As the temperature heats up so does the competition for spots in the starting lineup on the Falcons soccer team.
Coach Eric Nichols and his staff are using spring exhibition games to find out which players will make the cut.
After the loss of six players including the teams two co-captains and the teams leading scorer, Nichols and his staff must find a way to bring a team together that lost so many pieces during the offseason.
“This winter is a big time for us,” Nichols said. “We have some big expectations.”
So far the Falcons have been passing the test this spring posting a 1-0-2 record, with a 2-0 win against Findlay University and 1-1 draws versus Ohio Dominican University and Cleveland State University.
“Each spring game that we play gives us the opportunity to watch our guys play against real competition,” Nichols said of the spring exhibition results. “Watching the guys handle themselves in certain situations has shown us a lot.”
Sophomore Max Weston has been playing as a second forward along with sophomore Byard Ebling in Nichols 4-4-2 formation.
“We have been coming together well as a team so far,” Weston said. “To be honest we should be 3-0 right now. We let a few games slip away.”
Although all of the spring goals have come from the midfield, Weston is confident that with time the forwards will find their stride.
“With a lot of guys coming back from injury, it is going to take some perseverance,” Weston said. “Hopefully we will start to click.”
Second year midfielder Joey D’Agostino has seen his role grow on the team.
“I feel more comfortable in the system,” D’Agostino said. “It felt good to finally get on the score sheet, but of course winning is the most important thing.”
The sophomore thinks the team can come together to have a successful season this fall.
“If we put all the work we did this spring into our regular season, we should have some positive results,” D’Agostino said.
The Falcons will head to Cincinnati next Friday to face Xavier University in their fourth of eight spring games. Xavier finished the 2009 season in last place in the Atlantic 10 with a 1-8 record.
The Falcons regular season starts in the fall semester, home games are played at Cochrane field.