Soccer team faces a tough road ahead
Caleb Sanford
Issue date: 10/7/09 Section: Sports
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MATC became the first conference team not to lose to College of Dupage when they pulled off a 1-1 tie against the Chaparrals on Sept. 23, but that doesn't mean the WolfPack are lying back. The season only gets tougher from here.
"If you look at our schedule, there is no weak link," said Head Soccer Coach Jeff Richardson. "They are all very strong teams. We still have a long way to go."
A dominating 5-1 game against Harper College (who beat MATC 5-4 in early September) put the team at 4-2-1 in conference play.
This puts the WolfPack in third place in the N4C standings behind only Triton College (whose team is ranked eighth in the NJCAA Division III soccer polls) in second and College of Dupage in first.
The WolfPack's offense has led the way, scoring 12 goals in their last five games. First-year forward, Thiemoko Kone, has dominated the offensive game, leading the team in both goals (9) and assists (7) but their coach thinks that more is needed.
"We've generated a lot of offense," said Richardson. "We've tried hard to get more shots on goal but we need more players to contribute on offense. We can't just rely on a few good players."
Defensively, the team is shaping up well. The goaltending tandem of Matt Hovey and Michael Boerboom have not let in more than one goal in a game since facing Triton College on Sept. 9 in a 1-5 loss. The goalkeeping is no small part to a rapidly developing defense.
"It's been a steep learning curve that we've gone through," said Richardson, "and player development has been pretty rapid, but I think our chances are really good at this point. We've scored a lot of goals, and aren't letting many in. If our defense continues to improve, and more players contribute on offense, we will be successful."
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