Men's Soccer has 'Big Plans' Despite Losses
Avis McGovern
The MU men’s soccer team faced tough losses at Huntington (1-2) on Wednesday, Sept. 13. and Otterbein (2-0) Sunday, Sept. 17.
Scoring for the Spartans on Sunday was senior Ben Niederhelman in the first 45 minutes of the game. Senior Brady Forman (GK) kept the Cardinals at bay with eight saves throughout the game, allowing only one to slip past in the second half. The Spartans took the Cardinals into OT and fell to a goal within the first five minutes.
Sunday’s match-up gave Forman another run for a total of 16 saves. The Spartans battled the game against Otterbein to a 2-0 loss.
The resulting scores drop Manchester down to an overall record of 3-3.
Although the team scores may not be exactly what the team has been shooting for, the team stays motivated to continue to reach goals and kick themselves into gear for the upcoming games.
Senior Tod Oram and team captain reflects on two of the last competitions. “The last two games have been two very tough and dominant teams; we had an unfortunate loss to Huntington who's a top competitor, and rough loss Sunday against another quality team, both beatable, but both just not our days as a team,” he said. “The team has big plans for this year’s season on the field.”
The MU Spartans raise their expectations as they head towards the rest of their season with Oram’s motivation.
“My goal as a team captain this year is to lead by example and make the most out of the last year I have here,” he said. “I want to go as far as possible and make a dent in the program that Coach Corey has started to make for himself.”
The men look to see themselves get a good standing in conference this year to get a title.
“A huge team goal is to be in the top four,” said senior Travis Richardson. “This would give us a chance in conference, and possibly get us our first NCAA tournament game if we win.”
MU is ranked in the top five of four Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference statistical categories.
Richardson also mentioned that their upcoming game will be against a team they have yet to beat thus far. “This is a rivalry game and I would love to win,” he said. Richardson suffered an injury his junior year, which led him to miss a season. He plans to make up for lost time and take the rest of the season game by game.
The men’s soccer team played another competitive game against Ohio Northern on Wednesday, Sept. 20. They lost 0-1.