Raising the America East trophy on Nov. 4 was a special moment for all involved in men’s soccer, but for the five for whom 2006 will mark the end of a collegiate career, it will always be that much sweeter.
Senior captain Kyle Antos, a local boy from Endicott, spent five years as a Bearcat and was Paul Marco’s very first Binghamton recruit. Antos was around in 2002 when the team finished 6-11-1 in second-to-last place. He was on the team in 2003 when Binghamton took home the tournament title.
But after five years, Marco realized that throughout his and Antos’ time together no moment matched the Bearcats’ Nov. 4 win in the AE final against Vermont.
“Not a lot of words were said, just a moment where we embraced each other,” Marco said. “It was a feeling of completeness where we had been on a journey since 2002, him and I; he didn’t get a chance to play in ’03 because he was injured and that was his redshirt year. You know, watching him in ’04 score a goal in the final and then score a goal in ’05 in the final and then we end up losing both of those games on penalties, I couldn’t put into words the emotional energy that was on the field on Saturday after the match, it was a wonderful feeling.”
In Bryan Arnault’s four seasons with the Bearcats, he’s never had his season end without playing in the title game. After seeing the Bearcats’ seasons in 2004 and 2005 conclude in the AE championship, Arnault the Clay, N.Y., native, who contributed to the team prominently in 2006, received an appropriate send-off.
“Four years, four finals; it was great to win my first year, that set the standard for what we really needed to do and where we wanted to go,” Arnault said. “And the next two finals were very disappointing for us, losing in penalty kicks in both of them in games where we were ahead and we dropped them at the last minute, so I mean to come out and get a win like this is just unbelievable.”
Joey Neilson’s best strength as a forward has always been one-on-one situations. But in 2003, as the Bearcats were looking to make it out of the first round of the NCAA tournament, Neilson, then just a freshman, took on practically half a team. And he won.
“It was unbelievable. He picked it up and ran with the ball — there was good soccer before it … then Joey got on the end of it and beat four defenders and the goalkeeper,” Marco said.
Neilson’s goal against FDU did advance the Bearcats, but Neilson will also always be remembered as a fan favorite, inspiring many loud Binghamton students to come out shirtless to West Gym Field with “Neilson” and his number (9) painted across their backs.
“When I get tired on the field, I just look to the fans and the lacrosse guys who have always supported me … so much support from them, it’s unbelievable,” Neilson said.
Neilson also credits Zach Kneeland, his former roommate and teammate who suffered a career-ending injury to his legs, as a motivator.
“You just look at those types of players who would do anything to play again,” Neilson said.
Peter Sgueglia, who attended the same high school as Marco and has been Binghamton’s primary source of offense alongside Neilson, “was probably the top player coming out of New York … when he came out as a freshman,” Marco said. Sgueglia attended Albany — which is both his and Marco’s hometown — for two seasons before coming to Binghamton. And after losing in the AE finals with the team last season, he got his ring in 2006.
“We knew what it feels like to lose, obviously we’ve lost in the finals two hard ways, PK’s, and then for them to lose on a PK — I don’t want to say it came full circle, but it did come full circle and we finally got what we deserve,” Sgueglia said of the team’s win over Vermont.
Senior midfielder Ibrahim Yusuf, who went to Canisius for two years before becoming a Bearcat, battled injuries like many of the other players on the team this season. But after a slow start, winning both the regular season championship and the tournament championship has been the ultimate reward.
“It’s great,” Yusuf said glowingly. “Nothing beats going to the NCAA tournament and winning after not starting off so well.”
For Marco, Yusuf is something of an X-factor, the type of player who can change a game at any time.