September 19, 2013
Twenty-four shots were not enough on Saturday as the men’s soccer team played to a scoreless tie against Bates. Despite controlling the ball for the majority of the game, they were unable to put it in the back of the net.
Hamilton started off the game with solid attacking pressure, possessing the ball in Bates’ half of the field. They continued to move the ball solidly down the left side, but had trouble moving it into the middle to set up shots for their strikers over the first ten minutes of the game.
This changed when things started clicking for the Continentals midway through the first half. Starting from the back, Hamilton’s defense moved the ball out of their third and up the field. The midfield possessed the ball well but the Continentals were unable to score goals despite twelve first-half shots. As Griffin Abbot ’15 noted, “Our defense is the most solid I’ve seen since I’ve been here. The shutout was great, but we really need to get the goals.”
After a very similar second half in which the Continentals shot seven more times, they started to pick up the intensity. They moved the ball quickly down the field, shooting five times in the last ten minutes of regulation. This continued in overtime, as Hamilton outshot Bates 5-0 in the extra periods. Unfortunately they had nothing to show for this change in urgency, as the game ended in without a goal. “Our fitness was great. We picked up the intensity in the second half. We were just missing composure. Every shot it seemed like, you know, one step to the right to get the goal. The execution was the problem,” Abbot said.
It really was a game of inches for Hamilton, as they set up a number of great shots that went wide, over the net, or into the hands of the keeper. The task of shot selection and shot placement will definitely be a talking point for the Continentals this week as almost every player had a few solid looks on goal.
Despite the tie, the Continentals were very pleased with their defensive play. “Our defense starts with the formation. We play a 4-5-1 so it starts with our four back and then up to [Jacob Frost ‘15] and [Leo Nizzi ‘14]. We have a fundamental rhythm and it definitely starts with our defense,” John McGuinnis ’14 explained. “There’s a lot of seniority on the defense. Zack Becker played a lot last year, he’s doing great this season. Buck Reynolds is doing incredible in the center. It just seems like they’re the most intense part of our team, they’re the loudest part of our team. They’re the heart of our team right now,” Abbot added.
With the tie, Hamilton moves to 1-1-1 (0-1-1 NESCAC) on the season. They face Connecticut College on the road this Saturday. McGuinnis and Abbot stressed the urgency of getting wins now to set themselves up for a playoff push late in the season.
“From the teams we’ve played, and what’s been going on the NESCAC seems a lot more even this year. It’s usually a little skewed towards Williams and Amherst, but this year Trinity beat Williams and we tied Bates. Expectations are different. We really need to beat Conn College on Saturday.”McGuinness said. “We just need to get the points. The positivity is there, we all feel good about how we’re playing, we’re all confident. Our defense is there...as long as we just stay composed when we get in the final third we’re going to get one in,” Abbot added. With a strong defense and a newly inspired offense, men’s soccer looks to take off in this fall’s upcoming challenging NESCAC schedule.
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