Senior John Hengel heads the ball in the season finale against the University of Chicago on Nov. 7. (Matt Mitgang | Student Life)

The Washington University men’s soccer team ended its 2009 season on Nov. 7 at the University of Chicago. After finishing fourth in the University Athletic Association and not receiving an at-large NCAA tournament bid, games ended sooner than the close-knit group of players had anticipated.

“I think in terms of our win-loss record, [the season] was not very successful and not as successful as we hoped,” senior co-captain Nat Zenner said. “[But] we really became a family over the course of the year, and that’s something that I’m really proud of and something that in the long run is probably more important than the wins and losses.”

The Bears began the season with several ties, went undefeated for their first seven games, and received votes in the national coaches’ poll. For many senior players, an Oct. 4 matchup with Emory was one of the season’s highlights. The game was the first time in six years that Wash. U. defeated the Eagles.

“It was nice to do something the past six teams couldn’t quite get accomplished, and it was nice to talk to the alumni after and say, ‘We were finally able to do it, this is for you guys,’ because Emory is not the nicest or classiest team—at least in the past, they haven’t been,” Zenner said.

Later in the season, Wash. U. could not sustain its winning ways. After an Oct. 11 loss to Carnegie Mellon University, then ranked No. 3 in the nation, the Bears went on to lose seven of their last 10 games.

“We struggled with beating the teams that we should have beaten. We usually did well against the teams we were not favored against,” senior Ryan Grandin said. “We pretty much played to the level of the teams we played against.”

In addition to Zenner, a UAA honorable mention honoree, and Grandin, the Bears lose co-captain John Hengel and goalie John Smelcer. Hengel was the team’s leading scorer with seven goals. Players noted that on a team that struggled with scoring, Hengel’s offensive abilities will be missed.

“New goalie next year, new leading scorer next year, new captain center back, next year. Those are big holes, those are big go-to players,” junior David Klein said. “Give the ball to Johnny up top, and he could hold the ball and create offense.”

Smelcer ended his career at fifth all-time for shutouts, and the team finished the year with a .86 goals against average.

“Smelcer—it’s not just the fact that he saves all the shots, but he kicks the ball a mile, so there’s a lot to fill,” sophomore forward Patrick McLean said.

Zenner and Hengel guided the team along with junior co-captain Alex Neumann. Hengel expressed the importance of leading fellow players by example.

“I tried to not get heated in tough games and overreact to calls or anything,” Hengel said. “You set the standard for the other kids…Really, how hard I work doesn’t just affect myself, but it influences the team, so I always tried to work as hard as I could.”

Team members highlighted Zenner’s vocal leadership.

“Nat was always really encouraging, I’m going to miss that the most. If I did something good on the field, made a good pass, made a good tackle, he was always there,” freshman Brian Wright said. “He was always about positive reinforcement, which is awesome.”

Senior team members explained the importance of their soccer careers to their experience at Wash. U. For many, the team provided a support system and network of close friendship.

“I’m really close with the guys on the team, and I can’t imagine not having them, and I can’t really imagine not playing soccer because I’ve had such a passion for soccer my entire life,” Hengel said.

For the team members that remain, preparation for next season has already begun. The dissatisfaction of ending without an appearance in the NCAA tournament provides motivation.

“We’re already very motivated for next year; we definitely have our minds set on accomplishing those two goals that we didn’t reach this year,” Klein said. “We all have the team goals in mind, and we’re using our personal goals to reach those.”

After losing three consecutive games, the men’s soccer team snapped its scoring drought with a 1-0 win over Brandeis.

“We started well, which we normally don’t do,” sophomore forward Patrick McLean said. “Our defense always plays well, so normally if we get even a single goal, we will win the game, but scoring is our problem.”

In the 13th minute, the Judges were whistled for a handball inside the box. The play set up a penalty kick for senior co-captain John Hengel, which he converted for the game-winning goal and his seventh score of the season.

