For the fourth time in a matter of five days, Greeneville’s soccer team (4-5-1) faced a quality, non-conference opponent. This time, the Dobyns Bennett Indians (6-0-2) made the trip to Burley Stadium looking to take down the Devils, but settled for the 1-1 tie.
From the opening kick, both teams competed in a very physical and competitive match, with each having their opportunities to score. Greeneville finished with 13 shots (5 on goal) while Dobyns Bennett took 12 (7 on goal). The keepers, Tanner Myers and Ethan Cline, however, had something to say about that as they would strive to keep their opponents off the board.
The Tribe broke through in the 12th minute of the contest as Brogan McGhee would find the back of the net from 18 yards out on a rebound. Over the next few minutes, the Tribe would look to extend their lead, but Myers would collect two big saves, one on a PK in the 16th minute and another on a direct shot in the 31st to keep his team within striking distance headed into the half trailing 1-0.
Coming into the second half, the Devils were looking to work off some adjustments and get off to a fast start, and that they did. In the 41st minute, Matthew Lindberg sent a pass to the right sideline and Samuel Gourley did the rest. He dribbled the ball towards Cline and send a direct shot to the back corner of the net scoring the equalizer.
Throughout the rest of the contest, each team attempted to take advantage of their opponent’s physicality, but neither was able to break through. There were six bookings in the final 40 minutes with four Greene Devils shown a yellow card and two players from Dobyns-Bennett. As the final horn sounded, both teams exited the pitch knowing that they left it all on the field and accomplished many of their team’s goals. Greeneville will travel to Sevier County on Thursday, weather permitting, for a conference matchup with the Smokey Bears. Kickoff is set for 7:00.
