Generals solid in scrimmage with Utica College, prep for season opener on Saturday
Herkimer, NY – The Generals hosted the Utica College Pioneers in a preseason men’s soccer scrimmage on Tuesday afternoon. Herkimer prevailed 2-0 in what was a fine tuneup for both teams.
It was a great day to play soccer on the Wehrum Stadium turf. The game kicked off in 79-degree and sunny-sky conditions. Rather than playing two 45-minutes halves, the squads agreed on a format of three 30-minute periods.
The Generals fielded a promising mix of second-year players and newcomers. They worked well together and controlled most of the play throughout the first two periods, but were unable to score against the tough Pioneer defense.
Photo: Freshman Jordan Stoddart (Brampton, Ont.) leaps to avoid the Utica goalkeeper in first-period action
Herkimer continued their fast-paced play in the third period, and earned their first goal halfway through that stanza. Freshman Stephen Donaghy (Bannock, Scotland) lobbed a long pass upfield to fellow freshman Charlie Anderson (Southhampton, England). Anderson sprinted past the last Utica fullback, picked his target inside the near post, and drove the ball home.
Photo: Herkimer’s Charlie Anderson scores in the 74th minute of play
Two minutes later another Herkimer freshman, Jake Chase (Cooperstown, NY) found the net. Anderson got the ball to Chase on the left side of the penalty area. Chase then chipped the ball toward the far post, deftly dropping it over the keeper and into the net.
The Generals’ defense was effective all day. The midfielders and fullbacks halted many Utica attacks. Freshman Erik Szczerba (Lakeport, NY) tended the Herkimer goal and looked sharp in earning a “clean sheet” shutout.
HCCC’s Eleven now have two scrimmages under their belts. The team opened preseason camp on August 15th with the arrival of 50 players. The coaching staff made final cuts on the 17th and had two days to prepare for their first scrimmage at Syracuse University. The Orange handed the Generals a 4-0 loss as well as a great learning experience. Former Herkimer All-American Ted Cribley, who signed with Syracuse last spring, had the first assist of the game. "The match with Syracuse allowed us to see our strengths and, most importantly, our weaknesses," said men's soccer coach Pepe Aragon, who is entering his 14th season at the Herkimer helm.
Photo: Jacob Chase chips the Utica College keeper and scores Herkimer's second goal
Herkimer returns starters Cody Farrier (Poughkeepsie, NY), Reco McLaren (Bridgeport, CT), Devarr Pedlar (Brooklyn, NY), Jon Rosscraig (Dundee, Scotland) and Elliott Hockley (Sheffield, England), and has what Coach Aragon calls a great recruiting class coming in. "This is a great group to work with," said Aragon. "I am really excited to coach them."
The Generals now gear up to begin their regular season with the Coliseum Soccer Club Classic this weekend. They will host CC of Morris (NJ) on Saturday and Bunker Hill CC (Mass) on Sunday. Both matches have 2:30 p.m. start times.
The season promises to be a fine one for HCCC fans. The team will play 17 regular-season games against teams from Region III and beyond. Then, on the second weekend in November, Herkimer will host the NJCAA National Final Eight championship tournament.
