OLIVER GOLDIN — The Collegiate varsity soccer team’s season came to a close this past Friday, ending on a four game winning streak. However, the season as a whole had unfortunately not been as glorious as the final four games. The Dutchmen started the first few games with only one win: a 2-1 away victory versus Fieldston. The team continued to struggle throughout the season, losing most games by only a single goal. After the playoffs seemed to be nearly out of the picture with a 1-9 record, there was a shift in the locker room. The “make the playoffs” attitude became a more positive “just go out and have fun” attitude. While this message sounded rather cliche, it would make all the difference for the Dutchmen in the closing weeks of their 2022 season.
The Dutchmen woke up on a beautiful Wednesday morning and decided they were going to completely destroy a frail Dalton team. By halftime, Collegiate held a commanding 3-0 lead. Their thrashing 5-0 victory gave the Dutchmen lots of hope going into a Friday home game versus the league leaders, Poly Prep. To no surprise, the Dutchmen extended their winning streak after a crucial goal by Jack Demasi ‘23, who had just come back from injury, as well as a crafty goal from Andy Uku ‘24 in the early minutes of the game. The Dutchmen embraced the weekend with their first double-win week of the season. With only one week left, it seemed like the Collegiate team finally found their rhythm.
In their last Wednesday game of the season, the Dutchmen once again shocked the league and extended their winning streak to three games after a 2-1 away victory over Horace Mann. The team was saved after Coach Anthony Jones made the crucial call that Thomas Phillip ‘23, who had been out for most of the season due to a broken foot injury, could enter the game. Thomas stepped onto the pitch with only a little time to work with, yet he scored the game winner for Collegiate with one minute and thirty seconds to spare.
The Dutchmen now had only one guaranteed game left this season: their senior day Friday game versus the league champions Hackley. On a magical evening, with a beautiful sunset and the city skyline in the distance, the Dutchmen took on Hackley in front of many supportive fans and family. Once again, they extended their winning streak to close out the regular season with an exciting 1-0 win in overtime. The decisive goal by Jack Patricof ‘23 prompted the fans to go crazy and the team to rush over for a big celebration with the crowd. This win also breathed some life into the Dutchmen’s playoff chances. After Collegiate’s rival Trinity lost to Riverdale, they opened up the sixth place spot in the conference standings for the Dutchmen. All things looked to be a success, as last year’s Dutchmen had qualified for the playoffs coming out of sixth place. This left the teams season in the hands of the selection committee for the upcoming Saturday selection.
After a disappointing selection by the committee, the Dutchmen learned Sunday morning that their season had officially come to a close. There is no doubt that the season did not go as planned; regardless, there could not have been a better farewell for the Dutchmen and the seniors than a four game winning streak and an overtime win with their treasured fans.
The Dutch Report 