Alex Hall
Journal Staff
From 2010 into the middle of this year’s season for the Suffolk men’s soccer team, not much has changed. Last year, the Rams posted a 5-3 record against other Great Northeast Athletic Conference teams and this year they find themselves 3-2 heading into the last month of the season.
As respectable as their in-conference record may be, their overall record is not, as they currently stand at 4-7 overall this year. That being said, while the out of conference troubles may not be good for team morale, at the end of the season what matters the most is the GNAC standings and who is crowned the conference tournament champion.
Suffolk finished 2010 fourth in the overall standings, but rallied through the conference tournament, taking down the likes of Emerson, top ranked Lasell and Albertus Magnus to win the conference title. While the Rams were impressive running the table when it most mattered, every team is hoping to find themselves with the highest finish possible to ensure an easier route to the championship, and this team is no different.
After making the last year’s all GNAC tournament team, senior Danny Lloyd has posted another stellar season with nine goals scored on the year. Scoring certainly isn’t on Suffolk’s list of improvements to make, with an average of nearly three scored per game.
Lloyd leads the team in goals scored, with six goals in the past five contests. The Honduras native will need to continue to find the back of the net during his last month donning the blue and gold if Suffolk wants to find themselves in prime position come tournament time.
October will certainly be a “make or break” situation for this team full of veterans, with five of their seven remaining games being against GNAC opponents. The late season rally will have to begin tonight on the road against Emmanuel in a battle for the fifth place spot in the conference standings.
The Saints are just below Suffolk in the standings, and the Rams will look to keep them there tonight in an early must-win game if they wish to make any noise this month.
After Wednesday’s game against Emmanuel, the Rams will face second place Lasell, Emerson, Norwich (on Suffolk Spirit Night) and Johnson and Wales University to finish their GNAC schedule. They will also take on Endicott and Tufts in two out of conference bouts.
