Late in the season, the MSU women’s soccer team seems to have finally found its offense.
And just in time - only two games remain on the team’s (8-7-2) regular season schedule, the first of which is being played at 3:00 p.m. today in Toledo, Ohio against the Toledo Rockets (6-9-1).
Midway through the season, the team’s offense was characterized by inconsistency, scoring seven goals against Indiana-Purdue Ft. Wayne on Sept. 19 only to follow that game up with a 1-0 loss to Iowa on Sept. 21.
The Spartans saw a zero in their column six times before the team’s 2-1 win over Indiana on Oct. 14.
However, in the past month the Spartans have come together, partially because of to a change of strategy.
The team began the season playing two forwards, but changed to a three-forward attack in order to create more offensive opportunities, sophomore forward Tiffany Laskowski said.
“Having two (forwards) just wasn’t enough with four backs,” she said.
“We high-pressured their defense, which didn’t just give us more people to pass to, but forced them to turn the ball over more as well.”
The transition required a shift in the way the team played but as the players became accustomed to the system, it benefited the team, head coach Tom Saxton said.
“People were just getting comfortable,” Saxton said.
“I think the change of systems halfway through disrupted things a little bit, but I think in the long run, that was certainly for the better.”
The transition has certainly benefited sophomore forward Kristi Arrington and sophomore midfielder Trisha Kenny.
Arrington has scored six goals and one assist in the past five games and Kenny scored two assists against Indiana and a goal against Detroit Sunday, a consequence, Arrington said, of both the change in structure as well as an increased team intensity.
“We’ve all just jelled, we’ve come together,” Arrington said.
“We got really frustrated, but we’re more goal hungry now and that’s what we needed.”
The experience the team accumulated throughout the season also contributed to the late-season offense, Saxton said.
“They’ve been just maturing and understanding what the college soccer season is about,” he said. “When we went to the Big Ten level it certainly was a step up, and I think it took a while to adjust to it.”
That level of the Big Ten is over for the season with only two games remaining, including today’s game against Toledo.
But the team should not take that as a sign to slow down their offensive game, Arrington said.
“Even though they’re not Big Ten, its really important that we keep our momentum going,” she said.
“Sometimes teams can get lackadaisical because there’s no pressure.”
And statistically, it seems Toledo could present just as much of a challenge as any Big Ten team.
Rockets goalkeeper Elise Donovan has made 126 saves, which ties her for eighth in the nation for total saves, and Toledo is known for defense.
“They haven’t scored a lot of goals this year, but they’ve had some surprising results because they frustrate other teams by packing it in and taking advantage of maybe one opportunity,” Saxton said.
The team finishes its season at home, facing Kent State at 3 p.m. Friday on Old College Field.
