Conn College ready for challenge
Two wins away from Final Four in NCAA Division III men’s soccer
New London — They've already accomplished more than any other team in Connecticut College men's soccer program history. But the Camels are far from satisfied. If anything, winning two NCAA Division III tournament games for the first time and accomplishing that feat against two ranked teams made them even more determined to extend their postseason run.
"If you look at quality of the opponents, we definitely had one of the tougher pods," junior Liam Donelan said. "Going against two nationally-ranked opponents in the first two rounds, normally you don't see that. So to come out of that weekend, we're definitely excited about it and it gives us a little pat on the back and reassures us we're doing something right and that we have a real chance in this."
They'll travel to Pennsylvania to challenge Swarthmore College (11-3-5) at 1 p.m. Saturday in the third round. No. 5 Tufts (16-2-2) and No. 11 Washington & Lee (17-2-2) meet in the second game. Winners will play at 3 p.m. Sunday in the sectional final for a spot in the Final Four.
The 18th-ranked Camels (12-3-3) are right where they knew they could be.
"It was always the goal to still be playing this time of year," coach Reuben Burk said. "It's definitely a rewarding feeling. But, at the same time, we want to keep winning and try to keep going as far as we can."
Their performance in their first two NCAA wins last weekend in Washington revealed a lot about their character, skill and mental toughness.
First, they rallied to beat host Catholic University 2-1 on Saturday. They never flinched after giving up an early goal to the 21st-ranked opponent. It was the program's first come-from-behind win in the NCAA tournament.
"We're going to be faced with a lot of different challenges going forward that we haven't seen before just given that we're at a point we've never been before so I think that fact we were able to adapt to that is a good sign going forward," senior Freddy Stokes said of the comeback.
Then, on Sunday, they won a defensive battle, getting a goal from sophomore Augie Djerdjaj with two minutes, 12 seconds left, to eliminate No. 3 Johns Hopkins.
Burk believes the Camels can play even better and will need to continue to advance.
"We played pretty close to our potential but still we know we have to get better to beat the likes of Tufts and Washington & Lee will be another step up," Burk said.
That's not to say Conn is looking past Swarthmore, which belongs in the same conference, the Centennial, as Johns Hopkins, which the Garnet tied 2-2 in October.
Coach is a Conn grad
Swarthmore has found some postseason magic. After not qualifying for its own conference tournament, it earned an at-large bid and upset No. 17 Roanoke and No. 23 Christopher Newport, both on penalty kicks. Coach Eric Wagner is a 1988 Conn College graduate and former men's soccer player.
"They have good mojo," Stokes said. "They're at home, which is going to be a big advantage for them. I'm sure they're going to have a loud crowd just like Catholic did . ... I don't think it's a challenge that we haven't faced before. We played them two years ago and we got a result then."
In 2017, Conn won the only other meeting between the two teams, 4-0, in New London.
The Camels will go into the game with an extra chip on their shoulder having to play on the road for the second straight weekend.
"I think the NCAA gets a lot of things backwards because, how am I supposed to believe that a team
“I think the NCAA gets a lot of things backwards because, how am I supposed to believe that a team that couldn’t make their conference tournament is hosting the Sweet Sixteen. It seems a little bit unfair to us. I think these guys embrace the underdog mentality. But I feel that we shouldn’t continually have to be the underdog.” REUBEN BURK, CONN COLLEGE COACH
that couldn't make their conference tournament is hosting the Sweet Sixteen," Burk said.
"It seems a little bit unfair to us. I think these guys embrace the underdog mentality. But I feel that we shouldn't continually have to be the underdog."
The Camels are confident about their chances this weekend. They're one of three New England Small College Athletic Conference teams still left in the field, joining Tufts and Amherst.
They tied Amherst and lost a tough battle with Tufts during the regular season.
So they won't be intimidated by any opponent or the big stage.
"We know if we play well on the day we can beat anyone," Donelan said. "Our mix of skill and a little bit of attitude and a little bit of brawn here and there gets us through. We're going to be a tough matchup for anyone." g.keefe@theday.com