Dan McCarthy
Journal Staff

The Suffolk University men’s soccer team has put together one of the best seasons in the school’s history—and they’re not finished yet.

With upset victories over higher seeds in Lasell College and Albertus Magnus College in the final, the Rams won the GNAC Championship and earned a trip to the NCAA Division III Men’s Soccer Tournament.  They finished with an 11-7-1 record for the season, and a 5-3-1 record in conference play.  Sophomore Ben Rollins was named the GNAC Tournament MVP with 2 goals and an assist in the three-game playoff.

Following a quarterfinal victory over rival Emerson College, Coach Andrius Zeikus and company knew they were going to have to bring down the top two seeds in the tournament for their first-ever GNAC Championship.  But just as they have all season long, they refused to back down from the challenges that faced them, regardless of the odds.

“Guys wanted to prove that they have what it takes to win it all and has helped us to be more focused against both Lasell and Albertus,” said Zeikus.  “We knew that we had a championship team from the very beginning; it was just a matter of time for us to put it together towards the end of the season.”

And that’s exactly what they did.  Following a turbulent second half of the year that featured a three-game losing streak and the loss of senior goalkeeper Jack DeJesus, the Rams churned out a 6-1 record in their last seven games and received spectacular play from replacement goalie, Matt Esposito.  The freshman from Wallingford, CT, was named GNAC Rookie of the Week after allowing merely two goals in the tournament with 18 saves.

“Teamwork, discipline, leadership, and hard work have been essential parts of our coaching philosophy that led us to success,” said Zeikus.  “Returning players and coaches have worked very hard to make our core coaching philosophy a reality.”

The Rams will begin their first ever NCAA Tournament trip with a matchup against Williams College in Williamstown, MA.  The 60-team field will be unlike anything the Rams have faced before, but Coach Zeikus is confident that the team will give its all no matter how treacherous the foe.

“Our expectations remain very high and we need to keep doing everything that worked for us this season,” said Zeikus.  “We need to step on the field with maximum focus, since mistakes are very costly at the national level, and we will see what happens.”