After completing the first five games of the 2013 regular season, the Shepherd University Men’s Soccer team find themselves with a disappointing 1-3-1 overall record. They have struggled offensively, scoring only six goals and being shutout twice over the course of their first five contests. On the defensive side of the ball, the Rams have shown some progress despite allowing 11 goals to be scored on them so far this season.
Shepherd traveled to Charleston, WV Sept. 14 to face the University of Charleston in the Mountain East Conference. Just 14 seconds into the game, the Golden Eagles tallied their first goal and never looked back en route to a 3-0 win over the Rams when Augusto Maciel scored off an assist from Leighton Richards.
Just prior to halftime, at the 32:13 mark, Shepherd suddenly found themselves in a 2-0 deficit to Charleston when Nathan Schmitt tallied a goal off a pass from Lewis Osborne. With the Rams struggling to present any offensive threat, the final goal in the match at the 48:00 mark practically sealed the win for the Golden Eagles when Alexander Gallardo scored off an assist from Osborne. The Rams attempted to respond but managed only two shots throughout the entire game compared to 15 shots for the Golden Eagles. Moreover, Charleston goalie Fabian Veit did not make any saves in the game as the Rams failed to come close to scoring a single goal.
The Rams faced Concord University Sept. 18 and made some noticeable offensive improvements; however, they once again failed to score and the game resulted in a 0-0 tie. Shepherd recorded 21 shots while Concord had 20, but neither team successfully put the ball into the back of the net. Sophomore Alex Aleshire played superbly as he registered five saves for the Rams while Concord goalie Mitchell Thompson had nine saves. The Rams’ match against Wheeling Jesuit scheduled for Saturday, Sept 22 was postponed until Sunday due to rain and inclement weather conditions.