The Lakewood Leopards lost on the road 5-3 in Wednesday’s match at East Columbus, falling to 1-2 on the season during non-conference play.

“I feel like we looked a lot better than we did in our loss against Midway, but we still weren’t aggressive enough, we weren’t passing like we should have and we didn’t control the ball well,” said head coach Jay Faircloth.

Though Lakewood has lost two in a row, a lot of that can be attributed to the youth of the team.

“It’s like I have a Rubik’s Cube and I only have one side that’s all the same color. This team is full of talent, but they’re still so young and they’re basically still trying to find their identity,” said Faircloth.

The time to discover themselves as a team is closing fast as conference play creeps up on the youthful Leopards team. A challenging season is certainly ahead, but Faircloth doesn’t seem fazed as he’s up for the challenge the youngest team he’s ever coached brings.

“It’s only going to get harder and harder from here on out — my guys will have to learn to adapt quickly. One thing I always tell my team is I can run the drills for you, teach you plays and put you were you need to be, but you’ve got to get it into your minds and hearts when it comes time to compete. Regardless, I’m excited as we get try to better each week and I’m up for the challenge,” remarked Faircloth.

Goals from Lakewood came from Logan Thomas, who had two, and Rafael Pena, who added the other.

The Leopards look to bounce back in their next game on Monday, Aug. 28, as they travel to Midway for a rematch.

By Michael Hardison

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