September 19, 2012
The Eagles? men?s soccer team has jumped out to a 3-3 record this season despite battling nationally-ranked opponents and injuries to key personnel.
After opening the season with a 2-1 win at Ranger, the Eagles were on the road for a conference matchup in their second game as they faced Coastal Bend College in Beeville Sept. 7.
† †Despite having to deal with bus trouble during the long drive to Beeville, the Eagles were able to come away with a 2-0 victory for their second win of the season.
† †?We knew that we had better skilled players and that our tactics were sound,? Eagles? Head Coach Brian Speer said. ?This game was more about getting our players mentally prepared than anything else.?
† †The Eagles concluded their weekend road trip with a matchup against a tough San Jacinto squad. San Jacinto came into the contest ranked No. 18 in the nation but the Eagles were able to hold their own throughout the game.
† †?We had a great chance to scout San Jacinto the week before we played them and we were able to set our attack accordingly,? Speer said.
† †The Eagles were able to battle San Jacinto to a 4-4 tie at the end of regulation but the Gators were able to score in the extra period to down NTCC 5-4.
† †Despite the loss, Speer said he was glad that his team picked the experience of playing a top-level team.
† †?Playing a team like San Jacinto is a great experience for our players,? he said. ?Many of our players are local and have only played a little club ball and local league ball since leaving high school. This game gives them a chance to see what high-level soccer truly feels like.?
† †Despite being exhausted from the weekend?s games, the Eagles were back in action Monday, Sept. 10 as they hosted Hill College. The Eagles were able to overcome their tired legs to pick up a 2-1 victory.
† †?We knew that fatigue would be a factor after the long weekend, but overcoming it is just one of those things that set the mentally strong apart from the rest,? Speer said. ?I was very proud of the effort we put in.?
† †The Eagles were back on the field just two days later as they traveled to Tyler to face the No. 7 team in country, Tyler Junior College.
† †A tight contest early on, the Eagles began to struggle after Omar Torres went down with an injury. Despite the injury, the Eagles trailed just 1-0 until late in the game, when TJC scored three times to down NTCC 4-0.
† †?We played as well as we could under the circumstances,? Speer said about the loss. ?Once Omar went down, we were just unable to post any kind of attack against TJC?s relentless pressure.?
† †The tired Eagles squad took the field again Saturday as they fell to visiting Mountain View College, 1-0.
† †The Eagles will be back in action Tuesday as they host Paris Junior College at 2 p.m. before hitting the road to face Northeast Oklahoma Saturday.
