John Bluem Good Quotations

We have a tough game with a very good New Mexico team on Sunday. If we had lost or tied tonight, I don't think we would have the same confidence going in.

We have to remember that we were 12-7-2 last year, not 17-3-1. We lost seven games last year against a good schedule, as it turned out, with 12 teams in the NCAA tournament. We went 6-6 against those 12 teams, so we need to be better than that. That's the challenge before the players. We just had a good year. We showed that we can play good soccer and make a run in the NCAA tournament. Now are we going to be able to reproduce the same kind of effort?

Xavier was very sharp tonight. He was in the right spot and made some great runs into the penalty area. And (Kevin) Nugent had two very good passes to help set him up.

What we're trying to achieve here is consistency. We want to be in the NCAA tournament every year. Four of the last six is a good start. Next year, three in a row would be the first time Ohio State has done that. It's a lofty goal and it's not going to be easy. Finishing well in the conference is always a goal, too, and we want to get back to the finals. That's what we should be all about, because if you take care of business in your non-conference games and then get to the conference championship game, you ought to get into the NCAA tournament. Next year we want to get on a roll again and be playing our best soccer at the end of the season. That will be important.

It's a neat thing just the way its evolved and the growth that the game has taken in trying to be a legitimate fundraiser. It's a very good effort to have a lasting memory of Connor, raise money for his scholarship funds, and it's a good thing for the soccer community.