By Anthony Martinez, Sports Editor
Both Saint Leo University’s men and women soccer teams are well past the halfway point of the season with five games remaining for each team. While their seasons might not have been ideal up to this point, there is still a lot worth highlighting.
Currently, both teams’ records are extremely similar. The men’s team holds a score of 3-8-1 and the women’s team holds a score of 2-8-1. The women’s team played one less game due to a canceled match against Saint Anselm College that was scheduled for Sept. 3.
After the men’s team started 0-1-1, they lost their next four games in competitive spirits. The game against West Alabama was extremely close with the team coming up short 0-1. They also suffered a loss to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, losing 0-1 in double overtime.
Furthermore, they then went on to play their best and won three of their next four games. These included two dominant games and one nail bitter. Against Trinity College, they won 7-0 with seven different players scoring goals. Freshman defender, Cameron Duncan, had three assists. The other big win came against Johnson University with a score of 5-0.
The nail-biter was against the number three ranked team in the country, Palm Beach Atlantic University. The men’s team scored a 2-1 win in overtime. It was a huge win for the team and the biggest of the season.
The last two games were not as successful with back-to-back close losses. These included another double-overtime loss to Barry University on Oct. 9 with a score of 1-2.
The rest of the upcoming season consists of in-conference games. The team holds a current conference record of 1-4 and will play Senior Day on Oct. 16 against Florida Institute of Technology. While the season hasn’t been exactly what they pictured, there is still plenty of time to keep developing as a team and build momentum for next season.
Furthermore, the women’s soccer team showed tremendous resilience thus far. The second game of the season was against the number one ranked team in the entire country, Flagler College, which they lost 1-4.
Their next game was against the ninth-ranked team in the nation, University of West Florida, where they put up a tremendous fight but ended with a score of 0-1. Their next loss was against another ranked team, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, with the final score being 0-3.
Just two games later, they faced the eleventh-ranked team, Columbus State, and ended with a 0-5 score. Their record outside of ranked opponents is 2-4-1.
Their most recent win was a long and tough game, going into double overtime against Barry University with a final score of 2-1. Their defense has been a highlight this season and they played well throughout. Going two overtimes against Barry University, allowing just one goal, redshirt senior goalie, Maitane Bravo, had five saves during the game despite 20 shots on goal.
Like the men’s team, the women’s team has five games remaining with the next one being against Florida Tech. Unlike the men, the women’s senior night will take place on Oct. 23 against Nova Southeastern. Including the Senior Night game, they do not play a currently ranked team for the remainder of the season. The teams are determined by how they perform for the rest of the season.
Both teams’ seasons have not gone the way they’d like, but there is plenty of talent and plenty of games to still be played. The teams are striving to end on a more positive note and build momentum for next season.
