Chargers celebrate their victory against MSU. Courtesy | Jacob Beckwith
Senior Brett Schaller and sophomore Dylan Hughes scored goals to lead the college men’s club soccer team to a 2-1 victory over Michigan State University in Lansing, Michigan, Sept. 2, in their first match of the season.
“They were probably the hardest opponent on our schedule,” said Schaller, who is vice president of the club team.
MSU boasted close to 150 freshmen tried out for their team — a small army relative to Hillsdale’s 15 new players who tried out this season. Not only did they have a larger pool of talented players to build their team, but they have a history to back up their boasting. MSU went to nationals last year, making them ranked No. 1 in the bracket going into this season. Hillsdale was at the bottom of the bracket.
“It really was a David and Goliath scenario,” said sophomore Jacob Beckwith, president of the Hillsdale club soccer team.
Schaller was the first player to score a goal.
“The first emotion I felt was surprise — it was a shot from pretty far out and it was really early on,” Schaller said. “Then, all I felt was massive excitement. Especially after the first goal, it started to become a lot more real.”
Beckwith said the team realized they could win the game when Schaller scored the first goal. Hughes put the Chargers up 2-0.
“It was a big upset going into halftime,” Hughes said. “We played a tight defense and held them off for the rest of the game.”
MSU was only able to score one goal in the final minutes of the second half.
“Jake Waldvogel, our goalkeeper, has done outstandingly,” Beckwith said. “He came in with confidence and poise at the beginning of the season and was a huge factor in our win for being consistent and making saves.”
Assistant coach Kyle Zimmer said the team stepped up and never stopped hustling.
“They never gave up, and they kept their heads in the game,” Zimmer said.
But even after an exhausting game on Saturday, the team’s weekend wasn’t over yet. They still had to make a quick turn around in order to finish off their double-header weekend and play against Ferris State, another one of the team’s rivals, on Sunday.
“It was hot and everyone was tired, so they had to dig deep and stay in the game mentally, requiring a high amount of discipline and focus,” Zimmer said.
According to Beckwith, the team’s strategy for playing in the game against Ferris was entirely different than the day before — this time it was a matter of constantly subbing players in and keeping guys running.
Zimmer said the team also did well with capitalizing on key moments.
“Jude Barton found himself with the ball outside the 18 and hit a laser into the net,” Zimmer said.
Despite the players’ fatigue, they managed to pull through with the second success of the weekend — a 1-0 win against Ferris State.
Zimmer said he’s excited to see how the team carries its determination and spirit into the rest of the season after this first weekend of successful games.
Beckwith attributes the team’s success to the fans who came to support it. He said it was the largest attendance he has ever seen at a club soccer event, and hearing everyone cheering is what gave the team the extra push to win.
Schaller and Zimmer both give credit to the team’s new head coach, Ethan Bodnar.
“This year, he brought calmness and leadership. He sets the right tone in practices and games and helps us focus in the time that we need to focus,” Schaller said. “With Ethan at the helm, that has really changed things.”
The Chargers will head to Kalamazoo, Michigan, to face the Western Michigan University Broncos Sept. 9, and then they will host the Oakland University Golden Grizzlies Sept. 16th.
“This team has got a lot of heart and they proved what they can do on the field this weekend,” Zimmer said.