For Indian River golf coach Neil Beahan, if there’s anything worse than sacrificing a loss at a home match, it’s falling short by one stroke. That nightmare became a reality on Tuesday as the Indians hosted Cape Henlopen, falling just shy, with a score of 179-178, to bring their season record to 3-2.
Coastal Point • FILE PHOTO:
Paul Silveria take a cut during a recent match-play this season.
“It’s really frustrating to come that close,” said Beahan. “I just hope that a loss this close doesn’t come back to bite us at the end of the season. We try so hard to save as many strokes as we can. To come this close without a win, on the home course… it’s just very discouraging.”
The Indians were able to walk out of a triumphant win at Polytech last Thursday, but were just unable to follow through on Tuesday.
The loss, he mentioned, was attributed to careless mistakes that should not have happened.
“What the guys have to remember,” said Beahan, “is that they aren’t always playing the individual they are matched up against. They’re playing the course. When we are the home team, we should have the advantage. We can’t afford to give up on a hole.”
Despite a rough hole or two, seniors Richard Webster and Matt Binstead shot well, both hitting a 43. “The guys came out confident and relaxed,” Beahan said, “but a couple holes were just giving them trouble. It’s hard to play in the cold, too.”
Another factor that weighed in heavily was the absence of senior starter Drew Gibbons. “It hurts when you don’t have one of your best players at a match,” said Beahan. Gibbons has been visiting colleges, prospecting his plans after graduation, and missed both Tuesday’s match and Wednesday’s home competition against Milford.
“I hate not having him here,” added Beahan, “but college is really important for these kids and I’d rather him be doing what he’s doing.”
Beahan commended junior Paul Silviera for stepping up as a starter at Tuesday’s match.
“Paul’s really showed me a lot,” Beahan said, “and it’s really nice to see a guy bring up his game like he has.”
Silviera broke 50, contributing a score of 46 in the match against Cape Henlopen. “Another thing I noticed was the sportsmanship between both teams,” Beahan added. “[Cape] Henlopen has a really great coach, and there was no animosity between any of the guys out there. It all just came down to the numbers in the end.”
Beahan said that he hopes to put the tough loss behind him quickly.
“I really want to get the team right back in the horse,” he said. “We have to find all the positive things we do before our next match, not once we’re in it. The guys are showing some improvements, though. With play like this, we’ll look to build up more experience for next year.”
Wednesday’s match against Milford was the team’s last before the Easter break.
“It will good for the guys to get a break,” said Beahan. “We’ve had a heavy schedule so far. It would have been great to go into the Easter break 5-1, but we didn’t. We just have to step it up a little more.”