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11/01/2020 11:00 PMThe Old Saybrook boys’ soccer team has put together a solid season this year through challenging circumstances. Head Coach Steve Waters has helped lead the Rams to a strong record this season that improved to 7-2 after victories over Westbrook and North Branford this week. As the regular season draws to a close, Coach Waters and company are looking to make a strong push into the Shoreline Conference Tournament.
This is Coach Waters’s first season as head coach of the Rams after serving as assistant coach for Sam Barnes last year. After Old Saybrook claimed Shoreline Conference and Class S State titles last year with a senior-laden squad, it wouldn’t have been a big surprise if the Rams had a let down this season, especially with a new head coach. This campaign has been anything but, and Coach Waters sees his squad competing with the class of the conference.
“We’re all right up there. We played our toughest games in the front half of the season. Valley, Morgan, Cromwell and Old Lyme have their toughest games coming up,” said Waters. “We’re finishing up with Cromwell. The top three or four teams, it’s tough to say where it’s going to end up, but we’re working it the best we can.”
This past week, the Rams showed how potent they can be on offense scoring 14 goals in just two games. Old Saybrook started with a home game against Westbrook on Oct. 27 and grabbed a 4-1 victory over the Knights. Three days later, the Rams shutout North Branford in a 10-0 home win.
Against Westbrook, the Rams came out a bit flat, and the offense had a hard time getting going. Junior forward Nick Rothman scored the first goal of the game, but Westbrook would tie that score on a goal from Noslin Antunez to make it 1-1 at halftime. In the second half, Rothman added two more goals to secure the hat trick and Bradley Kulmann also added a goal for the 4-1 final.
Rothman has come into his own playing forward for Old Saybrook, according to Coach Waters. Flanked by Cam DeAngelo, the two attackers have shown some solid play this year. Unfortunately, DeAngelo was sidelined this past week or perhaps the Old Saybrook could have scored more.
“It’s happening more from the forwards. Nick Rothman and Cam DeAngelo. Nick is a junior. Nick has found his niche in attacking the goal. He’s got nine or 10 goals for us right now. He’s effectively attacking the goal,” said Waters. “He’s really stepped up since Cam had to take a break. Cam is a quiet assassin up there. He does a lot in the attacking third to frustrate defenders.”
In the Rams’ 10-0 win against North Branford, Coach Waters wanted to be sure the slow start from the Westbrook game didn’t happen against the Thunderbirds.
“Our first half against Westbrook was a little bit lackluster. We weren’t warmed up properly. So we weren’t there physically, mentally, or emotionally. Sometimes you have to let the team do that though. You have to give the opportunity for the guys to learn that lesson. The second half was better,” Waters said. “We talked about that before the North Branford game. We warmed up in a more professional manner against North Branford, and we scored three goals in the first 15 minutes of the game. There’s a lot to be said about the team warm up.”
Senior captains Carter Gibson and Gannon Efinger led the Rams in scoring with two goals apiece in the victory over the Thunderbirds. Senior captain goalie Matt Rothmanwas also able to get into the score sheet with a goal. Nick Rothman, sophomore Michael Kapij, sophomore Bradley Kulmann, senior Zach Coty, and freshman Kevin DeCapua also added goals in the games. Old Saybrook played three different goalkeepers between Matt Rothman, senior Will Peralta, and Ryan Slisz.
Gibson had a big game, and Coach Waters thought it was good for him to get some goals in return for all the work that he’s put in at practice. Fellow captain Matt Rothman has had a solid season in net, allowing very few goals this year.
“Carter is more of a quiet leader through his effort and work on the field. His effectiveness in terms of his individual play helps lead the team. His work ethic shows the rest of the team the way to go about their business,” Waters said. “Matt has two goals scored against him in seven games that he’s been in the net. He’s definitely hard to score on. He played really well against Portland earlier in the year when we won 3-0, and Portland is much better than their record indicates.”
The Rams’ midfield has also been effective this year with players like Efinger, and sophomores Ryan Stratton, Kulmann, and Kapij. Waters is familiar with the play of those sophomores from coaching them as JV players last season.
“All those guys played for me last year as the JV coach. I was looking at them as contributors as sophomores this year,” Waters said. “We had so many seniors last year, and we knew that we were losing a whole bunch. They’ve been great.”
As for the defense, the Rams have gotten steady contributions from several players. Like senior Gershon Jara and junior Nick Scalzo, along with support from seniors Seth Adams and Zach Coty.
“Jara and Scalzo have been the two mainstays in the center of the field,” Waters said. “Seth Adams on the right, and on the left has been a player that has improved every single day, Zach Coty. They’ve done a phenomenal job”
The Shoreline Conference Tournament is looming, and the Rams are in a good position to among the top teams in the conference. That would allow the Rams a bye in the first round of the tourney. Whatever happens, Coach Waters admires the way the league has handled playing during a pandemic.
“The plan is all 12 teams make the playoffs. The No. 1 through No. 4 seeds have the bye, and No. 5 through No. 12 have to play a first round matchup,” Waters said. “They want to make it so that everyone gets the one more game than the 11 regular season games. We’re looking okay in our conference. I think we’re doing well. The Shoreline did a great job with the logistics and the size of the conference made it more manageable than a lot of the other conferences.”