Thursday March 27, 2008
MORROW, GA—The Silverbacks took the field for the first time this preseason against outside competition Wednesday night, facing NCAA Division II powerhouse Clayton State University in a closed-door scrimmage.
    Head coach Jason Smith played an approximation of a starting lineup in the first half, fielding a team of reserves and trialists—augmented by regular players in experimental roles—in the second 45 minutes.
    The Silverbacks earned a 1-0 result off a 10th minute goal by Jason McLaughlin. But as is common in preseason scrimmages, the result was neither indicative of the match, nor the objective of the night.
    "At this point in the preseason I'm concerned with improving our fitness and evaluating players," said Smith. " What's most important right now is building towards the season. Overall, I'm happy with what I saw."
    The Silverbacks started the out with Ryan McIntosh in goal; a backline of Martyn Lancaster, Matt Bobo, Zach Kirby, and David Hayes; Kevin Barrow, Tony Mcmanus, Rodrigo Rios, and Ansu Toure made up the midfield, with McLaughlin and Nathan Knox up front.
    Only four minutes in Knox, who joined the club on Monday, nearly put the Silverbacks in the lead smacking a header squarely off the crossbar. He also played a key roll in McLaughlin's goal, setting the former Vancouver Whitecap with a nice one-touch pass under pressure.
    The goal was a result of the nearly constant pressure the Silverbacks put on the Clayton State back line. Rios collected a misplayed ball from the Clayton State goalkeeper finding Toure on the left flank. Toure played the ball to McLaughlin, who sent the ball in to Knox at the top of the penalty area. Knox put the ball back into the path of a streaking McLaughlin, who calmly slotted the ball inside the far post.
    The Silverbacks defense was only challenged twice in the first half. On both occasions McIntosh had little difficulty defusing the situation.
    "I'm pretty happy with the way we played in the first half," Smith said. "For the most part, all of the returning players did well, and the new players are starting to be more comfortable."
    The second half saw wholesale changes to the Silverbacks lineup. Only Hayes and McLaughlin remained, both playing unfamiliar outside midfield roles.
    Clayton State nearly leveled the score in the 49th minute after a miscommunication between center back Josh Bolton and a trialist allowed an opposing attacker to slip through and get a shot on goal. Goalkeeper Felipe Quintero sufficiently cut the angle and the resulting shot glanced off the outside of the far post to safety.
    The Silverbacks suffered a scare in the 80th minute when Hayes went down with a knee injury.
    "It was just a knock," said Smith. "We'll keep an eye on it."
    Also unavailable due to injury Wednesday night was Mac Kandji, who underwent fitness work with assistant coach Gaucho Ponho during the scrimmage, Mike Ambersley, who is awaiting MRI results, and Justin Moore, who sat out due to soreness from his off-season sports hernia surgery.
     Still to join the team are Warren Ukah and Scott Buete, who are both playing indoor and will join the team at the conclusion of the season, and Anthony Wolfe, who remains in Trinidad with the National Team.
    The Silverbacks continue to prepare for the season with two sessions Thursday, a closed-door scrimmage Friday, and training Saturday.

Injury Report as of March 27
Mike Ambersley (knee)—Awaiting MRI results, did not train Thursday.
David Hayes (knee)—Trained fully Thursday
Mac Kandji (knee)—Day-to-day, trained fully Thursday.
Justin Moore (sports hernia)—Day-to-day, did not train on Thursday.