After a disappointing 3-13-2 record and just a 17% win rate last season, the Golden Eagles are off to a hot start this year.
The boys opened their season with a 2-0 win over Bald Eagle, highlighted by goals from Ned Smearman and Tytus Novak, with both goals assisted by Jake Baker.
The win gave the team confidence after the Golden Eagles’ rebuilding season last year. It was also a huge game for Tyrone goalkeeper Wyatt Walls’, who earned his first career shutout.
The Golden Eagles looked to keep this momentum going into the second game of the season.
Unfortunately, they hit a roadblock in their second game against the Bellefonte Raiders. The Eagles lost a nailbiter 2-1, but there were still positive takeaways from the loss.
“We have improved so much from last season,” Tyrone’s junior Rowan Moore said. “We lost to [Bellefonte] 0-9 last year and this year we kept it close and only lost by one. It really shows how much hard work and dedication we put into our program during the offseason to make us better.”
Ned Smearman earned his second goal of the season in the loss, also scoring in back to back games.
The Eagles then suffered another heartbreaking loss in the thrid game of the season against the Bedford Bison.
They lost 5-0 and the Eagles’ leading scorer, Ned Smearman, sustained an injury that he had rehabbed last season. Smearman will likely be sidelined for the remainder of the season.
The Eagles then finished the week by getting the job done at home over the 1-1 Central Cambria Red Devils on September 5th with the final score of 2-1.
Tytus Novak had a notable performance with one of the Eagles’ goals and assisted Noah Gulvas for his first goal of this season.
Tyrone’s goalkeeper, Devon Nardelli, held the Devils to a first-half shut-out, but gave up one goal in the second half.
The Golden Eagles hope to keep this winning morale leading up to their next game on September 10th at Penns Valley as they attempt to take their record above 500.
Head Coach Alex Bartlett is happy about how the team has progressed.
“We have made huge strides since last year. I am so proud of the way we matured as a team. We have some of the best team chemistry I have had in my six years as a head coach.”
Maturity seems to be a highlight as a key for improvement this season.
“We feel good about our wins. We fought hard in every game this season and are happy to be in this position so early in the season”, Bartlett remarked after being asked about how the team is feeling. “I am very optimistic about our team and the growth that will occur throughout the season,” Bartlett said.
Bartlett has noticed how hard his team has worked saying that, “We have seen our hard work pay off, especially in our first scrimmages. You can see the buy-in, the culture, the team chemistry, and the talent in this team every time we play. We have spent many hours in the offseason to get to this point”.
The hard work should continue to pay off for the Tyrone Golden Eagles.
