Courtesy of Stephen Miller
Camel of the Edition is a continuous series which seeks to highlight Connecticut College athletes who have stood out from the herd due to their recent performances or as a leader on campus or on their team.
Peter Silvester ‘25 is a goalkeeper on the men’s soccer team who has played an integral role in the men’s soccer team’s unprecedented success over the past four years. Silvester was recently named to the All-NESCAC Second Team for the second consecutive year as the Camels captured the NESCAC men’s soccer title. From stopping two of three penalties faced in the NCAA DIII National Championship to guide the Camels to their first NCAA DIII national title as a freshman, to starting in goal for every game the past two seasons, the senior from Smiths Parish, Bermuda, has had a legendary career in the net.
Recently, The College Voice caught up with Silvester to learn how he became a goalkeeper, how he prepares himself for penalties, and how the men’s soccer team captured the NESCAC conference title for the first time in program history.
Could you please introduce yourself?
I’m Peter Silvester, he/him. I’m a senior, Class of 2025, and I am a Quantitative Economics major and Finance minor.
What was your journey in sports and how did you end up playing soccer and the position of goalkeeper?
I am from Bermuda, born and raised. When I was young, I just happened to be the tallest, and unfortunately, the tallest was just chucked in goal. I’ve been playing [goalkeeper] ever since. When I was 12, I moved to America to junior boarding school and have been hopping from boarding school to boarding school since then. In high school, I wanted to stay in America, and to do that, the requirement from my family was to keep playing college soccer.
When did you realize you wanted to keep playing soccer in college?
I would say probably my junior year. It’s a sport I played my whole life and something I love to do. I joke and call it a career and want to extend my retirement as much as possible and that seems to be coming either two or three weeks from now.
What was your recruitment process like and how did you end up choosing Conn?
It was weird because of COVID because I never visited campus or met the coach in person. But, I could tell just through how [Coach Reuben Burk] talked about the program and the school that the family-like vibe, [which] was something I was looking for [was there], and made me choose Conn. I was looking at all schools and had options at both [NCAA DI and DIII] but I wanted better academics and at [a] DI [institution] you could be one of a million and compete for four wins a year, or in DIII you could have a chance to be meaningful and win something at Conn.
Your position as goalkeeper is unique and unlike any other position in soccer as you are able to use your hands and often stand alone and isolated from your teammates. How do you stay mentally focused and involved in the game as a goalkeeper?
It’s definitely tough, especially with the way we play. There are large stretches of the game where I am not involved. To stay focused I really almost become a fan at times and invest myself into what is happening in front of me. Another huge way to stay focused is communication. Constantly talking to teammates around me helps time go by a lot quicker.
What is your favorite and least favorite thing about your position?
Favorite thing about the position is when you do something good, everyone loves you and my least favorite thing is when you do something bad, everything hates you. Especially at Conn, whenever you make a save the support is incredible, but it’s stressful [being a goalie] because you can be the hero or the villain. You can make that one mistake during the game and especially in a competitive division like the NESCAC, you can cost your team the game.
You are known as an expert at saving penalties having been substituted solely for the 2021 NCAA National Championship penalty shootout as a freshman, where you saved 2 of the 3 penalties you faced and having saved multiple penalties in countless shootouts in the years following. What makes you so good at saving penalties, and how do you prepare yourself for penalties you face?
Truth be told, when it comes to penalties, I just have fun. I know that at that moment it’s that one time during the game where the person kicking the ball has more pressure than me, which just makes it enjoyable because they finally understand the stress of being a goalkeeper. The belief in my teammates [helps too] because I see my teammates kicking penalties every day in practice, so I have confidence in them and they have confidence in me and that confidence sort of feeds on each other and grows.
You boast the third-highest save percentage and 10 total clean sheets this season, having started in every game this season and were honored on the All-NESCAC Second Team for the second time in your career this year. What do these numbers and awards mean to you and your role on the team?
