s head coach Tim Busen  “…goalkeeping and our defensive line are strengths of ours.”
“We have about 16-17 interchangeable guys out here,” Busen said  “the current 11 starters and the five or six guys that, as the season goes on, could see some starting time.”
Shortly after the men closed, the women began.  The white squad struck first midway through the first period, but as the game progressed, the black side took the game over scoring five unanswered goals, including a hat trick from Senior Forward Jessica Hellweg.
For women’s head coach Tom Cliff, this experience was a good teaching tool for his team.
“I felt this was an opportunity to learn,” Cliff explains.  “We wanted to teach the team how to be patient and how to handle the aggression and pressure [of the season].”
The women, who were 5-12-1 a season ago, start fresh on September 3 at 3:30 p.m. as they play the University of Sioux Falls on a neutral field at the home of New Mexico Highlands University, Las Vegas, NM.  This game will be the first time in history that the Grizzlies compete against the Cougars.
Following that, the team will take on the ThunderWolves of Colorado State-Pueblo Sept. 5 at 6 p.m. and will return home on Sept. 9 for the 2011 home opener versus Texas-Permian Basin scheduled for 3:30 p.m., immediately following the men who will play at 1 p.m. that day.
After finishing 1-16 in their first year, last year, the men will also start anew on Sept. 3 in Hays, KS against a new opponent in Fort Hays State University, whose soccer program is in its first season.