Bowling Green State University Athletics
Falcons Fall to Oakland in Scrimmage, 3-0
August 25, 2005 | Men's Soccer
Aug. 20, 2005
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University men's soccer team took to the pitch for the first time in 2005, falling to visiting Oakland University by a 3-0 count in exhibition play Saturday afternoon (Aug. 20).
"The result was obviously not what we were looking for, but the result was not our main focus," said Falcon head coach Fred Thompson. "The main focus was to get our young guys into the heat of battle and see how they reacted to the pace and the power that is college soccer.
"We are at the beginning of a learning curve that hopefully will be shorter than longer. The first half was an eye-opener to those young guys. The game, although preseason, was faster and more intense than they had anticipated. The goals that were scored on us came out of nothing, and were simply a result of players not thinking quickly enough.
"In the end though, the young players adjusted, picking up the pace and the intensity of the game. Our passing was not particularly good -- again a result of having to play faster than expected. Overall, I think everyone can see that we will have a much stronger squad this year.
"Our freshman 'keeper, Paul Shoemaker, did a good job in the second half -- commanding his box on set pieces and making some good saves. Kyle McNayr (freshman central defender) picked up more of the pace of the game in the second half and began providing the appropriate cover that we would expect from that position. Both center backs, Kyle and John MacKenzie, were solid in the air and that will be very important to us this season. Freshmen midfielders George Davis, Justin Kim and Kyle Williams all did well when they re-entered the game. Senior captain Dave Belfort provided much needed stability and energy.
"The performance was encouraging. Although we have a long way to go there were some flashes of some very good soccer. What we need to do now is make the most of our training and continue to grow into the team we can become."
BGSU hosts the second and final exhibition Friday (Aug. 26), facing the University of Michigan in a 2:30 p.m. start at Cochrane Field.
