The men’s soccer team opened their season at home with a loss to Cal State Dominguez Hills 5-1 on Aug. 27. It was a tough loss for a team that has high expectations for itself. Senior Brett Lux said, “The team performance on Saturday was not up to the expectation we would have wanted.” 

However, the players also saw points of optimism in the match, regardless of the final score. Senior Alex Perez analyzed the game and said, “The overall team performance was great and full of energy. Unfortunately we conceded a few goals early on in the game and it was an uphill battle from there.”

The team is adapting some new tactics this year. Senior Klaus Huovila said, “It was a difficult game. We had some great moments but a lot to improve on. We were playing a new system and had difficulties in execution both offensively and defensively.”

Conceding several goals in the first half of the game set the Golden Eagles off their game plan. “We had a set plan going into the game and couldn’t put it together when it mattered,” said Perez. “We lost the ball when our team was spread out which let the opponent’s team to be able to counter attack us,” Huovila added. 

The loss did not hinder the ability of the players to find a positive in what happened on the field. “Saturday’s game was definitely a learning curve and an indicator that we have a lot of work to do before we look at competing at the highest level. While we didn’t get the result we were looking for there were still some positives we can build from looking forward,” said Perez. 

Moving forward, the team has a strong belief in themselves and their abilities. Lux said, “Although Saturday's loss was a real eye opener for us all, we are all still confident in our ability to perform at a higher level while implementing a new system of play.”

With their focus on upcoming games, the soccer team still has great expectations for the rest of the season. “As a team, our expectation is to make the NCAA tournament. Considering the fact that our preseason schedule consists of some of the top Division II schools in the country, we shouldn’t be too disheartened when realizing that we still have a shot of making the playoffs even after losing to a school or two in the preseason,” said Lux.

Huovila said, “Saturday's result does not affect our goals. We encountered a setback but it does not change our goals.” 

The Golden Eagles are determined and are keeping awards in their sights for the end of the season. The journey continues on Sat., Sept. 3 when they take on Cal State Los Angeles on the road. Their next home game will be on Sat., Sept. 10 against Cal State Pomona. Until then, make sure to follow their Instagram page @cuimsoccer to keep up with their progress. 

 

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