SEPT 12, 2024 | SPORTS | By Obie King-Bagley
The Colorado College men’s soccer team opened the 2024 season in blistering fashion, winning four straight games and outscoring their opponents 18-0. The team’s best start to a season since 1995 serves as a sign of an upward-trending program that made its furthest NCAA tournament run in 31 years last season.
The Tigers opened the season with a home doubleheader on Aug. 30 and 31 against Fontbonne University and Concordia College-Moorhead. They ran out 8-0 and 7-0 winners respectively. They hit the road this past weekend to face off against Nebraska Wesleyan University and Simpson University, where they once again came out on top in both matchups, notching 2-0 and 1-0 wins.
For the Tigers, this early-season success continues the momentum built over the course of the 2023 season, when they made it to the Elite 8 of the NCAA tournament before falling short in a penalty shootout. Twenty-three out of the 29 rostered players from last year returned for the 2024 season and supplemented by a group of four new freshmen, they look poised to compete for another postseason run.
The offseason wasn’t without loss. One of the biggest questions heading into this season was who would play goalkeeper when starter and All-SCAC First Team selection Jasper Broad ‘26 transferred to Pitzer College. The two remaining goalkeepers on the roster, sophomores Alex Wolter and Spencer Besselaar, had 18 minutes of collegiate action combined in 2023. Any concerns about that position seem to have been silenced. However, the Tigers have not conceded a goal yet, and Besselaar is tied for the most shutouts in the nation.
Potentially, the biggest breakout star of the season has been forward Teddy Opler ‘28. The 2024 Wyoming Gatorade Player of the Year has already tallied three goals and has played in all four games. Opler scored 34 goals his senior year and graduated from Jackson Hole High School as the all-time leading scorer.
The returners have been vital to the Tiger’s success on both sides of the ball. Midfielder Vincent Luglio ‘25 has already doubled his goal-scoring tally from the last two years with four goals, while midfielder Jack Hilliard ‘26 leads the team with three assists. On defense, Curtis Hale ‘25, was named the SCAC Defensive Player of the Week on Monday. Hale has been key to the Tiger’s four straight shutouts to open the season and played all 180 minutes last weekend.
The Tigers are back in action this weekend with two home games against Ohio Northern (#15) and Emory (#20). While the Tigers are 4-0, they have yet to play a nationally ranked program, and none of the teams they’ve played even made the NCAA tournament last year.
While it’s still early in the season, the signs are promising. If this team continues to build momentum, another deep run in the NCAA Tournament could be imminent.