By Drew Terhall

DailyAdvocate.com

GREENVILLE — It was Greenville’s annual Alumni soccer day at Harmon Field on July 29. The current boys and girls soccer teams went up against the program’s past players in the two exhibition games.

But the day started with the boys and girls programs hosting a free youth camp on the field. High school players and coaches taught the campers the basics of the game during the three-hour camp.

Lady Wave head coach Dave Ernst said it was a good turnout for the first year of the camp with 27 kids. He was pleased with how the two coaches ran the camp.

“It was led by the boys head coach Ethan Cundiff and the boys head coach from Stebbins, Sam Bowers. Those two did a great job stepping in and running the program,” Ernst said.

A little while after the camp, Cundiff and his team took the field against the Alumni boys. It was a close game after the first half with the Alumni leading 2-0.

But in the second half, the Alumni got it rolling and came out on top 8-0. Greenville played well, but had a few mistakes that led to some goals.

Cundiff said despite what the score was, the team played well against a higher level of competition. With the team being young and not having a high number of players, the team learned from this game.

“We use this as a learning experience. We start our season on Monday, July 31. We’re still in preseason. This game is to learn. We plugged different players to different positions. We worked on different formations. You win and lose, but you also learn,” Cundiff said.

Before the Lady Wave could take the field, the Darke County Soccer Association played two games on the field to show off their league and the young talent.

Ernst said he wants the high school program to have a connection with DCSA. It’s all about bringing the game of soccer to the kids around the area.

“I’ve always tried to keep DCSA involved in the high school program. To keep that bridge, to make sure they know they’re always welcomed. That is very important to me to give them that 40 minutes,” Ernst said.

The day ended with the Lady Wave taking on the Alumni girls. Greenville started off spending a lot of the first half in the offensive zone, but couldn’t come away with any goals to show for it.

At half, the Alumni were up 1-0. It was more of the same in the second half as the Alumni came away with a 3-0 win.

Ernst said the girls seemed to come out hesitant going up against older girls. He wants to see the team be more confident and aggressive coming onto the field, no matter who they are playing.

“That’s not how were training. We’re training aggressive and positive. We will touch that several times this week before we have Coldwater on Saturday for a scrimmage,” Ernst said.

Overall, Ernst was happy with the game. He said they got a good estimate of where they’re at and have a list of things they need to work on.

For the Lady Wave, the preparation for the season starts when the clock strikes midnight into July 31. The team will host their annual Midnight Madness practice to kick off the season. They will introduce the team and name captains.

Contact Daily Advocate sports editor Drew Terhall at [email protected]