Dodging and dashing, sophomore defender Eli Kesselheim moves up the field against Northwest College.
The NIC men’s soccer team continued to struggle this season, posting a 1-3-1 record in the last three weeks. The men haven’t been able to find a groove to work into this whole season.
“We weren’t playing at the top of our game,” said freshman defender Chad Franck, 18.
The most recent game came against the Community Colleges of Spokane Sasquatch, where they posted a tie with score 1-1. The Cardinals have an away rematch against the Sasquatch on Oct. 19.
NIC had no luck on the road when they played in Rock Springs, Wyo. on Sept. 23 and 25. They added two losses to their record that weekend.
The first game against Western Wyoming Community College resulted in a 2-4 loss. Sophomore midfielder Matt Lieggi scored in the first half by bouncing the ball off of a Mustang defender into the net. Freshman Mike Leptich scored the only other goal late in the second half.
On the second day, NIC lost to the Western Nebraska Community College Cougars by a score of 1-3.
“It was a fast paced game,” said goalkeeper Dana Ashton, 20. “They were good but got some cheap goals. The momentum just shifted and got us down.”
The team’s only win in the last three weeks happened during home games on Sept. 16 and 18.
On Sept. 16, NIC lost to Northwest College Trappers 1-4. This was the second week in a row that they lost out to the Trappers. Sophomore midfielder Chad Ward posted the only goal for the game in the first half.
Thompson said that in the Northwest match, the guys played slow and played better the first 65 minutes.
“The last 10 minutes things just began to devolve,” said Thompson “We went home and changed the way we defended and our lineup.”
The men managed to shut out the University of Idaho club team on Sept. 18 with a 4-0 victory. Lieggi punched a 18-yard goal into the net during that game.
The University of Idaho club match showcased a more physical and prepared set of Cardinals despite the size difference between the two teams.
“They were definitely the biggest team we’ve seen all year,” Thompson said. “We tried to be more specific in our training, but basically we just had more patience.”
The men play two home games next week, one on Oct. 7 and 9.
