BY LAURA MCCANDLESS – STAFF WRITER
Men’s Soccer at Centre College has always had a strong team dynamic. The players all get along with each other on and off the field and have good time whether in or out of season.
“Our team plays to the best of our ability when we’re just having fun,”senior and team captain Jacob Trumbull said.
This year, there are seven new first-years that already fit well into the team’s dynamic. These new Colonels include Bailey Spade, Jacob Haddad, Xavier Tomlin, Alexander Garuba, Ben Stinebruner, Logan Dehner, and Derek Nafziger, and they’re joined by sophomore transfer, Connor Shea.
The first three games the team were away, against Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Maryville College, and Covenant College. The first two games were losses, though the second game against Marvyille was a close 2-1with one of Maryville’s players scoring within the last five minutes.
They won their third game against Covenant 3-0 with first-year Alexander Garuba scoring 2 out of the 3 goals.
“We saw lots of improvement, even within the first three games,” Trumbull said. “We started out a little slow, but in that third game after changing up formations we finally got that flow back.”
Great teamwork was on display in the game against Covenant, leading to impressive plays by the Colonels.
“The first goal in the third game there was a great build-up play from our defensive center mids and we just built the ball up through the midfield to the forwards,” Trumbull said. “We attacked the play as a unit and pretty much all of our attacking players touched the ball.”
Looking forward, the team is optimistic about the rest of the season, with Trumbull hoping that they’ll be conference champions.
Fellow captains Henry Lynch and Christian Gateskill agree that the championship is their goal.
“Hopefully we can host the conference championship if we get the top seed,” junior Eric Muth said, a sentiment avid Colonels fans no doubt share.
Men’s Soccer has had an enthusiastic fan base for longer than the freshman have been alive, and this year’s team has sparked the same level of enthusiasm. Fans gathered at a cookout in Brockman Commons just before the 26th Annual Bob Allen Nissan Classic, or better known as the “Bob Allen Mega Bowl” men’s soccer game.
The Colonels ended up claiming the Annual Bob Allen Nissan Classic title, playing two highly challenging and nationally ranked teams. They won against Emory University 1-0 with a beautifully timed goal by Gateskill in the second overtime, and they came out with a 1-1 tie against Ohio Wesleyan University with Garuba scoring off an assist from Gateskill.
After this past weekend, the Colonels have had a promising start to the season.
“It took us a little while to get our rhythm,” Trumbull said, “but we’re looking really good now.”