By ANNA MARCUS
The Colorado College men’s soccer team came away from their final home games of the season with a tie and a win. In the first game, the CC Tigers faced off against their biggest rival, the Trinity Tigers. The game ended in a hard-fought 1-1 draw, a close result that represented each team’s strong season.
Colorado College’s Skyler Stark-Ragsdale ’22 started the Tigers off with an early lead, scoring their only goal of the game within the first 10 minutes. “Skyler’s goal was the best I’ve seen all season. It was incredible,” said midfielder John Schuler ’21.
Stark-Ragsdale scored this goal from an impressive distance of 28 yards away with no pressure from Trinity’s defense, capitalizing on the great setup from fellow midfielder Will Mallory ’21.
“It was a good goal because we took the lead with it and Trinity is normally a team that scores first,” Schuler said. As a result, the Trinity Tigers changed the way they played: instead of using the short-pass tactic, Trinity opted to attack through the air, taking shots from further out. CC’s suffocating defense was on full display, and it took until late in the second half for Trinity to strike.
The Trinity Tigers’ change in playing style ultimately led their defender Vetle Masvaer Halle ’20 to score a game-tying goal in the 71st minute of the game. Although the game ended in a tie, the CC team took lessons from the game that will prepare the Tigers for the SCAC Tournament: “We have to adjust our playing style in order to be prepared if teams mix up their strategies mid-game when they’re down a goal or if one of their players gets injured” Schuler said.
On Sunday, the CC men’s soccer team ended their final home game of the season in a 4-0 victory against Schreiner University’s talented team. Colorado College seniors contributed to all goals that were scored in the game, which created an exciting atmosphere for Senior Day.
For the Tigers’ Senior Day, members of the CC Community came out to support the team. During the celebration, each CC Senior walked onto the field with their families while CC Sports Announcer Dave Reed noted their season and career highlights on Stewart Field’s loudspeaker.
In all four of CC’s goals during this high-scoring game, seniors either assisted or scored, making Senior Day even more special. Defender Jackson Silverstein ’21 scored the first goal of the game and was assisted by defender Keenan Armer ’19. “Keenan played a great ball,” Silverstein siad. “He set up the goal really well; I was happy to help a senior get a goal on Senior Day.”
The second goal was scored by another senior — midfielder Robert Malone, which thrilled not only the CC fans but Malone’s fellow teammates. With this goal, Malone set a career high with seven goals in a season.
In the game’s final 15 minutes, forward Daniel Krueger ’19 scored CC’s final two goals. Although the team already had a two-goal lead, Krueger’s strikes sealed the victory. His first goal was shot off of a rebound, and his second goal was shot into the lower left corner of the goal off of a pass from midfielder Connor Copus ’22. Both of Krueger’s goals served as inspiration for his younger teammates. “Every team often looks to their senior leaders to step up in big moments,” goalie Keller Mochel ’20 said. “They’ve had the most experience and have stepped into roles of leadership. It is suiting then that it was our senior Dan Krueger that stepped up today, on Senior Day, to put away two goals to cap off our final home game.”
Next week, the Colorado College Tigers travel to Georgetown, Texas, to battle for the 2018 SCAC Men’s Soccer Championship. Colorado College gets a bye for the first round of the tournament, because of their 13-5-1 record for the season. Then, on Nov. 3, the Tigers face either Austin College or Southwestern University. If they win, the Tigers will battle either Trinity University or Centenary College of Louisiana for the SCAC title. Good luck, Tigers!
Guest Writer
Latest posts by Guest Writer (see all)
- Colorado College Men’s Soccer Finishes An Impressive Season – Nov 5, 2018
- Chapstick? More Like Crapstick – Nov 5, 2018
- Catalyzing Solutions: Fountain Valley Water Study (Part 1) – Nov 5, 2018