Mary Washington’s men’s soccer team shutout in season home opener

by STEVEN NIESE

Last Friday afternoon, the University of Mary Washington’s men’s soccer team kicked off its season by hosting Ohio Northern University at home. The UMW Eagles lost to the  ONU Polar Bears by a score of 1–0. 

The match started with the Eagles conceding a penalty in the first minute of the game. UMW goalkeeper Tristan Kickbush, a senior, saved the initial shot, but the Polar Bears netted the first goal of the game off a corner kick shortly after. 

“The striker was lining himself up with a sharp angle and the way he set up basically made it so he was not able to shoot to his left side,” Kickbush said. ”I saw that and decided to dive to his right, making sure to get the ball away so they did not score the rebound.” 

UMW failed to respond to the Polar Bear’s goal during the first half. Head Coach Jason Kilby worked with the team to regroup during halftime in an attempt to get back on track.

“We changed formations and tried different things,” Kilby said. 

He also reminded the team at halftime that, “It is a completely new team we have and we are playing a much more veteran side, we are still figuring ourselves out.” 

A slow start to the second half of the game followed as Ohio Northern showed strong defense and refused the Eagles’ opportunities to score. As the match went on, both teams began playing with desperation—Ohio Northern clinging to their lead and UMW trying to get onto the board with a goal. In all, seven yellow cards were handed down during the match. 

The Eagles faced their final opportunity to score during a freekick on the edge of the box in the final few minutes of the game. The shot, however, hit the crossbar and the match ended in a shutout. 

Micah Davis, a freshman on the team, is optimistic about the start of the season despite the team’s loss.

“I felt good about how I played,” he said. “There are some things I can clean up here and there, but a positive start that I can build off of.” 

Like any new team working together for the first time, Kickbush says there are areas of improvement that can be focused on during practice. 

“The team kept their shape well today and everyone did well,” he said. “Some things the team can work on is their technicality and awareness.”

For the freshman on the team, playing on an NCAA affiliated roster for the first time is exciting, and they are eager to improve their skills.

“It feels good, a lot of hard work leading up to this moment,” said Davis. “Unfortunate to not get the win, but we go again on Sunday.”

The Eagles face Washington and Lee University next on Sunday, Sept. 7 at home.