The American University Men’s soccer team (0-2-3) had a rough start to their season, not clinching a single win in their first five regular season games.
The Eagles started their season with three exhibition games, which were played at the Maryland SoccerPlex in Boyds, Md. The team is playing all of their home games this fall at the Maryland Soccerplex as construction for the Meltzer Center for Athletic Performance is underway, causing Reeves Field to be unavailable for hosting home games. The Eagles matched up in two away games versus Georgetown and George Mason, before returning home to face the Penn State Nittany Lions.
The team officially opened the season on Aug. 22 against the California Baptist University Lancers with a home game in Boyds.
The Eagles only managed to create two shots on goal while holding the Lancers to the same amount of shots. Meanwhile, the Eagles and the Lancers racked up a combined total of 19 fouls. The game finished as a 0-0 draw, as multiple freshmen from the new recruiting class picked up a solid number of minutes. Preseason All-Patriot League selection senior midfielder Zemi Rodriguez came off injured early on in the game.
The beginning of the season didn’t get any easier for the Eagles as they faced No. 24 Hofstra on Aug. 25. Junior defender Gabriel Pachecho opened the scoring for the Pride.
The Eagles responded through their own goal and entered halftime tied 1-1 with the nationally ranked Pride. The second half was a different story as the Pride tallied three goals pushing the scoreline to 4-1, they outshot the Eagles 7-1. The Eagles fell to 0-1-1, meanwhile the Pride went to 1-0-1.
“They’re a good team and we knew it was going to be a challenge for us. And also a style of play that makes it hard to do what we want to do… I thought we did [handle it] for the first 55 minutes until the second goal,” Coach Zach Samol said after the game.
He acknowledged the second Hofstra goal as the turning point within the game, saying “[...] you know the goal goes in and we have to handle it. I think once the second goal went in, I feel like things turned their way.”
After losing to nationally-ranked Hofstra, American then traveled to Wilmington, North Carolina, on Aug. 30 to play University of North Carolina Wilmington. UNC Wilmington entered the game off of a 0-0 draw with Furman University.
American managed to create good chances, producing nine shots on target, and sophomore goalkeeper Matthew Tibbetts saved 10 out of 11 shots. Wilmington scored at the end of the first half, taking a 1-0 lead, which proved all they needed as they blanked American. The Eagles fell to 0-2-1, giving UNC Wilmington their first win of the season.
The Eagles most recently took on Temple University on Sept. 2 at the SoccerPlex. The game played out similarly to the Cal Baptist game. Each team racked up over 15 fouls, which led to a combination of five yellow cards produced. American managed to carve out chances but failed to convert them as they now moved to 0-2-2 to open their first four games.
Postgame Captain Leo Palomo praised the improvement after the back to back losses
“The mentality from the guys today was great. A great response from the last two games we had,” Palomo said.
After notching their first win of the season against the Loyola Maryland Greyhounds, the Eagles continue their homestand, taking on the UMBC Retrievers on Sept. 17.
This article was edited by Connor Sturniolo, Delaney Hoke and Abigail Turner. Copy editing done by Luna Jinks and Ella Rousseau.
