Craig Pearson
The Tribune-Star
TERRE HAUTE —
Terre Haute North soccer player Jacob Parham scored 28 goals as a freshman for the Patriots.
The sophomore forward got off to a solid start in trying to surpass that Tuesday night against Northview, scoring five goals in the Patriots’ 9-0 season-opening victory against the Knights.
“Personally, I had four goals last year [against Northview]. I was trying to top myself this year,” Parham said.
“He’s a very talented kid, likes to score and very good with the ball,” North coach John Welch said.
Parham and his teammates have great chemistry on the field. After Northview was the aggressor in the first six minutes, North found openings in rapid succession. John Welch assisted Parham for the first of three goals during a 1 minute, 16-second span of time on the clock.
“We lost a lot of seniors last year, but this year we’re a lot more mobile. We’re better at communication. Just more movement, trusting each other more,” Parham said.
Junior center midfielder Julian Shamsaie assisted Parham on two of his goals, added an assist to Welch, one of three seniors, and chipped in a goal for himself.
Parham’s second goal was one he created with his own agility and skill with the ball.
“They’ve got two players that are gamebreakers. It’s as simple as that sometimes,” Northview coach Don Bryan said.
Northview played well the first five minutes of the game, but Parham found the back of the net after a pass from John Welch in the seventh minute.
North added two goals in the eighth minute, Shamsaie hitting Welch’s foot for a quick goal at 32:49.
Twenty five seconds later, Parham drove left from the middle of the field and kicked across his body past Northview keeper Jacob Booker, who made some impressive saves throughout the 90 minutes of action.
North’s first unit was just too much for the Knights’ defense. Parham converted a left footer with 34:43 on the second-half clock, and added his fifth score with 31:19 on the clock on a Bradley Klingele.
And the chemistry that was a strength for North, was only there for Northview in short spurts.
“We dominate possession 10 minutes at the start. The last eight minutes we come back. It’s a chemistry issue to no fault of our own. We’re trying to build a program,” Bryan said. “The positive thing is we’re hustling, we’re trying. We’re hoping this will pay off by conference time. Our main job is to win that conference.”
Coach Welch gave the Knights’ credit for bringing it in spurts.
“The second part of the second half [the Knights] picked it up, got a lot more aggressive. They did a good job coming back at us,” Welch said.
The Knights also play tough competition against Crawfordsville on Thursday and Saturday in the Washington Invitational.
“I’m a believer in tough competition,” Bryan said. “By the time we hit that conference we’re rolling.”
Northview 0 0 — 0
Terre Haute North 5 4 — 9
THN goals — First half: Jacob Parham (assist John Welch) 33:40; John Welch (Julian Shamsaie) 32:49; Parham, 32:24; Shamsaie, 21:35; Parham 9:57. Second half: Parham (Shamsaie), 34:43; Parham (Bradley Klingele), 31:19; Kaden Sloan, 21:50; Tanner Gunter (Adam Shamsaie), 15:43.
Next — Terre Haute North (1-0) plays Friday and Saturday in the Evansville Invitational. Northview (0-1) plays host to Crawfordsville on Thursday.
