September 22 is the first official day of fall on the calendar and Tuesday represents a new beginning as well for Christ School soccer.
Blessed with depth and a good blend of new and returning talent, the Greenies are home for their 4:30 p.m. season opener with defending state champion High Point Wesleyan Christian Academy.
“The attitude of everyone has really been great so far,” said Guy Campbell ’00, who has been varsity head coach at his alma mater for 10 years now.
“I think everyone kind of understands that we have a lot of options when it comes to our lineup. It has made the practices more competitive. Everyone has been great teammates, on the field and off. It’s great to see. Even if some of the guys are not getting a starting nod, they have been very supportive. It’s a culture thing, a positive thing, that we have tried to preach.”
Carson Campbell ’21 was an All-Carolinas Athletic Association striker as a junior with eight goals and five assists and should run things up top for the Greenies. He and defender Tyler Bell ’21 have been selected as captains. Three new faces – Carter Compton ‘24, Fernando Machuca ‘22, and Daniel Potapov ‘22 – will try to balance out Christ School’s scoring.
In the midfield, Truett Compton ‘25, Reese Cates ‘24 and Fernando have stood out. And the team’s main area of experience is defense. Tyler, Ethan Rose ‘24, Charlie Bell ‘21, and Ollie Searle ‘21 are names to keep an eye on.
Freshman Ben Yang ‘24 will be the starting goalkeeper for Tuesday’s matchup with Wesleyan, which has won seven state championships since 2011. The Trojans shut out CAA champ Rabun Gap (Ga.), 3-0, in last year’s NCISAA 4-A finals.
“I don’t think they ever have a down year,” Coach Campbell said. “We’re excited about it. Because of the preseason being longer than usual, we feel like we’re as ready as we’re going to be.”
The Christ School Broadcast Network will stream Tuesday’s game live at this link.
