Scots struggle as Terry Sanford breaks through

LAURINBURG — “We’ve forgotten who we are,” head coach Jeremy White said following yet another loss for the Scots. How a team responds to adversity reveals its true identity; currently the Scotland soccer team is undergoing that test.

After a strong start to the season with a record of 7-2, the Scots have now lost three consecutive games, with each defeat chipping away at their belief.

“We are not the same team we were eight games into the season,” White said. “Once we lost to South View, we started to express doubt about being able to win and that carried over to our game against Gray’s Creek.”

“The talent is there, but we are playing heartlessly; our attacking style has fallen off and no one is stepping up,” he added.

Wednesday’s match-up against the Terry Sanford Bulldogs brought a familiar result but in a different fashion. In their last two match-ups, the Scots were outscored 8-3, and after being shut out against Gray’s Creek, they again suffered another score loss, falling 3-0.

“We played 70 minutes of good defense, and once Terry Sanford scored, the floodgates opened,” White said.

Scotland has slipped to 0-2 in the conference with a 7-5 overall record, with tougher competition ahead. Can the Scots respond to the pressure, or is it time to hit the panic button?

The answer lies with Scotland alone, and they’ll have a chance to silence the doubts on Sept. 26 at 6 p.m., when they hit the road to face Central Academy of Technology & Arts.