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FTC MEN’S SOCCER ROAD TO NATIONALS
By Sydney Mountain
A dream that started in August is about to begin for the Five Towns College Men’s Soccer team. Today at 10 am, the team will depart campus and embark on their journey to the National Championship Tournament in Virginia Beach, Virginia. With the tournament being a FIFA style of play, the Sound will compete in two pool games against Penn State Beaver and Central Maine. If they come out number one in the pool play, they will get a chance on Monday, November 15th, to compete for a national championship.
The regular season was one for the memory books. After a win against Albany Pharmacy to open the season (5-1) and a painful loss to Merchant Marine (7-1), the Sound went on a 12-game winning streak. They had notable wins coming from their games against SUNY Maritime, the first NCAA opponent the Sound had beaten (2-0), and Berkeley NJ (3-2) because they were competing for the number one spot in the country for the USCAA.
Since the team’s inaugural season in 2019, this is only the second season that the athletes have been able to compete due to the pandemic. However, the Sound men’s soccer program has accomplished a lot of achievements in this short time- defeating their first NCAA opponent, going undefeated in conference play, becoming the number one team in the country, and on Halloween weekend, becoming the HVIAC conference champions. “Obviously, anytime you bring home a championship, it’s something that’s special. It is life-changing. So, it’s very exciting,” says head coach Jason Fiscina.
During the HVIAC Conference Championship tournament, the Sound faced King’s College in the semis. The Sound came out on top 9-1 after a very physical game. The scoring from the Sound came from Angel Chavez, who scored three goals; Andre Hickling, who scored one goal, Brian Solano, who scored one goal; Bassm Ismail, who scored two goals; Juan Lopez, who scored one goal, and Adrian Wong who scored one goal. Another noticeable player from the game was Anthony Campos, who totaled three assists, assisting Angel Chavez, Bassm Ismail, and Juan Lopez.
After advancing to the finals, the Sound faced off against the tournament host, Word of Life. After a nerve-racking first half, only being up by one after a goal by forward Joel Funez, the team kicked it into second gear and ended up winning with a score of 4-1, with the two goals coming from Angel Chavez and another goal from Funez. “Well, they were definitely ready for it. They deserved it. I’m very happy for Coach Fiscina along with all of our staff that helped get this ready,” said Athletic Director Matt Guercio.
The Sound plays on Friday, November 12th at 4:45 pm in opening pool play against Penn State Beaver. After that game, the Sound play will play on Saturday, November 13th at 4:45 pm against Central Maine.
