The Tripod

[Click to enlarge]

[Click to enlarge]

Led by senior tri-captains Michael van Beuren, Phillip Yeager, and Daniel Kupper, the Bantams finished 11-5. [Click to enlarge]

In a clash of the NESCAC titans, the number three seed Trinity College men's soccer team lost a nail biter on Saturday, Nov. 8, to the number two seed Amherst College Lord Jeffs. Playing in the semi-finals of the NESCAC championships, it was a rematch of the game played on Trinity's Homecoming weekend. The Bantams, looking for some payback after a come-from-behind overtime loss, came up just short of avenging itself. With the loss, the Bantams will pack up their cleats, finishing their 2008 campaign with an 11-5 record (5-4 in the NESCAC). This year was a steady improvement from last year's 8-7 record (4-5 in the NESCAC), in which they finished 6th in conference.

In what was set up to be a hard-fought, evenly-matched game, Trinity and Amherst did not disappoint. For the majority of the game, neither team could score, with each just missing on several scoring chances. The game came down to the final 5 minutes when Amherst freshman mid-fielder James Mooney was able to squeak a goal past Trinity keeper Zac Trudeau '09 with just 4:37 left in the game. The lead held, as Trinity did not have enough time to even the score. Amherst went on to win the NESCAC finals with an impressive 2-0 victory over the top-seeded Panthers from Middlebury College and earned an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

This year saw the team greatly improve their offense, from 21 total goals scored last season to 35 goals, no doubt a result of some outstanding play by Sam Wisner '10 with 24 points (8 goals and 8 assists), Nick Cantone '09 with 23 points (8 goals and 7 assists), Dan Mayernick '12 with 16 points (7 goals and 2 assists), and Peter Marlette '11 with 13 points (3 goals and 7 assists), just to name a few.

The defense also vastly improved this year. After giving up 24 goals last year, the Bantams only gave up 15 goals in 2008 for the third best record in the NESCAC. Trudeau had an excellent year, giving up only 13 goals, posting a nifty .86 goals a game average and an impressive seven shutouts on the season.

Next year, the Bantams will certainly miss their senior leadership and the competitive contributions that they provided, but have a deep lineup and a rich incoming class that should be able to fill in the big shoes that the nine departing seniors are leaving.

This year's Bantams leave little room for improvement, but players like Ethan Kuhnhenn '11 are confident they are going to be even better next year. "We all felt like we should have won the whole thing. We were certainly capable of doing that this year," claimed Kuhnhenn, adding, "We know where we have to improve and where we want to be next season, so we are definitely going to put the work in this offseason."

With an inspired attitude, look for another successful season for the Bantams next year. After reaching the NESCAC semifinals for the first time ever this year, the Bantams are proving they are going to be a perennial power to be reckoned with in the future and a serious threat to take the championship next season. For now, though, they will have to be content with their successful, history-making season.

Article Tools