Despite the rain and chill, Hamilton’s fans showed up last Tuesday to watch the Continentals face off against the SUNY Oswego Lakers in an intense season opener. As the ball flew up and down the field, Hamilton led 1–0 on a goal scored by Matt Ceverny ’18 with 27 minutes left in the first half. However, the Lakers were quick to recover, with two fast goals, making the score 2–1 Oswego. Hamilton rallied just before half time as Ceverny quickly scored his second goal to tie the game, the third goal of his Hamilton career. The second half was a standoff as neither team scored for over thirty minutes. Then, Oswego scored off of a pass inside the box to once again lead the game. With only 4 minutes left, Hamilton brought the ball up looking to score, and Quinn O’Malley ’18 sent a high pass to Captain Eli Lichtman ’18 who headed the ball into the net, keeping the Continentals in the game. The game proceeded into a double overtime, with Oswego battling hard against the strong defense bolstered by Luke Eckles ’20. Neither team scored, leaving the opener in a tie for Hamilton Men’s Soccer.

With one game under their belts, the Continentals had three days to rest and prepare for the first NESCAC Conference game of the season on Saturday against Bates. When asked the difference in mindset going into a NESCAC game versus a non-conference game, Eckles had this to say: “There is a clear difference in pace of play and intensity. Almost all of our in-league games are won or lost by one goal and it is a super competitive battle as we are fighting for limited playoff berths. Preparation for all games is essentially the same, but you have to be more mentally ready to play a NESCAC game and be ready for the tough physicalness that comes with the competition.”

Saturday proved to be one of those physical games as the Continentals faced the Bates Bobcats. Just 14 minutes in, the Bobcats led 1–0, but Hamilton was not far behind with Jefri Schmidt ’20 scoring his sixth career goal with a pass from Lichtman. Yet, the half ended 2–1 with the Bobcats’ second goal going in just minutes before the horn. Hamilton fought hard the second half, taking 16 shots. The Bobcats goalie had an exceptional game, making 14 saves. Despite a hard attack against Bates’ defense, the Continental lost 2–1.

When reflecting on the game, Eckles commented, “The most important thing that we can take away from the loss to Bates is that we have to keep our heads up and keep battling; that was just the first game of the NESCAC season and yes, it was a bad loss, but we have plenty of time to get some quality wins.” Lichtman strongly agrees and added that, in coming out of the loss, “we definitely want to focus on getting to every second ball and locking down defensively in our box. It’s great that we’re scoring a lot of goals, and once we start playing our all-around game, we’ll be very dangerous to face.” This optimistic outlook held truth as the team faced SUNY Polytechnic the following day in Mercy, New York at the home of the Wildcats.

Goalkeepers Linds Cadwell ’20 and Pete Calleri ’18 produced a 4–0 shutout as the Continentals took the win on Sunday. Closing the first half 2–0, Hamilton was already in a strong position to win, but that did not stop them from keeping up the intensity. Within the first minute of the second half, Jeffery Plump ’20 took a center shot, hitting the goal post, which Matt Casidei ’19 immediately rebounded in. Riding off that momentum, Schmidt came back to score the fourth and final goal of the game, leaving Hamilton’s men’s soccer victorious over SUNY Poly 4–0.

This season marks the most ambitious one for the team as they hope to reach the Division III National Championship after missing the cut last year by one seat. This week’s successes and learning experiences show a lot about the team and their potential to go all the way this year. When asked what the biggest difference between this season and last season, Lichtman said, “This year, we expect ourselves to be great and that’s both positive and negative. We know what we’re capable of and the great work ethic we expect of ourselves, so it’s making sure we can reach that level as often as possible. When we do encounter adversity, it requires coming together and focusing on the things that are our strengths every year, the brotherhood and awesome team chemistry we bring on and off the field.”