RIVERMEN BREAK EVEN ON WEEKEND TRIP

Games in Kansas City tougher than soccer team expected

by Brian Folsom

The UM-St. Louis men's soccer team returned home after splitting the two games played on a recent weekend road trip.

The Rivermen traveled to Kansas City, Mo., to battle Rockhurst College on Sept. 6 and got much more than they expected. Rockhurst got off to a fast start and the Rivermen could not keep pace as the team lost 4-1.

Head Coach Tom Redmond said the tone was set early when the Rivermen came out flat.

"We were prepared for this game, but we never got into a good rhythm," he said. "There weren't many bright spots for us in this game."

The Rivermen played better in the second half, but it wasn't enough.

Sophomore Scott Luczak scored the only goal for the Rivermen, and Freshman Kevin McCarthy started at goalkeeper because of an injury to senior Brad Beeler. Beeler suffered a shoulder injury during a practice prior to the weekend trip, and Redmond said that he hopes to have him back in time for the Sept. 16 game at Rolla.

The Rivermen rebounded well from the loss as they traveled to Truman State and won 2-0 on Sept.7. Goals were scored by Mark Mendenhall and Chris Steinmetz. McCarthy recorded the shutout.

According to Redmond, there was much more intensity from the players in the second game.

"This game was a stark contrast to the day before," he said. "This was a very satisfying win."

Redmond said that he didn't say anything in particular to his team to get it focused again following the loss, but he said that he realized he was going to have to be patient.

"It was still only our second game of the year, and both of these games were against veteran teams who were returning most of their players from the year before," he said.

One factor that may have helped the Rivermen to victory was the lineup switches that were employed by Redmond.

Joe Stdko was moved from defender to sweeper; Dan Hugge was moved from midfielder to sweeper; Joe Becker was moved from defender to the midfield.

"This seemed to be a nice mix, and it worked out well for us," Redmond said.

The Rivermen also tried to go with a little more experience at center midfield as Luczak and Steinmetz moved into that position.

Redmond added that the defensive play of the team was excellent, and he credited players such as Josh Eckrich and McCarthy as keys to the defense in the victory.

"Kevin did a great job in both games," Redmond said. "It did him good to see some action while Beeler was out."

The Rivermen look forward to facing their next opponent, Rolla. Afterward, they will begin conference play against Lewis and Wisconsin Parkside on Sept. 20 and 21.

Last season, Rolla defeated the Rivermen 1-0, and Redmond said his team will be ready.

"I will be very surprised if we aren't fired up for this game, because we owe them," he said.

According to Redmond, the Great Lakes Valley Conference openers will be tough as well.

"This will be a good measure for us to see where we are and what we need to work on," he said.

Although Redmond said he is still not happy with the offense, he maintained that the team is working hard to improve.

"I give these kids a lot of credit for coming back and winning on Sunday," he said. "We bounced back well, and it was a great team effort."