By Matt Cain
Contributor
Forward Jose Clemente, a senior, scores a goal.
Men’s soccer is underway, and the Owls jump out to a soaring start to the season. The first home game was played perfectly, as the Owls took a 3-0 win against Bloomfield College.
As the Owls played perfect defense, the three goals came from newly acquired forward Jose Clemente, a senior. This is the first hat trick from an Owl since 2022.
Clemente is a transfer from Saint Rose University who came over at the start of the offseason.
“When you have a natural goal scorer and you put him in the box with the ball, this is what happens,” Head Coach Kevin Anderson said.
Clemente, known for his hard work and grit on the field, is joining a team who made a run in the NE10 Tournament last year. With this new addition, the Owls have one thing on their mind.
“I am very grateful to be a part of this team,” Clemente said. “Three goals are results of hard work.”
In the first half, the Owls got out to a slow start, losing the ball and missing on their first two shot attempts. However, at the 20-minute mark, the owls adjusted on the fly, implementing ball security and ball movement.
“We need to see more of that this year. Playing our game is what we need to do, not theirs,” Clemente said.
The Owls played their game and eventually scored late in the first half and two more in the second. With Clemente scoring all three goals, his teammates worked to assist those goals to put the Owls on top.
Defender Edward Mensah, a freshman, got his first assist of the season, and mid-fielder Kasper Murzinski, a freshman, also picked up an assist in his first minutes on the field.
This Owl team is hungry. Anderson knows what it takes to win and instilled the value of hard work day in and day out into the team.
Anderson played for the Owls in 1991 and 1992 and led the Owls to the 1992 NCAA National Championship.
“The goals didn’t come from luck. It was being more clean on the ball and playing forward,” Anderson said.
The Owls are now 1-0 on the season and have momentum going into their next game. This win gives them confidence to play their own game and make the opponent play into the Owls play style.
The Owls held the shut out through the second half.
Goalkeeper Juan Devin, a senior, picked up a save and stopped the Bears from getting on the board.
There is no stopping these Owls as they look to carry over the momentum into their next game over the weekend.
Coming into the season, the Owls were ranked No. 5 in the NE10. Their first three games are outside of the conference.
The Owls will be back in conference play at week four of the season; the outside competition can make them a stronger threat to the NE10 Competition and even move them up in the rankings.
It is clear that this season will be built on executing and staying focused.
VOL. 64- ISSUE 1
