Murphy – Bulldogs soccer coach Justin Butler scheduled Pisgah as an out of conference game for a reason. That reason was not to get mercy-ruled 9-0, like they did in the Aug. 30 contest, but to show a team of mostly freshmen what they need to work towards as the season progresses.
“Pisgah’s a well-coached program,” Butler said. “They’re solid players, they move the ball properly and the guys need to see what it’s like effectively as an entire team be able to move the ball around, and stretch a team and tire them out. And that’s what happened, they’re on the receiving end of that tonight.”
After not having a boys soccer team last year due to a lack of players, the Bulldogs are back on the pitch this fall and are extremely young; 15 of the 21 players are freshman.
A lot of the freshman played on the first-ever Murphy Middle School boys soccer team last fall, but varsity soccer is a big step-up in competition. Against the Black Bears, Murphy’s offense barely touched the ball.
Pisgah pressed up from the opening whistle and never stopped. They moved the ball well in offense, looked to attack in space and exploit a Bulldogs defense that tired as the game went on. They scored four goals in the first half, then added another five in the first 20 minutes of the second half, ending the match after 60 minutes.
“I scheduled it knowing it would be a tough game and knowing it would be a handful,” Butler said. “It’s learning about this is what’s needed as a team and learning what to know and grow from.”
When things are working well for the Bulldogs, Butler said he has three attack-minded players he can rely on in senior Mann Barot and freshmen Jerry Bui and Tyler Payne. Freshman Cale Harger has a lot of potential in goal, and Butler said the game against the Black Bears would’ve been over by halftime if it wasn’t for his effort.
Defensively is a different story, as Murphy is young on the backline and isn’t really communicating yet. That was an issue against Pisgah, who had free players running constantly, and there wasn’t a lot of talking among Murphy’s defense about who to mark up against.
Communication applies not just to defense but the whole team, as Butler is still looking for a few vocal leaders. That, along with an increase in skill, is what he’s looking to see develop this season.
“When they’re young everyone feels like they’re talking at them and they get very defensive about it,” Butler said. “So they have to understand that part of the game is to talk and listen
and understand each other and be able to balance that out. Then just to continue
on their ball movement
and passing collectively as a team.
“We’ve got some individuals who are good, but we need an entire lineup that we can move that ball effectively around.”