Soccer team still learning

Nichols scores hat-trick in Bulldogs 3-0 shutout
victory over Blue Ridge By MARK TOWNSEND
mtownsend@cherokeescout.com Tuesday, October 7, 2008 8:05 PM CDT Murphy – It has been a tough rebuilding season for the Bulldogs soccer team, but their efforts were rewarded Sept. 22 with the first win of the year, a 3-1 victory over Blue Ridge.

    Brandon Nichols was the hero of the hour, scoring a hat-trick as the Dogs topped their Smoky Mountain Conference rivals.

    Murphy fell to Swain 3-1 two days later, but coach Luke Manget said the team played well. However, the same problem that has plagued the team all year – an inability to turn hard work into goals – meant the Dogs began another losing streak.     “Our defense has improved tremendously, and our first-year goalkeeper Matt Curry has gotten a lot better,” Manget said. “But it is hard to defend most of the game and keep teams out of the goal.”

    Manget said the trio of Tarik Mugharbil, Glen Orski and Michael Owens have really helped to shore up the defense. Sweeper Mike Firinci is also getting better as the season progresses.

    The Dogs struggled again last week with a pair of losses – 5-0 to Tallulah Falls and 9-0 to Hayesville. Manget said the Yellow Jackets are fielding a much better team this season, with 23 players on the roster, compared to just 13 on the Dogs. Murphy created chances in the first half that they failed to convert, but still trailed just 2-0 at halftime.

    “In the second half we got tired and demoralized and did not finish, and they finished very well,” Manget said. “Brandon Nichols and Andrew Berberian played well, creating good chances, but the team as a whole has got to get better at the fundamentals – passing, trapping and heading. We have too many mistakes in those areas that keep us from capping off good attacks.”

    The Dogs were back in action Monday night, fighting to a 1-1 tie with Andrews after two overtime periods.

    Murphy held the 1-0 lead until the final seconds of regulation, when the Wildcats tied things up, sending the game into overtime.

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