CIRCLEVILLE, Ohio – It took a half to shake off the game-one jitters, but Campbellsville University opened its season Wednesday with a 5-0 win at Ohio Christian University.
Roraigh Yearwood started the scoring in the 37th minute off a pass from Alex Ryan to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead at halftime. The game was delayed 45 minutes following halftime due to lightning, but CU attacked with high intensity in the second half.
Yearwood extended CU's lead early in the second half after rebounding a deflected shot by Guilherme Cheng. The junior forward followed with an assist to Cheng to make it 3-0.
Gustav Carlsson set up a penalty kick goal for Ryan, and Xavier Martinez capped the Tigers' scoring by taking a pass from Maurizio Infante and beating two defenders and the keeper on the play.
"We were grateful for the opportunity to come here and open our season against Ohio Christian. After getting the first game nerves out of the way, we really hit our stride and were able to open up the lead enough to give all of our players a share of the playing time," said Alex Adams, CU assistant coach. "It is good experience for our young guys, especially being able to see adversity with the lightning delay and overcoming their nerves with a solid win."
Nestor Escobar collected the win in goal for CU.
Prior to the game both teams received their preseason national rankings from the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA). The Tigers open the season ranked No. 6 in NCCAA Division I, while the Trailblazers are No. 3 in NCCAA Division II. CU is also receiving votes in the NAIA Top 25 Coaches Poll.
Campbellsville (1-0) will travel to East Chicago, Ind., this weekend for two games in the Crimson Wave Invitational hosted by Calumet College of St. Joseph. Calumet will host Clarke University in the first game Saturday, Aug. 30, at 3 p.m. EDT, followed by CU and Siena Heights University at 5:30 p.m. The two losers will play Sunday in a consolation game at 12:30 p.m., followed by the Crimson Wave Invite championship at 5:30 p.m.
