The men's soccer team won their mid-week match against Franklin College to notch their third win of the season and remain undefeated for the year. Senior George Elliott tallied the lone goal in the first period to put the Tigers up with an early lead. Sophomore Alieu Musa sealed the victory with a goal in the closing minutes to make the final score 2-0.
The close score was not indicative of the Tigers domination throughout the entire match. The Tigers had 21 shots while the Franklin Grizzlies had three to make their season total of outshooting their opponents an unbelievable 46-14. Not only did they dominate the shot category, but they also controlled possession of the ball for the majority of the game. The Tigers were noticeably frustrated that their dominating performance wasn't translating into more goals.
"We left some goals out there, but we still played a great game," senior forward Matt Reda said.
After the Wednesday contest the seniors shared their thoughts on the team as they begin to progress into the meat of the season. They all agreed that the team this year is very special.
"What I think separates this year's team is our experience, depth, and most importantly the team chemistry," senior midfielder Logan Cash said.
Reda elaborated, "This team is one of the closest I've ever been a part of."
Not only is chemistry an important factor but also senior Mark Weiss said the talent the Tigers possess make them formidable threat on any teams schedule.
"We have an absurd amount of talent in this group," Weiss said. "This probably must be the strongest team to come through the program."
The seniors unanimously agree that the team has outstanding depth at every position.
"Our second team would easily beat many first teams in the country," Elliott, a leading scorer from last season said.
The Tigers will get a chance to show off this talent and strength in tough games they will face. Logan Cash said the team is excited and looking forward to every game. Cash said he thinks the team's toughest game will be against Ohio Wesleyan University.
"[It's] always a tough game and they will come out ready after we've taken conference the past two years," Cash said. "Every team we play is going to bring there best so it's up to us to maintain that focus the entire year."
The Tigers have already had some great highlights thus far, not just on the field, but also on the sideline.
"My favorite moment was after the first goal of the season by Adrian [Ables] against Centre, about 20 fans ran on the field and 'dead fished,'" senior defender Brandon Johnson said. "Dead fish" is a popular celebration in FIFA.
Elliott encourages students to attend the games for the exciting atmosphere.
"We are national championship contenders and our games are exciting," Elliott said. "Plus the crowd gets pretty rowdy and it is a great atmosphere."
The Tigers return to the pitch on Saturday, Sept. 7 when they host Earlham College at 2 p.m.