Football Blanks Greensboro, Retain ‘Soup Bowl’ for Eighth-Straight Year
Defense forces five turnovers, hold Pride under 200 total yards
from Bryce Johnson, Director of Athletic Communications
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Dominating from the opening kick on Saturday afternoon, the defense of the Guilford College football team overwhelmed, setting the tone early and often in the 23rd annual Soup Bowl, forcing a quintet of turnovers, and holding Greensboro College off the scoreboard to keep the trophy firmly in Quaker hands for the eighth-consecutive year with a 14-0 victory at Pride Field.
Announced at halftime that Guilford was also the winner in the annual food drive associated with the football contest, the Quakers improve to 1-0 on the field, and 2-0 on the week. Guilford is now 16-8 all-time against their crosstown rivals with this standing as the third shutout in the rivalry clash opposite Greensboro, with the other two occurrences happening in 2016 and 2014. Also, the season-opener for the Pride, they fall to 0-1 on the year.
The Quakers committed to a ground attack in this matchup, with Josh Campbell (Reidsville, N.C.), Evan Sullivan (McBee, S.C.), and Malik Woodard (Wilson, N.C.) all accumulating double-digit carries, helping accumulate 198 net rushing yards as a unit. Campbell led that group with 73 yards on the day on just ten carries, punching in a crucial late score. Woodard served as the primary back, drawing 20 totes for 72 yards, adding one catch for 17 yards for the guests’ lone receiving score. He was the game-leader in total yardage with 89. Sullivan had 11 carries for 46 yards.
Jaelan Brown (Burlington, N.C.) was efficient under center for Guilford, finishing 10-of-15 passing for 86 yards and a touchdown, while not turning the ball over, something the opposition struggled with. He linked up with six separate receivers with JuJu Rice (Raleigh, N.C.) finishing as the most common and productive of the bunch with three catches for 40 yards.
The story of the game was the defense for Guilford, as they flew around the field to stifle the Greensboro offense and hold the hosts to just 3.8 yards per play. Eli Davis (Pikeville, N.C.) led this unit accumulating a career-high eight total tackles. Transfer, and former member of the Pride in 2021 and 2022, Malik Hargrove (Warren County, N.C.) had six total tackles including five solo, with one tackle for a loss and one sack. Avery Garner (Denton, N.C.) had 1.5 sacks among his 2.5 tackles for a loss while Bo Thompson (Fairview, N.C.) and Tristan Bailey (Statesville, N.C.) each came away with an interception and Jaylan Richardson (Summerville, N.C.) picked off two Greensboro passes. Guilford’s defense also forced a fumble that, at the time of writing, has not been assigned to a player.
De’yon Cannon got the start at QB for Greensboro, but three interceptions on the first four drives ended his afternoon early finishing 2-for-6 for 57 yards, albeit with three interceptions and three sacks taken in his limited action. Jayden Morrison saw a majority of the time under center but only went 5-of-15 for 65 yards, throwing a pick himself.
Christian Burgess accumulated 67 yards on the ground across 13 carries, but he was the only running back for the hosts to gain any traction as the Pride as a team only averaged 2.3 yards per rush.
Shamar Privette led all players in receiving yardage, hauling in three catches for 87 yards with a long of 43. He was one of just four players to haul in a reception for the Pride on the day, with Mandre Ogletree and Christian Burgess catching two each, and Matthew Kidd being on the receiving end of one.
Max Steele led all players with 11 total tackles, including ten solo efforts, adding a pass breakup. JaJuan Givens had nine tackles with one being for a loss. Deshawn Holman was the only Greensboro player to have a full sack on the day.
It took the Quakers just three plays to set the theme for the contest. Getting the home squad into a third-and-seven, Bailey faded off of his man, reading the throw, and undercutting the pass in the direction of Tareek Smith to make a leaping interception. A short return would result in Guilford setting up shop well into Pride territory. Overcoming a pair of false starts on the drive, the offense rode Woodard, who had three carries for 13 yards on the drive, the second of which was a tremendous tote on a third-and-one in which he appeared to be stuffed up, but spontaneously popped out of the pile and obtained the first down yardage to move the chains. His efforts were rewarded a few plays later as he was on the receiving end of a short swing pass to the right from Brown, tip-toed the sideline, and scored, untouched, as less than five minutes in, Guilford was in front, 7-0, following the PAT.
