On Saturday, Oct. 5, the Hamilton men’s soccer team rout Colby, winning 2–1. This brought their record to 4–4–2 to extend their unbeaten streak to four games. After beating Ithaca earlier in the week, the Continentals were looking to continue their success going into a crucial NESCAC league match up with the Mules, who had a rough first half of the season.
Hamilton started the game strong, dominating possession and effectively controlling the match’s tempo. In the first period, the Continentals outshot the Mules with three shots on goal, but all were saved by Colby’s goalie. The game remained scoreless going into halftime.
Coming out of the half, Hamilton looked to break the tie. In the 46th minute, Luke Peplowski ’25 dribbled by and beat two defenders on the outside of the box, eventually finding Jude Rouhana ’25 on the other side of the goal, where he netted the ball into the center of the goal, giving the Continentals a 1–0 lead.
However, Colby was relentless. Nine minutes later, the Mules executed a counterattack that led to a breakaway, creating a 1-on-1 opportunity with Hamilton’s goalkeeper, Finn Wheeler ’27. Colby’s attacker struck the ball, hitting the crossbar.
Subsequently, another Mule attempted to regather the ball and head it into the goal but was fouled inside the box by a colliding Continental defender challenging for the ball. Colby’s Mario Simoes ’25 elected to take the penalty kick and buried it into the top right corner of the net for a goal, tying the game 1–1.
Despite this setback, the Continentals remained undeterred. Hamilton responded minutes later. In the 59th minute, Hamilton’s Luke Ehrenfreund ’25 threw the ball into the left side of the box, where it took a favorable Continentals bounce. Pandelis Margaronis ’25 was able to poke the ball past a Colby defender to give Hamilton a 2–1 lead.
For the remaining 30 minutes of play, Colby looked to re-tie the game with multiple series of possessions at Hamilton’s end of the pitch. However, Hamilton’s defense stayed strong. The Continentals, looking to see the game out, effectively cleared and disrupted Colby’s penetration toward the goal, having some strong tackles.
Ultimately, Hamilton was able to hold onto a fragile lead and secure their second win of the week.
The stat line reflects the razor-thin margins of the match. The Continentals outshot the Mules 15–9, with six shots on goal to Colby’s two. The Mules’ Oliver Daboo ’27 was their primary offensive production, with four shots, one on goal. For the Continentals, Rouhana and Margaronis were the offensive stars, each having two shots and a goal.
The match’s result tallies another loss for a struggling Colby, who remains winless in the NESCAC league. For the Continentals, having also beaten Bates on Sunday, they improved to 5–4–2. After a slow start to the season, Hamilton is hitting their stride, having not lost in almost three weeks.
Sunday, the Continentals would once again find victory against a NESCAC opponent with a 1–0 win against Bates. This was their third win in six days and extended their unbeaten streak to five.
A critical own goal by a Bates defender and a standout performance for Hamilton’s defense who allowed zero shots on net were the difference. This was goalie Wheeler’s third clean sheet of the season. George Nassar ’28 would stop all four Hamilton shots on goal.
The Bates own goal was a misplayed header that rolled into back of the net, missing the keeper. This occurred only two minutes into the second half and set the tone for the rest of the defensive minded match.
Hamilton continued to control the action and therefore the tempo of the match, holding a 17–0 shot advantage and tallying six corner kicks to Bates’ one. Peplowski led Hamilton in shots with five, including two on goal. This was highlighted by a near miss in the 66th minute.
This is the second time in a row Hamilton has shutout Bates. Hamilton led in every meaningful offensive category.
On Saturday, Oct. 12, at 2 p.m., the Continentals travel to Connecticut College, where they look to continue their unbeaten streak against the Camels, who have only lost once so far all season.
