The Connecticut College men’s soccer season has officially kicked off, and so far the Camels are starting strong. The Camels are two and one at this point in the season, after a competitive home game versus Middlebury this past Saturday.
The Camels’ first victory came against neighboring school Mitchell College. After a slow start in the first ten minutes, the Camels turned it on and took control of the match. Mitchell was held to one shot on goal in four attempts for the whole game, while the Camels attempted twenty-three shots on goal and put ten of them in. Matthew Bitchell ’16 scored the first goal of the game twenty-six minutes in off a pass from sophomore Pat Devlin. The Camels put the game away in the seventy-sixth minute when senior Kevin O’Brien scored a breakaway goal after a well-played ball from sophomore Charlie Overton.
The Camels then took on a tougher opponent, UMASS-Dartmouth. They came out to a flying start, scoring a goal within the first twenty seconds of the game, but the referee immediately rescinded the goal. Regardless of this call, Bitchell scored just three minutes later off a pass from sophomore Ibrahim Mutala. Although UMASS-Dartmouth gave the Camels a bit of a scare when they brought the game within one goal twice in the second half, the Camels sealed the game when sophomore Christian Schmidt buried a breakaway goal, finishing it off with an impressive front flip celebration. Devlin, Bitchell, and Mutala all ended the game with two points, and sophomore Charlie Overton, senior Kevin O’Brien and Schmidt each tallied a point of their own.
Captains Zach Punt ’15 and Lucas Corrubia ’15 talked about their goals for the season as well as the team’s strengths and weaknesses and the biggest challenges they’ll face this year. The team has never won a NESCAC playoff game in program history but have their sights set on winning it all this year. With both the confidence and skill to do so, this goal is far from lofty. With a back line dominated by seasoned, senior veterans and a deep offense consisting of fresh, young talent, the team has not only a NESCAC Championship, but also a NCAA playoff berth in their sights. The team fell one game short of the minimum required wins last year but believe they will be in the running for the championship if they stay healthy and work hard throughout the season.
The team formed a tight bond very early on, spending a week in the summer playing pickup games and getting to know one another before the school year even started. While it will be difficult to replace recent graduate Billy Hawkey, the NESCAC Player of the Year and league leading scorer last season, the captains are confident that their strengths seem to far outweigh their weaknesses. Players like Punt and senior Mike Flippin anchor the back line with strong defense, while Devlin and junior Colin Patch control the midfield with calm, smart plays, and accurate long balls. The Camels’ speedy forwards, Mutala, Weller Hlinomaz ’17, and Bitchell also add to the mix.
In the past, the team has tended to get off to a slow start in games and will now focus on putting together an entire game, beginning at the starting whistle. The team feels that they have the ability to rise to any occasion, which they proved last year by beating Amherst and playing strong games against Wesleyan, Amherst and Middlebury, perennial NESCAC rivals. With hard work and dedication, the team feels the NESCAC Championship is theirs for the taking. •
