The Albion College men’s soccer team defeated Adrian College in league play at home last Wednesday, improving the season record to 4-3 in the MIAA and 6-7 overall.
Albion players Jon Cannell, Vicksburg sophomore, and Dimitrios Tomaros, Ioannia, Greece first-year, made several attempted shots at Adrian’s goal in the first half of the game. Matt Makin, Rochester sophomore, and Garrett Kuhlman, Clinton senior, also acted on offense with two shots each. Mark Feger, Kinde junior, scored Albion’s only goal, his third of the season.
“We are the hardest working team, and we play the best when we are working hard, but also playing as a team,” Feger said. “We get better every day and we want to enjoy the last few weeks of the season.”
The Britons’ defense held the 1-0 lead for the rest of the game. Albion goalkeeper Jordan Thomas, Birmingham senior, made two key saves that helped the team stay on top of their Bulldogs.
“Jordan’s diving save that sent a ball into the post and prevented a goal was definitely a highlight of the game,” Feger said.
The win was the Albion men’s soccer team’s third consecutive shutout of the season and helped to hold the Britons to fourth place in the MIAA conference standings.
“This team is a team of best friends,” Makin said. “We are really close and we have a great time together. We spend hours practicing, playing and traveling together, but we also hang out off the field as well. We want to finish out the season strong.”
Despite the momentum from the victory over Adrian, the men lost 3-2 in conference play to Trine University on the road.
The Lady Brits did not fare as well against Adrian. Albion’s women’s team will need victories in its final four MIAA games to qualify for the league tournament after a 0-1 loss to the Lady Bulldogs.
Goalkeeper Caitlin Bowman, Augusta senior, blocked Adrian’s first two shots, but it wasn’t enough to pull the Brits ahead. The Britons missed a few breakaway opportunities and a 20-yard free kick that hit the crossbar of Adrian’s goal, and the Bulldog’s goal was scored as the Albion defense looked for an offside call on the Adrian team.
“We’ve been doing decently,” Bowman said. “We’ve had a couple of rough spots, but we’re working on it as a team and moving forward. We plan on finishing our season on a great note.”
Albion emerged from the match with a 15-7 lead in shots taken. Ali Oatley, Ann Arbor senior, led the team in shots with five, followed by Kelly Stetser, Royal Oak junior with three, and Lauren Beck, Pasadena, Texas, junior, Alyssa Brown, Midland sophomore, and Tracy Yoshikawa, Kalamazoo senior, with two apiece.
“The season is going well,” Yoshikawa said. “We have played some good teams and are doing well. We just need to capitalize on critical moments during the games.”
With the need to win in order to qualify for conference championships in their minds, the Lady Brits emerged victorious in a home match against the St. Mary’s Belles this past weekend in a 3-0 shutout. Goals were scored by Oatley and Yoshikawa.
“I am excited for big games coming up and seeing how our team will perform,” Yoshikawa said. “We just got a high scoring game and I hope it continues. We have three conference games left and are looking for big wins to secure a spot in the conference tournament.”
Both the men’s and women’s varsity soccer teams will play Olivet this week, with the Lady Brits facing off against the Comets on Tuesday, Oct. 20 and the men playing on Wednesday, Oct. 21. Both games will be played at home on Alumni Field.
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