Winless in 10 games, EC men’s soccer has seen more problems than they have solved over the course of conference play, giving up eight goals in the last week of October, losing 3-1 Tuesday to Compton and 5-0 on Friday to East LA.
Dropping 3-1 against Compton last Tuesday tells the tale of this season, as the inexperienced men still have a long road ahead. EC led at home against Compton in the first half, yet putting three forwards up did no favors for the defense, allowing three goals in the second half.
“We go into the game knowing what to do but we do not execute,” midfielder Scott Sinclair said.
The men will play two conference road games as they travel to L.A. Harbor tomorrow and then to Pasadena City Tuesday before ending the season at home against Mt. San Antonio College next Friday.
Poor marking has led to many defensive deficiencies over the course of the season, with no transition from practice to game adjustments.
“We are firmly entrenched in last place, this was a game we thought we should have won,” coach Jon Britton said.
With another huge loss on the road, falling 5-0 against East L.A., a team they tied earlier in the season, the Warriors will attempt to find a way of getting stops on the defensive end.
“In a battle out of the cellar, East L.A. came out on top,” Britton said.
Losing seven games in a row, tying the two before that, EC finds itself trying to build toward next season.
“Too many of the players on the team who have been big fish in a small pond, now they are struggling in the ocean,” Britton said.
Tuesday saw that trainer Mike Miller would be busy with injuries to Joe Fernandez, Tony Sandaval, as well as players playing hurt such as midfielder Scott Sinclair.
“We are playing the same over the course of the season, while other teams are learning and progressing,” Sinclair said.
With only four games left in conference play, the Warriors have an uphill battle while trying to end the season on a positive note.
“They took advantage of their chances,” freshman Tom Browne said. “(East L.A.) is not that good, but they capitalized on their chances.”
“When we started, our midfielders were not there as we were not hustling to get the balls,” Browne said. “When we conceded sloppy goals, we just hung our heads.”
Many players are starting to digress and tone down the game, giving in to a losing culture. It has been acknowledged by many players that leadership is an ingredient not found in the locker room.
“We need to grab the game by the scruff of the neck and set an example for the rest of the team,” Browne said.
