Sample leads TCNJ to hot start
Nick Sample knows that the time is now.
The College of New Jersey senior midfielder is happy that the Lions men’s soccer team is 6-0, has outscored opponents 21-3 and is receiving votes in the NCAA Division III rankings. They have already matched last year’s win total (6-9-3) and have scored 11 more goals than after six games last season.
He also knows that the contests that really matter start Saturday with a 1 p.m. home game against New Jersey Athletic Conference rival Rutgers-Newark (3-2-1), which was ranked No. 19 in Division III earlier this year. TCNJ carried a 4-2 mark into last year’s conference season but went 1-5-3 in the NJAC.
“Conference games are where we need to make a huge difference compared to last year,” Sample said. “Our goal output in conference games (1.3 per game) was not up to standard. Once we get into the conference games, I want us to really take it to them, keep it up with how our goal scoring has been. We’re averaging (slightly over) three a game, much more than last year.”
The New Egypt High School grad is doing his part. Sample is second on the Lions in scoring with four goals and four assists, already equaling his collegiate high of 12 points that he recorded as a freshman. He recently moved into TCNJ’s alltime top 10 in assists with 17. Sample trails just Ryan Vazquez (7 goals, one assist) for the team scoring lead, while Abdullah Afridi and Ryan Santos have three goals each.
“Ryan and Abdullah have already matched their goal tallies from last season, I think that’s a huge factor for us,” Sample said. “But we’ve had strong starts before, so it’s a big deal for us to not get too carried away. We’ve taken care of these games, but a lot of the teams we played don’t necessarily reflect what we should expect from conference play.”
He added, however, that wins over Elizabethtown and Gettysburg were encouraging since TCNJ has struggled against them in the past.
“I think that says a lot about where we’re headed,” Sample said. “We’re hoping obviously for big improvements. I think with the group of guys we have, we should do be able to much better this season and we can do some damage in the NJAC.”
The Lions’ start is impressive considering their health issues and inexperience. TCNJ has just three seniors and three juniors on the roster. Part of that is due to injuries, as seniors Nick Provenzano, a former captain, and Matt Skinner will both miss the season with concussions along with former All-Conference goalie Dan Walsh, who will miss his second straight season with the same issue.
That leaves Sample, Joerg Jauk and Nick Zolofra as the lone seniors on coach George Nazario’s active roster, with juniors Michael Maltese, Sam Monaco and Matt Decker, the team’s top defender, the only other veterans.
“I think our resiliency is showing that doesn’t affect us,” Sample said. “We have freshmen starting games, and the freshmen and sophomores are making impacts. Ryan Vasquez has a bunch of goals, but you see goals and assists coming from a lot of different areas. We’re not one-dimensional.
“Obviously we were wondering how everything was gonna be. For the most part we’ve been working really hard and the results so far have shown we’ve really come together as a group. We have a good mix of youth and older guys; and sophomores and juniors who have taken more leadership on the field. They have one or two more years under their belt, they have an idea of what’s expected of them and what’s expected of our team.”
Sample just hopes those expectations are met in NJAC play.
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