Elijah Mitchell nets a goal in season opener

It was the start that Bahamian soccer player Elijah Mitchell wanted for his collegiate soccer career as he scored the first goal for his team, the Birmingham Southern College Panthers, in their 2021 campaign. Playing in front of their home crowd at the Goldfarb Field Berylson Soccer Park in Birmingham, Alabama, the Panthers took down the Huntingdon College Hawks, 4-0, on Wednesday night.

Mitchell was brilliant in his college debut as he found the back of the net in the 18th minute of the game to give his team an early lead.

“It was an amazing feeling to score my first goal and it’s a moment I’ll always cherish,” the 18-year-old said.

The Panthers won a ball at the half-line and counter-attacked right away. They pushed the ball wide before crossing it into their opponents’ 18-yard box. Mitchell was in the right place at the right time and he placed a loose ball into the right bottom corner of the goal, safely out of the Hawks keeper’s reach.

The game reached halftime with the Panthers up 1-0.

The Panthers unleashed an onslaught of goals in the second half, taking a comfortable 4-0 victory. The Panthers scored in the 62nd, 80th and 83rd minutes of the game. There were three goal scorers in the game for them. On the defensive side, it was a clean sheet for the Panthers – a goalkeeper and coach’s dream.

It was also great revenge for the Panthers as they fell 5-1 to the Hawks in their season opener last season.

Freshman Mitchell, who is coming off a sprained ankle that kept him out for two-and-a-half months, said the adjustment to collegiate soccer hasn’t been smooth.

“This adjustment has been anything but smooth sailing,” Mitchell said. “I’ve been injured and when the preseason started I only had about three weeks to prepare myself. I think my game is slowly but surely getting back to the level it was at prior to my injury.”

Mitchell’s role on the Panthers is to play in the half spaces and get to the ball as much as possible while at times providing width and isolating himself for one-on-one situations.

The Panthers compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III in the Southern Athletic Association Conference. They finished last season with a 9-4 overall win/loss record that included a 5-1 conference record.

For the Panthers, Mitchell, a Finance major, plays for Head Coach Greg Vinson who is in his sixth-year at the helm. Mitchell said Vinson is very rigorous in his preparations.

“Practicing and playing for Coach Vinson is very demanding as he challenges his players physically, tactically and mentally. Our preparation for games are second to none as we spend hours in the film room and on the training pitch going over passages of play and match tactics,” said Mitchell. “As a team, we are aware that such a rigorous match preparation schedule will aid in our quest for a championship title this year.”

The Darlington School graduate has three objectives for the season – score 25-plus goals, and win conference and national titles.

The left-wing player got his first international experience for The Bahamas senior men’s national soccer team in March of this year. He was subbed into a game at the 82nd minute, and for him, it was a great opportunity to play for his country.

“Any time I get to represent my country is something that I never take for granted,” he said. “Being able to play at the international level is something that has allowed me to find where my true strengths and weaknesses lie and it’s now up to me to turn those weaknesses into strengths.”

The Bahamas lost that game 4-0 to St. Kitts and Nevis.

Next up for Mitchell and the Panthers is a matchup against the Faulkner University Eagles tonight on their home field, at the Goldfarb Field Berylson Soccer Park in Birmingham. The game gets underway at 7 p.m.

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