Parents Weekend was a massive one for Hamilton sports. Men’s varsity soccer beat Tufts, then the number 10 ranked team nationally, 1–0 on Saturday and followed that performance up with a 1–1 tie with the current number 10 team, Wesleyan, on Sunday. Those performances have men’s varsity soccer off to their best start since 2003, with a 6–0–1 record. Football also secured their first win of the year with a 24–10 victory over Amherst on Saturday, while women’s soccer tied Wesleyan 1–1. Field hockey also notched a win on Sunday, defeating Wesleyan 4–2, moving them to a 4–3 record while men’s golf captured a win at the Oswego State Fall Invitational. Out of all the action, though, one of the most exciting events of the weekend was overlooked. Men’s club soccer captured two huge wins on Saturday, against Clarkson and Lemoyne, moving them to first place in their division. The Clarkson game was intense, with Felix Halloran ’26 scoring a clutch goal for the Continentals 1–0 win. The Lemoyne game was an offensive clinic that saw Hamilton win in a 5–3 shootout.

Even though club soccer is a Hamilton affiliated team, they do not compete in the NESCAC division but rather with other schools in the upstate New York area. Teams in Hamilton’s division are RIT, Clarkson, Lemoyne, Syracuse, Colgate and Oswego. This means that the squad faces clubs from much larger schools that have a massive student body from which to select a team. Even against this tough competition, club soccer has had a stellar season and the boys have provided a multitude of highlight plays and exciting games to keep fans on the edge of their seats. The team is on a thrilling four-game winning streak including a win against the number one team in the division, RIT Black, that was characterized by a 40-yard free kick bomb by Will Rice ’24. Now, the team looks ahead to a daunting game against Syracuse this weekend. This game has been described as a “make or break game” for their season as Syracuse is consistently a great team as they pull from a student population of 22,000, over ten times the size of Hamilton’s student body. The fact that Hamilton has put together a team to compete for first place is a wildly impressive feat. If Hamilton is able to pull out a win or a tie, it puts them in great position to win the division and advance to regionals. Three years ago, when most of the team leaders were freshmen, the idea of going to regionals was laughable. Now, after a stellar turnaround, regionals is a real possibility for the club soccer squadron.

The impressive run by the Continentals has been led by their three senior captains Elliot Carlson ’23, Eric Jamous ’23 and Luke Devine ’23. Carlson was injured in his first ever practice his freshman year, tearing his mcl and mpfl. While his injury has made him less of a factor on the field, he has exceptional soccer IQ and utilized his expertise to make coaching decisions and run practices. Jamous has been a stalwart of the team since his freshman year and is a consistent presence in the other team’s box at both striker and wing. He is known as an offensive wizard, consistently making blazing by other team’s defenders. He is also ambidextrous and has phenomenal off ball movement and character. Devine is a consistent goal scorer and one of the team’s top offensive threats. Due to his skill and knack for finding the ball in key moments, Devine is primed to make Syracuse pay for any defensive mistakes and would be a key candidate to score a late winner if the situation presented itself. According to Carlson and Jamous the top scoring and assist leaders on the team are Devine, Jamous, David Sandoz ’23 and Quinn Brown ’24.

It is also important to note that this team, unlike many others they face, does not have an official coach and is completely organized and run by the senior captains as well as other team leaders. Lineups are decided before the game by the captains, who also run practices. Carlson has stepped into the lead role in handling the rotation and game-plan, making on the fly transitions with the help of other starters on the sideline. These adjustments have helped keep momentum in Hamilton’s favor and been important to the team’s success. Additional leadership has been provided from other seniors as well as junior and sophomore captains. Bryce Gell ’23 has given the team another good presence up top. He has a knack for getting in opponents heads and brings an extra intensity to the field. Junior captain Jesse Wexler ’24 is a unit at the back and seems to always find the ball. Sophomore captains Frank Jones ’25, Mariano Russo ’25 and Spencer Lee ’25 have also provided additional leadership and energy on the field.

The Spectator

talked with Carlson and Jamous about the season and what an appearance in regionals would mean to the team.

Any unsung heroes of the squad?

Carlson:

The unsung hero of the team has to be our defense. They are incredibly solid. Defense is about hard work, and it allows us to be competitive. Defense wins championships and in our case, defense will win us this division. Nothing gets past Frank Jones ’25 and if it happens then speedy freshman Felix Halloran ’26 will be there to clear it up. We would not be in the position we are in if it weren’t for our defense. Good stuff gentlemen.

Jamous:

Henry Kuck ’24 brings the energy and always has a positive attitude. Jones is a lockdown center back and rock of the backline. Halloran runs all game long and scored the game-winning goal against Clarkson.

What do you need to do to reach regionals?

Carlson:

We need to get a solid result against Syracuse this weekend. We cannot lose. There is a chance that we can tie and still win the division but we don’t want to rely on the results of others and would rather put matters in our own hands. With a win against Syracuse that would only leave a game against Oswego the following weekend. If we continue to play at the level we are capable of, I am sure we will come away with two stellar results.

Jamous

: To reach regionals we need to win the Upstate New York division. Other teams in the league are RIT, Clarkson, Lemoyne, Syracuse, Colgate, and Oswego. We are currently in first place in the division and will be playing Syracuse this weekend, which will probably be the division championship decider.

What would a regionals appearance mean to you and the rest of the team?

Carlson:

A regionals appearance would be absolutely incredible for this squad. No one works harder than these gentlemen right here. Not only are they there for each other on the pitch, they are also all friends. They eat meals together. They go to the gym together. They hang out together. This is so much more than a soccer team and they deserve to not only get to regionals but to win it. We are the underdogs but we have more heart than any other team and that will shine through this Saturday. At this point if we continue to play at the level I know we can, a regionals appearance isn’t a goal, it’s an expectation. We can do this.

Jamous:

A regionals appearance would be a big deal for the team. Personally, having been abroad all of my junior year, and COVID preventing us from having a team my sophomore year, I have been waiting to get back on the field with the team for a while now. We have already won more games this year than the last two seasons combined and are looking to keep it up. Having a successful season and winning more games than any recent men’s club soccer team in history shows the togetherness of the group, with input and performance from all class years. Being a competitive team pulling out positive results from tough games shows the resilience within the team and our ability to grind out results. Regionals would be the culmination of a fun and successful season where we surprised a lot of the other teams in the division. The team has grown a lot closer over the past month and we’re looking to finish the regular season strong that hopefully ends with a regionals appearance.

The captains seems to have high hopes for the team to finish out the season and after watching a couple of the team’s games, this writer does too. The team is explosive, dynamic and most importantly, has heart and chemistry. The result at Syracuse remains to be seen but the men’s club soccer team appears to be in prime position to have one of their best seasons in recent memory. Now the onus is on them to see how far they can go.