ASC Battles Westminster in 3-1 loss

Talbot Scores First Goal of Season; by Rebecca Sturdy

Junior Chase Talbot scored his first goal of the season in the first half of Friday's match.

Box Score

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Adams State College men’s soccer team battled 90 degree weather at game time and inferior shot numbers, but fell to Westminster College 3-1, Friday afternoon in the first of a 3-game road series.

The Grizzlies jumped right into the game making the first shot of the game, but it was senior midfielder Isaac Green of the Griffins that blitzed the defense and penetrated the net in the 14th minute despite being blocked in the previous minute. Green scored his second goal of the season on a shot from 25 yards out that found the top left hand corner of the goal. 

Just two minutes later, the Griffins would score again when senior midfielder Justin Solomon received the rebound off a shot by senior forward Jeff Gardner. Grizzly keeper Jarod Thomas (Arvada, Colo.), who made the save off Gardner’s shot, was not able to handle Solomon, who put the ball to the left post from five yards out.

The men of Alamosa were not to be shut out, however. After back-and-forth play in which both teams logged shots and saves, Adams State jumped onto the scoreboard in the 26th minute when junior midfielder Chase Talbot (Evanston, Wyo.) scored his first goal fo the season when he out worked the Griffin defense.

“Chase is probably one of the hardest working guys on the team and when the ball bounced out to him 15 yards out, he one-timed it at an open goal and found the back of the net,” said head coach Josh Nolker. “Chase just plain out-worked the defense on the line.”

The first period would end with the score in favor of Westminster at 2-1. Both teams would play a fast-paced game with several scoring opportunities to no result.

Finally, in the 84th minute, and with time ticking away, the Griffins put another ball into the goal to cement the win. In the midst of a Westminster attack, sophomore forward Matt Jimenez found the top left hand corner of the goal from five yards out.

With the game over, the Grizzlies will look to their second of three games played over the course of four days in Utah.

“We’re going to work on finishing for the next game,” commented Nolker. “We had a lot of fantastic opportunities, but didn’t capitalize. Once we start finishing our plays, we’ll be a very dangerous team. Right now it’s just a matter of putting the goal into the net.”

The men will need to do just that on Sunday as they will take on Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) who is 3-2-1 after falling to NAIA's 12th ranked team Bellevue (Neb.) 2-1 earlier in the day. Scott Larson, who scored Eagles’ only goal took two shots, both of which were on goal.

The Grizzlies will finish up their road trip against Dixie State at 4 p.m. in St. George. That game will be the eighth game in 19 days in ASC’s very young inaugural season.

The Adams State men will then get a much needed an 11-day break before traveling to Portales, New Mexico to take on Eastern New Mexico on Sept. 26.