Dominican University

This was the first conference match of the season for both teams. Conference matches are like the playoffs. The tension is greater and typically both teams play their best matches with the conference record on the line.
The men's match began at 2 pm and was a little complicated by our missing an exit on the way down. Turning the bus around while traveling the Illinois Tollway is not an easy thing. . .Dominican came into the game as the 14th ranked team in NCAA III http://nscaa.com/seniorRes.php?it=152. There are over 400 teams in NCAA III. We thought we had a good gameplan in place as we entered the match, but Dominican backed up their ranking quickly. At half-time we changed our tactics and had a little more success, however, the score was still a lopsided 8-0. I would have to check to make certain, but I think it is the worst loss by the men's squad since I have been coaching. Dan Kaminiski actually had a good game in the net. He made several very nice saves in poor conditions. Andrew Solarek, Mike Knepp and Brett Hollenbeck also played well. We are certain that we can play better against teams of this caliber and we are looking forward to MSOE on Saturday.
The ladies gave a good account of themselves yesterday, holding the top goal scorer in NCAA III in 2005 to one goal on the afternoon. Unfortunately that goal was the difference in the match. We had several good opportunities to get on the board, including a breakaway in the first half, but couldn't convert. This is our third one-goal loss in a row. This weekend we play a conference match on Friday night against Benedictine and a non-conference match against MSOE on Saturday.