Story by Ian Wolfe
Aston Rhoden’s MTSU squad is looking to improve off conference tournament appearance going into next season.
The Blue Raiders returned 23 players this year, giving the team more leadership and experience going into the season.
The difference in play improved this season after missing out on the conference tournament in 2023 however their season ended short in the conference tournament semi-finals.
“When you don’t have a good year, it’s just exemplified. But I think we were able to kind of find our way back to where we belong and put ourselves in a position where we were just a game short of competing for an NCAA berth,” Rhoden said.
MTSU looked better up front this season adding eight more goals than they did in 2023. More combination and direct play was noticeable throughout the year.
To improve, coaches and players alike have to buy into the process and Rhoden says “belief followed by action” was key in executing offensively.
This was shown throughout conference play with an improved conference record this year going 5-4 compared to their 2-5-1 record the season prior. Rhoden says they have a “process” in attack or defensively and belief is a part of that.
Conceding goals was a continuing issue this year, letting in two more goals than in 2023.
“There were games where I thought our desire to win wasn’t bigger than our fear of losing, so consequently we end up giving up goals late in games,” Rhoden said.
MTSU will have at least 26 returning players next year, third most in the conference. Rhoden feels optimistic with the amount of returning players but the mindset always stays the same.
“You want to hope we expand on our performance from this year. Our goal is always to be in the NCAA tournament,” Rhoden said. “That doesn’t really change regardless if we have a ton of seniors or a ton of freshman. It’s just a matter of how far can you take the team.”
MTSU will return to action for their pre-season games this spring hoping to develop as a team heading into next fall.