NEWBERRY – Head Coach Justin Cook and the Wolves welcomed an unfamiliar foe to Smith Road Complex on Saturday, October 8, as the Shaw University Bears came into town to take on Newberry.
The Bears got the action started right away as they took their first shot at the beginning of the match. They also got the bookings started as they earned a yellow card within the first three minutes of the match. Another shot at goal was attempted for Shaw, but it was saved by the goalkeeper before Newberry attempted their first shot from freshman centerback Reece Kilpin (Sydney, Australia).
Both teams tried to formulate an attack through intricate passing and through counters whenever the opposition pushed forward too far. A counter towards the end of the first half allowed freshman winger Filip Tmusic (Centinje, Montenegro) to capitalize on the pass from Henok Awoke (Marietta, Ga.) to put the Wolves up one, with halftime approaching quickly. The goal was Tmusic’s second of the year as the Wolves went into halftime with the lead.
During the second half, both teams fought hard for the equalizer and insurance goal, respectively, resulting in early yellow cards for both teams. Despite the fact that Newberry was up a goal, the attacking influence never wavered as the Wolves looked to add more goals to their scoreboard.
A late penalty was awarded to the Bears with less than 10 minutes left in the match, and the Wolves were threatened with a late scoring opportunity from Shaw. With the anticipation at its peak, the PK from Shaw went off the bottom left post and was cleared by the Wolves, preserving the lead for Newberry.
In spite of a late yellow card for the home team, the Newberry College Wolves left the match with a victory.