When a talented team finds its rhythm, the results that follow can result in bad news for the opposing team.

In the second half of its contest against the Midway (Ky.) Eagles' men's soccer program, the Shawnee State Bears' men's soccer program certainly showed what they can do each game out.

Now, the ultimate challenge will be carrying that momentum over to each and every game on its schedule.

The Bears, who sit 1-2 overall after its resounding 6-2 victory over the Eagles, will look to even their record at .500 overall on Wednesday evening as Shawnee State travels to Ohio Christian to face the Trailblazers in a nonconference contest between two programs that sit just over an hour and 15 minutes away from one another.

"It is nice to get to play a team so close to us in proximity," Shawnee State head coach Ron Goodson said. "Travel is great when we are talking about an hour trip compared to most of our trips that are two to four hours or longer. We get to see some kids that we have recruited or have tried out for us, plus there is a good relationship between the two coaching staffs."

For SSU, the hope is that the Bears can only grow from an outstanding performance on Monday evening. Overall, four SSU hands scored in the 6-2 victory over Midway, including Joao Toledo, who added in the first goal of his career to go along with a pair of assists, and Thomas de Graauw, who notched a pair of goals in Monday's victory. Kevin de Lange continued to add to another fantastic start with two goals of his own to put together his second and third goals of the season and added an assist to the table, while Mitchell Patchett nabbed his second goal in as many contests to help aid the Bears in its victory.

"It was nice to have all three forwards contributing with goals and assists, but it was created by getting our midfield more involved in our possessions," Goodson said. "That was the key and what we worked on leading up to the Midway game. I had no doubt about our forwards' abilities to score, it was getting them the ball in favorable situations, which is what we were able to do. The three guys up top have some different playing styles and bring different things to our team. They are learning more and more each time they play together, and learning to play to our strengths. Mitchell has been great all season and very consistent, and Kevin can go 90 minutes at full speed which makes him a nightmare for defenses."

Overall, Shawnee State completely dominated Midway in the second half as the Bears outshot the Eagles by a 10-3 margin en route to collecting a 14-8 shot edge for the contest. However, with that being said, SSU still hasn't put together a performance that is indicative of its talent level.

"The plan for us is to pick up where we left off on Monday," Goodson said. "Hopefully, we'll put together a full 90-minute game. We had some really good play Monday, but at times, we were forcing the ball and made some bad decisions. We finished the game strong, and that is where we need to continue to grow from that point."

That will be paramount on Wednesday evening, especially against a Ohio Christian team that features both Bryce Hull and Kyle Luneke on its roster. Luneke, who led the Trailblazers in goals (nine) and points (18) last season, put 20 of his 36 shot attempts on goal, while Hull, who added in six goals and three assists in 2018, tied for the team lead in dimes last year and sees the pitch in a precise manner.

So while Ohio Christian is 0-2 overall, it will be of the utmost importance for Shawnee State to put together two complete halves in order to continue their upward progression as a team while obtaining the positive result that everyone is looking for in one fell swoop.

"Hopefully, the win gave our guys a little confidence, and they can put another good game together," Goodson said. "It is hard to play two games in three days, but we are fit and have quality guys to bring in off of the bench. Coach Trapp and I have been stressing that it is not how we start the season, it is how we finish the season. We got our first win, now we need to continue improving, play better each game, and string some wins together."