MUNSTER | Drake Bowers came into this season with a different mentality on the field.
Then again, so did any player capable of scoring goals for the Munster boys soccer team.
With the graduation of one of the best forwards the region has ever seen in Zarko Coric last year, the Mustangs needed to rehash their offense to be successful, and so far they have tasted some success.
As of Wednesday, Munster sits at 3-1-1, with a 2-2 tie to Bishop Noll and a 2-0 loss to defending state champion Crown Point as the lone blemishes on that record.
"I had a few goals last year, but coach (Jim Prasopoulos) has been looking to put me at forward so I can get those stats," Bowers said. "I'd definitely like to be the one scoring the goals, but there's also other players who can score."
Last season, Bowers said the Mustangs were more focused on getting the ball to Coric and having him make plays.
With the lack of a true, pure goal scorer, Munster has had to shift to a more pass-oriented offense, with players like Bowers having distributed more scoring opportunities because of it.
"It's more passing and looking outside," Bowers said. "We have a bunch of players on the field who can score. It's more crosses instead of just one man taking it up."
Bowers was perhaps the most offensively aggressive Munster player in the loss to the Bulldogs, a factor that Prasopoulos has seen develop throughout his time coaching him.
"We're not going to have a scorer like Zarko Coric this year," Prasopoulos said. "We obviously had a tough game against Crown Point, and we're not happy about it. We need to bounce back from that.
"With Drake being one of the seniors, hopefully he can offer us a spark. It'd be good for him to get some assists even, and get several different people to chip in against these tougher teams."
That different offense has been a learning experience.
Munster had ample goal scoring opportunities in Saturday's tie against Noll, but was unable to come through. However, team chemistry has continued to build in practice, which will be a tremendous factor going forward.
"Our first game was slow and our passing wasn't there," Bowers said. "As we've continued, our passing has started to get better and we've started to play really calm."
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