Division III powerhouse Ohio Wesleyan were able to hold the Falcons to a scoreless draw on Saturday in the men’s soccer first exhibition match this fall.
With a week until the regular season kicks off, the Falcons took the field for the first of their two exhibitions, the second coming Wednesday at Cleveland State.
The Falcons got off to a fine start as right back Tyler Deal tested the keeper after only two minutes. Four minutes in, striker Thomas McLean suffered an ankle injury, ending his day early.
Both teams picked up the pace as the half wore on, with the Falcons pushing the attack, and the Bishops playing well in the counter-attack. The best chance of the half fell to the Falcons at the 38-minute mark.
As the Falcons attacked down the right flank, transfer Max Weston did well to find striker Byard Ebling in the middle of the box. Ebling – who is competing with McLean for the role of starting striker – turned on a dime and blasted a shot into the top corner of the net.
The celebration was premature though, as the referee signaled for offsides on the play, disallowing the game’s only goal. The stat sheet indicated the Falcons superior first half play as they out shot the Bishops 7-3 and had three more corner kicks than their opponents.
With the start of the second half came a host of substitutions from the home side. The Falcons played each of their 24 players in the game and some of them took the opportunity to showcase their talent.
Freshman Joey D’Agostino played 28 minutes in the midfield creating chances for the Falcons in the second half. Another new face to the Falcons, Max Weston created the best chance of the game for the Falcons, leaving a positive impression on coach Eric Nichols.
‘Max did really well running at the defense today,’ Nichols said, ‘and Joey looked very composed in the midfield; both of those guys did really well.’
Weston – a transfer from Indiana University – was happy to get back on the field.
‘After two years of not getting a whole lot of playing time at my previous school, it felt good to get out there and get my legs under me,’ Weston said.
As well as the Falcons played early, the Bishops began to seize control early in the second period. A leg injury to Byard Ebling in the second half, along with other substitutions forced the Falcons to play without a true striker.
The Falcon midfield had trouble keeping possession of the ball, leading to several break away chances for the Bishops.
Senior Jacob Lawrence and his fellow defenders did well to stop the Bishops in their tracks, while keeping a clean sheet.
‘The effort was there today,’ Lawrence said.’ Any time you can get a shut out, you can’t complain.’
The Bishops were able to even up the stat sheet in the second half, doubling the Falcons shot production 10-5, as well as attempting two more corner kicks.
The Falcons’ lack of scoring shouldn’t be worrisome; the staff and players are confident that with time the offensive chemistry will grow.
‘I think it’s a matter of decision making and execution,’ senior Tyler Deal said. ‘I think we were trying to play a little too complicated.’
Although the Falcons lacked bite most of the second half, the introduction of Robert Barker in the games final 15 minutes got the offense started. Barker attempted three shots – two were blocked and one saved.
As for Nichols’ impressions of the game, he knows the team has some improving to do, but was pleased with his squad’s efforts.
‘We saw some really good things today, but we also saw some mistakes,’ Nichols said. ‘We kind of lost our ideas in the final third and committed some needless turnovers. We need fluid movement around the ball, and our guys will be able to get shots off.’
Injuries to the team’s top two strikers, Ebling and McLean are not thought to be serious, and both should be ready for action in today’s training session.