Today: Mar 28, 2024

Men’s soccer drops second straight game

Edward Rudman Contributor

As the clock hit zero, the men’s soccer team faced their fourth loss of the season. They were unable to come away with the victory and lost 3-1 against Franklin Pierce University.

With the loss, the Owls dropped down to 2-4-4 on the season and 1-4-2 in NE10 conference play. Franklin Pierce, on the other hand, improved to 7-2-1 overall as they continue to have a solid season.

The first half of play did not see a lot of action, as neither team was able to score by the half. There was four shots from each team and Southern goalkeeper Bailey Bassett, a senior, recorded one save.

There were four substitutions for the Owls in the first half alone, something head coach Tom Lang attributed to managing injuries.

“We’re struggling with some injuries and some of our players fitness levels aren’t where they should be due to the injuries,” said Lang. “We were trying to keep guys as fresh as possible throughout the 90 minutes and sometimes substituted for tactical reasons.”

The Owls were able to hang on with a strong Franklin Pierce squad in the first half, but the Ravens took advantage of opportunities in the second half, scoring two goals with 36 and 28 minutes left in the game to make it 2-0.

“There were a couple unlucky plays that just didn’t go our way,” Bassett said, “they were able to get one thing and built upon that and made some good plays on their part.”

Bassett had his hands full in the second half, facing eight shots from the Ravens and totaled five saves for the whole game. The Owls showed toughness and resilience however, as defender Kevin Van der Pol, a junior, was able to score his first goal of the season off a header, making the score 2-1 with 13 minutes left. Van der Pol was assisted by midfielder Tomas Terrugi, a freshman, on the goal.

“Tomas sent the ball into the box and I was lucky enough to get a good shot at it and get my head on it, and fortunately the ball ended up in the back of the net,” said Van der Pol.

The team seemed to get the push they needed, as they came off the goal playing aggressively and with renewed energy and morale, trying to get the equalizer. However, it was not meant to be for the Owls, with the Ravens scoring
for the third and final time with four minutes and 24 seconds left in the game to make the score 3-1.

The Owls play again on Wednesday, Oct. 16, when they take on the University of Bridgeport in a nonconference matchup on the road, a game that will allow the team to try new things, according to Lang.

“We need to get some guys back healthy and get an opportunity to put up our best lineup, which we haven’t been able to do thus farm,” Lang said.

“With the non-conference game on Wednesday, we’ll have a chance to take a look at some of the other guys and see how they handle it, and also give guys rest before another big conference game later on.”

Photo credit: WWW.SOUTHERNCTOWLS.COM

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