Connecticut College men鈥檚 soccer is trying to win a conference championship
NEW LONDON, Conn. — Connecticut College鈥檚 men’s soccer team will host the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) finals for the first time in their school鈥檚 history.
After their victory over Williams in the quarterfinals, the Connecticut College Camels sealed their chance to host the NESCAC conference championship this weekend. They finished their season in first place, which was also a first for the program in their history.
Head coach of the Camels, Reuben Burk, explained that hosting the NESCAC tournament for the first time is, 鈥渋ncredibly exciting…even more so considering last year there was no NESCAC competition. To be back playing and getting to host the championship makes us feel even more fortunate.鈥�
The first match of this weekend is scheduled for 11 a.m. ET on Saturday Nov. 6 between Middlebury and Tufts. The Camels will battle with Colby with kickoff at 1:30 p.m. following the first game, and the winners of both of those contests will advance to the finals on Sunday Nov. 7 with kickoff at noon.
There is a foreseeable chance that Connecticut College will qualify for the NCAA tournament without clinching the automatic bid guaranteed with a NESCAC title. The team currently sits at sixth in the national rankings. The Camels had their most remarkable season since 2019 where they made it as far as the 鈥淓lite Eight鈥� in coach Reuben Burk鈥檚 first year as head of the program.
Burk joined the program as a coach in 2018, and since taking the reins as head of the program, he has earned 26 victories in 36 games. When asked about his program earlier this year, coach Burk was quick to identify the style of play his team brings to the pitch as, 鈥渄ifferent than most in the conference. We try to defend by having the ball.鈥�
The Camels have been able to defend the ball extremely well all season allowing only 11 goals in total. They also dominate the pitch at home with a 5-1 record. Their only loss at home came against Amherst who has since been eliminated in the quarterfinals.
Coming off of a five-game regular season winning streak, the Camels are objectively red hot. Their keeper between the pipes, Sam Maidenberg, shut out each team that qualified for the semifinals in their matchups during the regular season.
The Camels feature a program that has talent amongst all classes. Leading scorers on the team are two sophomores, Rye Jaran and Jake Gehron, who both recorded 5 goals during the regular season. Junior goalkeeper, Sam Maidenberg, has also had a stellar season with 58 saves and nine goals against in his 14 games played.
When asked about his keeper, Coach Burk stated that Maidenberg has, 鈥渋ncredibly calm and calculated ball control…he allows us to build out of the back, which not many NESCAC teams do. He鈥檚 been tremendous this season.鈥�
Maidenberg had enormous shoes to fill after AJ Marcucci graduated. Marcucci was between the pipes for the Camels for his entire collegiate career, and now plays for the New York Redbulls in the MLS. Despite the huge shadow Marcucci left, Maidenberg has shined and stolen the spotlight for now with his remarkable play.
The Camels will be playing in the hopes of obtaining their first ever NESCAC title this weekend. Winning the championship automatically guarantees a spot in the NCAA playoffs for that team. It is likely that many of these sides will be playing for a national championship from the NESCAC conference regardless of the results on Sunday.
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