The buzzword this season for a young Northwestern men’s soccer team? Experience.
Coach Tim Lenahan and players alike have said all season that no amount of talent, of which the freshman class has plenty, can replace a time-earned feel for the gritty college game.
Nearing the halfway mark in their regular season, the question for the Wildcats is still how much experience will be enough. Is NU moving toward a winning season and a run at the NCAA tournament, or are they just rebuilding for next year?
“This is an exceptionally talented freshman class,” Lenahan said. “But we are used to fielding a more veteran team, and some of these games we lost we might not have in the past just thanks to experience chasing a game from behind or whatever the situation is. We’ve just got to hope that later down the road this season that kicks in here.”
NU (3-4-1) will have a prime opportunity to test that hope with a stretch of five home games that begins this Sunday against Missouri State (3-4-1). The Cats have gotten plenty of experience this week, having faced No. 11 Michigan State on the road and regional rival Notre Dame at Toyota Park on Wednesday night. After losing to the Spartans 2-0 on defensive lapses, the Cats looked stronger against the Fighting Irish in a 1-1 draw.
Still, NU has not managed to put together a complete game in the front and back thirds of the field in the regular season.
At NU’s matchup with Notre Dame, David Roth, former NU standout and 2008-09 member of MLS’ New York Red Bulls, said the team has yet to show its true talent.
“The guys would probably agree if they were being completely honest that they have not played up to their potential,” Roth said. “But this program has always been known for its hard work, so I trust they will get there eventually.”
Something big for the Cats to “get there” is the play of NU all-time leading goal scorer senior Matt Eliason. The forward found the back of the net against Notre Dame, and his only other goal this season came in a win against Oregon State on Sept. 12.
Eliason began to play more assertively after his goal against the Fighting Irish, challenging players one-on-one in the final third and looking like the forward who notched 16 goals last season.
With Eliason back in good form, the next few games will determine whether the rest of the team, and season, will follow suit.
“I was really happy with the way we came out in the second half,” Eliason said. “We were attacking and defending well and you could tell we all really wanted it. We were playing good soccer. That’s the way we need to play the rest of the season.”
That good soccer came from veterans and younger players alike. Senior midfielder Piero Bellizzi, who set up Eliason’s goal for his team-leading third assist, and freshman midfielder Lepe Seetane, who fired off three shots, looked lethal in the final third.
Freshmen Scott Lakin and Layth Masri helped to balance out in the defense and midfield, both of them earning starts.
“For spring sports, these freshmen basically have a six-month preseason,” Lenahan said. “We have like a six-day preseason. It’s difficult, but these guys are up to that task.”
