The UNK soccer team suffered its first two losses of the season last weekend against two ranked opponents. The Lopers were outscored 10-1 over the weekend and dropped to 4-2-4 on the season.
Coach Rob Breton took accountability for the weekend after the game on Sunday.
“I gotta do a better job giving the girls the information that they need so they can be successful,” Breton said. “I didn’t do a good job this weekend preparing them and that’s on me. I’m gonna take that accountability.”
On Friday night, the Lopers hosted no. 22 Washburn. UNK was tied with the defending national runners-up at halftime before the Ichabods took over in the second half. Washburn would score three goals on seven shots to win 3-0.
“Everybody was still giving a solid effort, and no one really gave up in the game,” senior defender Katie Pagel said. “Which was good to see, and certain people played really well and kept us in it. That’s all you can ask.”
The Lopers got back to work on Sunday, hosting no. 7 Central Missouri. The Jennies scored two goals in the opening three minutes on their way to a 7-1 victory. Central Missouri outshot UNK 14-11. This was the first time since 2015 that the Lopers gave up seven goals.
“[Sunday,] just kind of really got off to a bad start, which just fed into the whole game,” Pagel said. “It’s hard to bring back life and hard to bring back momentum when within the first five minutes, you’re down 2-0.”
“The reality is, is if I give them the right information, then they could be more successful,” Breton said. “So, I’m going to take this. This had nothing to do with girls.”
The Lopers will be back in action this weekend at 0-9-1 Newman on Friday and at 4-4-2 Central Oklahoma on Sunday.
“We will keep our heads high,” Breton said. “We’ll work hard. We’ll figure out how to get better, and I’ll make sure that the girls are more prepped for this weekend.”
Despite the two losses on the weekend, Pagel said that one weekend does not make or break the season.
“There’s still a lot of season to play, for sure,” Pagel said. “We’re halfway through. [Sunday,] I think marks the game after halfway, and so at that point if we quit now, it’s all lost. If we don’t, it can still work out. One weekend doesn’t make or break the year. And that’s what I think people really need to remember.”
