<< Front page Sports September 10, 2004

Soccer too much for Medaille, remains undefeated

Yet to lose: The men’s soccer team battled Capital University last week, their first win of the season.
 

Men’s soccer was victorious again in Tuesday’s match against Bluffton College, continuing their undefeated streak. After defeating Capital University on Sept. 1, the Yeomen went on to tie Penn State Altoona 0-0 and defeat Medaille College 2-1.

According to head coach Blake New, this was the first time that Bluffton had been on the schedule in five years. Additionally, Bluffton’s field is nearly 30 percent smaller than the regulation 120 yards by 75 yards.

“I came in thinking we were the better team,” New said. “When you are the better team, it’s better to have more space to play and move around in.”

The Yeomen opened the game explosively, scoring two goals within the first 10 minutes of play courtesy of sophomore Noah Cecil and junior forward Josh Treuhaft.

“We were somewhat frantic going forward, because we were playing a team that wasn’t as good,” Treuhaft said. “I felt as if there was a rush to score.”

According to Treuhaft, this was the first game where the offense came together and worked as a unit. He noted that the rest of the team was moving the ball forward and the offense was creating scoring opportunities with greater ease than they had been earlier in the season.

“We attacked well and got our combination plays moving forward,” New said. “Our first goal of the game we strung together eight passes before we scored — that’s a combination play.”

In contrast to the successes on offense, the defense still had some organizational issues to sort out.

“It’s a matter of how quickly we pressure the ball or get our team shape — those are things we’re working on for this weekend,” New said.

This weekend, the Yeomen will continue their non-conference play at Muskingum College and Mount Union College. Both teams are from the Ohio Athletic Conference and are a greater challenge. “This weekend is going to be a reality check for the new guys who haven’t really experienced a tough opponent,” Treuhaft said.

On the practice field, the Yeomen have added Chad Riley as a second assistant coach, a part of the sweeping changes to the athletics program under the new athletic director Vin Lananna.

“There are so many little details that make a good team, it’s too much for one person to handle,” New said. “Having Chad has allowed us to pay attention to those little details much better.”

Riley graduated from the University of Notre Dame last year after playing in the midfield position on their varsity soccer team. “I’ve only been here about a month, but there is a lot of excitement and ambition around the athletic department,” Riley said.

According to Lananna, the position Riley holds has been extended into a year long job that will involve recruiting for the team after the regular season concludes. “We’ve standardized the assistant coaching positions to bring them in line with the rest of our staff,” Lananna said.

In addition to the new coaching positions, the department is working on streamlining the recruiting process and amplifying the image of the teams and the school as a whole. “We’re doing everything possible to bring the athletic department’s mission in line with that of the College,” Lananna said.

According to New, the spirit of family he sees amongst the soccer players is extending to the athletic department. “We’re not a team of superstars, but a group,” New said. “If we can continue aiming to play more minutes of good soccer each game, we’re going to be a very successful team.”


 
 
   

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