By Nick Bond

It may seem a little early to make such a proclamation, but following this past weekend’s away and home losses to Tulsa on Friday and No.2 SMU on Sunday, the men’s soccer season has reached a crossroads.

Down one path is a second consecutive losing season filled with disappointment over missed chances and blown games.

Down the other is a return to former glory, a playoff berth and possibly a conference title.

Conference play begins for the Pride this Saturday at home against the Panthers of Georgia State University, hoping to rebound from a rough weekend – one which saw them outscored 4-0.

Perhaps the only silver lining to this particularly dark cloud is that only one of those goals was against the second best team in the nation.

But even that is tempered by the fact that they had nine more shots on goal than their opponents, who managed to score their one goal on a paltry three shots.

There was no such lining for the men’s trip to Tulsa on Friday, a game which saw them out shot by more than double, giving up three goals on twenty shots, with no retaliation from their offense.

If these young men to hope to make a splash in the CAA, they must find a way to put the ball in the net; it is as simple as that.

The amount of shots – whether or not they are on target – has been an acceptable amount, but their inability to finish is a major cause for concern for the team.

As for this Saturday, the men, who begin their game at 7 P.M. at the Hofstra Soccer Stadium, face a Georgia State team who managed to compile an impressive 4-2-1 record, albeit against decidedly unimpressive competition, including Presbyterian and USC Upstate.

If the team can manage to get even one ball into the back of the net – as opposed the directly adjacent and behind – they may be able bail enough water to stop this boat from be irretrievably sunk.