“There was a ball played into the box, and Nat [Zenner] challenged one of the Brandeis defenders, and [the defender] just hit the ball blatantly with his hand,” Hengel said.

Although the Judges held a one-shot advantage in each half, the Bears allowed few scoring opportunities. Wash. U. did not allow any shots on goal in the second half, and with two saves for the game, senior goalie John Smelcer earned the 27th shutout of his career.

“We defended well, and we won a lot of balls in the back,” Hengel said. “We were good in the air and defended all their offensive attacks.”

Wash. U. 1, New York University 2

Despite outshooting NYU 16-9 on Sunday, the Bears fell to the Violets 2-1. The loss brings the team’s University Athletic Association record to an even 3-3. The win was NYU’s first in UAA play.

“I think Brandeis was a better team, but we really didn’t play very well in either game.” McLean said. “Losing to NYU just shows you that better teams can lose a lot of the time.”

The Bears and the Violets each recorded five shots in the first half, but after 45 minutes of play, both teams were scoreless.

Early in the second half, the Violets recorded the first goal of the game. Freshman midfielder Ronny Scardino got a shot past Smelcer on an assist from fellow freshman Kyle Green. Green continued the Violets’ offensive attack with a goal under 10 minutes later to make the score 2-0.

“The first goal was amazingly lucky; it went through Randy [Schoen’s] legs, I think, and went into the side netting. It was the first time [Scardino] shot. It’s just luck, but sometimes you get a lucky shot,” McLean said. “The second goal was just our mistake, another miscommunication between the backs and the keeper.”

The Bears responded quickly with a goal by junior Harry Beddo in the 69th minute. Beddo’s score came on a rebound from a previous shot. Beddo had six shots on the day, four of which were on goal.

“Against NYU, we really picked it up after they scored their two goals and after that we dominated the rest of the game,” Hengel said. “But we need to have that level of intensity from the beginning and get that early lead like we did against Brandeis.”

The Bears play their final game of a three-game road trip on Saturday at the University of Chicago. Game time is set for 11 a.m.

Sophomore Patrick McLean heads the ball in an Oct. 18 game versus Rochester. McLean led the Bears with three shots in a 0-1 loss to Berry College on Friday. (Daniel Eicholtz | Student Life)

The Washington University men’s soccer team fought hard but suffered 1-0 defeats to Berry College and No. 4 Loras College over the weekend.

In preparation for the Loras match, the men’s soccer team devoted much of its strategy to substitution in Friday night’s game against provisional Division III opponent Berry College.

Twenty-two Bears saw playing time and substitutions were made based on time.

“Today was kind of an experiment, it was a game that didn’t really matter, [Berry is] not a D3 team, so it doesn’t really count toward our NCAA qualification,” junior midfielder Cody Costakis said. “Everyone got in, we pre-arranged substitutions based on time…about 10 minutes before [the game] we came out we worked on free kicks, deciding who would be where on each shift.”

The two teams played a fast-paced, scoreless first half. Starting senior goalie John Smelcer played only in the first half and made two saves.

“The scouting report on [Berry] was that they were very skilled, they [have] good size, they’re a big team,” junior midfielder David Klein said. “But for the first half when we were playing our regulars, we were controlling the game, so we controlled the game against a very good team.”

The Vikings scored the game’s only goal 15 minutes into the second half when Luis Salazar got a shot past junior goalie Andrew Serio.

“It was a really hard fought game. Berry is a great team, they have a lot of international players who are really skilled, really know how to play the game,” junior captain Alex Neumann said. “Our goal was to come out hard and try and get the win, but we were also trying to save our legs for Sunday.”

Near the end of the second half, Washington University made several threatening shots. One by sophomore forward Patrick McLean was deflected over the top of the goal, while another by senior forward John Hengel hit the crossbar. The Bears were disappointed with Friday’s loss, but maintained focus on the Loras match-up.

“The result was frustrating, not to get the result. But the result wasn’t what was important,” Klein said.

