Men’s Soccer Team Battles Against St. Elizabeth In the First Game of the Season

| Photo courtesy of TKC SAAC

The King’s College Men’s Soccer team had their first game of the season on Saturday, Sept. 4. While they battled hard during the game, it was ultimately a 3-0 loss.

The game started off with a barrage of goals from St. Elizabeth, earning their first three and only goals of the game. The boys then continued to hold them off for the remainder of the game, with freshman Seth Atkinson heading the team as goalie with 8 saves despite sustaining a knee injury. Atkinson also made the Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (HVIAC) Rookie of the Week.

St. Elizabeth is a NCAA Division 3 school and the game did not count against The King’s College HVIAC record. With COVID-19 cancelling the 2020 season, this was the debut of many of the team’s players including freshman Reed Barett and sophomores Edwin Perez and Richie Cummings. 

Coach Carlos Figureoa commented that this season was going to be especially hard not just for the soccer team but any athletic program that had to cancel their 2020 season. “The boys are still getting to know each other in terms of the chemistry of the team, but they want to compete and they want to win. That’s how it is when you start something. It’s a hard process, but it doesn’t matter how you start, it’s how you finish.”

With only 14 boys, 11 of which are on the pitch at one time, the team is small compared to past seasons. With a roster made mostly of freshmen and sophomores, which is typical for the King’s athletic program, the success doesn’t fall only on upperclassmen, but on the team as a whole.

“Despite our small squad we played with much tenacity, and this game was a great preparation for the rest of the season,” says junior Max Pleban, who played a total of 45 minutes of the 90 minute game. 

Figueroa said that while they may have to take it game by game he’s confident the team can make it to the top. “I love this opportunity to become a head coach. That’s what I love about this school, because we’re so small you automatically get to become a family and I’m grateful that I have my chance to give back.”