OCT 3, 2024 | SPORTS | By Obie King-Bagley
Colorado College men’s soccer opened their 2024 SCAC season by defeating the University of St. Thomas (Texas) Celts on Saturday, Sept. 28.
In a tight game, the Tigers prevailed thanks to a lone goal by Zeke Lubin ‘27 midway through the second half. This game served as redemption for the 2-1 loss against the Celts that the Tigers suffered during the SCAC tournament semifinals last season, a result that threatened to end their season early.
In a tense, chippy game, the Tigers rattled off shots and applied pressure on the Celts’ defense but did not create any clear chances in the first half. The second half started as much of the same, Teddy Opler ‘28 came close to scoring in minute 54, while nine minutes later, the Tigers hit both posts with a shot that narrowly stayed out of the net.
The breakthrough finally came 67 minutes into the game courtesy of Lubin, who curled a shot in from the edge of the box into the bottom corner, just out of reach of the Celts’ keeper. The Celts pushed for an equalizer but failed to create any real chances outside of a misplaced cross that hit the top of the crossbar in the 77. The Tigers also hit the woodwork with a volley that clipped the top of the bar with nine minutes remaining.
The staunch defensive performance led to goalkeeper Alex Wolter ‘27 being named the SCAC Co-Defensive Player of the Week with his second shutout of the season. Wolter’s average goals-against-average rate of 0.5 is tied for second-best in the SCAC and his performances have been key to the Tigers’ defensive success.
This win marks the ninth straight unbeaten SCAC opener for the Tigers, who are now 6-1-2. CC tops the conference, tied with Trinity University (Texas) and Centenary College (Louisiana).
Looking forward, the Tigers play two games this week against SCAC rivals. On Friday, Oct. 4, they travel to Clarksville, Ark. to face off against the University of the Ozarks, before returning to host Centenary at Stewart Field on Sunday, Oct. 6.
After a tough series of games against some of the best teams in the nation, the Tigers have shown they can compete against any team. They only need four more wins to be eligible for an NCAA Tournament berth, and they could take a massive leap toward that goal with two wins this weekend.