The USI men’s soccer team kicked off its homestand against the Bellarmine University Knights of Louisville, Kentucky, Saturday. Coming into the game, the Screaming Eagles were in search of their first victory. USI started the game using a 4-4-2 formation, needing excellent play from Jackson Mitchell, sophomore forward, and Ahiro Nakamae, freshman midfielder.
The Bellarmine Knights came in with a record of 1-2-2 (one win, two losses, and two draws) with two good losses against the University of Evansville and 25th-ranked Louisville University. This match would be anything but easy.
To open the match, USI looked all right, made a solid effort and found some good looks thanks to great attacking runs from Mitchell. In addition, Andrew Klott, sophomore goalkeeper, made some solid saves as well.
However, this good run of play didn’t last long, as Bellarmine scored 15 minutes into the game off a set-piece and again at 27:03. After the second one, the floodgates opened, forcing Mat Santoro, men’s soccer head coach, to make substitutions to perhaps change the tides. He brought in Fabrice Remy, senior midfielder, to help support the back line, and to an extent, he was successful there. Unfortunately, the Knights were still able to score once more before half, bringing the lead to three goals.
Going into halftime, the Screaming Eagles looked distressed, and Santoro had some decisions to make. He started the second half by keeping Remy in the game, which brought some much-needed stability to the back four that has been shaky at best for most of the season so far.
To begin the second half, the Screaming Eagles remained focused on cutting the deficit, but ultimately let up a goal seven minutes into the half. At this point, the writing was on the wall, and the team was in awe. This led to a rise in frustration, peaking at the point when Garrett Morris, junior midfielder, committed two frustration fouls, resulting in an ejection for two yellow cards. In an effort to save time, the Knights opened up their attack, having a massive advantage and scored four more goals, before full-time was mercifully called.
Final Score: USI 0, Bellarmine 8
This was one of the most painful and excruciating athletic events I have watched in all my years of watching sports. It’s even up there with the Atlanta Falcons blowing a 28-3 lead to the Patriots in Super Bowl LI in 2017. The good news is that it cannot possibly get worse than this performance. Obviously, the game went south fast, and the team struggled to keep its composure and ultimately made great errors that Bellarmine took full advantage of.
The back four is a major issue. If I’m being quite frank, the team needs to go to a back five, utilizing three centerbacks and two wide fullbacks. A new formation of 5-4-1 with two wide midfielders and two central midfielders could help strengthen their defense while not completely giving up the midfield. I would move Jaron Frye, junior forward, into the starting lineup as the No. 9 forward, along with Pablo Juan, sophomore midfielder, to pair with Garland Hall, sophomore midfielder, as two No. 8 midfielders, to keep an eye on the back five, but push up the field when possible. Mitchell and Nakamae would remain in wide midfield positions, where they can link up with the wing-backs and central midfielders, in a triangular motion.
There are two hypothetical avenues, in which this team could go. One, this loss really gets into their skin and motivates them to work harder and bury their opponents in the turf. Or, the team will continue to spiral into an even deeper hole. Hopefully, this loss offends their competitive spirit, and wakes them up. That’s why the university schedules tough opponents early — to bond a team through stress and uncertainty.
“If our team doesn’t face enough adversity early on in a season, I create it,” said Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach. “Nothing builds a team like adversity.“