At that point, no one expected to have to wait over 53 minutes of gametime for more points to be scored, it instead looked like it was headed towards being like the last two editions of the rivalry clash. Another interception, this one the first of the collegiate career by graduate student defensive lineman, Bo Thompson, as Greensboro looked to set up a screen play, set the visitors up even deeper in Pride territory, but they could not cash in. Instead, Greensboro countered with their top scoring chance of the game. A handful of good runs by Smith, plus a deep-ball connection to Privette resulted in the hosts getting their first, and what ended up as their only real chance within the red zone. The drive stalled due to consecutive sacks and an incompletion, but a penalty gave the drive new life. Two plays later, Smith got around the corner and dove for the pylon on the left side of the endzone, but the ball was popped loose and went out the side of the endzone for a touchback and a turnover.
The defenses settled in from there. Richardson claimed the Quakers fourth takeaway in as many drives by jumping a curl route right in front of the Guilford bench, but nothing came of it. When the Pride finally had the chance to punt, from deep in their own territory, Jay Daniels (Waycross, Ga.) had an electric, 26-yard return setting the guests up in Greensboro’s red zone, but a missed field goal was the drives’ result.
The Pride did give themselves a chance to put points on the board right before the half as a couple of 20-plus yard rushes by Burgess got them into Guilford territory, albeit as the half expired. However, a late hit out of bounds granted them 15 yards, and an untimed play, but Thomas Chapman missed the kick from about 32 yards out.
In the second half, the Quakers really committed to the ground game, running 36 run plays against just three passes. Textbook ball-control football. And it was successful as they gave themselves chances to score. They punted on their first drive but then drove the ball down, stalled inside the five, eventually resulting in a field goal attempt that sailed wide. Then the following drive they again got inside the five-yard-line, but could not punch it in and turned it over on downs, as between the two drives they had six plays within five yards of paydirt, but could not capitalize.
All the while, the defense was shutting things down. They only permitted a single movement of the chains in the half as the home team hit a chunk play through the air to Privette to get out of the shadow of their own endzone. However, Greensboro never ran a play from Guilford’s defensive territory in the second half of play.
Finally, after back-to-back carries of 12 and 25 yards by Campbell, and the two-minute warning occurred, the junior back got in behind the left guard, Dom Bialer (West End, N.C.) and broke the plain from two yards out to grant the Quakers breathing room with 1:50 to play. A four-play turnover on downs and a runout of the clock ensued as Guilford finalized the 14-0 victory.
The Quakers football team comes home next to clash with Methodist under the Appenzeller Field lights on Saturday, Sept. 14th. Kickoff is set for 7:00 PM.
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Men’s Soccer Claims the Throne of the ‘Boro
Saavedra secures early goal, building early momentum for Guilford.
from Angel Maldonado, Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant
GREENSBORO, N.C– The Guilford College men’s soccer team defended their home turf at Armfield Athletic Center on Friday evening, securing their second win of the season, 2-0, against Greensboro College.
The Quakers claim the throne of the ‘Boro, moving to 2-1-0 on the season. The Pride drop to 1-3-0
Chris Kelley (Lexington, N.C.) got the nod in goal for Guilford completing his first shutout as a Quaker with two saves among the two shots he faced improving to 2-1-0 in net. Cristian Del Cid fell to 1-3-0 for Greensboro, making four saves among the six Quaker shot attempts.
Saeed Saavedra (Mount Airy, N.C.) and Dani Santos (Port St. Lucie, Fla.) were the goal scorers of the match, with Riley Copeland (West End, N.C.) issuing an assist on the final goal of the game.
The Quakers took very little to make an impact. Saavedra opened up the scoring in the fifth minute off of a botched Greensboro possession in their own half. Saavedra applied pressure to the opposing defender receiving a free kick to flip the field, forcing him to lose the ball, creating an open run, leading to a one-on-one opportunity with the keeper and slotting it in with his weak foot into the center of the net, securing his first goal of the season and of his collegiate career.
