Score aside, Polk County head boys soccer coach Lennox Charles found encouraging signs in the Wolverines’ 7-2 season-opening loss Wednesday at Shelby.
He saw even more of those on Thursday evening, the Wolverines getting into the win column with a 2-0 victory over North Henderson at Polk County.
Bradley Osborn and Ben Deffner scored first-half goals and senior Tyler Campbell, in his first varsity game, notched 14 saves in goal for the shutout as the Wolverines dominated early, then kept the Knights in check in the second half.
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“I told them at halftime that we were doing a better job, but I felt like we had the chance to be up 4-0 at the half,” Charles said. “This is where we have to start growing. If we get to doing that well again, we’ve got to put the team away.
“I thought this would be a tough challenge (after the loss). This was a good, tough win for us because we had to gut it out physically.”
Osborn scored 10 minutes into the game on a header via an assist from Brad Blackwell. Deffner then scored with 16 minutes remaining in the half, also on a header, via a pass from Jeremy Allsbrook.
The Wolverines had a handful of scoring chances the rest of the game, nearly missing another tally on several occasions. Campbell, meanwhile, moved aggressively in the box, often challenging attackers and cleanly fielding a number of one-hop shot attempts, perhaps not a surprise for a starting infielder and catcher from Polk County’s baseball squad.
“I told Tyler that if he wants to be the starter, he’s well on his way,” Charles said. “He handled some difficult balls, balls dipping in front of him. Maybe the baseball helped him with that.”
Polk County will return to action next Wednesday, hosting Smoky Mountain in the second of four consecutive home games over the next two weeks.
“Hopefully we can keep improving, which is the goal of everybody at this stage,” Charles said. “We’ve still got a few things to figure out, but this is a good, positive start for us.”
