Action: RIT's Allen Nicholson, 15, and Hamilton College's Jonathan Sanford fight for possession.
Kelsey Evans

On a cool and drizzly Saturday afternoon, the RIT men’s soccer team suited up to play the nationally-ranked Hamilton Continentals, a team that was the champion of the Liberty League and attended the NCAA national tournament in 2007. Despite the rain, the men were ready to play as a team from the first kick-off up until the last buzzer.

Neither team scored in the first half, though each team made some excellent saves. Freshman Computer Science major Todd Gaulocher scored with 39 minutes left in the second half off of a headed ball from teammate and freshman Criminal Justice major Bobby Bullard for the first point of the game. Five minutes later, Hamilton countered with an unassisted goal from Paul Moakler despite a great save on the first attempt from RIT goalkeeper and co-captain Alan Smith, a senior Electrical Engineering major. The score was now tied at 1-1. Despite several counter-attempts made by the RIT team, Hamilton broke the tie game with 25:30 left on the clock and a goal by Frank Campagnano.

Though they may not have emerged victorious from the matchup, the RIT men’s soccer team played the game with true sportsmanship, teamwork, and heart. Hamilton had 15 fouls as a team and earned 2 starting lineup players yellow cards. By contrast, RIT had only 11 team fouls and did not garner a single player warning.

Teamwork and respect are clearly the foundation of the team’s dynamics. Sophomore Graphic Media Marketing major Gonzi Ciurlizza put it best: “We have spirit both on and off the field. All the guys get along well.” When asked which teammates that have stepped up thus far, Smith immediately selected co-captain Bret Dietz, a sophomore Civil Engineering major, as “a standout player because of his toughness” in addition to “his [willingness] to play any position.” Junior New Media major Jeff Diaz was also said to be an effective leader on the field due to his incredible work ethic and ability to inspire his teammates to continually work harder, as was Sophomore Finance major David Vogt. “[They are] always fearless leaders.” Smith remarked, “[It’s] great to practice with them every day.”

Many newcomers to the team have also risen to the occasion as the team has faced an unfortunate string of injuries in the past few weeks. “Bullard has definitely made a quick impact to our team,” said Smith. “He works incredibly hard.” Still on the mend from an injury himself, senior Mechanical Engineering major Bruno Coelho has noticed several freshmen, “such as Ryan [Giust, New Media Marketing Major]... and Todd [Gaulocher],” who have also stepped into major roles in game play and excelled.