In recent games, Mexico’s offense has been trying to overcome some shortcomings and had more to worry about Tuesday night.
Mexico vs Marshall Photo Gallery (Tennis, Soccer)
On a windy …
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In recent games, Mexico’s offense has been trying to overcome some shortcomings and had more to worry about Tuesday night.
Mexico vs Marshall Photo Gallery (Tennis, Soccer)
On a windy evening, the Lady Bulldogs lost their eighth straight North Central Missouri Conference game spanning back to last season with a 4-0 loss to Marshall at Chris Hotop Field in Mexico.
Mexico (0-8, 0-3 NCMC) trailed 2-0 at halftime and then had to go against the wind as Marshall (3-2, 1-0 NCMC) scored in the latter half’s second and 23rd minutes while rattling off 14 shots in the second 40 minutes. Head coach Sarah Olson said the wind was a concern, especially in the second half.
“The wind did not help us as we obviously had that advantage in the first half, when we had a lot more offense,” Olson said. “The wind even picked up during the halftime chat. We prepared for it and knew it was going to happen.
“Unfortunately, we got nothing going on offense. Really, we want the ball on the ground. Offensively, when you’re playing with the wind at your back, you can play the ball here because it’s hard for the defense to read. Defensively, you want to keep the ball as close to the ground as possible. That way, it’s more predictable.”
Olson said she recalls one ball returning to the same spot where someone kicked it so playing to the outsides instead of the middle of the field helps.
The offense has been quiet since the team scored its first two goals of the season in 2-1 losses to Chillicothe and Owensville two weeks ago in the Chris Hotop Classic. Mexico has been shut out by three conference teams within a week, losing 3-0 at Kirksville, 8-0 in shortened time at Hannibal and Tuesday against the Lady Owls.
Olson said the offense has had flashes of productivity but needs to consistently be more smooth.
“It’s like playing quickly, being in the correct spot for a pass from your teammate and it builds up,” Olson said. “When teams pass well, they can pass around people. So it’s moving forward together.”
Mexico played its fourth straight conference game at Moberly (5-1, 1-1 NCMC) on Thursday prior to traveling to conference rival Fulton (0-5, 0-1 NCMC) this Thursday. Olson said the Lady Bulldogs finished one of their tougher weeks against three NCMC teams that have combined for 10 wins as of Tuesday this season and had 48 combined victories last season.
“Just focusing on us (is important) because we can’t control the other team,” Olson said. “Seeing more offense is really my goal.”
Mexico lost 4-2 on Thursday at Moberly, snapping a three-game team scoreless streak. Emily Moppin scored both goals for the Lady Bulldogs, who are moved to 0-9 overall and 0-4 in conference.
