Lucia Iandolo
Sophomores Joshua Bourdoulous and Emmett Enriquez keep Monarchs' physical play at arm's length. Enriquez netted the only goal of the game.
The Ithaca College men’s soccer team edged out the King’s College Monarchs Sept. 13 in a heated 1-0 contest. The matchup saw five yellow cards and plenty of physicality from start to finish. The Bombers have now won five consecutive games to open their season, a feat that has not been achieved by the program since 2007.
The Monarchs made the Bombers work early on the cloudy afternoon, with both sides matching each other’s high levels of energy. Despite the hard play all over the pitch, neither side was able to earn many touches in the opposing box.
Sophomore forward Emmett Enriquez earned a spot in the Bomber starting eleven for the second time this season. Enriquez made sure to take advantage of his time on the pitch, putting in important tackles and making threatening runs at any given chance.
Enriquez’s hard work began to pay off when graduate student midfielder Jack Longo rewarded one of his runs with a sneaky through ball. Enriquez attempted to evade Monarchs’ sophomore goalkeeper Ben Van Valkenburg with his first touch but was denied by Valkenburg’s outstretched fingertips.
Moments after the Bombers’ first chance, a lackluster clearance from the Monarchs put the team in a dangerous position once again. Longo, with the ball at his feet, played a quick one-two, moving the ball towards the top left side of the box.
As Longo received the returning pass, Enriquez made a sneaky run that slipped him behind the Monarchs’ defensive line, setting him up inside the box with only Valkenburg to beat. Enriquez made sure not to let this chance get away, as he smashed the ball into the roof of the net with power before running off to the corner to celebrate.
Enriquez was determined to get his name on the score sheet after missing his first chance.
“I was a little bit upset,” Enriquez said. “I stayed up top. … I knew I needed to put one in the back of the net.”
The Monarchs’ frustration began to build after the goal, committing more numbers forward and playing with a higher back line in an attempt to level the game at one goal each.
As more and more Bombers’ players rotated in and out of the game, the fresh legs were able to disassemble the opposing tactical changes. Head coach Gabe Kuhn explained his mindset when bringing many different players into the game.
“It’s just our wants and needs and what that player strength-wise gives us,” Kuhn said. “Energy, skill, … physicality. It just depends on the game.”
One of the Bombers’ key players off the bench was first-year defender Kloden Rapp.
Five minutes into the second half of play, a long-driven pass from inside the Bombers’ half floated through the air before being brought down on the top of the box by Rapp’s chest. As the ball bounced away towards the right side of the box, Rapp raced to beat the Monarchs’ goalkeeper to the play. Rapp’s off-balance shot made it past the goalkeeper, but didn’t have enough power to reach the back of the net before a Monarchs’ defender cleared the ball away.
Although Rapp was unable to find a goal, his high work rate off the bench helped propel the Bombers to finish out the 1-0 win.
“That’s the team vibe,” Rapp said. “Coach Kuhn instills that [working hard] in us every single day. … It’s all about getting out there and being a dog. That’s the team culture right there.”
Although scoring opportunities came rare in the second half, plenty of entertainment was provided through physical play that led to all five of the game’s yellow cards.
The first player to be booked was Monarchs’ first-year defender James Leonard. As the Bombers tried to mount an attack down the left side of the opposing half, Leonard abruptly ended it with a dangerously high studs-up tackle.
In the game’s final 10 minutes, the traveling Monarchs’ play was filled with more aggression, which earned them two more bookings. This did not faze the Bombers, who stayed disciplined until the final whistle, only receiving one yellow card on the afternoon.
The energy was high for the South Hill squad all game, from kick-off all the way to the post-game celebrations. Coach Kuhn encouraged the support of the Bombers to continue amid his team’s dominant stretch of success.
“Just keep showing up for us,” Kuhn said. “We hear you during games. … We love our fans.”
The Bombers look to ride the high of their five-game win streak into what will likely be their toughest matchup of the year, when they travel to face off against the Cortland Red Dragons at 7 p.m. Sept. 17 in Cortland.