After a long, hard off-season, the men’s soccer team is finally ready to begin playing games that actually count.
The Falcons’ season opener has them squaring off against the Cincinnati Bearcats.
The season opener for the Falcons is scheduled to take place at 5 p.m. tomorrow at Bowling Green’s Cochrane Field.
This first regular season game for the Falcons is following a tough exhibition loss to Duquesne University last weekend in Pittsburgh.
The Falcons lost the exhibition game by a final score of 4-2. Although the outcome was obviously not what the Falcons were hoping for, there were some positive notes to take from the game.
The Falcons, who are a predominately young team, had some very promising moments in the game, from both their senior leaders and underclassmen. Senior Eric Duda, who is being looked on to step into a leadership role, scored one of the team’s goals while sophomore transfer Omari Aldridge added the Falcons’ second and final goal.
Bowling Green is going to be expected to be playing their best soccer early on in the season. Saturday’s game has the Falcons matching up with, what could be, one of their toughest opponents of the season. The Bearcats, who were ranked in the top 25 last season, did not lose many players. They returned all starters but one from last year’s team as well as 17 letterwinners. The Bearcats finished 1-1 in preseason play with a win over Wright State and a loss to IUPUI.
Falcons coach Mel Mahler knows the significance a tough season opener can have on a team. He does, however, expect his team to be ready for the challenge. “Our season is short and we really have to play well early on to be successful and our preseason doesn’t always give us that opportunity,” said Mahler. He also realizes that some of his younger players will have to catch on quickly this season because of their tough schedule, “Our young guys have to be patient, yet they have to understand that the learning curve is going to be abbreviated at times. They are really going to have to pay attention in the game and apply what they have learned in the off season at a quicker rate than they may like.”
Mahler, however, is optimistic for the opener and the season as a whole and is looking for seniors to step up into leadership roles.
“We have an improved roster. Our experience lies in our defense right now, with a senior goal keeper and two senior defensemen we are going to rely on a defense early on in the season,” added Mahler.
Regardless of the outcome of Saturday’s game it will undoubtedly play a key role for the entire season. The early test for the young Falcons will provide a chance for the Falcons to come together as a team and will serve as a useful learning tool for the entire team.
