By Cameron Day
As the first day of fall hits, excitement starts to rise for all fall athletes at Hood College.
The men’s soccer team kicked off its season with a 1-0 win at Eastern Mennonite University on Sept. 1.
The team is looking o have a successful year, following a record of 8-9-1 in its 2021 campaign.
Head Coach Kyle Bulgarelli is in his first year at the helm. “Last year we were a really young team, 19 first-year student-athletes, so I think the experience of having a year of college under their belt can really help us get back to a winning season,” Bulgarelli said. “We added some new faces and I was able to meet with our upperclassmen in the offseason… I am really excited for the potential our team has this season.”
Although the Blazers finished one game under .500 last year, they lost five of their nine games by one goal. They also had one draw contribute to their record. They were nonetheless competitive with such a young group, according to Bulgarelli. The team graduated three seniors last year, and now new senior leadership takes over.
“We are excited to have our seniors, Paul Hagen, Preston Harford, and Aiden Hudon back for one more year,” Bulgarelli said. “They have been big in getting the younger players introduced to collegiate soccer and setting the tone for the season.”
The new leadership roles being taken allow room for more youth on the team, such as the freshmen and transfers who were brought in over the offseason.
“Evan Babulski is a transfer student that did well in the spring season for us and we hope can contribute to our success,” Bulgarelli said. “We brought in a good group of first-year student-athletes that have all impressed during preseason and should be impactful throughout the season.”
The transition to college athletics can be a big jump, and it takes some students longer to adjust, but that is all a part of the process. That is where veteran leadership steps in to get everyone comfortable.
“The transition from high school and club soccer to college soccer is always different for each student-athlete, but we are really happy with the progress our first-year players have made so far,” Bulgarelli said.
Bulgarelli said his goal is a championship, but it’s a process to get the team there.
“That is always the plan, but we are a young group and we are going to take it one training session and one game at a time,” Bulgarelli said. “If we start to string some good results together, this team has the potential to be very successful.”
As the fall sports season begins, there is some very high praise for the young— but established—
men’s soccer team at Hood College. It is a team that will only benefit off the energy on campus.
Be the first to comment