What seemed to be a quiet couple of minutes post Saavedra’s goal, Copeland was quick to make his presence known. A Guilford throw-in, deflected off of the Pride, led to a great run just inside of the box by Copeland, who showcased his best impression of joga bonita, as he juggled and flicked the ball over his opponent, creating an iso play with the keeper. Copeland took flight and attempted a beauty of a scissor kick, leaving the crowd in awe. Unfortunately, he saw his shot rejected by the right post.
In the 41st minute, the Armfield faithful held its collective breath as Chase Lewis (Fayetteville, N.C.) showcased his defensive brilliance, intercepting Greensboro’s pass. With the ball at his feet, the freshman surged down the left wing and executed a perfectly timed cross for fellow teammate Landon Metzler, who connected with the ball, but was denied by the fingertips of the keeper.
The Quakers continued to exchange possession and a pair of fouls throughout the first half, amounting to 18 first half fouls and four yellow cards for the opposition. For, what is a derby without a little bit of rough play and passion.
The second half was everything we expected. Two rivals clashing in hopes of claiming who runs the ‘Boro. Both sides shared possession through the second half, sharing many fouls, and amounting many shots on target. In the final ten minutes of the game, the Quakers continued to create beautiful build-up plays, allowing Santos to slip away on the left wing. The sophomore, known for his speed and precision of play, beat the defender and provided an alley-oop opportunity for Hercules, who put his laces through the ball but missed the frame.
With the clock approaching 90, and with the pressure building into the matches final minute, Guilford cleared the ball out of the 18’ as Greensboro attempted to capitalize off the corner. Santos received the clearance and hit a through ball to Copeland, who was sitting on the left wing ready to attack. Sure enough, Copeland turned his opponent inside out and had a clear run on goal from midfield. As he approached the 18’, chipping the keeper, who was way off his line. Del Cid got a glancing blow of the bid, forcing the ball close to the out of bounds line, but Copeland jetted in and kept the play alive with a fantastic header to the middle of the 6’ creating an opportunity for none other than Santos at point-black range who sent the ball, as well as himself, into the net, securing the 2-0 victory.
A physical Derby for the Quakers but a busy night for the referees as their booklets were filled with 33 total fouls, 11 yellow cards, and one red card.
Guilford looks to extend their streak as they stay at home for their next contest as they face in-state foe Carolina University on Wednesday, September 11. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
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Kaci Johnson Sets Season-High in Kills, Volleyball Falls to Catholic and William Peace in Five Sets
Johnson and Alcantara tied for first in kills during defeat in doubleheader matches
from Reagan Hune, Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant
RALEIGH, N.C. – Kaci Johnson (Winterville, N.C.) had a standout morning on day two of the Raleigh Invitational, that came to a close as the Guilford College volleyball team was dismissed by Catholic University, 3-2 (25-22, 25-19, 17-25, 15-25, 13-15) in the early contest before taking a loss against William Peace University, 3-2 (25-23, 20-25, 27-25, 19-25, 12-15), at the Hermann Athletic Center on Saturday morning. .
The Quakers exited the Raleigh Invite with a 3-5 season record, while Catholic finished with a 2-5 mark, and William Peace now holds a 4-3 record.
In the match against Catholic, Guilford’s standout players were Natalie Moore (Talbott, Tenn.), who led the team with a dozen kills and tied for the team-high with 21 digs, Chrisbel Alcantara (San Juan, P.R.) with 11 kills, and Maddi Page (Jonesboro, Ga.) who recorded game-high 35 assists.
For Catholic, the standout performers who contributed to the Cardinals’ victory included Tanya Sichling, who matched the game-high with 12 kills and added 18 digs, Julia Raab with ten kills, and Gabby Hernandez-Ferraiuoli, who led the match with 29 digs.
Game two leaders for Guilford were Johnson who finished with 20 kills, Page handed out 45 assists, and Madison Bozarth (Greensboro, N.C.) collected a game-high 23 digs for the Quakers. Moore walked away with her second double-double of the day with ten kills and 13 digs.
