Anteaters continue to miss in loss to Lions

The frustration is mounting in equal measure to the losses for the UC Irvine men’s soccer team. It’s the goals that are in much less ample supply.

After a 1-0 nonconference home loss to Loyola Marymount on Wednesday, UCI (1-5) has three goals in six games, never more than one in a contest.

It was the third time this season that UCI had to swallow a nil pill, and the Anteaters have now been blanked two straight games. The 1-5 start matches the worst in program history.

The Anteaters hadn’t lost a nonconference home match since 2013, until falling against Florida Gulf Coast, 2-1, on Sept. 4. Now UCI has lost two straight nonconference contests at home.

Maybe the Rams training camp conducted on the Anteaters’ practice field created a case of contagious futility.

UCI Coach Chris Volk wasn’t about to redirect any blame beyond his own locker room.

“Scoring goals is probably one of the hardest things in this game and we’re lacking that right now,” Volk said. “We’re lacking the personnel. We didn’t have the depth tonight, but we’ve only scored three goals in six games, so that’s an issue to be addressed.”

UCI produced 15 shots, four more than the Lions (4-3), who received nine saves from goalkeeper Collin Partee.

“We are creating more chances,” Volk said. “I thought [Partee] made a couple good saves to keep them in the game.”

The game came down to a defensive mistake, Volk and UCI senior defensive midfielder Michael Sperber said.

LMU scored in the 56th minute when a free kick from way out was directed toward the goal with a backward header by Mark Dotseth.

UCI goalie Elliot Farmer leaped to his right and appeared to have the ball corralled with both hands extended about five feet off the turf. But the rebound slipped away and LMU’s Matt Gooden, camped on the doorstep, promptly popped it into the net.

“We’re all doing our job, and just one mistake…,” Sperber said. “That’s two games in a row that we let one mistake decide the whole match.”

UCI lost, 1-0, on an own goal at Santa Clara on Saturday.

Sperber, who had three shots, one shy of team-leader Ivan Canales, said the Big West Conference opener at home on Sept. 29 provides all the hope his downtrodden team needs.

“It seems like it’s the same story as last year [a 5-11-4 campaign],” Sperber said. “But we’re going to turn it around when conference comes. That’s a whole new season and we have to take care of business.”

So, in the face of so many clean sheets, the Anteaters, who have three more nonconference games, are thoroughly ready for a clean slate.

“Confidence is not very high right now,” Volk said. “Opening weekend was one thing [outscored a combined 7-1 by Notre Dame and Indiana], but the last four games have all been all one-goal games. We won one by one and we’ve lost three by a goal. So, I told the guys I need guys to be difference-makers. I need guys to step up and seize the opportunity to assert themselves.”

UCI’s next opportunity comes at home against New Mexico on Saturday at 8 p.m.