The 2013 season for the Suffolk men’s soccer team has not been what they had hoped for. The team has dropped the first five games of the season, being outscored 13-0. A rough start to a season might put most teams down in the mud, but this soccer team hopes to come together and show progress as the season continues.
Last year Suffolk finished seventh in the GNAC conference and lost in the first round of the playoffs to eventual conference winner St. Joe’s of Maine. Although it was an early exit, the Rams had to play a tough team and will look to switch places with the Monks this year.
Of the first five games of the year, only one of them has been a conference game, which was against St. Joe’s. The team opened up on Aug. 30 against Lesley College, losing by a tough margin of 1-0. The next game to UMass Boston was another hard-fought game for the Rams, but again they came up short 1-0.
The September seventh tilt against cross-common college Emerson was the third time in three games being shut out. Emerson tallied one goal in each half to take the game 2-0.
The most crushing defeat of the season came on Sept. 11 when Suffolk traveled to Tufts for a 4:30 p.m. match in Somerville. Tufts scored four goals in the first half, then tacked on another three in the second to blow out the Rams 7-0. It was a game they had to move on from quickly with St. Joseph’s of Maine on the horizon.
The rematch of the game that ended their season last year left a bitter taste in the mouth of Rams players. After a scoreless first half of soccer, St. Joe’s Ralph Houanche put the Monks on the scoreboard 67 minutes into the game. Another goal was added for St. Joe’s in the 77th minute that led to the final score of 2-0.
Although the taste may be bitter, the unlikely start is pushing the team to improve every practice and to show that they are a team to be watching as the season progresses. Senior midfielder Jeff Williams is not getting down on his team and knows that their record isn’t an indication of their true colors.
“It has been a rough start. We have lost a couple of games by only one or two goals and that makes it even harder. In our last game against St. Joe’s, we conceded the first goal with about 20 minutes left to play. Up to that point, we had a couple of good chances offensively and had shut them down defensively. We have a number of injured players and minimal substitutes, so it’s making it tough to close out games against such tough opponents.”
The team is also working on their conditioning at practices to ensure that they are up to tempo with their opponents.
“Our coaches have run us through a number of offensive drills such as finishing shots on goal and finding space to make shots. We also have run quite a bit to ensure our fitness level is where it needs to be to compete late in games. The offensive chances will come in time, right now we need to continue to focus on playing together and possessing the ball.” says Williams.
The Chicago native is optimistic about the season and knows that the players on his team have the potential to make some noise this year in the conference.
“Defensively, we have a solid group of four players led by our captain James Harvey, that are playing extremely well. On offense we have struggled, but Djibril Niang and Tyler Parmelee are two players that really help us get things going on the offensive side of the ball,” said Willaims.
“Even though our record doesn’t show it, we have a solid squad. Our defense is solid and our offense will come. For whatever reason, we haven’t had the better fortune at the end of games and have lost a couple of close ones. I have faith that with a couple of tweaks to our starting lineup and more training together as a unit, we can turn this season around and make a run in the playoffs.”
