Junior Thomas McLean knows the men’s soccer squad needs to turn it around and get a positive result after starting the season 1-6-2.
‘We need to work hard and continue to play the game the right way,’ McLean said.
McLean has been doing his best to play the game the right way this season, taking 11 shots and assisting on one goal. Not only that, coach Eric Nichols has been able to play the junior all over the pitch this season, something McLean appreciates.
‘I have always been moved around,’ McLean said. ‘I take it as a compliment that the coaches trust me to play different positions.’
Nichols will need McLean and the rest of the team to play their best today to secure a victory against visiting Valparaiso (4-5-1).
Coming off an uninspiring performance against conference rival Western Michigan Saturday, the Falcons will look to turn their season around with a victory.
Valparaiso was able to defeat the Broncos last week, something the Falcons were unable to do, losing 1-0 and dropping their home record to 1-1-1.
Captain Jacob Lawrence believes that lessons learned from last weekend’s loss will help the team in today’s matchup.
‘We need to bring our A-game,’ Lawrence said. ‘Valpo is a good team and we need to battle for 90 full minutes. If we do that, we can be successful. We can’t just give up an entire half like we did on Saturday.’
Although the Falcons’ effort and team chemistry on the field are miles ahead of last year’s squad, the team is still struggling to find results.
‘When we have someone like Cameron Hepple unavailable, we need other people to step up,’ assistant coach Paul Habrecht said. ‘We need someone to go out and say ‘I am going to be the guy to make the difference.’ Training was excellent today and the guys have been really optimistic.’
Hepple is out for the fourth straight game today. The senior had scored five goals in the first seven games of the year.
The Falcons will have nine days off after today’s game before the team goes back to Mid-American Conference play and travels to Buffalo.’