Getting out to an early lead only counts if the team holds onto that lead, something the Falcons men’s soccer team was unable to do against the Fort Wayne Mastodons at Cochrane Stadium Tuesday night.
When the final whistle blew, the scoreboard read Falcons one and Guest two, as the visiting Mastodons scored two in the second half.
“I thought there were some players, actually a lot of players, who put in a good effort,” Falcons head coach Eric Nichols said. “They can be proud of what they did, but I don’t want to take anything away from IPFW. They got what they deserved. Winning is hard, and that’s what we’re learning. It doesn’t matter who you are playing in division one college soccer, and whether you’re playing at home or away, a top ten team or one that’s outside of it — winning is hard, and if you’re not doing all the little things in the total of 90 minutes, then you’re not going to win and that’s where we are at this point.”
The first half was scoreless until the last minute, when freshman midfielder Chris Sullivan found the back of the net with only nine seconds remaining. Junior forward Tate Robertson sent a free kick into the box, where junior defender Ebenezer Akon headed the ball to Sullivan, who sent it home.
At the 55 minute mark, it was Fort Wayne’s turn to get on the board as a top shelf shot from 10 feet out found twine.
Seven minutes later, the Mastodons took the lead that would keep to the end of the game as a bending free kick from 25 feet out went in the goal.
The Falcons tried to come back at the 84 minute mark, when senior forward Brad Macomber got the ball up to Robertson, who eventually got it to sophomore midfielder Amandy Ayima, who headed a ball that did not go in the net.
“Any time you lose, it’s going to take a while to heal and regroup,” Nichols said. “It’s my job to make sure this group hasn’t lost their faith. I don’t think they will. They are too good to do that, they know they are too good to lose faith, they know that we can get a win on Saturday night. I think they also know that it is not going to be easy. It is going to take a fantastic performance, not just during moments, but for 90 minutes. I think if we can do that, and if we’re willing to do that and they give everything they have to this game on Saturday night, then we have a chance.”
The next game up is senior night as the Falcons get set to take on the Northern Illinois Huskies Saturday night under the lights of Cochrane Stadium.
