Sports

Men's soccer ascends to top of NESCAC standings

By Grecia Santos ’20

Tags sports

Hamilton College men’s soccer team had an explosive week, getting their highest scoring win in nearly six years and topping the NESCAC conference standings. 

The Continentals played against the Ithaca College Bombers on Sept. 21, in a non-league match, quickly establishing their dominance. Assisted by Mike Lubelczyk ’17, Alex Cadet ’17 scored in the eighth minute, kicking towards the goalie where the ball deflected off a Bomber and into the net. After intense play, Killian Clancy ’18 scored in the 33rd minute and was quickly followed by Rowan Myers ’19 in the 42nd minute. Jefri Schmidt ’20 recorded his first career goal in the 47th minute, hitting the net squarely in its center. After half-time, the Bombers scored in the 73rd minute, but Hamilton responded immediately, with Myers recording his second goal of the game in the 83rd minute. All three goalkeepers for Hamilton played this match, with Harris Pollack ’17 playing the first half without having to make a save. Linds Cadwell ’20, in his first collegiate appearance, continued to hold the Bombers scoreless for 25 minutes until their successful free kick. Finally, Pete Calleri ’18 entered the match in the 71st minute, blocking several shots and keeping the Bombers to their one goal. Ending the game with a 5-1 victory, Hamilton celebrated their highest scoring victory since winning against Cazenovia 6-0 in 2010. 

On Sept. 24 the Continentals returned to NESCAC competition, facing Connecticut College at Love Field. The Camels entered the game ranked second nationally in scoring, but Hamilton quickly overtook them when Schmidt scored for the second time in two games, assisted by Cadet in the 52nd minute. Harris Pollack ’17 was presented with two shots by Connecticut and stopped both, earning his third shutout of the season. Hamilton now has their best conference start since they first played in the NESCAC six years ago, and the Continentals sat alone atop the conference standings. With their fourth win in five games, Hamilton held a 4-2 overall record. 

After the match, Cadet said, “We are extremely excited about getting off to a great 3-0 start in the NESCAC. We had a great game on Wednesday against Ithaca with a 5-1 win. We showed that we could score some goals and that we have a deep bench. We played everyone on the roster and some incoming players got their first collegiate points. This was great heading into a huge conference game on Saturday beating rivals Conn College, continuing our 1-0 winning trend. This time first year Jefri Schmidt ’20 found the back of the net using his head off of a cross from Alex Cadet ’17. Our defense has been playing tremendously with some guys stepping up due to injuries on the back line. We have been winning with hard work and team defense that starts with the forwards. We are looking to keep winning ways going at Love, on Tuesday against Middlebury.” Spenser Heller ’17 added, “The work rate and intensity this season has been there since the first day of preseason, and is something we have strived to work on this season. We are working as a unit defensively, and it shows through our three shutouts in conference games so far. It was great to also get the offense going against Ithaca, and something we hope to carry on through the rest of the season. And as always, the fan support at home was fantastic this weekend.” 

Hamilton’s position atop the standings did not last long. The #16 Middlebury Panthers came to Clinton on Tuesday, Sept. 28 and handed the Continentals their first NESCAC loss by a score of 1-0. Hamilton managed 14 shots, but only three ended up on net. With the victory, the Panthers leapfrogged the Continentals into first place in the conference. Hamilton currently sits in second place in the NESCAC and next plays at the 10th-place Wesleyan Cardinals on Saturday, Oct. 1. 

All Sports