As the weather cools down, Southwestern’s men’s soccer also comes to an end. In anticipation of homecoming weekend, the Pirates played against Millsaps College this past Friday and Rhodes College on Sunday. 

Before the game started, Southwestern took a moment to recognize the three seniors on the team: #5 Raghav Sharma, #9 Greyson Pinto, and #99 Scott Johnson. The seniors walked off to the sidelines to give flowers to their families while teammates and fans applauded their achievements. 

The game kicked off, and within the first minute of the first half, Pinto attempted to score a goal. The ball hit the crossbar and back into the field, but #21 Quinn MacLeod was there for the rebound and quickly put it into the back of the goal. The fans erupted into cheers, and MacLeod ran to the sidelines to celebrate with the team. 

However, it didn’t take long for the Lynx to respond. In the next minute, Lynx quickly gained possession of the ball. They quickly scored a goal with a header over the Pirates’ goalie. 

The game remained at one goal apiece for the next 35 minutes, both teams battling for possession of the game. Eventually, the Pirates get a corner kick, kicking it low to the ground to the players near the goalie. #2 Cooper Pero capitalized on the ball bounce and headed the ball into the goal, securing a second goal for the team. 

After halftime, the Lynx came back on the field looking to respond. However, the Pirates held their ground and defended their home turf. With one minute remaining of the second half, the Lynx looked for any opportunities to score and finish the game with a tie. However, the Pirates took control and headed the ball towards the Lynx’s goalie. #16 Grey Richards saw the opportunity to score and kicked the ball past the goalie. This ultimately sealed the Lynx’s fate, finishing the game 3-1. 

As the season comes to an end, the men’s soccer team made a statement in the SAA Conference. They broke the record for “Most Shutouts in Program History”, only allowing six goals all season! As of October 21, the Pirates are ranked #15 nationally by the United Soccer Coaches and #19 by NCAA DIII. Along with Trinity University, Berry College, Rhode College, and many others, they clinched a spot for the SAA Conference soccer tournament here at Southwestern on November 6-9. 

After this weekend, they’ve remained undefeated in the conference 6-0 (win-loss). The team looks to continue this winning streak against Trinity this Saturday, November 1.