William Peace prospects included Chassie Jacops with team-high 13 kills, Maegan Brylski with a game-high 47 assists, and Katie Arens totaled 20 digs for the day.
GAME ONE
Attacking errors and kills came from Vanessa Johnson (Charlotte, N.C.), who ended the early contest with 11 kills, tied for second-most on the team, and Moore got Guilford going in set one. A 6-0 run from GC extended the score to 10-7. As the momentum swung back and forth, the Quakers went on a run, leaving the Cardinals scoreless for five-consecutive points, pushing the score to 17-10. Ava Borcky, Lily Godbold, Hernandez-Ferraiuoli, and Sichling all had part in Catholic coming back to make it 23-22. Moore and Alcantara came through with timely kills that just pushed Guilford over the edge to clinch their victory in set one, 25-22.
The second set kicked off by the Quakers playing catch-up as the Cardinals expanded the lead to 7-1. Moore, along with Marie Hall (High Point, N.C.), who recorded three of her five kills in this set, a kill by Zoe Whisnant (Greensboro, N.C.), who ended the game with six kills, and half-a-dozen more kills from Johnson, ignited some confidence as Guilford went on a 7-0 run. Although a kill from Anna Maria Carella tried to keep Catholic alive, the Quakers edged out the Cardinals in a final set score of 25-19.
The Cardinals dominated set three, showing no signs of slowing down as they went on a 10-1 run against Guilford. Four kills were made by Whisnant to keep GC within striking distance momentarily, with the help of Moore, Hall, and Kaci Johnson. A few attacking errors by Catholic briefly sparked a 3-0 run for Guilford near the end of the set, but they ultimately fell 25-17.
Set four was once again controlled by Catholic, as they went on two near-unstoppable scoring runs. Despite efforts from Alcantara, Moore, Hall, and Kaci Johnson, the Quakers could not overcome Catholic’s dominant 8-0 and 6-1 runs. The final set score was 25-15.
In the final set of game one, Sichling, Godbold, and attack errors helped the Cardinals jump on the board early. Nevertheless, Guilford fought hard to build a 5-1 scoring run thanks to Alcantara kills and Catholic errors. Numbers wise, GC ended the match with 30 total errors vs. the Cardinals’ 20. Even though the Quakers finished with 51 kills to the Cardinals’ 47, Catholic’s hitting percentage totaled to be .155 in comparison to Guilford’s .114 as GC ultimately fell, 3-2..
GAME TWO
Within the close battle between the Peace Pacers and the Quakers in set one, four of the six points came from Kaci Johnson. William Peace started to pull away thanks to kills from Tameka Adams, Brylski, and Jordyn Chinigo. Guilford had a successful run of 6-0, and GC had an additional run of 5-0. Moore, who had 14.5 points, Kaci and Vanessa Johnson, Hall, and Alcantara all contributed to this set win with a score of 25-23.
One of the keys for set two was that William Peace had three different runs of four-straight points against Guilford. Whether it was a service ace or kill from Jordan Juanes, Jacops, or Savannah Hairr, WPU found a way to temporarily shut down GC. Kaci Johnson, who achieved a season-high of 22.5 points pairing with a .421 hitting percentage, along with Moore and Whisnant, made efforts to slow down the Peace Pacers. However, William Peace ultimately took the final set with a 25-20 victory.
In set three, Hall, Whisnant, Alcantara, and Johnson displayed toughness, tying the score at 16. Despite the 6-1 run WPU presented GC, the Quakers answered with a run of their own to take the lead 23-22. Within this stretch, three of these points came from Moore. Johnson finished the set with a kill, assisted by Page, bringing the final score to 27-25.
Set four had standout kills from Sarah Yates, Juanes, and Anderson who had five of her nine kills in this set alone. Kills from Vanessa and Kaci Johnson, Moore, Whisnant, and Alcantara could not slow down William Peace, resulting in a score of 20-8. In a Guilford group effort, the team made it into a five-point deficit. WPU finished the set with a score of 25-19.
