| A Snow College player collides with College of Eastern Utah’s Mariann Thomas and Ivan Carroll during the first home game of the new soccer program. CEU lost the game 2-0 but has high hopes for the 2004 season. |
Aside from the cosmetic cleanup at the College of Eastern Utah, students and community members have something else new to see on the school grounds.
More particularly, on the soccer fields.
The new CEU soccer program had its first home soccer game on the fields behind the school on Sept. 24 against Snow College.
Despite losing 2-0, coach Ron Dadgari considers the debut game to be a success.
“We can beat any of these teams,” he pointed out. “It’s just a matter of pulling it together. It takes time to mold and play as a unit.”
Defensively, the team played extremely well, Dadgari said. However, getting in sync offensively is something the program is still working on.
“I take more of the blame on the offensive part,” stated Dadgari. “I didn’t recognize that I should put a little more offensive pressure on in the second half.”
The team will take the experience into account this week while preparing for Weber State. Weber currently has the best win record for the conference.
“We need to create more opportunities on their goal,” indicated Dadgari. “The players are very excited to play at home [and] I’m really proud of them.”
In addition to upping the offensive intensity, Dadgari said the team will have more success if it can play together as well as it did in the Snow game.
“If we play that competitve against Weber, we’ll be in it,” he concluded.
The Eagles host Weber Oct. 1 at 5 p.m. on the soccer fields behind the Bunnell-Dmitrich Athletic Center.