The Wayne State College men’s soccer club played its first game on Sunday against the University of Nebraska at Vine Street fields in Lincoln. The Wildcats lost 0-6.

WSC started the first half pretty well against an opponent who already played five prior games, but the Huskers’ experience was quickly evident. The match was the first of the season for the Wildcats, and, for some of the players, it was their first ever soccer game.

Even though the ’Cats didn’t leave the field with a win, head coach of the men’s soccer club, Sean Petersen, was still satisfied with what he saw during the game.

“The game went well; I think we had some good chances. We made a few mental mistakes, but those can be fixed easily,” Petersen said. “They did a wonderful job responding to everything that has been asked of them in the past weeks of practice. We need to improve our conditioning, otherwise, I liked the attitude, effort and the soccer knowledge that the team showed.”

The soccer players were disappointed with the score after the referee blew the final whistle, but they gained valuable experience.

“I definitely enjoyed playing the game as a team and proudly representing our college,” said WSC center back John Wesley. “I loved the passion of the team, and I’m also looking forward to the next few games with the boys.”

The men’s soccer club has practiced for over a month and feel they have made strides during this period.

“Throughout the last couple of weeks of practice that we have gone through, I have seen progress, not only on an individual level, but also as a team level and as an aspect of the team as well,” Petersen said.

Getting some much needed in-game experience facing a difficult opponent will help the team as they move forward in the season.

“The game was a good opportunity for us to learn things that we need to get better at,” Wesley said. “In the upcoming week, we will go back to practice and work on our mistakes and just try to enjoy the game that we all love.”