In front of a crowd of 614 attendees, the University of Southern Indiana men’s soccer team hosted the University of Evansville Aces on Saturday for the annual Mayor’s Cup at Strassweg Field. The Eagles fell to the Aces last season at UE by a score of 1-3, which could have been worse due to poor pitch conditions created by the rain.To open the match, the Screaming Eagles played passively, giving the Aces plenty of time in possession of the ball. The Eagles would likely spend the game defending and making runs. Using the 4-4-2 long-ball formation, USI would feature four defenders, two central midfielders, two wide midfielders and two attackers. Unlike a normal 4-4-2, in which the wide midfielders would attempt to make forward runs whenever the team had possession, the long ball formation would allow the opposition to have the ball in non-threatening areas of the pitch and use all the midfielders as defensive help.
Unfortunately, for USI, the Aces were too talented early on, as by the fourth minute, Evansville scored a goal, giving them a 1-0 lead, shortly following a corner. They scored again by the 11th minute, which took the energy out of the Eagles on the pitch. Head Coach Matt Santoro noticed this sudden energy shift and brought on subs to give USI a different look. This look did work shortly, as did Tony Murphy, freshman midfielder, who made forward runs to attempt to inspire his teammates. This spark was short-lived, as the Screaming Eagles lost possession and committed a foul in their box, giving the Aces a penalty and (in all likelihood) sealing the game. The Aces converted this kick, growing the deficit to three.
For the remainder of the half, USI spent defending corner after corner, shot after shot. In the final two minutes, the lone on-target scoring attempt was by Brian Novillo, freshman midfielder, which was saved. The Screaming Eagles would have to play with more spark in the second half. The Evansville Aces had 13 attempted shots to USI’s three at half and had four more corner kicks.
The second half was more of the same for USI, as they conceded possession and allowed UE to take five shots in the first 15 minutes of the second half. USI made a change, bringing in Kael McGowan, junior goalkeeper. This new keeper was able to keep these shots out of the goal, personally saving three of them.
In the 60th minute, USI’s David Davila, sophomore forward, was able to take a shot on target, but was saved by UE’s goalkeeper.
The Eagles relinquished possession of the ball following this shot attempt, allowing four more shots in the next 15 minutes, two of which were saved by McGowan. In the 77th minute, Davila took another strong opportunity, which required UE’s goalkeeper to intervene and make a save.
This shot attempt was the last chance USI got, as UE took four corner kicks and two shot attempts in the final twelve minutes, but the Eagles were able to keep them out of the net. The Aces finished the game winning by a score of 3-0 and the second Mayor’s cup in a row, where they scored three or more goals against the Eagles.
Throughout the game, USI was outshot by 19, had nine fewer corner kicks and committed 12 fouls. The Eagles are clearly still not on the same level as the Aces, but they did keep Evansville scoreless in the second half. This shows that the USI defense didn’t let the game get completely out of hand, especially for a team with as much youth as the Screaming Eagles.
I didn’t mind the tactics implemented by USI’s Head Coach Matt Santoro, but I would’ve used five defenders in the back, four midfielders and one lone forward, to really make it hard for the Aces to score. Sure, that is a daunting approach, but I would rather draw in an ugly game than lose by being too aggressive. But then again, it doesn’t express confidence in the team and can lead to negative implications in the locker room.
