Two goals in two minutes were enough to clinch a historic win for the University of North Carolina Wilmington men’s soccer team Thursday, Nov. 20, as it defeated the Bison of Bucknell University and earned the men’s soccer program its first NCAA win.
More than 2,000 fans packed the stands of the UNCW Soccer Stadium to watch the Seahawks host the first round of the NCAA Division 1 Men’s Soccer Championship.
“It’s such a pivotal night for us, to have a home game in the tournament,” head coach Aidan Heaney said. “The fans came out, the student body and the whole community, and the excitement you feel from the crowd [made it] a special night for us.”
The Seahawks, feeding off the crowd’s energy, immediately took control of the game with fast, aggressive soccer. The team attacked down the flanks, utilizing the speed of senior Jamie Dell, senior Colin Bonner and freshman Kalvin Kromer to penetrate behind the opponent’s defense.
The Seahawks took nine shots during the first half. The Bison had one shot, a lofted ball from Chris Thorsheim that sailed well over the crossbar. Despite the lopsided statistics, the teams entered halftime tied 0-0.
Heaney said he told his team to keep working and eventually the opportunities would produce goals.
“Just keep doing what you’re doing,” he said. “Don’t panic and don’t get uptight, and make sure we create enough chances. We deserve a goal, we’re going to get a goal.”
As the second half started, the Seahawks continued pushing relentlessly forward. Bonner hit the crossbar on a headed shot less than one minute into the second period.
In the 67th minute, junior defender Michael Mecham beat several players down the right side of the field and sent a pass to the feet of teammate Kromer. Kromer drilled the ball inside the far post from 15 yards out to put the Seahawks in front.
Just over one minute later, Bonner made a similar run down the left side of the field, beating his defender to the endline and laying the ball back to junior midfielder Daniel Escobar, who had just entered the game three minutes prior. Escobar fought off several Bucknell defenders and managed to slam a shot past the Bucknell goalkeeper for his first goal of the season.
“That kid has been through so much, injury-wise,” Heaney said, “and he comes on and scores the winning goal for us, so I was delighted for him.”
After Escobar’s goal, the Seahawks packed in defensively to hold the lead, while Bucknell pushed players forward in search of a goal. As the clock counted down, momentum shifted toward Bucknell. With the ball bouncing around dangerously near the Seahawks’ penalty area, the Bison had an opportunity to bring the game back within reach.
The rowdy home crowd felt the anxiety and took up the familiar cheer of “I believe that we will win!” With just seconds remaining, the cheer changed to “I believe that we have won!”
The final whistle sounded and the Seahawks celebrated their first NCAA victory in program history. Senior Jacob VanCompernolle said the team approached the uncharted territory of hosting an NCAA game with confidence due to a successful regular season in which the Seahawks were named Colonial Athletic Association co-champions.
“We expect a lot out of ourselves, the coaches expect a lot out of us,” VanCompernolle said. “We knew we were going to work hard and come out with a result and that’s what we did.”
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