The men’s soccer scoring drought persisted Wednesday afternoon when the Colonials concluded a scoreless three-game road stint with a 2-0 defeat at Saint Francis.
In its two prior matches, Cal State Fullerton and San Diego State each dealt GW 3-0 losses. The Colonials were edged a combined 28-7 in shots on goal across the three games, but despite the lack of offensive production, head coach Craig Jones is not panicking just yet.
“Obviously it’s difficult when you lose three on the trot, but anytime you go out West it’s tough to win games, no matter who we play, but today we played very well, thought it was the best game we played,” Jones said after Wednesday’s loss. “We probably had the better chances and we didn’t convert them.”
At their first stop in the Golden State, the Colonials (1-4-0) fell behind early. Senior starting goalkeeper Jack Lopez, who had four saves on the day, allowed a goal in the 11th minute to the Titans (3-2) and GW could not regain its footing.
After a quiet remainder of the first half, GW conceded two more scores in the 79th minute in span of just 43 seconds. Junior forward Garrett Heine had a team-high three shots on goal in the defeat.
At San Diego State the Aztecs (3-0-2) broke through in the 15th minute after forcing a GW own goal. Freshman goalkeeper Thor Arne Hofs received the start against the Aztecs, and despite giving up two more goals, one of which was a penalty, he finished the day with a career-high 8 saves.
GW’s front line was nearly non-existent in the loss, registering zero shots on goal to the Aztec’s 12.
Another slow start Wednesday doomed the Colonials, as Saint Francis (3-1-2) got on the board in the 8th minute when a through ball beat Hofs in his second consecutive start.
“We were too unlucky with both goals I thought,” Jones said. “It’s difficult, anytime you go down a goal early it sets you back a little bit, but even today when we went 2-0 down I thought we kept playing and responded well to it. Each game we’ve got a little bit better defensively.”
Another Red Flash goal came later in the first frame off a deflected shot just outside the 18, and despite four quality shots on goal by GW, the match would be the team’s third straight shutout.
Sophomore attackers Christian Lawal and Koby Osei-Wusu, who began the season on the sideline due to injury, saw limited minutes in California but started in the two-goal loss. Jones said they are not 90 minute players just yet, and that senior forward Jonny Forrest, who did not play in any of the three matches, is still out with a leg injury.
“The games haven’t been us being dominated or outplayed, but rather just us having quick lapses that we know we can work on,” senior co-captain Oliver De Thier. “The season’s still young and we’ve got a lot of time. When A-10s come around I’m sure we’ll have it figured out and be playing our best.”
GW kicks off a three-game homestand Saturday at 1 p.m. against Loyola Maryland.
