| Box Score 3 The Brock men's soccer team dropped to a record of 1-3 following a tough road trip to Windsor and Western.
However, head coach Lucio Ianiero said chemistry is high and believes things will start turning around when chances start going Brock's way.
"A few positives are that the team is strong in their cohesiveness and continue to believe in the team goal and each other," said Ianiero. "The work ethic is there in training and games and we hope to turn things around soon."
Brock opened the weekend with a 3-0 loss to the Windsor Lancers on Aug. 31.
"The coaching staff aren't naive to believe that we won't give up chances but we have to try and cut down on how many we are giving up," said Ianiero. "The team is working hard, yet we seem to be punished for the mistakes made on the field."
The Badgers were outshot 16-2 by the Lancers.
Brock rebounded early in their Saturday contest versus Western.
Arsen Platis opened the scoring early in the first half. Alexander Makubuya registered an assist.
A few minutes later, Western replied to tie it up by halftime and tallied two more goals in the second half to win 3-1.
The Mustangs outshot the Badgers 12-4.
"We aren't creating as many chances on the offensive side of the ball as we had hoped for," said Ianiero. "Last year, we averaged 11.7 shots per game and we are well below that this year. It will be hard to win games without increasing that area of our game. We believe, that over time, we can fix the issues it's just a matter of how quickly we can adapt to the changes."
Brock will be tested by their next three opponents, which Ianiero said are the top three squads in Canadian university soccer: Guelph, McMaster and York.
Brock (1-3) hosts Guelph (2-1-1) on Saturday, Sept. 8 at 3:15 p.m. before traveling to McMaster on Sept. 14.
The Badgers host York on Sept. 16.
"It is not the start that we had planned for, but in order for a team to become a champion we must first embody what champions do," said Ianiero. "We need to continue to work hard and apply what the coaching staff are trying to implement in our game plan."
WOMEN'S SOCCER CATCHES A BREAK
The Brock University women's soccer team avoided a road loss thanks to a mistake by the Windsor Lancers, which ended the match in a 1-1 draw on Aug. 31.
Brock trailed early after Windsor scored less than 10 minutes into the game.
In the second half, the Badgers benefitted from a Windsor miscommunication when a Lancer defender passed the ball back to the goalkeeper, and ended up in the back of the net.
On Sept. 1, Western defeated Brock 1-0 and outshot them 16-2.
The Mustangs scored in the first half. Badgers keeper Marilena Spagnolo made seven saves.
Up next, Brock (2-1-1) hosts Guelph (2-0-2) on Saturday, Sept. 8 at 1 p.m.