For the Daily Journal
Greenwood Christian Academy senior Griffin Huizinga stayed positive despite his team falling behind twice in the first half against Whiteland.
The Class A No. 7 Cougars trailed 1-0 and 2-1 in the first half before coming back for a 5-3 victory over the Warriors Monday.
Huizinga and sophomore Jon Amador each scored twice for GCA (6-1).
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“I was really happy; instead of rolling over, we just stuck with it,” Huizinga said. “We ended up tying them at 2-2 in the first half and put it on them in the second half.”
The game was played at the South Central Soccer Academy fields in Bargersville because the Cougars’ home field was too wet.
“For a small school like Greenwood Christian to play a 3A school, and beat them three in a row, it’s a nice win,” coach George Huizinga said.
The coach’s son said the games with the Warriors are always spirited and fun.
“It’s always a close game and a little bit aggressive, but in the end fun,” Griffin said.
Coach Huizinga liked how his team handled adversity.
“We came from behind on their first two goals, so it was impressive,” he said. “It’s always a battle with Whiteland. Everyone kept their head and played with a lot of heart, so that was nice to see.”
The Cougars took the lead at 3-2 in the second half on junior Josue Mier’s goal, then stretched their advantage to three goals on penalty kicks by Huizinga and Amador.
Whiteland kept the pressure on GCA junior goalkeeper Gabe Vessely, who had seven saves.
“He does good under pressure, though,” George Huizinga said of Vessely. “He’s coming out and being a little more aggressive this year, and taking charge. He’s having a good year. Those (first) two goals they scored were solid goals; one of them he stopped and it rebounded and they kicked it in.”
Senior Shawn Sullivan scored the Warriors’ final goal on a penalty kick.
“They got up three goals and tried to park the bus a little bit,” Warriors coach Justin VanHorn said. “We put pressure on them and we got one back. We kept hammering it, but we just couldn’t find the back of the net. That’s how soccer goes.”
The Warriors (7-4), who had won seven straight, took a 1-0 lead on senior Mason Mendoza’s goal. After Huizinga’s first goal tied it at 1-all, the Warriors grabbed a 2-1 lead on senior Drake White’s goal before Amador tied it up.
“We weren’t putting passes together like we normally do as a team,” VanHorn said. “I think it kind of rocked us when they came back and tied it at 2-2. A lot of guys got taken out of the game and we didn’t play as well as we should. I’ll give credit to GCA; they really have some talented players on that team. They make a big difference in the positions that they put us in.”
