Men's soccer struggles offensively

By Brian Betz

Saturday's 4-1 win over Saint Mary's might have been the offensive turnaround the men's soccer team needs to make the postseason.

With a revolving door of underclassmen forwards playing alongside streaky senior forward Jamil Walker, much of the team's struggles this season are related to the Broncos' inability to score goals. As a result, the team now finds itself on the fringe of qualifying for the NCAA Tournament.

"The only way we'll have a shot for the NCAA tournament is if we win out," said freshman forward Kelechi Igwe.

As it stands, the team is 7-6-1 (1-3-0 in the West Coast Conference) and can only hope to receive an at-large bid for the NCAA Tournament. Should the team defeat Sacramento State, University of San Francisco and first-place Loyola Marymount University over the next week and a half to finish the regular season 10-6-1, the Broncos will end the year in a position that might gain them entry into the NCAA tournament.

"We know what needs to get done," said head coach Cameron Rast. "But our guys also know not to look ahead of any match we have remaining."

Such forecasting is not open for discussion in the locker room, but if the squad has postseason plans, they will have to take out a Loyola Marymount team that began the season 12-0-2 and currently stands atop the WCC.

"[Loyola Marymount] started out really hot, but playing our last two games at Buck Shaw will definitely help," added Igwe. "We come with the attitude that we don't want to lose at home."

As of late, the men's squad has had difficulties finishing around the goal, as is evident in their three previous losses to WCC rivals San Diego, Gonzaga and Portland. In the games against the Toreros and the Bulldogs, the Broncos outshot their opponents by a combined 17-1 mark in the second halves of both matches. Yet, in both contests the Broncos were unable to come away with second-half equalizers to send either game into overtime.

"It's just a matter of finishing," said senior midfielder Burke Ewers. "However, we realize that it's do or die now and that all we can do is forget about those games and look ahead to Sacramento State."

They tallied three goals in the second half against the Gaels on Saturday, one more than they have notched in their previous three matches combined. In addition, Saturday's contest marks the first time they have scored three second-half goals since the first game of the season against Notre Dame de Namur.

Regardless of whether the Broncos can slide into the Big Dance, few can question that they have underachieved in recent weeks.

Predicted in the preseason by the WCC coaches poll to finish second in league, the Broncos are currently sixth with only one conference win.

"We are a young group that has taken some tough losses this season," said Rast. "The record is a little disappointing for sure, but whenever you play a tough schedule like we do year in and year out, there is always the risk of being in the position that we currently are in."

Their schedule, which included matches against nationally ranked Washington, Stanford and Cal, may be the difference in landing the Broncos in the tournament, assuming they win out.

"The fact that strength of schedule is weighted so heavily will definitely help," said Rast. "There is a lot of respect for West Coast teams, which is why if we can get a high enough regional ranking, there is a reasonable chance that we'll be there."

Last season the WCC qualified five of its seven teams into the tournament, one more than the Pac-10. If it's any indication, Cal made the tournament last year after finishing the 2001 season with a 10-8-1 mark. Coincidently, California lost to Santa Clara in the first round of the tournament.

The defense will be hampered by the absences of sophomore goalkeeper Steve Cronin and sophomore defender Ryan Cochrane, who are in South Carolina competing with the under-20 United States National Team in World Cup Qualifying.

"We will undoubtedly have to fill in the gaps for those guys," said McLain. "But the bottom line is that we just have to sack up and win."