By John Niswander
Elm Staff Writer
The Shoremen concluded their most successful season since 2000 with a 10-7-2 record last week after going 1-1 in the Centennial Conference Tournament. It was the first time ever Washington College has qualified to compete in the tournament.
The Shoremen finished fourth in the conference with a record of 5-2-2. This meant WC got to host the fifth seeded Dickinson Red Devils in the first round for a spot in the semi-finals. In front of a packed crowd of WC faithful, the home team delivered with a shutout 1-0 victory. The attendance at the game was roughly 700, one of the highest in the history of Centennial Conference Tournament play.
“The atmosphere was awesome. Credit to all the supporters, who came out to watch the game. It felt great that we could pull out a victory for all of our supporters but especially for all of our parents and alumni who have been at our games all year,” said senior Dima Kaliakin.
WC’s only goal came early in the second half off of a shot from senior Cole Strong. Strong was injured in the regular season meeting with Dickinson, and had to exit early with an ankle injury. This time, he made sure his presence was felt.
“At first, I didn’t think my shot was going in, and then I realized it had a chance. It was such an amazing feeling seeing the ball go into the net,” he said.
One goal was enough for WC to seal the victory in in front of an electrifying home crowd.
“The atmosphere in our stadium last night was incredible. We had a great turnout and it really energized us. The home field advantage really made a difference,” said Strong.
The Shoremen did find comfort at home this season as they won their last seven games at Roy Kirby Jr. Stadium after starting the season 0-3.
“It was nice to have a home playoff game and develop our fan base. Our last two home games were well attended,” said Head Coach Roy Dunshee.
Unfortunately for WC, this would be their final game at home. The tournament would conclude with the Shoremen playing the semi and potential final at Haverford. Haverford finished with the best record in the conference (8-1), and got to host the rest of the tournament at their home field.
The game was an intense effort by both WC and Haverford. The Shoremen showed the grit and fighting spirit they have played with all season to fight until the very last minute.
WC carried a 1-0 lead into half as freshman Griffin Bull chipped a ball from 20 yards out over the keeper’s head into the upper right corner of the goal.
Early in the second half, Bull picked up his second yellow card of the game which forced WC to finish the game playing a man down. With about 30 minutes remaining and WC still clinging to the one goal lead, starting goalkeeper Josh Samuels had to sub out due to injury. Freshman goalie, Jonathan Luciani, was inserted in Samuels place and provided some late key saves keeping WC in the game.
The relentless pressure from the Fords was rewarded when they tied the score at 1-1 with just under 20 minutes left. The atmosphere was incredible as fans from both schools were on their feet the majority of the second half.
Ninety minutes wasn’t enough to break the tie, the game was headed to overtime. WC conceded a goal five minutes into the first overtime period and in the blink of an eye, their season came to a heartbreaking finish.
The tough loss shouldn’t by any means overshadow what this team accomplished this season.
“This season will help us develop a fan base for the future as well as bring in good players in the next few years,” said Dunshee.
It is always tough to swallow a loss in the playoffs, but the seniors on this time have an abundance to be proud of and set the foundation for continued success in years to come for this program.