They are perfect on the season, the defending DII national champs and riding a long unbeaten streak but watch out because the Southern New Hampshire University men’s soccer team still has room to grow.
Last season the Penmen went 22-1-1 on the season and won the program’s second NCAA Division II national championship. SNHU is 8-0 so far this season, ranked BR-1 and is currently in the midst of a 31-game unbeaten streak that dates back to last season.
The Penmen are a tough matchup, scoring goals at a healthy clip while being stingy on defense. SNHU has scored 32 goals (Second in D-II in scoring with 4.29 goals per game) on the season while yielding just five.
Southern New Hampshire begins a three-game road swing on Friday at American International. A trip to Merrimack on Oct. 8 follows before a showdown with nationally ranked Southern Connecticut on Oct. 11 The Penmen had posted three consecutive clean sheets before a 3-1 win over Adelphi on Saturday. They followed that up with a 2-0 victory over Stonehill College at Larkin Field Tuesday evening. The win was Southern New Hampshire’s 19th in a row at Larkin Field. The Penmen have also won 26 consecutive Northeast-10 Conference regular season and tournament contests in a row.
Southern New Hampshire is off to its best start since 1988 when it opened with 22 straight victories.
However, according to coach Marc Hubbard, his team can be even better. The talent is there, it’s undeniable, but the group is still working out some kinks.
We are a talented group, we have a lot of depth but getting on the same page together is a work in progress and that’s fine. We don’t have to be there til the end of October, early November.
“I think we are just so far from being a complete group and team right now,” Hubbard said. “We are a talented group, we have a lot of depth but getting on the same page together is a work in progress and that’s fine. We don’t have to be there til the end of October, early November.
Come that time the Penmen figure to be one of the favorites to win the national title. Southern New Hampshire is looking to be the first team to repeat as Division II men’s soccer champions since Southern Connecticut in 1998 and 1999, and the first team to win three straight Northeast-10 tournament titles since Merrimack from 1995-97.
“We just have to move forward and understand it’s about the group and not just one person,” Hubbard said.
The talent Hubbard spoke of has shown up on the stat sheet with a number of Penmen contributing. Twelve different players have scored at least one goal so far this season led by spaniard Jose Seoane with eight tallies in eight games. Kenny Doublette (Port-au-Prince, Haiti) has six goals and three assists this season and was named the Northeast-10 player of the week on Monday.
Seoane and Doublette are not only great finishers but they are also an example of the international flavor that makes up the Penmen roster. Along with getting strong players from all over New England and New York, Hubbard has stocked the roster with players from Canada, Jamaica, Brazil, France, Iceland, England and Germany.
[divider]
