Mens Soccer Wins NESCAC Championship

Men’s Soccer wins NESCAC Championship

The sixth-seeded Connecticut College Men’s Soccer team claimed its first-ever conference title on Sunday afternoon, knocking off second-seeded Middlebury College 3-1 in the championship match of the 2024 NESCAC Men’s Soccer Championship at South Street Field.

The Camels never trailed in the contest, scoring once in the first half and twice in the second. Marco Perugini ’27 (Medway, Mass.), Gavin Vanden Berg ’26 (Lake Forest Park, Wash.) and Elliot Spatz ’26 (Bellevue, Wash.) provided goals in the contest, and goalkeeper Peter Silvester ’25 (Smiths Parish, Bermuda) made the margin stand with seven saves.

The NESCAC title is just the second in school history for a team sport, and the first by a men’s program. The Camels women’s soccer team also achieved the feat in 2014.

The Camels have earned the league’s automatic bid for the 2024 NCAA Men’s Soccer Championship. The entire Division III field was announced on NCAA.com on Monday, Nov. 11. Conn will host three opening round games this weekend on Freeman Field. The Camels (10-2-6) will take on Suffolk University (10-6-2) at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 16. Franklin & Marshall (9-2-7) will then play Western Connecticut State University (15-4-3) at 1:30 p.m. The winners of each game will square off in second-round action at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 17. (More information here.)

Middlebury, the No. 3-ranked team in the country, entered the day as one of five unbeaten teams in Division III. The Camels tamped down the NESCAC’s top-scoring team with a sturdy defensive effort, holding the Panthers well below their season average of 2.53 goals per game.

Perugini put Conn on the scoreboard in the 22nd minute with his third tally of the season. After the Camels forced a turnover at midfield, Perugini took possession on the sideline in front of his team bench and weaved through the Middlebury defense. He got to the top of the 18-yard box before unleashing a shot inside the left post to give the visitors an early 1-0 advantage.

The Panthers equalized off a corner kick just over five minutes later. Colin Dugan served a ball into the box for Ari Klayman, who directed a header into the back of the net.

The Camels celebrate moments after the final whistle.

Middlebury continued to put pressure on Conn's defense for the remainder of the half. In the 32nd minute, Silvester turned away a pair of shots on the same sequence to keep the score even. The first attempt by Kyle Nilsson came from well outside the box, followed by a strike from Hugo Horwitz at the top of the six-yard area. Silvester stopped both shots and quickly punched away the loose ball to deny another chance.

The Panthers generated another scoring chance in the 36th minute, but a header by Nilsson clanged off the crossbar. The teams went into the halftime intermission tied at 1-1, with both sides producing nine shots apiece over the first 45 minutes.

The Camels took the lead in the 55th minute on a sequence that began with a throw-in from the far sideline. On a second ball, Charlie Miles ’27 (Tarrytown, N.Y.) put a header on frame that was cleared off the goal line by a Middlebury defender. However, the ball stayed inbounds at the near sideline, where it was corralled by Sam Boehm ’25 (Lexington, Mass.) and masterfully played back into the box. This time it was Vanden Berg who got a head on the ball, depositing the go-ahead goal inside the near post for his second marker of the season.

Silvester made three saves over the next 21 minutes of game time as Middlebury pressed for the equalizer. In the 76th minute, he made a sprawling stop on a screamer by Horwitz from outside the box, leaving the net open for a potential attempt on the rebound. However, Dugan sailed his attempt over the top of the crossbar, wasting a golden chance for the Panthers to even the score.

Conn capitalized on its good fortune moments later, as Jake Creus ’25 (Rye, N.Y.) forced a turnover at midfield that was picked up by Spatz. He juked past two defenders on his way to ripping a shot from the top of the box to make it a 3-1 game. The goal—his second of the season—put the Camels in control for the final 13:45, and marked the first time all season that Middlebury had surrendered three goals in a game.

The Camels, making their third NESCAC finals appearance in the last four years, improved to 10-2-6 on the season. Prior to the decisive 3-1 win in the title game, Conn advanced through the tournament with a penalty kick win over No. 3-seeded Amherst College in the quarterfinals, and a 2-1 victory over No. 4-seeded Williams College in the semifinals.