In Centennial’s scrimmage Tuesday in Preseason play, the result of the game wasn’t the only thing weighing heavily on the minds of the players coaches and fans. In the first half, Centennial’s starting center midfielder, Junior Dave Lucas, suffered a broken wrist on a foul. Lucas, team captain, was listed as one of the team’s key players in the preseason edition of the Howard County Times this year. Despite the injury, Lucas continued to play the remainder of the scrimmage, not knowing the extent of the injury. He will be able to play in the team’s next game with a soft wrap around the hard cast on his wrist.

Later in the same game, goalie Aaron Russell, a sophomore, broke one of his fingers. Russell jumped in the air to make a save, lost it in the sun, and had the ball glance off his hand at on odd angle. Russell, who entered the preseason slotted to start the first game of the regular season, will miss the first few games. The goalie position, one of the most important and thus one of the hardest to fill, is now in the hands of Senior Max Piland. Piland has little experience in goal, and his success will depend greatly on how he adapts to the new position.

When asked about the situation, Lucas said “A quick recovery from Aaron would be really good for us as far as late-season success. Of course, the quicker I heal, the better it is too, but I would say that much more is contingent on our goalie status later in the season. It's hard to tell at this point.”