The Observer, October 21, 2005
Volume XXXVIII, Issue 8
The Spartans' momentum has slowed down as of late after the men
The Spartans' momentum has slowed down as of late after the men returned home from an extremely tough weekend road trip.
The team traveled to St. Louis on Friday and then Chicago on Sunday to compete against University Athletic Association rival teams Washington University and the University of Chicago.
There was a tremendous amount of anticipation for last Friday's match against Washington, as the Spartans were poised to make a run for the top of the UAA leader board with strong performances in their weekend matches. When the Spartans traveled to St. Louis the Bears were ranked last in the UAA while Case was third in the conference standings.
The game started strongly, as Case created numerous opportunities in the offensive third. The Spartans were even able to strike first midway through the first half when Case freshman and fan-favorite RJ French broke through the Wash U defense and scored a goal in the 26th minute. It was French's fourth goal of the season. The Bears took control after the Spartans goal, however, scoring two goals prior to the end of the first half. Both teams went scoreless in the second half and the game ended as a 2-1 loss for the Spartans. The loss put the Spartans at 6-5-2 for the season with their match against conference powerhouse the University of Chicago only two days later.
The Maroons of Chicago entered the game ranked 19th in the nation, and they proved to be too strong of a challenge for the Spartans. Chicago scored in the 30th minute and again in the 63rd minute to seal the 2-0 Spartan loss. The Spartans are now 6-6-2 overall and ranked fifth in the UAA with a conference record of 1-2-1.
The team has struggled as of late after hitting a tough portion of their schedule, as they have only won one of their past six games. The remainder of the schedule, although not terribly easier, should at least draw more fan support as all five remaining games are at home. At home, the Spartans have only lost one game all year and hope to continue the home success to end the season.
French, the Spartans' only goal-scorer this past week, is impressed with how far the team has come so far this season and expects the team to continue to play well as they close the season.
"The team is really starting to grow closer together as we hit the home stretch," French said. "I think we have really surprised a lot of people this year."
This coming Saturday the Spartans play host to Myers University for the last game under the lights at 7 p.m. at the Village. The Spartans will look to regain the momentum lost over the past week as they continue to face more conference foes in the next few weeks, with games against Carnegie Mellon, Emory, and the University of Rochester.
