Soccer Ball | Photo by Diana Jaber | The Wright State Guardian
The Wright State University men’s soccer team opened the regular season in a rainy tie against Stetson University.
The Match
The game occurred in Deland, FL on Thursday and was streamed via Youtube.
Officials delayed the match for over an hour after lightning was observed nearby. After gameplay resumed, both teams were confronted with rain and a slippery surface for the remainder of the game.
Both teams struggled to generate offense. WSU had 16 attempted shots, with half being on goal. Play was technically disorganized, primarily due to the constant rainfall.
The match was very physical, with seven total yellow-cards handed out, six of which were to Stetson players. Both teams combined for a total of 17 fouls, WSU committing eight of them.
Junior forward Reece Allbaugh led the Raiders with three attempted shots, two of which were on goal. Allbaugh was also featured in a penalty kick after being fouled by a Stetson defender at minute 64.
The big difference in the match was shots on goal. WSU put up eight shots on goal, while Stetson managed one. Defense was the major point of emphasis for the team during the offseason.
“Defense was a big priority for us,” head coach Jake Slemker said. “We allowed a lot of soft goals last fall. From top to bottom, we want to make sure, on defense, we are as strong as possible.”
With the team having limited preparation time in the pre-season, WSU will continue making improvements before playing in big matchups next week.
“We don’t get a ton of time with these guys before we have to win games,” Slemker said. “Us playing at Akron and Ohio State in the second week will be a big test of where we are as a team.”
WSU will stay in Florida and hope for better weather for the next matchup against Jacksonville. The Raiders kickoff at 1 p.m. against the Dolphins on Aug. 28 where they will seek the first victory of the season.
