The Lakeland women’s soccer team lost 6-0 twice over the weekend at home, to Northern Athletics Conference (NAC) opponent Benedictine Saturday and Calumet College Sunday.
The Muskie women conceded four goals in the first half of Saturday’s match against Benedictine, including two in the first 13 minutes by Eagle forward Ale Farias, in the 6-0 loss.
“We came out a little bit flat,” Pierce said. “We’re having trouble staying with our marks. They were a pretty good side that knocked the ball around well, and they punished us.”
Pierce said his team was broken down by a strong Eagle buildup on Farias’ goals while the third and fourth goals resulted because of quick combinations in the attacking third of the field.
Benedictine outshot the Muskies 24-6, forcing 14 saves from Lakeland goalkeeper Ashley Sarbacker. Pierce praised the freshman for her efforts so far this season.
“She’s probably made 50 saves in six games. While her goals against average is pretty high, her save percentage is probably over 70 percent which just shows that she’s been under fire and still keeps the ball out of the net,” he said.
On Sunday, Calumet held a 2-0 advantage over Lakeland at halftime but scored three goals in the first six minutes of the second half to push their lead to 5-0 before netting their sixth and final goal in the 64 minute.
“We continue to have little lapses where goals come in bunches,” women’s soccer coach Tony Pierce said. “Two of their players up top had very good speed, and at half we talked about keeping compact defensively, but those quick players were still able to expose us.”
Calumet College, a Division II school with several scholarship players rostered, got on the board in the 13 minute with a goal from freshman Ashley Fussell off a corner kick. The Crimson Wave forward netted a second goal 15 minutes later and completed her hat trick in the 47 minutes.
Pierce, in his first year as the women’s coach, said every player deserves a pat on the back for their perseverance in a fall season where injuries and broken commitments to play on the team resulted in five fewer players than expected at the start of preseason.
“We thought we had 16 girls [during preseason]. One girl we hope to get back has a torn MCL, two girls decided not to play, and two girls didn’t show up,” Pierce said. “We’ve beat the bushes a bit for players around campus. Now we’re up to 13, and we hope to get 14 or 15 soon.”
The Muskies played Marian yesterday after starting the season with a brutal 12-day, six-game stretch.
“I think those who’ve come out have done a great job. Playing a game every other day is a lot to ask from an 18-player roster, and the girls have played these matches with ten or eleven players. Hopefully, we’re building a strong foundation for things to come this year,” Pierce said.
The Muskies, who are 1-5 this season, will travel to Chicago on Sept. 19 to play Concordia Chicago at 3 p.m.