Despite a three-game stalemate to capture its first conference victory, the Plattsburgh State men’s soccer team was able to triumph over Oswego, who is currently ranked ninth in the SUNYAC conference.
The struggle to obtain a conference win began when the Cards faced off against SUNY Potsdam. After a hard-fought battle, which took both teams to double overtime, PSUC was only able to come away with a draw against Potsdam. Nevertheless, they looked forward to having another conference opportunity against Cortland. Head coach Waterbury described Cortland as the team to beat this year, and expressed the team’s excitement to put the team to the test against the Red Dragons.
“We knew they were going to be desperate for a win.” Waterbury said. “Teams will change over the years, but Cortland has managed to stay consistent.”
Due to Waterbury’s immense experience with the SUNYAC Conference, he was able to prepare his team both mentally and physically for the competition that would lie ahead. The upperclassmen understood that it was their responsibility to step up the intensity in practices, and the maturity of the underclassmen was a crucial factor in preparing for the eight-game SUNYAC portion of the season.
“It’s going to be a real challenge for us,” senior goalkeeper Mitchell Jordon said, “but I know the whole team’s up for it.”
The patience and intensity of the Cards eventually paid off when they were finally able to capture their first conference victory against New Paltz this weekend. Although the team had not experienced a loss, they were still upset with the fact that they could not get a win.
“It was just a hard time,” junior forward Chris Bowden said. “It’s hard to go without a win for that long.”
That statement alone defines the hunger that has lived in the Cards locker room. The team has collectively come together with the united purpose of winning their unbelievably competitive conference.
“Conference is strong top to bottom,” Waterbury said. “Not a lot of games are going to be blowouts and that has to light a fire under our guys.”
Looking forward, the Cards have six games in a row where they will test themselves against the SUNYAC conference. With the best overall record of 9-1-2, it appears the Cards seem like they will have a great set up for the playoffs this year. However, Waterbury knows to never take anything for granted in this conference.”
“Nothing is by no means ever set in stone,” Waterbury said. “Anything is possible.”
Email Kevin Morley at kevin.morley@cardinalpointsonline.com
