Men’s Soccer beleaguered start to season
By Robert Dungan, Junior Photo Editor
The 2019 HVCC Men’s Soccer team had a 6-9-2 season record, an overall .412% winning average. In 17 games, they scored 25 goals, an average of 1.47 per game finishing the season with a first-round postseason bid. The double-overtime loss to powerhouse Broome Community College in the NJCCA Playoff game was the team’s third consecutive playoff appearance dating back to 2017.
The 2021 team has lost their first five of five post COVID games in what appears to be the most spectacular fashion. The Vikings have been outscored 34 to 3; each of Viking’s goals had been unassisted. It seems at first glance that the team can’t find their opponent’s side of the field, and when they do, they don’t work as a team.
At Home September 16 this season, the Mohawk Valley Hawks outshot the Vikings 19-0 in the 1st half! At the final horn, the Hawks outshot the Vikings 41-1, including a 21-1 advantage on goal. The Hawks also held a 16-0 advantage in corner kicks. Hudson Valley goalkeepers Jonas Clapper and Aiden Travers would combine for 12 saves, while Hawks’ goalkeeper Carlos Acosta Viquez would have one save in his second shutout of the year.
Three days after the Mohawk game, Genesee Community College flummoxed the Vikings with a 10-2 final scoreboard in Batavia, NY. The first Genesee goal of the game came just 61 seconds into play. The Cougars would grow the lead to 5-0 with just 17 minutes on the clock; the 45 minute half ended 7-0. Genesee would add two more goals before Hudson Valley tallied their first and second goals, just 20 seconds apart. The Cougars would go on to win the match, 10-2.
Three of the first five Viking’s opposing teams were undefeated at game time. Genesse has outscored their opponents 36 to 5 as of this writing. Genesse was ranked #5 in the nation entering the 2019 NJCAA Division III Men’s Soccer Championship; they were defeated by 2018, eight-time Naty Champs Richland College in Dallas, TX.
The Mohawk Valley Men’s Soccer team lost in the 2020 NJCAA Final 4 by 3-0 Richland. That’s right, The Hawks played an entire season last year and faced the same national champs that knocked Genesse out of the tournament the year before. Here are a few recent headlines about the Hawks: November 07, 2019, Six Hawks make NJCAA All-Region, DiMaggio tabbed as Region III Coach of the Year & May 20, 2021, Seven Hawks Land on the All-Conference Team!
In the span of three days, the Vikings faced two local division opponents that reached National Champions Tournaments in the previous seasons. Are the Vikings punching above their weight? Are they still shaking off the COVID-mandated hiatus? It’s most likely a combination of both. One thing is for sure; it’s not for lack of effort.
UPDATE: The Viking men won their first match of the season with a 1-0 score over SUNY Broome; we will have game details in the next issue.