During the fifth set, five kills came from Johnson while Alcantara added two of her own. Yates, Jacops, and Chinigo pitched in to seal the deal. In the final set of the Raleigh Invitational, the Quakers were upended by the Peace Pacers in a set score of 15-12, and a final score 3-2.
Next up for Guilford will venture across town to clash with rival Greensboro College on Wednesday, Sept. 11th at 7 p.m.
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Moore Shines with Double-Double Performance, Volleyball Upended by Oglethorpe
A complete game from Natalie Moore (Talbott, Tenn.) stands out amongst loss against Stormy Petrels
ffrom Reagan Hune, Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant
RALEIGH, N.C. – During day one of the Raleigh Invitational, the Guilford College volleyball team fell to Oglethorpe University in an exhausting battle, 3-2 (22-25, 20-25, 25-23, 25-19, 12-15), in the Weatherspoon Athletic Center at neutral site, Meredith College, on Friday evening.
Guilford left day one with a 3-3 record as Oglethorpe finished the day at 4-1.
Valuable players that made their mark on today’s match for Guilford are Moore with her first double-double performance having 14 kills and 13 digs, Maddi Page (Jonesboro, Ga.) dished out game-high 39 assists along with 10 digs, and Madison Bozarth (Greensboro, N.C.) finished out with team-high 15 digs and four assists.
Key contributors for Oglethorpe involved Briella Kohler with game-high 17 kills and 11 digs, Legacy Guider walking away with team-high 15 digs and five assists, and Gabbi Phillips tallying team-high 24 assists for the Stormy Petrels.
To start off the invitational, it was the Kaci Johnson (Winterville, N.C.) show as she garnered four of her 12 kills in set one. Moore, earning 17 points, which bested her previous 16.0 points and Chrisbel Alcantara (San Juan, P.R.), who led with 16 kills and 17.5 points, added key kills to keep the Quakers in the game, but the Stormy Petrels quickly pushed the score to 17-11. Kills distributed by Gracie Sims, Aubrey Hill, and Ashlynn Stephens helped right before Guilford had a 4-0 run to make it 20-18. Although Moore had a couple of kills down the stretch, Oglethorpe won the set, 25-22.
In set two, Johnson, Alcantara, and Moore got Guilford on the right path with a score of 11-6, leaving Oglethorpe scoreless for five points in a row. Things were looking up for the Quakers until the Stormy Petrels took the lead due to service and attacking errors and kills by Camdyn George, Stephens, Kohler, and Hill. The team comparison for hitting percentage in set two was only .184 for Guilford while Oglethorpe earned a .4 percent. After GC’s comeback-attempt faltered with attacking errors, OU won set two, 25-20.
Johnson and Alcantara dominated set three, scoring 10 of the 25 points. Within the match details, it showed that the Quakers exposed the Stormy Petrels in the hitting percentage with .2 percent vs. a .097 percent. OU put up a strong group effort to stay competitive with GC, but in the back-and-forth battle, Guilford edged out Oglethorpe, winning the set 25-23.
The Quakers carried their momentum from the previous set, going on several short runs against the Stormy Petrels. Kohler, Stephens, and Sims each had moments to rally their team, but Alcantara’s five kills overshadowed their efforts. Vanessa Johnson (Charlotte, N.C.) added to the mix, throwing in two of her three kills in this set alongside her three blocks. Despite the alternating score in the fourth set, Oglethorpe couldn’t match Guilford’s momentum, never scoring more than three consecutive points. Guilford claimed the set with a 25-19 victory.
Set five was in Kohler’s control where she delivered five of her 17 kills in that set alone. Moore fought hard to keep Guilford in the game, tying the score at 11 and earning a service ace, but attacking errors and a Kohler kill brought day one of the Raleigh Invitational to a close for GC. Oglethorpe outlasted Guilford in the final set to 15-12 to make the final score 3-2.
Guilford starts day two of the Raleigh Invitational Saturday, Sept. 7 at 9 a.m. facing Catholic University in a neutral site battle hosted by William Peace. Later on, GC plays against William Peace at 11 a.m.
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