Soccer may be a beautiful game, but the Jaguars have sifted through some downright ugly patches on the pitches.

Growing pains abound as players adjust to a new system coaches predict will help the team to new goals.

A pre-season pick to finish second in the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference, SC has stumbled to a 6-13-3 record. Assistant coach Metin Meral pointed to inexperience.

“Players need to understand that college is a different level of the sport,” he said. “Most of them are just coming out of high school and they are still adjusting to the new environment.”

Head coach Cem Tont said on top of adjusting to the college level, the team is learning to a new formation.

“We are changing up the system,” Tont said. “We want to play 90 minutes of focused soccer. We are trying to get consistent performances.”

The Jags are employing a new 3-5-2 system to generate more of an attack, as opposed to the

4-4-2 they used previously. Sophomore defender Soya Simura said the 3-5-2 will create more scoring opportunities.

“Last year we were more defensive and used four defenders,” he said. “This year we have moved one man up to midfield and sometimes we move him forward to be more offensive.”

With a young team and only six returners, Simura said the team is inexperienced, but has more talent.

“This season we are way better than last year,” he said. “Having new people coming in is always a good thing for me. It is a new opportunity for me this year, new friends and new good players.”

Sophomore defender Andres Corona said the 2019 team has a strong work ethic.

“Last year’s team was not as hardworking as this one,” he said. “We want to win more this year. It has been a rough season so far, but we have been picking up little by little. We should be able to take league next year with the team we have.”

Injuries have caused the team to continuously readjust its approach, Tont said, hurting its chemistry.

“We are successful with this system, but injuries are making it tougher,” he said. “We are playing with many different formations this season, but getting mixed results with all the injuries.”

Tont’s new system fits a number of players, Meral said, but adjustments remain.

“A couple of them are working well,” he said, “but we are still working on perfecting the formations as a team.”

Even so, Meral said he has faith the Jaguars will be competitive.

“We have confidence in these players,” he said. “They understand all the requirements for their positions and the new formations. The players knew what we were trying to achieve on the field and the wins came from them.”

Tont pointed to mental mistakes as a hinderance.

“In every loss, we were okay playing-wise, but giving up scores is what is getting to us,” he

said. “We play good football and get possessions, but statistics will not always lead to wins.”

Southwestern College was 4-6-2 in conference matches, but made progress over the season, said Meral.

Corona said 2020 is going to be the year the Jags make a run at the PCAC crown.

Beautiful 2020 foresight.