BOILING SPRINGS – Gardner-Webb men's soccer took to the pitch against an opponent for the first time of its 2022 campaign on Saturday, as the Runnin' Bulldogs hosted Tusculum for a pair of exhibition contests at Greene-Harbison Stadium.
 
Beginning with an impressive showing to get the year underway, the Gardner-Webb reserve team secured a comfortable 3-0 win to start the day, which was then followed by a 1-1 draw for the first team, who played two separate squads – one half apiece – to give the entire team a chance to impress during the unofficial first action of the season.
 
Making his Gardner-Webb debut, Pablo Brimirex scored the lone goal for the first team by putting home a rebound opportunity for the unassisted tally. Meanwhile, the reserve team saw three different scorers each find the back of the net, as Rafael Gonzalez-Socas, Landon Whisenant and Uleto Fuentes all converted on tries to propel GWU to victory.
 
The first team outshot Tusculum 14-7 overall and 7-3 in shots on goal during a tricky matchup against an energetic and strategic Pioneers squad. New on the pitch as a full unit, the Runnin' Bulldogs narrowly missed a handful of scoring opportunities by being just slightly out of sync in the final ball, a facet of the game that takes additional time on the training field to develop, something head coach Tony Setzer says will improve as the squad continues to play.
 
"We had so many players playing their first game that we lacked a bit of flow and rhythm," said Setzer. "We were like the Carolina Crown – a bunch of new talented musicians who after a few weeks become a great band that puts on a show. For a first outing, our goal was to just try to get a better understanding and judge mentality."
 
The Gardner-Webb first-team goalies collected two saves on the night, while Tusculum keepers turned away a collective six GWU shot attempts.
 
As for the reserve team, they impressed the coaching staff during the first outing of 2022.
 
"I thought it was a good outing for these guys, and I'm really impressed with their effort and execution," concluded Setzer. "There were a few that made some good impressions, and we can see qualities that will make it difficult for selection going forward."
 
Gardner-Webb will continue its exhibition slate this upcoming Tuesday, August 16 when the Runnin' Bulldogs welcome Elon to Boiling Springs at 3:45 p.m. for the second of three unofficial games before the official season opener on Thursday, August 25 at Wofford.