Men’s Soccer undefeated heading into Fall Weekend

Update: The Camels tied Williams 1-1 on Saturday and remain undefeated. They will take on the Coast Guard Academy Tuesday at 4 p.m. on Conn’s Freeman Field.

 

Connecticut College’s Men’s Soccer team will be hitting Fall Weekend with much more to celebrate than just its 50th anniversary.

With a hard-fought win over NESCAC rival Amherst College Mammoths earlier this week, the Camels improved their conference record to 3-0-2 and their overall record to 7-0-2. A 3-2 nailbiter, Conn triumphed on the foot of Max Haberman ’27, who legged in the go-ahead goal at the 89-minute mark. It was the rookie’s first goal of the season.

The victory propelled the Camels into second place in the NESCAC standings, tied with the similarly undefeated Middlebury Panthers. Amherst continues to sit atop the league on points despite the loss with one more win in conference play.

Things are even sweeter on the national level. The most recent NCAA Division III poll, released Oct. 3, has previously unranked Conn leapfrogging Amherst to claim the 21st spot on the list. It’s an excellent showing for the team that won it all in 2021 but was unranked coming into this season.

Helping propel the team forward has been an aggressive offense that sees the Camels averaging almost 10 more shots on goal than their opponents. That’s given them a cumulative 24-7 edge in goals over the season’s first nine games. Leading the team in scoring are the pair of senior forwards, Jake Creus and Matt Scoffone. Together, they account for over half the Camels’ goals, with Creus notching two assists as well. Overall, 20 Camels have at least one goal or assist this season.

When opponents do manage to break through Conn’s strong defense, they find little purchase with goalkeeper Peter Silvester ’25 in the crease. Over the course of nearly 771 minutes, Silverster has posted an over 73% save rate. That’s given the team four shutouts through the season and no game where the opponent posted more than two goals. Rookie tender Casey Shea has provided similarly good hands off the bench, blanking opponents in about 39 minutes on the field.

Next up for the Camels are the 6-2-1 (2-2-1 in NESCAC) Williams Ephs. While behind Conn in NESCAC and unranked, the Purple Cows from Williamstown should not be underestimated. They’ve posted seven shutouts this year, including blanking the Keene State Owls 4-0 earlier this week.

The teams will face off at 2 p.m. this Saturday, Oct. 7, on Freeman Field, Tempel Green, in the midst of the College’s Fall Weekend celebration. The Camels will seek to extend their unbeaten streak in front of an enthusiastic hometown crowd made up of students, parents and alumni.