>A slump would be a nice way to put it.
With the midway point of the season approaching, the Bowling Green men’s soccer team has found themselves trapped in a binding spell that has become quite a challenge to overcome.
The struggling Falcons still have that goose egg in the win column after this past weekend’s games.
Their losing streak was extended to ten games after losing a pair of offensive battles at Ohio State and here in Bowling Green on Sunday against Marshall.
BG held leads in both matches, however were unable to maintain them, falling 7-4 to the Buckeyes and 5-2 to the Thundering Herd.
To say the least, there was plenty of action in both games.
At least in the first half, that is.
Eight of the eleven goals in the game against Ohio State were scored in the first half.
Despite 24 shots by the Buckeye offense, the Falcons were able to capitalize on the opportunities they had and keep up with their Big Ten competitors. Yet once again, they let it slip away in the second half.
Bowling Green reached net four times out of their nine attempts on goal. Freshman Jordan Koblens recorded two goals during the match.
With the offense stepping up on Friday, defense was the key to victory when BG came into its MAC opener on Sunday.
The Thundering Herd put the pressure on early in the game, reaching the scoreboard just five minutes after the opening whistle. However the Falcons stayed focused and responded 20 minutes later with a pair of goals by Abiola Sandy and Omari Aldridge to take the one goal advantage over Marshall.
That wasn’t enough for the Falcons as the Thundering Herd came back in full force.
Two late first-half goals by Marshall carried the visitors into halftime with a 3-2 lead.
They would pile on 3 more in the second half to seal the victory, despite goalie Brandon Decker’s 10 saves.
After the weekend losses, there was only one thing on the Falcons’ minds.
Defense.
“Six goals in two games has alot to say about the improvement of our team,” Head Coach Fred Thompson said. “However, our defense isn’t dropping back to protect our goal and we’re giving them [opponents] too many chances.”
“It’s simple mechanics that we’ve been working on that are still getting us into trouble.”
Thompson believes that the offense and defense working together will be a tough challenge as the team heads into MAC play.
“We know that our offense can score now and that Friday’s game just wasn’t a fluke,” Thompson said. “We really need our defense to see how the offense has played and step up.”
Bowling Green is 0-10, but are just 0-1 in the MAC, which Thompson believes has given his squad a fresh start.
“We’re heading into conference play, so it’s a new season for us.”
The Falcons head to Michigan to play Oakland this Friday, starting at 4 pm.
