Bryan College Triangle

Players from both Montreat and Bryan react to a corner kick at Saturday night's championship game / Photo courtesy of Dave Houghton

Catherine Rogers
Editor-In-Chief

Appearing at the final round of the AAC conference tournament (Milligan, Tenn.) for the third year in a row, Bryan men’s soccer ended their season on Saturday night, losing a game, 4-2, that was the last many players on the team would play as Bryan Lions.

Competing against the Cavaliers of Montreat College (N.C.), who faced the Lions in the final round of the 2009 conference championship, the Lions played valiantly, willing a win.

“We out-played and out-possessed them,” said senior Garrett Lemons, who has been an avid Lions spectator all his four years at Bryan. “Montreat was completely out-classed by our boys, we just couldn’t finish.” Read full story »

Players on Saturday prepare for a corner kick on Union College's goal / Triangle photo by Cat Rogers

Dan Jackson
Online Assistant Editor

“These are the games that the players remember,” said Michael Palmer, professor of communications, who was watching Saturday’s battle from the sidelines.

In the first round of the AAC-playoffs, Bryan College men’s soccer team hosted Union College (Barbourville, Ky.). After a shaky start ending in a 2-2 tie at the end of the first half, the Lions roared forward, eventually ending the game 8-3. Read full story »

Senior Andrew Knighten takes a face dive during a game against Union on Oct. 5. Just a few weeks later he sprained his ankle, making his the seventh injury that has faced the men's soccer team this semester / Triangle photo by Maddie Doucet

Dan Jackson
Assistant Online Editor

At first, it was the usual seasonal injury, but then, the number of injured players on the men’s varsity soccer team began adding up until seven players were off the field. With the sprained ankle of Senior Andrew Knighten, Bryan’s men’s varsity soccer team heads towards the semifinal match without its usual offense players.

Ten days ago, Knighten was running into the box in a game against Bluefield College (Bluefield, Va.) when he turned. His ankle didn’t.

The doctors said that the sprain will heal in two weeks. With four days left, Knighten expects to be healed in time for the semifinal match against Milligan College (Milligan College, Tenn.) this weekend.

In the meantime, Head Coach Sandy Zensen said that he will be pulling other players to play the positions. The team will buy some minutes from Senior Harry Sherwood, but Sherwood, recently healed from a torn hamstring, cannot play long. Read full story »

Zensen, accompanied by his wife, waves farewell to Bryan fans on the sidelines of the Union game / Triangle photo by Cat Rogers

Dan Jackson
Assistant Online Editor

Soccer players on the bench shout to the players on the field, their voices bouncing off the hill where the spectators sat watching Bryan College fight in the conference playoffs against Union College on November 5. Head Coach Sandy Zensen stands silent, hands in his pockets, looking like a general who has seen this fight before and knows he can win.

For almost the whole game he stands like this, muttering praise and lament at every twist of the match. More important things are whispered under the din of the game to his assistant coaches standing beside him. The last buzzer will signify the closing of an era of 22 years; this is his last home game. When the season ends, Zensen will step down from his coaching position to continue solely as Bryan’s Athletic Director. Even now, nothing will distract him from the drama unfolding before him. Read full story »

Fans greet Sherwood after the Lions won the opening round of the National Tournament against Columbia College / Triangle photo by Cat Rogers

Sebastian Fischer
Sports Writer

Bryan soccer team’s skipper Harry Sherwood approaches the end of his outstanding college career

As the late October cold sets in, fans watching the match between the Bryan Lions and the Bluefield Rams on Saturday night are obstinate and few. This game depicts the end of a disappointing regular season for Bryan’s soccer team, and only a win by four goals will allow the Lions to host the opening round of the conference tournament.

Recovered from a torn hamstring just enough to play in what could be his last home game for Bryan, senior skipper Harry Sherwood is back on the field with his team after watching from the sidelines for four weeks. The injury isn’t healed completely, but it will be well enough for two 15-minute periods. His left leg is bandaged so heavily Sherwood looks like a warrior suited in armor.

The announcer raises his voice to introduce “number five from Bristol, England” and the few Bryan fans sound like a crowd. Sherwood is the fan-favorite, no doubt, and his comeback sparks hope in the hearts of supporters. Usually he is the anchor of Bryan’s defense at center half, but today he will play up front—Bryan needs goals.

Read full story »