Illustration: Hobart and William Smith Colleges.
Earlier this month, Northwood soccer traveled to Geneva, New York, to visit and play at the prestigious Hobart & William Smith Colleges. It had been seven years since the program had last been to Hobart, so the players had to rely on what the coaches told them to prepare for the trip. Coach Jon Moodey spoke highly of the campus and coaching staff, which had the players excited for the journey. “Coach Griffin and his staff have a special program and special facilities over there; they are heavy on culture and have built something quite remarkable.” The drive was treacherous on icy highways, but after a quick dinner stop, the 5-hour ride was complete.
The next morning, the boys took a quick walk to the campus of Hobart & William Smith, where Coach Griffin led the team on a tour of the stellar campus and facilities. He even took the time to give the team a nice talk about the program’s culture and why they are so successful. After the tour, it was game time; the games were held in Hobart’s full-sized indoor dome, and both coaches and fans packed the sidelines. The showcase started well with the U19s grabbing an emphatic win before the U17s unfortunately fell in a tight clash that night.
Sunday morning rolled around, and things started to heat up. Both teams had two games on the day against outstanding opponents, so the day was definitely not going to be a cakewalk. Sunday started with a solid performance from the U17s, who were unlucky to only get a tie in their match. The U19s, however, didn’t leave any room for error and beat St. Andrews College firmly, with a shutout to boast. The toughest match, however, was yet to come; both teams’ final match was against Vaughan, a formidable opponent from the Ontario region of Canada. The U17s took the lead early on a goal from Samuel Andoh ’28 before Vaughan snuck in an untimely equalizer with minutes left to play. The match finished 1-1, but the U17s thoroughly outplayed their opponents. The U19s match was the final game of the weekend for the Huskies, and it didn’t exactly go to plan, despite jumping out to a one-goal lead from William German ’27. The Huskies ultimately fell 2-1, despite 2 penalty saves from goalkeeper Gavin Kruger ’26.
So, while it was a good performance overall, the U19 team left with a bitter taste after being defeated for the second time this year, and the first time since October. Despite this, however, it was a good first weekend back and is definitely something the program can build on. The Huskies are hoping to carry their momentum into this weekend’s tournament, the Best of East Cup in Delaware. This is a tournament featuring only the very best teams from the East Coast, so it should be a good way for the Huskies to test their mettle as they head into the most challenging stretch of the season.
