The Tribune

TAMARAC, Florida — The University of The Bahamas men’s soccer team dropped two games over the weekend to The University of Fort Lauderdale Eagles over the weekend.

The Mingoes lost the first match Friday 5-0 and came back Saturday with a 3-0 loss.

Assistant head coach Alex Thompson said the team was missing a few key players for various reasons who could have made a huge impact on the team.

“We did have some players really step up and solidify places on the team and it’s a lot to look forward to going back home to the local league,” he said. “The freshman got battle-hardened and the vets got sharpened in certain positions.”

UB 0,

Fort Lauderdale 5

(Friday)

The Mingoes started the match off strong against The Eagles but a weak middle left the side vulnerable.

The Eagles scored on an easy pass in the 16th minute and never looked back with another score just three minutes later to end the half up 2-0. In the second half, The Mingoes were a bit more defensive but The Eagles were still able to score in the 66th, 68th, and 78th minutes of the match.

Offensive production was a big factor in the match. The Eagles took 23 shots with 15 on goal while the Mingoes only had five total and two on goal.

The Eagles were more aggressive as well as the side racked up 13 fouls compared to six for The Mingoes.

The Mingoes keepers had to work hard as well with 10 saves on the day.

UB 0,

Fort Lauderdale 3

(Saturday)

The Mingoes came out very slow in the match and allowed The Eagles to go up 1-0 on an unassisted goal in the 10th minute.

The defence kicked in for The Mingoes and the team was able to hold The Eagles off for the half but offensively they only had one shot in the first half.

In the second half and The Mingoes down 1-0, The Eagles went to a very passive style of play essentially keeping the ball from UB. The Eagles though still capitalised on shots and scored in the 53rd and 76th minutes to win 3-0.

The Mingoes ended the match with only three shots and only one on goal while The Eagles had 19 shots and seven of them on goal.

Thompson said the match came down to three key points. “It came down to concentration, attitude, and effort,” he said. “Unfortunately we were the team that made the most mistakes. Three mistakes in particular led to three goals for them and that made the difference in the game.”

Thompson added the team was in a much better position in this match compared to the first one but the ball was just not getting in the net.

“It was a much better showing from the guys as we changed up the game plan a bit and they carried out the instructions more or less but we were just unlucky on the attacking end and need to pay more attention to detail on the defensive.”

The Mingoes now move to the Bahamas Football Association season that starts for them at Roscow R.L. Davies pitch against Renegades FC at 7pm Friday.