Scott BresslerIf there ever were such a thing as a moral victory, this one was it.
The Washington University men’s soccer team nearly staged a monumental upset Saturday night, but eventually fell to Trinity College of Texas, the number one team in Division III’s current national poll.
The loss came just a day after the Bears soundly defeated Southwestern College 3-0. After splitting its two matches in the Lone Star State, the Red and Green return to campus with a 5-2 record and reason to believe that 2007 could end up being as memorable a campaign as team members predicted it would be at the outset of the season.
Nonetheless, the team came home with a couple of key injuries and is quite pleased that it will not see the field again until Sunday. Players reported that the rest is much deserved considering the physicality of Trinity’s play.
Wash. U. 3, Southwestern 0
On Friday, the Bears took a half to adjust to the brutal Texas heat, before running away with a relative easy 3-0 win. Wash. U. controlled the tempo throughout the contest, but failed to convert on scoring chances in the opening stanza.
The second frame was a different story, however, as three Bears tallied goals in sending the guests to the win. Kellen Hayes, a junior, took a pass from classmate Pierre Hoppenot and blasted home his third score of the season in the game’s 47th minute.
Hoppenot added a goal of his own just over 30 minutes later on an assist from Ben Ryugo, also a junior. The tally was also Hoppenot’s third of the year and captain Elie Zenner singled out the third year’s play as a highlight of the trip.
“Pierre played really well. He had a break-out game, got a lot of confidence and it’s a great sign if he’s going to keep playing like that,” said Zenner.
Freshman Harry Beddo concluded the scoring when he added his third goal of the season in the 84th minute on a pass from fellow rookie John Duncan.
“We played pretty well throughout and definitely significantly outplayed them. Pierre had a really good game, as did Harry,” said fellow captain and senior, Onyi Okoroafor.
Trinity 1, Wash. U. 0
In what was certainly the team’s most anticipated non-conference match of the season, Wash. U. played valiantly against a bigger and tenacious Trinity club, despite the loss.
The game was played in front of what Zenner called the “toughest environment” he has ever experienced at the collegiate level, with the hosts tallying the game’s loan score just over a minute into the second half. A hostile crowd numbering upwards of 1,000 witnessed the Bears give Trinity perhaps its toughest test of the year.
Unfortunately for Wash.U. fans, the team sustained two injuries, including a season-ending one to senior stalwart Ethan Silver who suffered a brutal jaw-break and remains hospitalized in Texas. Silver’s injury ends his illustrious soccer career at Washington University and comes as a huge blow to the team.
Team scoring leader and fellow senior, Marshall Plow, also sustained a concussion and was sent to a San Antonio hospital for a CAT scan, but is expected to return to action with a game or two.
Despite the injuries and the defeat, the team returned to St. Louis Sunday morning surprisingly confident and optimistic, believing that their goal of a national title is no longer just a pipe dream.
Zenner believes the team’s performance at Trinity is an indicator of just how resilient this Wash. U. team is and he is confident that the squad will be able to come together around the absence of Silver.
“Losing Ethan is just huge. It’s basically horrible. We all feel terrible for him. But even though he was a great player, I think we’ll be fine as a team,” said Zenner, who reported that Silver appeared in good spirits when he spoke with him Sunday morning from the center back’s hospital bed.
Okoroafor played remarkably well in place of Silver, moving from his normal role as a center midfielder to Silver’s position of center back. He is expected to remain there for the duration of the season.
In addition to Okoroafor’s solid play, sophomore goalie John Smelcer provided solid relief in net for the Bears and Beddo nearly tied the game with around five minutes to go, but the Red and Green ultimately left Texas with an encouraging defeat.
“We showed a lot of character. It was the hardest we’ve worked all season,” said Okoroafor of the trip. “It was good to see that we can play with the best of the best and a good rebound from a loss to a team like Truman State. We didn’t use the ball as well as we would have liked, but we definitely made up for that with our effort.”