The Falcons soccer team’s season continues to get better as it goes along. So far the squad is 4-0 with two wins at home as well as on the road.
“Each time we take the field we play to win,” Falcons head coach Eric Nichols said. “Winning games in college at the D1 level is extremely hard, so we take a lot of pride in each and every win.”
On top of the record, three players are excelling in many ways. Senior Defenseman Alexis Souahy, Junior Defenseman Moe Mustafa and Sophomore Goalie Anthony Mwembia all stand out as players having excellent seasons so far.
Souahy was named to College Soccer News Team of the Week after his two-goal performance last week.
Mustafa was named to TDS Team of the Week after he also put two in the net and was a standout on the backline.
Quite possibly the most important player so far has been Mwembia. He was named Mid-American Conference Player of the Week as he has yet to let any balls pass the goal line this year. Keeping a clean sheet for a game is difficult enough, but doing it four games in a row is certainly noteworthy.
The Falcons received eight votes in the United Soccer Coaches rankings last updated on Sept. 5. This was not enough to garner them a spot in the top 25, but it does mean they are obtaining national exposure.
Now the team returns home to face the Western Illinois Leathernecks. The Leathernecks will arrive at Cochrane with a record of 1-3, and their most recent win came in their last game against Mount Mercy. Winning their last game should give them confidence as they attempt to knock off the Falcons.
Coach Nichols said, “First of all, unlike our previous opponents, Western Illinois beat us last year. We had a great team in 2016 but we didn’t show up for the entire 90 minutes agsint Western Illinois and they handed us our first loss. It’s safe to say that they have our attention.”
Western Illinois’ top player this year has been Senior Forward Fernando Pacheco, who paces the team with three goals as well as having six points and six shots.
Another strong player from Illinois is Drew Whalen as he was two goals and four points to go along with his outstanding 15 shots.
The thing that Coach Nichols is most proud of with his squad this year is “their ability to identify the things that will help us win games, and their willingness and discipline to execute those things.”
