The Bucks men’s soccer team has wrapped up its season with stand-out players and a steady 8-7-1 record.
Head Coach Justin Burroughs wants his team to become one of the top five teams in the league and to reach the Conference Championship in the near future.
The season started with injuries. “The first five games, we played five different goalkeepers,” Burroughs reflected. However, many of the student-athletes arose and stepped up in no time.
One of the players, David Samuel, took the lead in play time while covering the holes left by rotating goalkeepers.
Key players included Nick Raysky, who kept the energy up on the field while also “making an impact” alongside MVP Kane McDermott. It wasn’t just those two keeping the resolve up for Bucks, but also a few of their teammates.
The entire season, “Kaden Wexler, Brayden Otto, and Giovanni Pascale were there contributing,” Burroughs said.
At the end of the season, Bucks gained a set piece specialist, Owen Williams, who will be a potentially returning and exciting player to watch in the upcoming season. It’s not just him to watch out for; starting forwards Kaden Wexler and Giovanni Pascale, midfielders Aleksander Peyter, Co-Captain Daniel Fernandez and starting defender Gavin Eckenrode will all be inspiring potential returning players as well.
Burroughs was delighted to note that Billy Dayton, Bucks’ goalkeeper, is back in healthy shape after this season’s injuries and may return for the next season as well. Despite having to step out, Burroughs claimed “he showed so much promise.”
Burroughs hopes to “have commitments for a goalkeeper, defender, midfielder and forward who will challenge for starting positions.”
Burroughs said he wants to “add depth in every position and working hard to do it.” The coach also “wants to average a team GPA of 3.0 and have more players transfer out to 4-year schools to continue their playing or academic careers.”
As for what’s coming next for Bucks’ men’s soccer team, the head coach hopes for double-digit wins. After reaching the conference games, two more wins to add to the team’s record seems not so far out of reach.
Due to Bucks being a 2-year institution, it’s difficult to retain players and reach the end goals before their time at Bucks is up. However, it’s very important for the student-athletes to continue their academic journeys at 4-year institutions while still maintaining their interest in soccer.
As the next season approaches, make sure to look out for Bucks’ rival games against Manor College and Central Penn College, not just the big conference games. These teams always produce exciting games for the crowd, players and coaches alike.