The King’s College men’s soccer team ended their season with a third loss against SUNY ESF’s Mighty Oaks with the same score as their previous game against Johnson and Wales University Charlotte, 5-0.

In the first minute, SUNY’s Luke Day took a shot at the goal when goalie Craig Wishart saved it. That was one of nine shots during the first half of the game. Three shots made it in, with the first one shot by George Beinetti in the 12th minute.

In the second half, SUNY took 19 shots and scored two.

SUNY ESF The Mighty Oaks score against The King’s College Lions. || Photo credit to Bernadette Berdychowski.

The season closed and the contrasting scores were not a “true reflection” of how the team performed, Coach Tom Harman said.

He added that, “once we went behind we had to take gambles and risks that you don't usually do in season as you need to win both games to progress.”

The team changed its tactics and its shape. They focused on offensive playing. The opposing teams were then able to pick the Lions apart from the defensive end and continue tacking shots, one after the other.

“I am happy with a lot of the things we did and we played the style and philosophy we believe in, next year we just need to take some lessons from this season and keep pushing forward,” Harman said.

The top scorer of the season was freshman Spencer Smith with 17 goals and seven assists, followed by sophomore Edvin Loefgren with 13 goals and junior Josiah Simons with 11.

Edvin Loefgren started the game against SUNY ESF. || Photo credit to Bernadette Berdychowski.

Next season, fans will see a new batch of recruits coming in.

The team will continue to evolve how they play and are looking for players who will take this season and push themselves to the next level and the same for the coaches, according to Harman.

“I'm excited for the new recruits that will come next season that will make our practice and team even more competitive,” junior Michel Wenzel said.

Freshmen Isaiah Williams and Diego Herrera go after the ball at the SUNY ESF game. || Photo credit to Bernadette Berdychowski.

The season ended with 10 wins and five losses. The first game against Webb Institute, on Sept. 1, ended with a score of 15-1. The last game they won was against Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences with a score of 3-0. The last three games ended in losses.

“I was reminded that even if you have more talent than the other team, you also need the mentality to absolutely wanting to win that game. I felt like that was sometimes missing, especially in the last games and is something that I will take away from this season,” Wenzel said. “Having the right mentality is the key to success in most things in life.”

After a season that made history at The King’s College, rest assured, next year’s team will be something to watch out for.

Men’s Soccer Close Season Looking Forward to Next Year