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Whatever momentum the Little Giants soccer team gained in their first win on Sept. 9 came to a screeching halt this past week. The team struggled this week, dropping losses of 4-1 and 4-0 to Millikin and Hope College, respectively. "It’s frustrating because we’re not playing to our potential, and the potential we know we can play at," junior Michael-Paul Hutchins said. The team will attempt to eradicate their problems before the start of NCAC play, which opens up against Kenyon on Saturday.

Head coach Roberto Giannini believes his team’s problems have less to do with effort and ability than their mental mistakes. ""It’s a matter of keeping our heads on our shoulders," Giannini said, who emphasized the damage mistakes have on the team’s success. "We’re committing suicide," Giannini said. "We had four clear chances, open net shots (against Hope). That’s the whole difference. That’s been the story of our season." The Little Giants struggled once again to take advantage of open chances, mustering only one shot on goal against Hope. "We don’t finish what we create, and we give away what they get. That’s the bottom line."

Another setback for the squad has been their incredibly slow starts. Of the 21 goals allowed this season, three-fourths have come in the first half. "It’s a struggle always coming from behind," Giannini said. "We must be more prepared at the beginning." Despite the problems, the team feels like they are just a step away from being competitive in the NCAC.

"Basically, I feel like we’re prepared (for conference play) as long as we come together and play as a unit," Hutchins said. "Overall, we have individual effort, but we’re not playing as a unit." Giannini sees hope in the team’s flashes of greatness, but looks for more consistency and focus. "For a certain length of time, we played good soccer," Giannini said. "But then we go back to suicide mode, commit easy mistakes and find ourselves down on the scoreboard. If we eliminate mistakes, we can compete." Hutchins said the team needs to be more aggressive and improve their physical game before conference play opens against Kenyon, which he also said is a very important game for the Little Giants. "Kenyon is the most important because it’s our first. After that, the biggest game will simply be our next one."

Ultimately, Giannini feels the road to success will go through the minds of his players. "The effort continues but I need them to believe the solution is around the corner," Giannini said. "It’s about playing simple soccer. There’s still time to turn the season around."

In photo: Michael-Paul Hutchins makes a pass against Hope.