By Assistant Editor-in-Chief Dylan Botelho

The Corsair’s Men’s Soccer team’s latest game started as the sun began to set, with a slight chill in the air and a bit of dew layered on the green turf of Cressy Field. Tonight’s game could have very easily been waged on the open seas of the 16th century, as the Corsairs faced the Mass Maritime Buccaneers. For as quick as the Buccaneers could even get their cannons up though, the Corsairs had already sunk their ship. The Corsairs were quicker, more skilled, and more precise than the Buccaneers in every movement.

Before halftime had even arrived, and the sun had even fully set, the Corsairs held a commanding 2-0 lead. Sophomore, Rony Morales, scored the first and game-winning goal on the night in the 18th minute of play and Freshman, Matthew Alvarez netted the Corsairs second goal of the night a mere seven minutes later when he scored on a through-ball pass from Morales. There was always a man at the ball, making a tackle, making a run, or getting open. The entire field was covered, with nowhere for the Buccaneers to go, and everywhere for the Corsairs to explore. That takeover even perpetuated into the stands. Despite having traveled well, the only audible sounds coming from the close-knit group of Buccaneers supporters were groans and puffs.

After a few minutes of this intense pressure, the Corsairs striked again. Corsair Senior, Junior Monteiro, received a pass despite pressure from a Buccaneer defender, brushing off his back and swung his body around to lay the ball off brilliantly with the back of his heel to Sophomore Rony Morales. With only the goal-keeper left to beat and still outside of the box, Morales took his strike at goal and added even more flair to the already jaw-dropping play by curving the ball around the diving keeper and into the back of the net. Morales’ score put the Corsairs up 3-0 on the night, with another nine minutes still remaining in the first half.

The Buccaneers returned to the field like a crew lost at sea. Their ship had been completely sunk in the first half, and now the crew was hanging on for dear life. The Corsairs continued their plundering, however sparing the Buccaneers in route to an eventual 4-0 victory. The Corsairs maintained dominance in the second half but this time only tallied a single goal. The nail in the coffin came early for the Corsairs, with Monteiro taking advantage of Buccaneer faults in front of goal only eight minutes into the second half.

This dominate win was the first of the Corsairs season. Propelled by the momentum of the win, the Corsairs have gone on to win their next two games, starting the season with a strong 3-1 record before stepping into conference play.