By Julian Markese
Sports Editor
The university’s spot in the NE10 Men’s Soccer Championship tournament is secure. They will play Adelphi University away from home on Saturday, Nov. 8.
The team lost 1-0 to league leader Bentley University on Saturday, Nov. 1, leaving their conference record at 4-2-3 for the season, concluding an impressive regular season.
“We have a lot of new players right now, and the team has to marinate,” defender Edward Mensah, a graduate, said. “I’ll say, as one of the leaders in the team, I’m super proud of these guys.”
The team has had their eyes on a tournament run since the beginning of the season. Mensah, who was on the team that lost in the first round last year, has been particularly vocal about his championship aspirations. He talks like a man with something to prove.
“Just one mistake that cost us. We’ll go back to the office and correct it. That doesn’t mean we’re not coming back the next time,” Mensah said.
The game against Bentley was often contentious and highly physical. Fast pace of play led to goalkeepers at the top of their game and defenses that were even better.
The Owls created more chances than their opponent, forcing the loud and very good Bentley goalkeeper to make eight saves. He made a special one on a bending free kick from midfielder Ryad Benmessaoud, a freshman, in the first half.
The Owls’ goalkeeper Diego Flores, a freshman, made four saves, but was unable to match his counterpart. As the game boiled over, the Owls fouled at the top of the box, making way for a Falcons’ free kick, which flew between the fingers of a leaping Flores.
“It’s a silly foul. It’s a silly foul on the top of the box by someone who didn’t need to foul,” Head Coach Kevin Anderson said.
The Owls were frantic after conceding, failing to tie together many cohesive passages of play. Instead, Bentley dictated the pace and the game became even more of a row.
“We need to be more patient on the ball. We need to play with each other more and not lose our heads,” winger Jayson Dumont, a sophomore, said.
Dumont played well. His attacking runs were the most dangerous of the game. He is one of many young players making an impact on the team as they continue to mesh in search of something greater.
What Mensah described as marination, Anderson described as growth.
“We’ve grown as a group. We have an identity. We have a purpose. We know who we are,” Anderson said. “We tolerate each other in such a humane way now.”
What Anderson described as toleration, Dumont described as love.
“We love each other,” Dumont said. “Every time we play, we say ‘Play with love; play with passion.’ So, when we go into this tournament, we expect to win it all.”
This story was updated on 11.5.2025 to reflect accurate game times.
