A season after advancing to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 21 years, men’s soccer came close to turning the trick in consecutive seasons.
The campaign began with a seven-day training trip to Trinidad & Tobago and a 9-3-1 start. Then, after being dealt a heavy blow with several key injuries, the Cougars advanced to the NEWMAC Tournament Semifinals and seemed to be headed into penalty kicks with rival Wheaton before their season came to an end with eight seconds left in the second overtime. Coach Kulik’s squad wrapped up their season at 9-7-2, giving the program a combined 20 wins in the last two years.
Despite the heart-breaking defeat, there were highlights throughout the 2009 campaign.
The emergence of several underclassmen should bode well for the future of the program, especially since the Cougars graduate seven seniors. First-year’s Gianluca Ranallo (Scarsdale, N.Y.) and Ryan King (Brimfield, Mass.), saw the most of the action of the freshmen, with Ranallo starting 14 matches and King making all 18 starts in between the pipes. Ranallo led the team in assists (8) and tied a 17-year old school record with four helpers in one contest (versus Becker). King meanwhile, registered three shutouts in his inaugural campaign and had a 1.14 goals against average.
Graduate student Mike Trobagis (Acton, Mass.) moved into the school’s top ten all-time scoring list after a season that saw him lead the team in scoring with 19 points (nine goals, one assist), giving him 53 for his career. Sophomore defender Kenny Howard’s (Longmeadow, Mass.) selection to the NEWMAC first-team gives Clark a member of the first team in six straight seasons.
Also, the seventh straight winning season for the Scarlet & White marks the longest stretch of consecutive winning campaigns in the 90-year history of the program.
Dedication. Discipline. Success. Clark’s men’s soccer program is driven by these core values and recruits and cultivates players who are dedicated to athletic and academic excellence.
The coaching staff works to bring out the best in the players, fostering a commitment to the classroom, playing field and community. Coaches engage players through an open-door policy and one-on-one attention, and inspire team unity and leadership. As a member of the NEWMAC conference – one of the toughest in Division III men’s soccer – Clark encapsulates the chemistry essential to playing high quality possession-style soccer. This Cougar team trains and plays hard – its rigorous effort has paid off, yielding five consecutive winning seasons for the first time since the 1980’s era.
Team unity is a hallmark of the men’s soccer team – the players work for each other, play for each other, and support each other both on and off the field. “Family” – this is how teammates describe the experience. During the three-month soccer season, players are together six days a week and thus develop a deep understanding of and respect for one another. They depend on each other as would brothers. “Every player is part of this family,” says Coach Kulik. “And they are supported and pushed to reach their peak potential in the classroom, as well as on the field.”
Each player plays an important role in the team’s ultimate success; learning these specific roles is a continual process. As each player progresses in his individual role, hones his talents and perfects his ability, he strengthens the group at the core.
“The main reason we have experienced success over the past few years is our willingness to grow individually and collectively each day,” said David Blum ’08, Clark’s all-time points leader. “We are all working towards one common goal – victory. Whether it’s in soccer, the classroom or the community, we can achieve greater success together.”