After a dismal 1-14-1 showing last season, second year head coach Joseph Campbell and the Mount Ida College men’s soccer team have gone from a mere blip on the screen to a quality contender in one year’s time finishing the 2011 regular season with a notable 7-9-1 overall record.
Campbell and the Mustangs have proven to a doubtful audience that this season, they mean business heading into their first ever appearance in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) post-season tournament since joining the GNAC five seasons ago.
“We are obviously delighted to reach a quarterfinal game,” said head coach Campbell. “Especially after last year; the guys have worked tremendously hard and deserve a lot of credit.”
The Mustangs captured a momentum driven victory over their league cross town rival Lasell College back on October 10, 2011 at Mount Ida Athletic Stadium in an exciting 3-2 victory. In the 80th minute of play, Mount Ida men's soccer sophomore forward Steven MacDonald (Medford, MA/Arlington Catholic) converted his second goal of the game to break a stalemate at 2-2 on a head ball into a wide open net for the win (3-2).
The Mustangs, who hadn’t beaten the Lasers since the North Atlantic Conference (NAC) championship in 2005 winning 4-3 in penalty kicks, went an impressive 4-1-1 in the month of October. Their only loss during the six-game stretch was against Albertus Magnus College.
Along with their victory over the Lasers, Mount Ida snatched four total league wins over Lasell College, Anna Maria College, Rivier College, and a wild finish against Emmanuel College.
Mount Ida fought back from a three goal deficit in the second half to defeat the Saints, 4-3, in overtime back on September 24, 2011. After the three-goal rally, Mount Ida junior Ryan Richardson (Winfield, KS/Winfield) ricocheted a shot off the far Saints' post with two seconds remaining in overtime to win it for the Mustangs.
In the last game of the regular season, Mount Ida men’s soccer hosting a New England powerhouse in visiting non-league Roger Williams University. The Mustangs held the lead twice during the contest going shot-for-shot with the Hawks falling just short in the end 4-3 for a big confidence builder against a very good opponent.
“Albertus is a very talented team, having gone unbeaten in the conference, so this will be a very tough task for our very young, inexperienced team,” said Campbell.
GNAC quarterfinal action will kick-off for the Mustangs this Sunday in New Haven, Connecticut with game time slated for 1:00 p.m.
TRAVELING TO THE GAME? DIRECTIONS TO ALBERTUS MAGNUS COLLEGE HERE