Tuesday, October 9, 2001

Frogs continue emphasis on scoring
By Dan Smith
Skiff Staff

The men’s soccer team has been outscored 12-1 in the past four matches.

In the Frogs first nine matches, they were shut out five times.

The shots are not making it into the net, making it difficult for the Frogs to win, said associate head coach Blake Amos.

“We just need to get one goal to give our offense momentum,” Amos said. “In all four losses we have missed many opportunities to score, and we have tried many different things to put the ball in the net.”

TCU (2-6-1, Conference USA 1-2-0) did not get that one goal Sunday, and lost to Charlotte (4-4-2), 3-0, for its fourth consecutive defeat. The Frogs out-shot the 49ers 13-6 but still lost.

The game was a microcosm of the season, Amos said.

“We have outshot every opponent,” Amos said. “Our missed opportunities have made it hard to come back”

The Frogs have been shut out in three of their last four games and are averaging a goal a game. Seven of the Frogs nine goals have come in two games. TCU’s inability to score has affected its confidence, senior defenseman Aaron Casey said.

“When we can’t put the ball in the goal, we start to put our heads down,” Casey said. “If we go down three games in the conference, we will have dug a hole for the rest of the season.”

The Frogs played Charlotte close through the first half until forward Charlotte George Shepard blasted a shot past junior goalkeeper Mike Lahoud to take the lead, 1-0.

Three minutes later, Charlotte’s offense attacked again with a goal from forward Mira Mupier. The Frogs trailed at halftime, but were within striking distance going into the second half. The Frogs could not get back into the game, Amos said.

“When we go down two goals everyone panics” Amos said.

The Frogs were on the offensive attack for the majority of the second half, but came up empty on three one-on-one chances with goalkeeper Lucas Mackanos. The game was put out of reach when Shepard scored his second goal of the game in the 80th minute to hand TCU a 3-0 loss.

The Frogs play 6 p.m. Wednesday at Cincinnati.

Dan Smith
d.r.smith@student.tcu.edu