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Game Notes: Young Harris visits Ben Brady Wednesday
By Matt Green
Hawks (3-0) vs. Young Harris (1-0)
Wednesday, Sept. 7 • 7:30 pm • Ben Brady Field
ROME -- Riding a three-match winning streak, the Shorter men's soccer team will play host to Young Harris College on Wednesday, Sept. 7 at 7:30 pm on Ben Brady Field. The Hawks are 3-0 for the first time in program history and look to extend their longest-ever season opening winning streak to four against Young Harris, which opened the 2011 season with a 6-1 thrashing of Lincoln Memorial University on Sept. 1. Both Shorter and Young Harris had its respective application for admission into the NCAA Division II membership process accepted in July.
ALL-TIME SERIES
Shorter is 0-1 all-time against Young Harris after the teams squared off for the first time at Young Harris last season. The Hawks scored first that day, but Young Harris stormed back for a 4-2 victory that at the time, sent Shorter to its third loss in four outings.
HOMECOMING
Former Shorter standout and assistant coach Ciaran Traquair, known as "Sharpy" on the Hill, is in his second season as assistant coach at Young Harris and will make his first trip back to Shorter since departing in 2009. Traquair is Shorter's all-time leader in assists with 28 and handed out a single-season record 17 assists as a senior in 2006. He spent two seasons as a graduate assistant coach for Hawks' head coach Josh Severns and the pair guided Shorter to the SSAC regular season championship in 2008.
ALL ALONE
Senior striker Garry Perks netted his 22nd career goal in last Friday's 4-0 win over Warner to move into sole possession of second place on Shorter's all-time goal scoring list. Perks found the back of the net just 31 seconds into the match, his team-leading fourth goal of the season that ignited the rout of the Royals. The Tain, Scotland native passed former Hawks' All-American Sebastian Stihler, who finished his Shorter career with 21 tallies.
FANTASTIC FRESHMEN
Shorter started seven freshmen in its 4-0 victory over Warner -- a testament to the talent and winning attitude possessed by this year's crop of newcomers. While the entire class has excelled since arriving on campus in August, first-years Irvin Espinal and Trevor Greenwald have set the bar. Espinal has three goals through three matches, including the overtime game-winner in Shorter's 3-2 comeback win over Tennessee Wesleyan and two goals in a six-minute span against Warner. Greenwald has two goals and an assist in his first three collegiate matches and has been clutch as well, sending the Tennessee Wesleyan match into overtime with a goal in the 86th minute before assisting on one of Espinal's strikes and notching a highlight reel goal against Warner.
BIG IN NET
Junior Ryan Edwards celebrated his debut in goal for the Hawks with a clean sheet against Warner. Edwards made six saves, including one spectacular stop in each half, in helping the Hawks to their first shutout of the season. Edwards, who stands 6-4, should thank senior Stan Nizamutdinov for holding down the fort in his absence -- Nizamutdinov made his first career appearances in goal for the Hawks in wins over Montreat and Tennessee Wesleyan, making 11 saves in two matches to help Shorter start the year 2-0.
