The Temple Christian Crusaders soccer team traveled to Marion Harding High School on Monday night. Temple Christian came out on top with a 5-0 win over the Presidents.
The small private school from Mansfield holds student population of 45 for their entire high school. The soccer team draws from 25 boys in the high school. According to OHSAA enrollment figures, Marion Harding pulls from a pool of 503 boys. It was an upset of David versus Goliath proportions.
Midfielders Jacob McClelland and Caleb Walters both found the back of the net two times. Forward Darrien Davis added another to the final tally.
As for keys to the game, head coach Eric Humble cited careful ball control and overall aggressiveness from his team. The high level of play couldn’t have come at a more critical time.
Over the weekend, Temple Christian traveled to the Eagle Kickoff Tournament in Rochester Hills, Michigan. They emerged with four wins and the tournament championship, but paid a price for the extended stretch of play.
The Crusaders came off the weekend nursing four injuries, among them, a concussion sustained on Friday. Humble reports that an early lead on the Monday night match allowed him to spell the nagging injuries and get some much needed rest.
The team boasts a 7-0 record, but Humble is not looking ahead just yet. Their schedule holds some games the coach describes as “winnable” and others that will be a “challenge.” For their next game, the purple and gold Crusaders will face another weekend test. The team hosts Loudonville on Saturday at Temple Christian’s fields on Beal Road.
“It’s always been a good competition,” Humble said of the Redbirds and Crusaders’ soccer history, “I feel like this year we’ve got a quality team; so I’m hoping we get a really good game.”