Wash. U. 0 Loras 1

On Sunday, the Bears began the game against Loras in controlling fashion. At the end of the first half, Wash. U. led in shots 11-4. Six shots were on goal, with two each for McLean and senior captain Nat Zenner. The team also took five corner kicks to the Duhawks’ two.

However, in the second half the Duhawks upped their offensive attack and evened the offensive stats. Each team took five shots and three corner kicks, but the Bears did not take any shots on goal and Loras controlled possession throughout the majority of the half. With 20 minutes to play, Loras defender Matt Splitgerber scored.

The Bears looked to even the score near the end of the half on a corner kick from Costakis. When the ball was deflected, Costakis connected with junior Harry Beddo on a second pass, but Beddo’s shot missed high.

The Red and Green continue their road trip with UAA play against Brandeis University on Oct. 30 and New York University on Nov. 1.

Senior forward John Hengel controls the ball in a 2-0 victory against Case Western Reserve on Friday, Oct. 16. Hengel is the leading goal-scorer for the Bears with six goals this season. (Daniel Eicholtz | Student Life)

As the men’s soccer team enters the final stretch of its regular-season schedule, senior captain John Hengel leads the Bears with six goals. Hengel led the Bears to victory against Fontbonne on Oct. 13, scoring twice in the team’s first three-goal performance. Hengel’s contributions earned him Student Life Athlete of the Week honors.

Student Life: What is the most important game remaining on your schedule?
John Hengel: Loras is a big game this Sunday because we’ve played three teams so far ranked in the top 10, and we’ve competed with all of them. They’ve all been close games, but we’ve just lost a close game in all of them. Loras is a top-10-ranked team. They’re also in our region. We need to prove we can beat a team of that caliber if we want to get into the tournament.

SL: You lead the team in goals. Does one stick out as your favorite?
JH: My goal against Emory, definitely. We lost to them my first three years here, and last time when we went to Emory, they shut us out 3-0, and their fans were really obnoxious, and they were shouting stuff at us all game, and it was an embarrassing loss. We went there and shut them out, and it was good to know that I ended my career with at least one victory at Emory.

SL: What is the biggest challenge about UAA soccer?
JH: The biggest challenge is whether you’re playing the worst team or the best team in the conference, you’re at risk of losing because, no matter what, it’s going to be a close game. All the teams are really physical, and they wear you down a lot. This past weekend where we had two UAA games, everyone came off the weekend really sore, and we had a couple days rest, but even still, I’m still feeling the weekend.

SL: The team just celebrated Senior Day against Rochester. What part of your game have you improved most while at Wash. U.?
JL: I would just say my touch, overall, because [head coach Joe Clarke] has these things where we have to go to the racquetball court, and we go in there every so often, and you have to take a soccer ball, and you kick it off one wall, juggle it, then kick it off the next wall and go in a circle. I’ve been doing those now year-round for four years, so my touch has improved a lot.

SL: What do you think is your greatest strength or skill?
JH: I would say composure in the box. I don’t lose control or panic so I’m able to score easier.

SL: Coach Val Pelizzaro is retiring at the end of the season; what’s an important lesson you’ve learned from him?
JH: He’s got a strong “never give up” attitude. He’s nearing 80 years old, and he still tries to play possession with us. He quoted that one of the reasons he’s retiring is that he can no longer play soccer with us, which I thought was funny because coaches coach 30 years after their knees don’t allow them to play soccer anymore, but when I was a freshman he was playing with us every week almost. But now it’s only a couple times in the season.

Coach Pelizzaro was honored on Friday, Oct. 16, in a game against Case Western Reserve University. The Bear’s final home game is at 7 p.m. Friday against Berry College.

