Men's soccer looks to rebound after 6-0 loss to No. 1 Northeast

The Western Iowa Tech men's soccer team lost 6-0 to No. 1 Northeast Community College on Wednesday.

While the result wasn't ideal, head coach Alex Scheuler thinks the experience of battling the nation's top team can help the Comets as they continue their Iowa Community College Athletic Conference schedule. 

"Hopefully this game will be a checkpoint for us, and give us a reset," Scheuler said. "As a coaching staff, we knew all along that the step up to ICCAC would be a challenge from our last few opponents. Hopefully now our players believe us when we ask them to certain things tactically, technically and strategically."

Scheuler said the Comets (7-3-1, 1-1 ICCAC) were a step slow from the start, and the Hawks charged out to a 5-0 halftime lead, WIT's largest halftime deficit of the season.

"We're not at the point of No. 1 in the nation, because we came out flat and not ready to deal with, frankly, anything," Scheuler said.

The Hawks outshot the Comets 13-4. WIT played Northeast to a second-half draw until the Hawks struck for their sixth and final goal in the 82nd minute.

"Our decision making, rate of play, and ability to put into practice what we worked on in training was not there today," Scheuler said. "And when you can't do that versus top teams, and make mistakes, they will punish you. That's exactly what happened today."

The next ICCAC opportunity is not far off, however. The Comets have two days to rest and regroup before their next conference match, a 3:30 p.m. tilt at Southeastern Community College on Saturday.

"Still a lot to play for, as our first conference win gave us a nice platform to build upon," Scheuler said. "It's just about how we improve and adapt, and improve in our craft each day."