In a lively game on Sept. 5, 2025, the third time was the charm for the Emerson men’s soccer team. After a tie and a loss to begin the 2025 season, the Lions defeated the Eastern Connecticut State Warriors 1-0.
The Lions’ first win of the season came with 14 shots, eight of which were on goal, and five saves from junior goalkeeper Wylie Jelinek.
Emerson’s goal came nine minutes into the match, as a header by senior defender Cade Mallett found the back of the net, assisted by sophomore midfielder Vigo Cassidy. Emerson’s offense remained aggressive despite an equally strong defense by the Warriors. While the Lions took nine shots in the first half to Eastern Connecticut’s two, the script flipped in the second half, with the Warriors taking 11 shots to the Lions’ five, including six on goal.
Head coach Liam McKersie told The Beacon that he was impressed with the team’s “grittiness and intestinal and mental fortitude.”
“Being able to withstand a burst of pressure from them—even when we might not have our most confident performance in front and behind us—shows our mental fortitude,” he said. “I think [it] shows a good togetherness for this group to kind of gut out that first win.”
In addition to Mallett’s goal, junior midfielder Zac Osmond led the Lions with four shot attempts. McKersie praised Osmond’s play while evaluating the team’s recent additions.
“He’s been like a spark plug for us in a great way,” McKersie said. “We didn’t have him last year due to injury, but he’s back as a junior. … He’s been amazing so far.”
He also appreciated the team’s nine first-year players “who have already made a big impact.”
Despite the departures of five seniors and a graduate student this past spring, this year’s roster features plenty of cohesion, a factor that McKersie highlighted when discussing the group’s “very strong” chemistry.
“It was actually the most returners we’ve had since I’ve been here, which is great,” he said. “We’re certainly missing those six seniors, and they helped get us here, but we do have a lot of continuity as well from what we learned last year.”
The second-year head coach also credited the class of 2024 with helping the team adjust through a transitional period and launching them into this season. He noted that junior defender Daniel Bede and graduate defender Dominic Reiter—both of whom transferred in last year—have become “great voices for us this year.”
The team’s 1-1-1 start has also been enhanced by various habits instilled by McKersie and his staff, positive traits that remain a work in progress.
“I think we’ve still got to work a ton on earning the right to play,” McKersie said, referring to their ability to control the ball and “be a fun attacking team.” “But in order to do that, we have to earn the right to do that with our work rate in transition [and] with our defensive work.”
The Lions return to Rotch Field on Sept. 9, 2025, battling Wentworth Institute of Technology at 6 p.m.
