Coming off a loss in their first game of the 2018 season against Wesley College, the Highlanders were back on the pitch this afternoon as they took on Goucher College in a non-conference affair for their home opener.

FIRST HALF

Coming off a 3-0 loss in the season opener against Wesley College, the Cairn Crazies were eager to see how the Highlanders would respond to their first bit of adversity. Junior star Brett Kikendall answered the call instantly, smashing a beautiful throw in from Josh Goodyear into the top netting to give Cairn a 1-0 lead thirty seconds into the contest. Fast forward to the ninth minute when the dynamic duo of Brendan Keller and Kikendall linked up for the first time this season. Kikendall slipped past the back line and was met perfectly by Keller's through ball, which he promptly deposited past the keeper for his second goal of the afternoon. However, Goucher proved they would not go away, as their offense finally broke through in the 18th minute when speedy forward Brandon Cohen netted his 2nd goal of the season to cut the Highlander lead to 2-1.  Goucher continued to push the tempo, as in the 25th minute another Brandon Cohen shot found its way past the Highlander back end, rattling off the crossbar to wake up the Highlander defense. Sensing a momentum swing in favor of the Gophers, head coach Luke Gibson turned to his substitutions in order to ignite a spark into the Highlanders offense and midfield. On top of those subs, Coach Gibson also made a switch in net midway through the first half, giving freshman Kameron Clarke his first action of the season in the 29th minute. The Highlander substitutions came to fruition as senior Jared Dodson delivered with his first goal of the season off an inswinging cross from sophomore Brandon Hasko in the 33rd minute. The Highlanders almost tacked on another goal in the 43rd minute when the keeper Clarke surprised the Gopher defense by launching a goal kick right into the lap of a waiting Hasko just outside the Goucher 18. Hasko's shot barely missed wide right to keep the Highlander lead at an impressive, 3-1.

SECOND HALF

The second half began much like the first half, except the roles were flipped as Goucher pushed their midfielders up, applying pressure to the Highlanders back line early in the second half.  However, defensive stalwarts Tyler Smith and Ryan Leatherman, and the two impressive freshman Hunter Keaton and Josh Goodyear were up to the task, consistently staunching any Goucher attack. The first quality scoring chance for either team came in the 58th minute when freshman forward Josiah Nistorenko fired a shot at the low left side that was barely snuffed away by Goucher GK Cole Judkins.  The Highlanders put the pressure on once again in the 73rd minute when senior Joey Weaver was fouled inside the box, earning a penalty kick and his first goal of the season. The senior made the most of the opportunity, burying the penalty kick upper ninety to extend the Highlander lead to 4-1 in the waning minutes of the second half. The Gophers would notch a penalty kick goal of their own to bring the score to 4-2, but Cairn coasted to their first victory of the season.

WRAP UP

Brett Kikendall was brilliant, notching 2 goals within the first 9 minutes of the game to set the tempo for the Highlanders early. Jared Dodson put together some quality minutes as a substitution, tallying his first goal of the season, and Joey Weaver iced the game with a penalty kick in the later minutes of the second half.  The biggest high point though was the impressive play of freshman defenders Josh Goodyear, Hunter Keaton, and keeper Kam Clarke- the freshman showed poise beyond their years to continually frustrate the Goucher defense. The Highlanders will be back in action on Saturday when they travel to Frederick, Maryland to take on Hood College. Kick off is scheduled for 4:00 PM.