It’s always nice to be recognized and it’s not the overall goal. I think what’s nice for the team in general is when the goalkeeper gets recognized for this award, it is the defense getting recognized as well because if we were conceding 30 goals and had a bad defense, I’m sure I wouldn’t be getting the award.
This season, the men’s soccer team “only” won three NESCAC conference games which was the lowest since the 2022 season, where your team missed out on making the NCAA tournament. What caused these regular season struggles, and how did the team focus during the NESCAC tournament to make it into the NCAA tournament?
We had a lot of 0-0 results where we should have won. The biggest difference between then and now is we are taking our chances and sort of figuring out that teams want to play us in a certain way and how to break it down, which has made life a lot easier. Another thing is desire. In the playoffs, the energy we have brought is probably the most I’ve probably seen in my four years here. I’m not saying we didn’t bring the energy to every game in the regular season, but it feels like the desire and competitiveness to win is at an all-time high.
In the NESCAC tournament, your team won three straight victories on the road against the #8, #20, and #3 nationally ranked teams to win the program’s first-ever NESCAC Championship and earn an automatic berth to the national championship. What was this experience like, and how was your team able to pull off the unthinkable?
I think when we first got put with Amherst, they cost us two NESCAC trophies, beating us in the semi-final last year and the final my sophomore year. I think we brought a certain level of a chip on our shoulder to that game. We just felt like if we beat them and were able to bring the energy we brought to that game to every single game, we would be able to compete with any team in the country.
Last weekend, your team had the honor of playing at home as the host institution for the NCAA Tournament first rounds. What was this experience like?
The way we saw it, [it] was an opportunity, especially for our seniors. The last game we played at Freeman, safe to say, did not go how we wanted [Note: Conn lost 1-3 to Wesleyan]. We saw it as an opportunity to rewrite that story and believe that we have the best fans in the NESCAC with the amount of fans that turn out and how rowdy they get. We saw it as an opportunity to bring on a show and, instead of being scared of the moment, look at it as something to prove and an opportunity to show to the fans that even though we haven’t really done it in the regular season, what we’re capable of.
What makes the Men’s soccer program at Conn so strong and competitive nationally?
I think, for one, the type of characters that coach brings in. We bring in people who want to compete and want to win and are willing to put in the work. It’s not easy at times, the amount of hours we put in, going to [athletic center] at 3:30 and leaving at 7:30, 8. I think the character he brings in helps because talent can only take you so far.
As a senior in the men’s soccer program at Conn, how has the team changed over the years, and what are some of your favorite memories?
The team has definitely changed over the past couple of years, or maybe the team has less changed, and I’ve changed. Everything felt like a movie my freshman year with COVID and having five doubleheaders, having that excitement. Now, looking back, it felt like a journey more than a movie. As much as winning is enjoyable, I think what happens in the locker room, the joy, puts worth to the hours and hours of work you do. Simple things like doing karaoke at the beginning of the season, doing scavenger hunts in Mystic while I have to wear a suit for four or five hours and telling people I’m not a weird dude while getting pictures with them were definitely enjoyable moments.
What are the goals for the rest of the season?
It’s sort of just, I guess, adding to the resume almost. Our program’s only been to one [NCAA] Final Four, and I think that’s definitely a goal. We’re playing Kenyon [next] and I think every game from now on is going to be a tough game. I don’t think we’ll have it as comfortable as we had it this weekend. So we have to go into every game knowing it’s a battle, expecting one goal or 0-0 maybe, and going to overtime and expecting a longer game.
What are your plans going forward after college?
Soccer-wise, it depends where I end up. Career-wise, as I said, I’m Bermudian, and a Quantitative Economics major, so I get three years in the States on a visa as a STEM major so I’m currently looking for jobs in New York, Stamford, and Boston, maybe. If not, I’ll go to London and probably be able to mix soccer and join a team there through some connections while working there as well.
Anyone you would like to add or anyone you would like to shout out?
Shoutout to Lee Elliot, goalkeeper coach. Fun guy, good goalkeeper coach, better psychologist.
Note: This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
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