As the season started up for boys’ varsity soccer, the Cougars picked up two wins. 

The third game of the season was against the 1-1 Leesville Pride, resulting in a 2 to 0 loss.  The team fought hard and fended off Leesville in the first half, but in the second half, Leesville snuck in two goals. According to coach Rick Pittarelli, one of those goals was a questionable offsides, but in the end it still counted. 

“As a team, we had a difficult time penetrating the back defensive line, and we also struggled with connecting our passes. We realized our efforts needed to be better and were lacking chemistry,” Pittarelli said.

Eager to get back out there, the following game was against Green Hope, who was coming off a 3 to 0 defeat by the Leesville Pride Aug. 19. This time the game ended in a 2 to 2 tie. 

The game started off shaky, considering that four strong starters were not able to play, and soon enough the Cougars were losing 2 to 0. 

Making a comeback in the second half, Wake Forest scored from a penalty kick. And as time ran out, a movement was made all the way up the field by Wake Forest that resulted in a goal, one minute left in the game, tying the teams 2 to 2.

“The boys learned to trust their teammates. To know that even when things look impossible, they can find a way to turn it around and make it possible,” Pittarelli said. “Every player contributed to the result of the game. Some ended up not being able to play because of cramps, but no one gave up and that resiliency helped us realize what we can achieve.”