There is one aspect in sports that fans get on their seats for but that athletes cringe about: a close game.
In these close games, the better team does not always prevail. Sometimes one team dominates an athletic competition, but walks out of the match unsatisfied.
So why would the women’s soccer team be upset over a 0-0 tie against Pittsburgh (5-2-3, 0-0-3 Big East), a solid conference opponent?
The team can be disappointed that it failed to get three points at home. The team can be disappointed that it dominated the game but was unable to score a goal. The team can be disappointed for a number of reasons, but coach Markus Roeders looks at the game as a learning tool.
“I’m happy with the way we played and I think all around we played a good game,” Roeders said. “We did everything but score a goal, and that’s the bottom line. We were the better team, but the better team in soccer doesn’t always win.”
It is a coach’s job to take every result and try to make his team better from it. The players, however, left Valley Fields Sunday frustrated and wanting more.
“It’s not a loss obviously, but we take it as a loss,” junior forward Ashley Bares said. “It’s just unfortunate. I personally think we were the better team. We controlled it and had our chances, but we just need to put it away.”
Bares, though, took the 0-0 draw as a positive because it’s something the team can look back on and improve from.
“It’s good to know we are creating the opportunities to score,” she said. “Now if we can just do the next thing and put it away we’ll be fine. We got our point, it is a tie, but we move on and look forward to our next game.”
As a team, the Golden Eagles out-shot the Panthers 26-4, including an 11-1 shots on goal advantage. Senior midfielder Michelle Compty was on the field for most of the match and was disappointed with the game’s result.
“In games like this we always feel like it’s a loss because we want more,” Compty said. “Yeah, Pitt might be happy walking away with a tie, but to us it means more and we have to win these games and find the back of the net if we want to go somewhere far this year.
“It’s so hard walking away with a tie. We got lucky on one of their shots that hit the post, but just like at West Virginia we played harder than they did but couldn’t get a win there either.”
In the match against West Virginia last Thursday, the Golden Eagles again looked to be the better team, but lost 1-0. Marquette out-shot the Mountaineers 13-7 on the night and surrendered just two shots on goal — the final one coming as the game-winner with three minutes remaining in the match.
“At West Virginia, we played a great match and got exposed one time in the 87th minute. It was a heartbreaker,” Roeders said. “The stat sheet, besides the goal, shows that we dominated the match.”
Roeders understands the team’s disappointment after two unsatisfying matches but is confident his squad will bounce back.
“If that disappointment can turn into working harder at scoring goals, then I think it’s a positive and I know this team will turn it into a positive,” he said.
