Written by Cole Thompson
No. 18 Colorado College men’s soccer (8-1-2, 6-0-1 SCAC) continued to display their dominance this weekend stretching their win streak to seven games with a pair of victories over Austin College (3-1) on Friday, Oct. 2 and Centenary College (3-1) on Sunday, Oct. 4.
The Tigers came from behind against Austin College on Friday night to secure their fifth SCAC victory. The Tigers rallied behind key upperclassmen for three goals and the eventual victory. Two goals came from senior midfielder Max Grossenbacher and the final nail in the coffin came from junior defender Jack McCormick.
After the initial Austin goal in the 31st minute, the Tigers were down 1-0. “Austin scoring the first goal made us play more aggressively, which paid off and let us win the game,” said senior midfielder Soren Frykholm.
The Tigers retaliated less than 12 minutes later and scored their first goal of the match when Grossenbacher sent the ball to the left post where it ricocheted off Austin’s Chris Abad-Jacobi. In the 76th minute Grossenbacher got the crowd on their feet again by converting a penalty kick to put the Tigers ahead 2-1.
“Max has been instrumental to our success all season long,” said Head Coach Scott Palguta. “Typically a midfielder, he has fully embraced a new position—center forward—and has proven to be a constant threat for opposing teams in the final third of the field.”
Shortly after the Tigers gained the advantage from Grossenbacher’s goal, McCormick put the game out of reach with a score from the center of the ‘Roo’s box. The goal was assisted by junior midfielder Tommy Riley.
The Tigers took control of the match early Sunday afternoon, notching three goals in the first half against Centenary College.
The Tigers got on the scoreboard after an assist from Grossenbacher to senior midfielder Seth Newby. Newby drilled the ball in the back of the bottom right of the goal. In the next 11 minutes of game time the Tigers expertly picked apart the Centenary defense to score twice more. In the 33rd minute first-year defender Cam Stopforth earned his first collegiate goal with an assist from Grossenbacher. The final score was a header from junior defender Nathan Andersen off of a corner kick from Stopforth.
It takes more than a few goal scorers to shape a winning team. A season-high 22 players took the field for the Tigers on Sunday. They are all gutting it out to establish a remarkable season. In particular, senior Soren Frykholm is working hard in his final season to help ensure his team’s success.
“Soren Frykholm simply doesn’t get enough attention for the work he does in the middle of the field,” said Palguta. “Soren has been one of our best players for the past two seasons. In addition to being our fittest player, his technical ability and tactical acumen are the best on the team.”
Men’s soccer is certainly having a fantastic year. Their season will reach an exciting peak this weekend with their final regular season game against their conference rival Trinity University. The Tigers defeated their adversary 3-1 at home two weeks ago and plan to repeat their effort in San Antonio, Texas on Sunday.
The stoke is high on the men’s soccer team. “We beat them two weeks ago here at home,” said Frykholm. “It was a huge historic win for us. I am super excited to play them because it will show them and the country that our victory was not a fluke. It is the game I am looking forward to most this season.”
“The key to our team’s success thus far has been a total commitment from all 27 players, plain and simple,” said Paulguta. “The team has worked extremely hard since the first day of preseason and has bought into our day-by-day approach to the season.”