How does a college team follow up the first team national championship in its school’s history? That is the reality facing the Connecticut College men’s soccer program this fall as they look to recapture last season’s lightning in a bottle; a season that culminated in beating fellow NESCAC program, Amherst, on penalty kicks in the championship game last fall.
In the buildup to the new season, senior midfielder and captain Augie Djerdjaj spoke on the team’s mettle and mindset going into the title defense; “The team is going to be much more experienced going into this year as compared to last year. Going into last season, due to Covid, we had two classes who had never played a competitive college soccer game before. This year we have a majority of players who are battle tested and have played on the biggest of stages.” The relative lack of experience due to Covid last season did nothing to hinder the Camels on their impressive run through the NCAA tournament, and having that experience under their belt will now only help the team.
Coming off of a championship, a natural concern to have is that of a potential “championship hangover.” On this, Djerdjaj said “Obviously coming off a season like last year, [a championship hangover] is a potential concern. However, we’ve spent most of this past spring putting the championship behind us and focusing on the present, and the present is preparing for the upcoming fall.” Based on their first match of the season against Mitchell, a 9-0 domination of the college’s crosstown foe, any concerns about a hangover of sorts, or any resting on their laurels, seem to be unfounded. Djerdjaj’s theme of focusing on the intangibles, and of not letting success get to the team’s head was echoed by his co-captain, senior midfielder Steve Yeonas. “One theme we have been discussing is focusing on the present. We want to focus on what we can control, things like work ethic, attitude, timing, positivity, and more” said Yeonas. Championships at all levels of sports are generally won and lost in the details of the season, putting in the work every day and focusing on the internal as opposed to the external. The men’s soccer team appears to be united on that front in their defense of a title.
Something that will certainly help the Camels in their quest to repeat as champions is the continuity that they are bringing back this season. The team only graduated three seniors from last season’s title team. While three may not be a large number, the absences of key players will certainly be felt. On this, Djerdjaj said that “We lost three key seniors to graduation this past year which include Lorenzo Bochetti, Aiden Scales, and MT Tshuma. While losing only three guys may not seem like a lot, these guys were a part of the core group that led the way for the team last year. Their leadership was pivotal in our success, and they have tough shoes to fill. We have eleven incoming freshmen and one junior transfer from Middlebury who are expected to come in and help make an immediate positive impact for the group.”
Yeonas echoed the same sentiment, saying, “We will miss the leadership and skill of Lorenzo, MT and Aiden, who each provided valuable experience and character last season. However, we have a large senior class plus juniors who are looking forward to stepping into new roles.” The collective experience of the team’s run last November and December combined with the large contingent of returning starters will make the Camels a formidable force in their title defense this fall.
Since the championship win, the soccer team has noticed a significant rise in support and school spirit around the campus. The program has come a long way in the past few years, facing challenges that nobody could have expected in the form of the pandemic, and achieving the greatest athletic feat in Connecticut College history. On the rise in school spirit during the team’s run late last fall, Djerdjaj perfectly summed up how much the student body’s support meant to the team “Since I got to Conn in the fall of 2018, the support from everyone in the community has been tremendous. I have noticed that every single year the support has gotten bigger and better. The support we received last season surpassed any of our expectations. We had hundreds of students, faculty, friends, family, and alumni traveling to Tufts for our Sweet 16 and Elite 8 games. Even more made the trip down to Greensboro for the Final 4. We saw pictures and videos of the watch parties taking place on campus, and around the country from friends, family, and alumni. We had a welcoming party upon our return to campus from Greensboro. We had the most attended NESCAC final in probably the last 20 years. I could go on and on about the support we received. I can speak for every player on the team when I say that that support means the absolute world to us.”
After their commanding opener over Mitchell College, the team followed that up with a grueling 0-0 tie against 2022 NESCAC Champions, Tufts. Best of luck to our reigning champions this season. Go Camels!
