Bulldogs Dominate Possession, Lose 2-0 to Tabor

Article by Marcus Fernandes

Hillsboro, Kan. - The McPherson College Men's Soccer Team experienced their first conference loss of the season. The Bulldogs stepped on the field this Wednesday to play their 2nd conference game against Tabor College.

Today's game showed a version of the Bulldogs not seen in a long time. The team struggled to penetrate the Bluejays' defense and committed capital mistakes in the back. The game had an expected scenario, as both teams have their playing styles well-defined. The Bulldogs had the ball the whole game, and the Bluejays were on the back waiting for the right moment to transition to attack. Despite having the ball most of the time, the McPherson team struggled to make the correct decisions when attacking certain zones in the field. Even with an offensive game not very effective, the Bulldogs had opportunities to shoot from long ranges.

 The game started to get complicated for the Bulldogs when the Bluejays took advantage of their first counter-attack of the game. At the 17th minute of the 1st Half, the Tabor team recovered the ball on their defensive half, transitioned to the attack in five passes, and found the net in a 1v1 against (So.) Colby Swift. The goal hurt The Bulldogs. Although they still had the ball, the team became more impatient and imprecise on the passes. A reaction in the game became more difficult when the Bluejays scored their second goal in the game. Seven minutes after the first goal, the Tabor team took advantage of an offensive set-piece. The Bulldogs' defense failed to clear the ball from a service, and the Bluejays scored after a rebound.

The game in the second half became a battle of offense against defense. Relying on the favorable score, the Bluejays subbed in more defensive players and concentrated their 11 players on their defensive side. The Bulldogs were desperately looking for a goal to boost their energy and bring them back to the game. Although the intent, they did not create many chances score.  Their lack of passing accuracy and impatience did not allow them to improve in the game. With numbers and a compact system, the Bluejays succeeded in shutting the Bulldogs out.

With the loss, the Bulldogs move to 4-3 overall and 1-1 in the KCAC. They will be back in action next Saturday at 3:00 pm at home against the University of St. Mary.