Bears midfielder Zach Hendrickson works past a Carnegie Mellon defender. Hendrickson, a sophomore, had one shot on goal in the soccer team’s 2-0 loss to the Tartans. (Nora Jehle | Student Life

“Coming into it we knew this was going to be a big test for us. Carnegie Mellon is a great team,” junior co-captain Alex Neumann said. “They came at us hard, they were aggressive, really from the get-go, and that posed a few problems.”

Carnegie got ahead early; forward Ricky Griffin scored his first goal of the day off a corner kick in the fifth minute and followed up with another score 16 minutes later. The goals added to Griffin’s total of 15 for the season thus far.

“I’m not happy with the goals that we gave them,” head coach Joe Clarke said. “We need to make teams score better goals than we made them score today, but they got them and we really put ourselves in a hole.”

The Bears began to counter following the Tartans’ second goal and finished with 10 shots for the half. Despite several threatening attacks at the goal, Washington University was unable to score.

“We created some chances, and we weren’t able to finish them. Their goalie made a good save or two, and we just didn’t do what we needed to do when we got into great positions,” Clarke said. “We played much better after the first 25 minutes. We’ve just got to continue to improve; that’s all there is to it.”

Neumann said adjustments and advice from Clarke helped the Red and Green respond. After coming into the game, sophomores Patrick McLean and Kevin Privalle combined for six shots, while sophomores Zach Hendrickson and David Kanoff each had one.

“It was a combination of a few things: I think our subs that came in off the bench provided us with a ton of energy, they did a really good job,” Neumann said. “At halftime Coach Clarke gave us a really fiery pep talk and told us that he knew we could beat this team.”

Ultimately the Bears’ improved play could not overcome the early two-goal deficit.

“We’re a very slow starting team,” McLean said. “We always pick it up…But we picked it up too late.”

After allowing two goals in the first half, senior John Smelcer shut down the Tartans with four saves in the second half.

The loss was the first for the team since playing Sept. 22 at Principia. Both the Panthers and Tartans are currently ranked in the nation’s top 25.

“I think Carnegie is very good, and I think we need to be able to beat a team like that,” Clarke said. “We are good enough players to win against a team like that.”

McLean explained that starting games stronger will help the Bears’ chances in future games.

“[We need to] start strong. I’m not sure exactly what we’re lacking; it might just be the warm-up, but we always start weak,” McLean said. “We just need to get pumped up before the game better.”

The Bears face Fontbonne University on Tuesday, Oct. 13, at Francis Field starting at 7 p.m. The team will collect donations for the Sunbeam Foundation, a charity started by Wash. U. soccer alum Jeff LaBoskey that helps raise research funds to help find a cure for childhood bone cancers.

The game was the first University Athletic Association contest of the year for the Bears, who face conference opponents in six of their nine remaining games.

“Our non-conference games prepared us well, but there was definitely a feeling of importance surrounding the game,” junior midfielder Cody Costakis said. “Everyone was a little bit more serious.”

Wash. U. picked up its first win against Emory in the past six meetings.

“[UAA play is] always a lot more competitive and a lot more physical, the games matter more because they count for our regional record as well as our conference record,” senior co-captain John Hengel said. “If you don’t win in your conference, your [NCAA tournament] entry is determined based on how you play against teams in your region.”

The first half against the Eagles presented a challenge for the Red and Green. Emory initially put together an effective attack, besting the Bears 7-4 on shots.

“We survived the first half—they put a lot of pressure on us,” Costakis said. “There were a few dangerous situations, and whoever had to come through, whether it was a defender, goalkeeper, midfielder or forward…we managed to get the job done.”

Junior forward Harry Beddo scored the game’s first goal in the 13th minute on a play initiated by a corner kick from Costakis.

“Our center forwards did a really good job of holding the ball up top,” Hengel said. “We’d been struggling with that lately…Harry Beddo and Pat McLean did a good job of that.”

By the second half, the Bears had adjusted to Emory’s offensive formations. Second-half offensive stats were more even: a 7-6 advantage for Wash. U. in shots and a 1-1 tie for corner kicks.

