In their last three games, Occidental men’s soccer lost to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CMS), tied Caltech and tied CMS, bringing its overall record to 8-2-5. The Tigers have faced adversity as they have neared the end of the season but are still holding onto hope before the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) tournament in November.
Tyler Na-Nakornpanom (junior), who plays forward, said this season has been a rollercoaster of emotions.
“This seems to happen every year, where we hit the wall at any point in the season. This one is coming a little later. But we tend to work through it,” Na-Nakornpanom said.
Head coach Rod Lafaurie said this season has not been under clear skies.
“We’ve had to deal with a lot off the field and a lot of injuries as well. There’s been a lot of challenges, but I am still pleased with the quality of the work and the ability of these guys. We still have a chance to hit all our goals, and that’s important,” Lafaurie said.
According to Lafaurie, the current team is relatively new despite the fact that only five players from last season graduated.
“We’ve had some season-long injuries with guys that we expected to be part of the team that just can’t be because of injuries. So, we’ve had a lot of first-years, and it’s almost been a new team,” Lafaurie said.
Last season the Tigers scored 40 goals and allowed 15. This year, as of the game against CMS Oct. 23, the Tigers have scored 36 goals and conceded 19 goals. According to Lafaurie, there have been big changes in the defensive lineup this season, which he said have likely contributed to the team allowing more goals.
“I think there were some parts with poor decision-making and things like that, but it’s also been a fairly new defending group. So, I think that’s to be expected,” Lafaurie said.
Diego Cavalie (sophomore) who plays attacking midfielder said last years backline consisted mostly of seniors who had more experience, which is the main difference from last year’s squad.
“In specific moments, lack of experience could potentially lead to mistakes. And I feel like that’s just something that is lacking right now because the quality of players that we have is phenomenal,” Cavalie said.
Na-Nakornpanom said the team has a very good chance of breaking last year’s goal-scoring record.
“Our offense is always good. We have a lot of firepower. We have a very deep bench. When it comes to attacking players, we have a lot of players that can play different positions,” Na-Nakornpanom said.
Occidental men’s soccer was ranked 14th nationally at the end of last season after the Tigers achieved their first-ever SCIAC championship title in school history. Lafaurie said that it is more about the process as opposed to the outcome — the team just needs to focus on what they need to do every day.
“I think for us, the focus is just on our work in games and training and doing the best we can,” Lafaurie said. “Then, hopefully at the end, we’re finished number one.”
According to Lafaurie, motivation and confidence are important for putting the players in situations where they can succeed.
“We do a lot of things off the field. We have team dinners and mentors,” Lafaurie said. “I think the guys are really good about being positive and helping each other. We try to stress being positive as much as possible.”
Na-Nakornpanom said that building special bonds with teammates is the most important thing for him as a player. He said that the relationships from four years of playing soccer here will last forever.
Cavalie also said that making a positive difference, such as being a good influence on his teammates, is very important for him.
“I feel like being a part of the men’s soccer team is a lot more than just being a part of the collegiate team in general, because the team is more like a family,” Cavalie said. “We care a lot for each other, and I want to show how much I care about [them] in any way I can.”
Contact Aung Myat Htet at ahtet@oxy.edu
