Men’s soccer concludes a winning fall season
3 min read
Jacob Kautzman after scoring a goal. | UMW Athletics
By: Hannah Buck
Staff Writer
Heading into the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference, the University of Mary Washington men’s soccer team ranked in the No. 2 seed facing University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (No. 3 seed) at home on Friday, Nov. 5 and Christopher Newport University (No. 1 seed) at home on Saturday, Nov. 6. The Eagles beat Wisconsin-Whitewater 2-1 in the semi-finals but lost against Christopher Newport 2-1 in the championships. Following this loss, the men’s varsity soccer team’s 2021 season came to a close with a 9-6-2 record.
“I thought we worked harder, I thought we played better, but that’s just how the game goes,” said freshman political science major and forward Carter Berg. “Looking forward, we have a young team. We have a huge freshman and sophomore class, so we look to keep going from there.”
The varsity men’s soccer team was down by one point throughout most of the first half of Game 4 against Winsconsin-Whitewater, but the UMW defense kept the score at 1-0. Just before halftime, freshman back Kevin Sprince assisted senior forward Jeremy Hokenson, who tied the score for the Eagles. The team held their efforts defensively, bringing the game into double overtime. After many chances during the second half and first overtime, the team finally pulled through with a goal in double overtime, winning 2-1.
The team’s 2-1 victory against Wisconsin-Whitewater on Friday propelled them to Saturday’s championship game against CNU.
When asked what the team lacked during these games, junior business administration major and forward Josh Kirkland said, “I think goal scoring was definitely a thing against Salisbury and UVA. It was definitely a little harder against UVA just because they’re a lot bigger than us. They have more money to put towards the soccer program, better recruiting.”
In reference to scoring goals against Salisbury, Kirkland said they dominated the game in terms of shooting, but fell short when it came to scoring.
“We dominated the whole game. I think we outshot them 12-3,” said Kirkland.
Saturday’s game against CNU was intense from the start, as each team scored within the first eight minutes of play. Kirkland opened the scoring for the Eagles with an unassisted goal at five minutes and 34 seconds, knocking the ball through traffic and inside the far right post, giving UMW the lead.
CNU answered less than two minutes after UMW’s opening goal. The game remained tied well into the second half.
With 14 minutes and 33 seconds left in regulation, CNU claimed the eventual game-winning goal. Senior marketing major and goalkeeper Ken Kurtz was unable to save the shot made by his CNU opponent.
The men’s varsity team fought hard during the last few minutes, but they were not able to get the shot they needed to tie up the score again.
Overall, the Eagles led in number of shots (15-8) and each team took four corner kicks. The team’s varsity goalkeeper, Kurtz, made three saves for the Eagles.
In reference to the team’s attempted goals against CNU, Berg said, “If there’s one funny bounce on the ball … we hit the post a couple of times. That’s just how the game goes.”
Previously, the Eagles had lost to the University of Virginia and Salisbury University 2-0 and 2-1 in overtime, respectively.
In the stands, Carroll Jordan, an Eagles supporter, shared her thoughts on the Eagles’ competition during halftime.
“Christopher Newport has won before, so it’s going to be a tough game,” said Jordan. “And you know both teams definitely want to win because it’s for the championship.”
Jordan’s grandson, Dmitri Jordan, is a sophomore and back for the team.
In 2019, the Eagles won the Capital Athletic Conference Championships on CNU’s home turf. This year, their season has come to a close as Coast-to-Coast finalists.
The Eagles did not receive an at-large bid on Monday, Nov. 8 for the NCAA Tournament games. The NCAA first round of games begin Friday, Nov. 12. at 2 p.m.
