As the Ole men's soccer team gears up for another run at the MIAC Championship and the NCAA tournament, they know that the road will not be easy.

Heading into last weekend's trip to Colorado, the Oles had a record of 1-3, a slower start than they had hoped for in the beginning of the season. Success over the weekend, however, would bring them back to where they want to be at this point in the schedule.

After winning the MIAC Championship in 1998 and qualifying for the NCAA tournament last year, the expectations for this team to do well are great, if not greater, than the two teams before them.

Coach Kurt Anderson said that looking ahead is virtually impossible and that the team's main focus throughout the season will be to take one game at a time. Anderson noted, "We just have to focus on the next game…we have no room to think about two weeks from now."

After a tough 1-0 loss to Gustavus last week, focusing on the next game is just what the doctor ordered for the team. Going to Colorado is what they needed to bring the entire piece of the puzzle together.

Arriving on Friday, they immediately got to work and faced an always-challenging Colorado College for one of two non-conference games. The Oles opened the scoring midway through the first half when midfielder senior captain Jason Bezdicek slithered past the Tiger defense and put a rocket in the upper corner of the net. Less than 15 minutes later, fellow teammate Ben Clymer put the team's second goal in, when he scored off his own rebound. With the Oles leading 2-1 and eight minutes left to go in the game, senior captain Loran Nordgren struck one inside the box to put the finishing touches on the Tigers for the evening.

Despite a 3-2 loss in overtime to Methodist on Saturday, the team still feels good about what they accomplished over the weekend. Getting a victory against Colorado College was big considering the teams share the same region.

Sophomore midfielder Dave Pelka says that at this point in the season, team chemistry is the most important element in producing a winning record against quality opponents such as Colorado College. "All we can do now is to just try and win the rest of our games," Pelka said. "We have a real strong chance to contend for the [MIAC] title and it's just a matter of us coming together as a team."

The trip to Colorado last weekend was the spark the Oles were looking for as they head full speed into their MIAC schedule. Peeking ahead to Thursday's game at Luther, they look to go 1-1 in the conference and 3-4 overall with a victory.