.png)
1,000th game occurs 58 years after first
BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS
Sports Editor, RTC
ARGOS — Not even a loss could overshadow the accomplishment itself.
Joe Tapp scored twice to lead the Class 2A, No. 5 Fort Wayne Concordia boys soccer team to a 2-0 win over host Argos in the 1,000th game in Dragon history at Eugene Snyder Field Saturday.
Argos began playing soccer in 1964, essentially starting scholastic soccer in Indiana along with Culver Academy. It’s been a program mindful of its history and its excellence, and with all alumni invited to attend, the objective was to get the current players to appreciate that history and excellence.
“You know when you go play football at a certain place, you know they expect a high level, but until you get out there, you don’t understand what it’s like at that level,” Argos coach Todd VanDerWeele said. “And we’ve got so many guys that last year didn’t play a varsity minute or are coming from middle school and that jump is a little bit hard. While they understand, they’re still getting used to the pace of play, the physicality of play. And we’re dealing with it better than we did two weeks ago. We’re still adjusting. … It’s just the inexperience and the growing process that we’re going through right now that’s going to take a little time, but we’re going to get there. We are getting there now.”
Tapp scored his first goal less than five minutes into the game. The second goal came with five seconds left in the game after Argos had moved its back line up seeking an equalizer that never came.
Argos dropped to 2-5. They were coming off wins over LaVille and Lakeland Christian earlier in the week. They did not allow a goal in either game.
“That was our third game this week, and this is something with the young guys we’re trying to work through,” VanDerWeele said. “I feel much better where we’re at right now than I did a week ago. They’re a good team. They’re a 2A team. They’ll be ready to compete for a sectional championship in a month and a half. It was nice to play them. I just think we could have got maybe a little more out of it.”
Watch 1000th Argos Dragons Match Here:
