By Thomas Martin Jr., Staff Writer
The Western New England University Men’s Soccer Team is more than halfway done with their season and looking good as we go deeper into October. Currently having a record of 7 wins, 3 losses, and 3 ties (7-3-3), the Men’s Soccer Team is looking for a strong performance in their last few games of the season in October. They will look to play their next game on October 20th at 7:00 p.m. against Salve Regina University.
For the 2021 season, The Men’s Soccer Team is coached by Devin O’Neill. This will be O’Neill’s fifth year coaching the Men’s Soccer Team; so far, he has a career record of 52 wins, 36 losses, and 7 ties (52-36-7). His career winning percentage is 54.74% over the five years he has been coaching so far.
When talking about the team’s mindset, O’Neill said, “We try to be difficult to play against. To achieve this we work hard, compete physically and defend tenaciously. We also want to pressure the opponent by being great on re-starts and be willing to pass vertically when appropriate.”
As of October 8, in the 11 total games played this season for the Men’s Soccer Team, they have scored a combined 20 goals on 166 Shots (.120 shot percentage), 14 assists, and 1 made penalty kick. For the three conference games played, the team has taken 55 shots and scored on 8 of them (.145 shot percentage), 26 shots on goal, and 8 assists.
Besides their game against Curry College, when playing the three games against conference opponents, they have scored 8 goals while allowing only 1 goal by Suffolk. O’Neill said, “I am grateful for what our record is to date, but the margin between winning and losing is really close. I want us to be invested in trying our best each day, and playing with passion and energy every game. If we do, I think we are a tough match for any team.” They fell to Curry College, a conference match-up on October 9, 2-1.
The roster for the Men’s Soccer Team is filled with talent and potential at all positions. Brady Allen is the starting Goalkeeper along with Colin Waltsak for backup with Ryan Suprin, Randy Elfman, and Jacob Wadas on the bench.
Sean O’Neill, Andrew Crean, Chris Allen, and Matt Remillard have started and played in the most games of any seniors, with Zach Allard, Ben Ranicar, Connor Mullins, and Jermey Obrecht providing good contributions.
Juniors include Sean Lanzillo, Ian Alves, and Brian LeClair along with Anthony Russo and Cole Randt. Sophomores feature Jonny Clough, Roger Leland, and Malik Serriser with support from Aiden Rego, Mike Riley, and Tyler Roya. Freshmen feature Connor Knowlton and Mike Milazzo with Kyle Charria, Stephen Gallagher, Cole Lippert, and Brandon Lewis.
When talking about the players, O’Neill said, “I think the players are very close. They enjoy each other’s company and support each team member. The laughter on the bus is great to hear.”
With few games left in the season, the Men’s Soccer Team is hoping to make a deep tournament run. When talking about hopes and expectations, O’Neill said that “we can maintain a daily focus in practice and games, respect every opponent and bring emotion and intensity to each game.” With the season coming to an end, we know that the Men’s Soccer Team will be heavily cheered upon by everyone at Western New England University.
