BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Regis University men's soccer team wrapped up their trip to the pacific northwest on Saturday, taking on the Western Washington University Vikings.
The Rangers (2-3-1 overall) mounted a tremendous offensive effort but were unable to overcome the two goal deficit created by the Vikings (3-2-1 overall).
"Overall, I'm really disappointed with the result. We gave up a goal that kind of reflected what we were expecting out of Western Washington and we didn't do a good enough job of the initial clearance and didn't get on the second ball," said Regis men's soccer head coach, Taylor Diem. "I feel like we really settled the game down and had a lot of possession between the 18-yard boxes but didn't quite have the quality in the final third. I thought we played well in spurts but not enough quality to get the result we wanted."
How It Happened: Regis played a well-balanced attack against the Vikings but could not finish off the possessions they produced. Albin Johnson scored the first goal of the game in the 14th minute for the Vikings.
After the goal, the Rangers held Western Washington to five shots for the rest of the half and began the second with three shots of their own in the first 15 minutes.
Regis' offensive pressure exploded in the second half, going from only two shots in the first, to 12 in the remaining 45 minutes. Leading the way in shots was graduate student forward Vilhjalmur Kaldal, with six on the night.
Alongside Kaldal on the offensive front was Denver-native Michael Jimenez with 3, and fifth-year midfielder, Ben Shepherd, with 2.
"They're all getting really good opportunities and really good spaces," said Diem. "They're finding themselves with the ball at their feet inside the 18-yard box and could probably be doing better just in terms of achieving that technical quality in the final third. Overall, I'm happy with their work rate and if they continue the way they are, the chances will come."
The Vikings' second and final goal of the night came in the 85th minute off a free kick that dribbled into the back of the net.
Game Notes:
Up Next: The Rangers return to the Regis Turf Fields to open conference play against Colorado Mesa University. Kickoff is set for 7:00 PM.
"Mesa's a great team and they're always a top contender in the conference so we'll definitely have to turn around quickly and prepare for them," said Diem. "We need to see a response from how we did tonight if we want to get the result against a good Mesa team."
