When you think of Old Saybrook boys’ soccer, you thinknof the word success. With a program full of many accolades and a lot of championship hardware, there is always a constant target on the club’s back heading into the fall. This season may not have ended the way the boys wanted it to, but the players still showed heart, passion, and a lot of talent as they battled through a tough schedule.

The Rams closed out their 2024 campaign in the first round of the Class S State Tournament, when they fell 1-0 in penalty kicks (PKs, 6-5) on Nov. 1 against Immaculate of Danbury. Head Coach Steve Waters, who has been with the team since 2000 but took over as the head coach in 2019, explained that the state tournament contest was a true testament to the never-give-up attitude his team displayed all season long.

“We were upset in the first round of the state tournament at home by Immaculate of Danbury,” said Waters. “We started the game without a few starters, then lost three more key players during the course of the game. The game ended in a 0-0 tie after regulation and two 10 minute overtimes. The game then went to PKs, with the first round of five kicks being tied 3-3. We went to a second round of five in which we lost 3-2. Although Trevyn made two great saves during the PK rounds, we came up short, losing 6 to 5 when the Pk’s ended.”

Old Saybrook finished the season with an overall record of 13-5-2, competing with a quality schedule that included several high ranking teams in the state. Leading the charge into dominance was a trio of senior captains in Jack Morin, Liam Roberts (forward), and Brendan Casella (midfielder).

“All three boys had extensive experience during their high school soccer careers,” Waters said. “We had a fourth team captain designated for games. This captain was on a rotating basis that the players would choose. The captains led the team with passion to improve and compete within our challenging schedule.”

Prior to playing in the state tournament, the Rams advanced to the Shoreline Athletic Conference (SLC) Championship game. In 2023, the Rams won the conference championship for the fourth time since 2016. Hoping to repeat that same feat this fall, the No. 3 seed Rams were defeated by the No. 1 seed East Hampton by a final score of 2-1 in the final. Despite coming up short, several players still made quite an impact, both in the tournament games and during the regular season.

“Brendan Cassella led the team defensively, with strong efforts through the tourney. He also had four goals and five assists for the season. Liam Roberts was an offensive factor with 11 goals and 11 assists on the season,” said Waters. “Jack Morin regularly covered the top opponents' scorers to keep us competitive in games all year. Reggie Dugue (senior, midfielder) was a mainstay on offense and defense in the middle of the field, with a team high 14 goals and eight assists this season.”

Casella and Roberts earned spots on the All-SLC First Team, Dugue was named to the All-SLC Second Team, and Josh Roslonek (junior, midfielder) received an Honorable Mention.

Other top contributors for the Rams this season included Felip Dutra (senior, forward), Roslonek, and Casey DeAngelo (junior).

“Felip Dutra had several key goals for the team this year and last season,” said Waters. “Josh Roslonek, who possesses the hardest shot on the team, played multiple important positions on the team and contributed greatly to the team's success this season. Casey DeAngelo was a ”force factor“ in the midfield and is a highly skilled player.”

Carlos Torres Velez (senior) returned to the Rams for his final season as their last line of defense in goal. Waters noted that he returned with an improved skill set, making several spectacular saves and key plays. Torres Velez had nine shutouts in net this season against Cromwell (5-0), Hale Ray (7-0), Old Lyme (3-0), Westbrook (10-0), Valley Regional (5-0), Portland (4-0), Coginchaug (5-0), and Norwich Free Academy (5-0).

A challenge that held the Rams back from achieving their goals this fall was the plethora of injuries that they faced as a squad. Waters notes that the injuries became more prevalent throughout the postseason, keeping Old Saybrook’s top players on the bench in the times that they were needed the most.

“This past season's toughest challenge was the injuries we experienced. In the third game of the year, we lost junior defender Ethan Terribile for the season with a severe injury. That was followed up with several players getting banged up, which had them see limited time some weeks,” said Waters. “The injuries kept compounding during the last few weeks of the season with many competitions with quality opponents. Most of these injuries were not too severe, however, many players were sidelined for more than one game.”

The Rams will be graduating six seniors this upcoming spring in Cassella, Dugue, Dutra, Morin, Torres Velez, and Roberts. As he looks ahead to next season, Waters hopes his team can stay just as competitive as it was this year, hopefully earning some hardware along the way to add to the already strong resume.

“Although we are losing six key players, the team is looking forward to competing in the Shoreline Conference and Class S State Tournament again,” said Waters. “We also look forward to improving in our skill sets, as well as staying healthy throughout the regular and postseason.”

Waters is assisted by Peter Sherba and Peter Rothman.

The Rams roster is comprised of Cassella, Dugue, Dutra, Morin, Torres Velez, Roberts, Jhonny Orosco (junior), Terribile, Roslonek, DeAngelo, Dutra, Finn Speed (junior), Trevyn Desmond (sophomore, goalkeeper), Nicholas Sakolowski (sophomore), Mitchell Kawicki (sophomore), Jerry Dugue (sophomore), Luciano Girardi (sophomore), Wyatt Parker (sophomore), Sam Dutra (sophomore), and Griffin Cadley (sophomore).