“In the first half, we didn’t cope very well with their formation, specifically in the center. They tended to have a man that we were not able to mark, but second half we figured that out,” Costakis said. “We didn’t really change [our formation] much, but we just figured out which player was supposed to be in what spot on the field.”

Hengel sealed the victory in the 81st minute with an insurance goal. He now leads the team in scoring with three goals for the year.

“John Duncan was dribbling down the left line, and he scooped the ball over my defender’s head perfectly to my feet,” Hengel said.

Only five of the Eagles’ 13 shots for the game were on goal. Senior goalkeeper John Smelcer, who has allowed only seven goals in 10 games, made five saves and earned his seventh shutout.

The Bears will continue play on Sunday, when they face Carnegie Mellon University at Francis Field at 11 a.m.

In their Wednesday game against the Blue Jays, the Bears (4-0-3) scored their only goal early.

Sophomore Patrick McLean looks to pass in Wednesday’s game against Westminster College. The Bears remain undefeated on the season after their victories on Wednesday against the Blue Jays and on Friday against the Birmingham Southern College Panthers. (Jared Bullock | Student Life)

“Pat [McLean] was driving down the right side, and he saw me making a diagonal run, and he flicked it right over the defenders,” senior John Hengel said of his goal in the ninth minute.

In the 1-0 victory, senior goalkeeper John Smelcer got his third shutout of the season, while the Bears outshot the Blue Jays 18-2 for the game. Despite the University’s shooting advantage, Westminster threatened offensively on corner kicks, with six for the day.

“They had some really big guys. They had [Ky Millard] running up top, so they were their most dangerous on their long throws and set pieces, free kicks and stuff,” senior tri-captain Nat Zenner said. “Their big guys just kept looking ahead, so that was their biggest challenge [to us].”

Despite the win, the Bears recognized a need for increased scoring.

“We would have liked to put in a couple more goals so we could have relaxed,” Zenner said. “Sometimes when you get that [first] goal, it’s tough to keep pushing for the rest of them, but it’s important to get two and three goals to put teams away because the longer they stay in it, the more confidence they get.”

In its game against Birmingham Southern on Friday, the team did just that. With a 2-1 win, the Bears issued the previously undefeated Panthers their first loss.

“We obviously went out really hard. Our goal from the beginning was to get a goal quickly and get on top of the game,” senior tri-captain Alex Neumann said. “It’s something we’ve been working on all season.”

Junior Harry Beddo struck first for Wash. U. with a goal in the game’s first minute.

“Well, personally, I hadn’t scored yet, and I started up top, and I just wanted to get on the scoreboard at first, so I was really happy when we scored a minute into the game,” Beddo said of his first goal of the season. “I don’t think the other team actually touched it…the ball was played in the middle and got wide to [John] Duncan, and Duncan crossed it and I just got in front of their defender and hit it low, near [the] post.”

The Panthers answered with a goal on a free kick from junior Tony Crocker in the seventh minute to tie the game, but the Bears countered before the end of the half. Wash. U. capitalized on a corner kick from junior Cody Costakis that was finished by sophomore Pat McLean on a recovery from Hengel.

“We let up a little when we let in the goal, but then I thought we were playing hard throughout the first half and really bossing the game,” Neumann said.

In the second half, the Bears increased pressure on the Panthers. But the game called for adjustments when sophomore Kevin Privalle collided with Birmingham Southern goalie Shachar Hovan. Hovan left the game due to injury, and Privalle was issued a red card. The team finished the last 30 minutes one man down.

“After the red card, we all came together as a team and said, ‘Hey, this is sort of what we’ve been working toward all year. This is why our fitness and all the hard work we put in [during] the preseason is going to pay off,’” Neumann said. “We basically made the commitment that we were not going to give up another goal, and so everyone sort of came together, and it was really a team effort to keep the score 2-1 and to get the victory.”

The Bears continue play Tuesday on the road at Principia College; game time is set for 8 p.m.