In the end, the only way to get past the 2020-21 Southwestern men's soccer team—one of the stingiest defenses in Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) history—was to remove the team aspect of the game.
That's how Centenary ended Southwestern men's soccer's first undefeated season, with both teams battling to a scoreless draw through two overtimes and the Gents advancing to the SCAC championship via one-on-one penalty kick shootouts.
"This season, we found out the talented group we brought in the last two years can endure a lot of difficulties and still find a way to compete, win games, and keep the ball out of the net," Southwestern Head Men's Soccer Coach Dustin Norman says. "Ultimately, it's about competing for championships. While we didn't achieve that goal this season, we took a lot of steps in the right direction."
In the beginning, before the season, there was a lot of optimism about one of the youngest rosters in the conference. However, there were also many questions about a team ready to start eight first-year students at any given time.
"With that young of a team, I was nervous going into the season," senior team captain Garrison Van Houten admits. "But after a few practices, I saw they had this desire to win. They were certainly a different group of freshmen than when my class came in."
Van Houten came to Southwestern the year before Norman took over the program, and the difference, he says, is like night and day.
"Freshman year, it felt like the team's atmosphere was more like pickup soccer or a club setting," Van Houten says. "After getting Coach Norman, it became more professional, more intense. He came in and changed our mindset to expect conference finals and making the national tournament."
The players that Norman and assistant coach Marco Carvalho have brought in have meshed perfectly with those expectations.
"Coach Norman is a very demanding coach, which I appreciate because it leads to me being a better soccer player," freshman forward Nathaniel Blake explains. "He holds us to a high standard, and we don't want to let him down."
Though COVID restrictions were a hindrance to teams everywhere, the men's soccer team used it as an opportunity to get its underclassmen up to speed.
"In some ways, it was better than a normal year because we got to ease into college not playing the first semester," Blake says. "Everyone got acquainted, and we were much more of a group, and it showed on the field."
In the freshman class, Van Houten found kindred spirits, competitively speaking. Freshman Reagan Fortner quickly made one of the defensive positions his own, starting from opening day and playing nearly every minute. He and Van Houten quickly earned mutual admiration.
"He's not afraid to open his mouth, which I love about him. He has a chip on his shoulder, which I like," Van Houten says. "He's aggressive, athletic, and maybe the fastest guy on the team."
One day after practice, Van Houten overheard Fortner bragging about how many pushups he could do.
"We were doing cooling down band exercises, and when I heard him, I butted in to say I could do more," Van Houten recalls. "Coach stopped the cooldown immediately, and we had a pushup competition. I mopped the floor with him. But it was a healthy competition. Great for the team."
As confident as the team was and as close as they had bonded, there was still some uncertainty heading into the season opener against Texas Lutheran and the best offensive player in the conference, Luis Green.
"As a coach, you're a little nervous starting such a young group, especially on the defensive backline," Norman says. "As you can see from our scores this season, one goal can win you a game. Luis Green set a standard of excellence for scoring goals in the conference. He's one of the best players in the country. If you play him enough times, he's going to get his chances, but if we can shut him down, we can handle any attacking output someone can throw at us."
Southwestern and Texas Lutheran split two games the previous season, with each team winning on their home field. The Pirates won 2-1 in overtime in the first meeting, and the Bulldogs scored a 3-0 victory in the second meeting, led by Green's two goals.
"Going into the game, I wasn't too confident because of the previous year's experience. Luis Green is a fantastic player, and I was nervous about coming into that game with a backline of two freshmen and me," Van Houten says, sharing his feelings before Southwestern shutout Green and Texas Lutheran for a 1-0 victory. "After coming away with the win, it changed my perspective and the morale of the team. We were hungry for more wins."
Van Houten, Fortner, and a combination of freshman Eric Jorgensen and junior Scott Wilson manned the defensive backfield of a defense that surrendered only three goals all season, earning Van Houten and Fortner All-SCAC Second Team honors.
"I was beyond proud of having the best defense with all the shutouts we had, even if it went unnoticed by all the [conference] coaches," Van Houten says with pride and a little lament over the top defense only getting two All-SCAC Second Team awards. "All of us on the backline are athletic, so we knew we could cover ground. It was just about trusting each other, knowing the guy behind you will cover you, and with each shutout, we built confidence putting our bodies on the line, going to work, and trusting the guy next to us."
Southwestern put together five shutouts and never surrendered more than one goal in any game on its way to a 4-0-4 record. For any team fortunate enough to get past the Pirates' backline, they still had to contend with All-SCAC Second Team goalie Jack Viles.
The Pirates' sophomore keeper led the SCAC in save percentage at .842, with his three goals allowed the fewest in the conference.
"Viles's shot-stopping ability is second to none in the conference. We go into every game knowing he allows us to win regardless of how we play," Norman exclaims. "In practice, it just became laughable with some of the highlight-reel saves he was making. To me, he was the defensive player of the year."
Southwestern was able to convert defense into opportunistic offense. In the Texas Lutheran game, freshman forwards Jackson DeHaven and Blake pressed Texas Lutheran into a bad pass, creating a quick one-on-one opportunity for Blake to score the game-winner.
"We were all marking people, and I saw Jackson DeHaven pressing, so I sprinted up the field to press with him, and I happened to be in the right place at the right time to steal the ball," Blake recalls. "When I looked up towards the goal, I saw nothing but green grass between the goalie and me, and I'm pretty confident in one-on-one situations."
Blake would pick up a crucial late assist in a 1-1 draw with Trinity, and another goal in a 2-1 victory over Dallas, finishing the season with two goals, an assist, and five points to earn All-SCAC Second Team.
"He was a huge impact for us, especially in that first game," Norman says. "He's extremely energetic and covers a ton of ground at a breakneck pace. He plays with confidence beyond his years, and as he matures as a player, I think he'll be a fixture in this conference."
With so many underclassmen playing critical roles in a condensed season, Southwestern expects to be fixtures near the top of the standings for years to come. The team has already shown itself capable under pressure, eking out three one-goal wins and sending five of their eight games into double overtime.
"[The unbeaten season and top defense] are things we set out to do every year, though we'd like to score a few more goals and win a few more," Norman says. "With all the overtimes, we joked we were just trying to get as much soccer in as we could in a shortened season.
"It would be easier on my heart not to be in so many close games, but the accomplishments mean a lot for the program, especially with the sheer number of returners we can lean on next year, knowing we can rely on this group to give us consistent performances."
In the end, the final game of the season was only the start of bigger things to come.