Men’s soccer suffered a two-nil loss against a tough University of Delaware team on a rainy Mount Vernon Campus Tuesday. The Revolutionaries then took on Massachusetts Saturday, falling 0-3 on the road.
GW struggled to capitalize on scoring opportunities while the opposing squads dribbled through their defense with relative ease. The team is now 2-6-3 with zero Atlantic 10 wins.
“It was all about us trying to build some momentum and get our confidence back going into Saturday,” Head Coach Craig Jones said. “We didn’t get the results we wanted.”
Tuesday’s game was a feisty match filled with yellow cards, three on the Revs and two on the Blue Hens. The teams tallied 20 total fouls, but Delaware didn’t let the aggressive play shut them down, coming out strong with three shot attempts in the first 20 minutes of the match.
GW’s defense appeared to be caught watching as Delaware unleashed a fast-paced offensive assault throughout their first-half charge. An impressive save by senior goalie Duncan Wegner in the 14th minute slowed the Blue Hens down, giving the Revs time to reset their formation. But the defense allowed an early Delaware goal in the 23rd minute that put GW back on their heels. There was a lull in action from both teams for the middle stint of the game, which ended with a Delaware goal in the 73rd minute.
“I mean the biggest thing is communication,” said Wegner on anchoring his defense even when they aren’t getting the results they want. “I’m just trying to lead the guys and you know, stay positive as much as I can.”
Bad touches, slips and stopped play defined the match, as both teams had difficulty finding momentum, but Delaware adjusted despite the weather and three substitutions for injury in the second half. The Blue Hens outplayed GW offensively in the 0-2 shutout with 13 shot attempts against the Rev’s five, none of which were on goal.
GW looked to end their losing streak on the road Saturday at UMass but were ultimately shut out 0-3 in what was their fifth-straight loss and a disheartening in-conference blow. The match was less chippy than Tuesday’s matchup with Delaware with zero yellow cards given to either team, yet the Revs found themselves on the short end of a similar result.
To open, a loose ball found the foot of Minutemen grad student Michael Rojas for his first goal of the season and the game. Then, senior Alec Hughes added to his lead in A-10 goals only minutes later. UMass delivered a coup de grâce style header to extend their lead over the Revs in the final ten of the game to cement their three-goal win.
The Revs’ offense failed to capitalize on their few scoring opportunities this week but found defensive mistakes to be more troublesome. The team is looking to clean up their defense going forward this season.
“The goals we’ve conceded over the last four, five games, a lot of those goals have been self-induced,” said Coach Jones. “It’s immature decisions by our players. And that’s not immature from a first-year freshman, that’s all the guys making those mistakes.”
GW will face off against Saint Louis Tuesday before hosting Saint Bonaventure Saturday at The Vern. Both matches kick off at 3 p.m. and will be aired on ESPN+.
