Matt Cain – Contributor
The Owls soccer team has punched their ticket to the NE10 conference with a win in a nail-biting game against Bentley University. With this win, the Owls clinched the sixth seed in the conference and now look to their next opponent. Midfielder Yannick Hilpert, a junior, hit the game-winning goal with less than two minutes to go in the game.
“In the end, it went in, and I don’t know how, but we are all happy,” Hilpert said.
The Owls have had a great season thus far. They found themselves being a defensive-minded team, as they only allowed 16 goals to be scored on them this season. With the defense coming up big, goalkeeper Devin Juan, a junior, made a big save in the second half. Juan has been performing well all season, as he now has 78 saves.
“Coming in, we knew we had to get something done, especially with this being win or go home for us,” Juan said.
This was a very intense game from the jump. Since this was a conference do-or-die game, the Owls knew what Bentley was capable of and what they were trying to do.
“Nothing really surprised us about Bently. They are a tough team like they have been in the past,” Hilpert said.
The Owls have been competing all year. In the second half, the Owls came out strong as they took two shots. They have been right in the middle of the pack when it comes to the NE10 conference all season.
“We try to reinforce the things that we have been practicing and the things that we see”. Head Coach Kevin Anderson said.
Going into post-season play, this win can put them over the hump and make the Owls a real threat to the rest of the conference. The Owls played hard and never took their foot off the gas all season; now they look to continue their rough style of play in the conference tournament.
“We got to just continue to grow and build.” Anderson said.
The Owls now have momentum going into the quarterfinal, which they plan to build on to last longer in the tournament. In past games, the Owls have shown that they play well in tight situations. However, after this game, the owls seem to be taking a new approach going into the tournament.
“We are going to review and reflect as we wait for our next opponent,” Anderson said.
There’s no doubt that the next opponent for the Owls is going to be tough, but the Owls have had some of the best team chemistry this year. The chemistry and work ethic have made the Owls a top team. It is safe to say the togetherness off the field translated to great plays on the field. The Owls are now going to go out and put it all on the line in their search for the conference title.