After a sound win over Tri-Central last Saturday, the Indians headed north to face the mighty Vikings of Huntington North on Tuesday for what head coach Brandon Forshey knew would be a tough test.
The Vikings showed why they are consistently one of the top teams in the state of Indiana, as they thoroughly routed the Indians by a score of 11-1.
“Huntington North blew our socks off,” Coach Forshey said. “I give them kudos – they played well and looked good for who they are.”
Even in defeat, Forshey was proud of how the Indians battled for 80 minutes against a superior opponent.
Freshman Colin Yoder continues to impress, as he recorded an assist on Mississinewa’s only goal of the contest.
In the first four games, Yoder has either scored or recorded an assist on goals in each of the first four games.
“Colin gave 190-200 percent on everything [tonight,] Forshey said. “This season would look different and feel different if Yoder was not up top for us.”
Against Fort Waye Fusion on Thursday, Mississinewa struggled once again, as they were defeated by a score of 6-1.
Coach Forshey believes that a lack of confidence was the biggest factor in the loss.
“Fusion is always a tough opponent – they are never going to give you one – but we started slow and we [continued] to be slow,” Forshey said after the loss. “We have lost the chemistry, and we have lost the aggressiveness. We let them have their way.”
Furthermore, due to a rash of injuries, Forshey has been forced to move several players to new positions, and they are still working to adjust.
“Tonight, I was only able to start five of the original 11 starters from game one due to fatigue and injury” Forshey said. “I think a lot of is that I have guys playing out of their usual spots [due to injury,] so they have to learn new spots.”
Even so, the Indians still continue to have bright spots in each and every game.
Goalkeeper Connor Layman, as of Wednesday, was ranked in top five in saves in the state of Indiana. Against, Fusion, he had 25 saves. On the offensive side, Yoder became the third player in Mississinewa history to score or assist on a goal in five straight games.
Heading into Saturday’s contest, Forshey’s message to the team was a simple one – loosen up and believe in yourselves.
“If we can get them to believe in themselves and step up, Saturday against Delta will be a fun one.”
Unfortunately for the Indians, the injuries continued to pile up, and with a short bench, the Indians could not get anything going in an 11-0 loss to Delta. In the last three games, the Indians have given up 28 goals.
“We had five starters on the bench due to injury, and then I had two more go down [during the game,]” Forshey said. “So, I think the injuries are [getting to us.]”
Layman, who as of Thursday was leading the nation in saves, injured his knee late in the first half and was forced to leave the game for a time. After that, the Indians were unable to recover.
“We held them tight for the first 32 minutes of the game – the score was 2-0 and we had an equal number of chances. Unfortunately, [Layman] went down with an injury right as they scored their third goal. I put my backup in and they score three goals in eight minutes. [From there,] we just fell apart and that continued in the second half.”
Layman ended up returning to the game later in the second half, but his injury clearly affected his play throughout the rest of the match.
“They came out relaxed, and they fought [at the onset,] but as soon as [Layman] went down, I think their confidence was [once again] shaken,” Forshey said. “We fell apart towards the end.”
The Indians’ season so far has been marred by injuries, and Forshey hopes that a day off early next week will help the team get back to full strength.
Furthermore, Forshey believes that this team already has a great understanding of what he wants them to do – he just needs them to finish.
“We are taking Monday off, giving them a day to get healthy and to rest,” Forshey said. “We have the basics down, and we know what we are supposed to do – we just need [better execution] going forward.”
