Last weekend, the Macalester men’s soccer team flew to Colorado Springs to play University of Texas-Dallas and host Colorado College. As both were regional opponents, victories against them would have put Macalester in a comfortable position to gain a post-season playoff berth.

Armed with an extremely strong roster and a number five national ranking, this weekend was favored to be fruitful for the Scots. Unfortunately, reality played out differently, and the team lost both games in consecutive 2-1 tallies.

Aside from this past weekend, the men’s soccer program has had everything going for it this season. The varsity squad lost only one starter from the team that reached the quarterfinals in last year’s national tournament. All-American midfielder Nathan Knox and All-Conference forward Brendan Viele both returned, and the team also boasts two Division I transfers. A few first-years are already making contributions, as well.

It is no illusion that the men’s team is even stronger and has more depth than the squad they fielded last season. It is for this reason that the team, coaches and fans had anticipated a strong showing at Colorado Springs.

While the team did face high altitude, travel weariness, a bout of stomach flu and the absence of two captains on the field, neither the players nor the coaches would use any of these excuses to explain the two losses.

The players agreed that for whatever reason the team just could not connect. There may be some serendipity attached to the losses, though. By losing, the men realized that even though they have an excellent team, they are going to have to dig down and work hard to win. With such a good record, every one of Mac’s opponents will see them as the team to beat, just as Colorado College did last weekend.

The two losses mean that Macalester has to win the MIAC playoffs to ensure a trip to the national tournament. Although seemingly daunting, its task is not impossible. After all, virtually the same team was able to shut out all their conference opponents last season. It hasn’t gone unnoticed, however, that conference rival Gustavus Adolphus has risen in the national rankings from 23rd to 14th. Meanwhile, largely due to the two consecutive defeats, the Scots have slipped out of the top 25. The bottom line is that the MIAC is a strong conference. The men need to be on their toes because they are certain to have many tough games ahead.