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CPA soccer downs Hendersonville 3-1




Hendersonville head coach Alex Tummons.

Hendersonville head coach Alex Tummons.

HENDERSONVILLE — Tom Gerlach’s CPA soccer team has been a staple of the DII-A state tournament the past three seasons, and while the Lions are searching for its first boys state soccer title since 2015, the school was ready for a new challenge.

2022 will mark the first season in DII-AA for the Lions (8-1), and as a smaller school among giants, Gerlach knows his team is in for a fight every match once district play rolls around.

“I compare it to this — UCF can beat Auburn in a bowl game, but playing in the SEC is a different ball game,” he said. “We are in the big boy league, so getting out of that gauntlet and going further is harder now.”

Gerlach says that is why the Lions scheduled teams like Hendersonville (6-1) and Station Camp (7-2-1), among other quality opponents, for its non-league games.

“The pace prepares us for our region games,” Gerlach said of the non-district contests. “Playing schools like Hendersonville that feature outstanding midfield only makes us better. Once our guys realized we could handle it, we were able to push forward.”

Senior captain Patrick Lee has seen the ups and the downs with his teammates, having gone through the wringer of the past three state tournaments that ended with defeat.

He knows the importance of keeping a level head even after the highs of taking down what should be one of Class 4A’s best teams in Hendersonville.

“It’s simple, really,” he said. “Keeping intensity high each match and ensuring we never get too high or too low.”

For Gerlach, allowing his team to play free is the biggest key to their success this season.

“We’ve created an atmosphere where we don’t play with fear,” he said. “When you play out of fear to lose, and you let your ego or identity define you, that can cause trouble. We’ve instructed our guys, and they have created a culture of playing with freedom and joy. When we play with nothing to lose, that is when we are at our best.

“The captains we had four years ago set a different standard for us,” Gerlach continued. “They created an atmosphere of high-intensity training and holding each other accountable, but they do so with encouragement that leads to playing free.”

As for the contest against Hendersonville, Gerlach admits seeing the Commandos’ 3-5-2 attack threw the Lions off-guard in the first half. Escaping the first 40 minutes with a 1-1 tie was massive for their confidence.

“That first half, they were all over us,” he said. “We knew this would be a huge game, and I think we were caught on our heels.”

Halftime featured a spirited chat from its captains, leading to a more productive second half.

“We came out of halftime with more intensity, and I think the early goals helped a ton,” Lee said. “We got into the boys a little bit, but it was a positive halftime talk. Our backline stepped up in a big way, and our keeper played insanely.”

Giving up zero goals in a half or even an 80-minute contest is nothing new for the Lions. Three times this season CPA has exited a game with a clean sheet.

“We have a great problem where we have two (Jack McClanahan, Hunter Walker) fantastic keepers, and they push each other every day to be great,” Gerlach said. “We feature some new guys on the backline, but Collin Kitchin, Jake Bryant, Charlie Duckworth, Lucas Heifner and Camden Holiday do an outstanding job. When you have a strong back three, it gives you confidence because we knew our offense would be dynamic. It is exciting when the guys come together like they are capable of, and we get the effort like that against quality opponents.”

William Becker broke a scoreless contest 29 minutes into the match when he rebounded a Christian Kernell shot into the back of the net for the 1-0 lead.

However, CPA’s Asher Keck helped the Lions steal the first half with a goal at the 39-minute mark for the 1-1 tie.

CPA took advantage of miscommunication from the Hendersonville backline in the second half, scoring two goals — one from Jayce Harvey and the last from Keck.

“A 3-1 game is not indicative of how close tonight was,” Gerlach said.

While disappointed with its first loss of the season, Hendersonville coach Alex Tummons says there will be good things the Commandos can pull from the defeat.

“First, I didn’t get the team prepared well enough to win,” he said. “I will try and do a better job of that moving forward, but I’m proud of the boys’ effort. We didn’t have too much adversity through the first six games of the season, so tonight is good for us. Credit to CPA for making adjustments in the second half and exploiting our mistakes — good teams do that.”

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