Senior captain Cameron Kidwell came off the field after a 2-1 loss to Northwest Sept. 22 exhausted, frustrated and incensed. He managed to calmly say one thing: “We’ve got to make some changes.”
Kidwell scored the only goal for the Bulldogs that night, which is nothing new considering he has scored every goal for CHS this season. The general consensus of the team is that there is much room for improvement after getting off to an 0-3 start.
“Our defense needs some work, our goaltending needs to get better, we need to play quicker, and we need to shoot more,” senior Sam Bradley said.
Bradley and senior captain Brendan Warshauer both sat out of the Northwest game and the Sept. 12 Good Counsel game due to injury. The midfield was not as fluid with Bradley out of the mix, and the defense was clearly bested without Warshauer starting at back in the 2-1 loss to Good Counsel.
“We didn’t do a good job providing back support in order to handle their speed on attack,” coach Arnold Tarzy said. “After they scored their two goals, our backs adjusted, played well, eliminated the danger and turned the game around.”
Saying that Kidwell has had to pick up most of the slack offensively is an understatement. Even though Kidwell has been able to score in every game, the offense is clearly suffering from the injuries. The Bulldogs hope that Bradley’s return will help the offense return to form.
“He’s a really technical player,” Kidwell said. “He knows how to get by people and score. He’s a playmaker.”
Tarzy plans to use the team’s athleticism to create chances in the offensive zone. Tactical spacing will be essential for CHS to succeed.
“Strategy for us is to spread the field and possess the ball and find our opportunities to score from there,” Tarzy said. “In doing this the other team begins to chase and that will take them out of their game and cause them to focus on how to solve us.”
The team has the skill to get the job done, but the undersized squad needs to be more aggressive to compete with other teams.
“We have potential,” Kidwell said. “We have a very technical team. We need to be a little tougher.”
Kidwell needs help and fast. While he has had a terrific season so far, he needs players to return from injury in order for CHS to start winning games.
“I need to score 20 goals this year and I have to create chances,” Bradley said, “I have to be Kobe Bryant.”