UMFK Seeking To Bring Back Elusive National Championship For Men’s Soccer

Fort Kent, Maine (WAGM) - The UMFK Men’s Soccer team is a favorite to win a USCAA National title almost every year. The Bengals goal is to bring another title back to the St John Valley.

This year, the UMFK Bengals are looking to once again be a top team in the USCAA, and already have achieved great things this season

Oniqueky Samuels:” One of our top wins that we have so far is against St. Francis from Loretto, Pennsylvania. We managed to win 5-1 at their home and their an NCAA Division I program. So that was pretty huge for us.”

Last year, the Bengals made it all the way to the National championship game and battled Bryant & Stratton-Syracuse before losing 3-1 in penalty kicks, and that game is still on the players’ minds this season.

Aaron Boateng-” It is emotional on my side cause I’ve been to two finals and then I was unable to bring back home the championships so, it has been very emotional and the only positive I’m picking from that is to work hard and be able to bring back home the championship this year”.

Over the years, this program has welcomed athletes from many different countries and cultures. but due to covid, some of that team chemistry was put on hold, but once things got back to normal , these players connected with each other on a deeper level.

Adil Iggoute-” The first year that we actually played it was awesome, i got to know many new players and also when your in away games, you get to share the room i would say with other people. You actually get to know the people and you start getting into deeper conversations and that also helps you on the field, to understand your players”

Like most athletes these players try to model their games after pro players. and all of them know there is still much work ahead to make it to the next level of greatness.

Elvis Gomez:” I like Chicharito, I don’t know if you have heard of him, he’s a Mexican player. I like how patient he is in and outside the field, his commandment with the ball and always persistent”.

Coach Oniqueky Samuels compares the game of soccer to life, there will be adversities, difficulties, and challenges in the games and hopes these athletes will take what they do in practice and games into their personal lives

Oniqueky Samuels: “You know every day in practice we try to emulate the game, and in emulating the game is emulating life. Right so in a nutshell, 90 minutes is a replica of a student athletes’ career here at the university, there’s ups, there’s downs, you know we have one goal which is to try and score a goal and you gonna try at it for 90 minutes”.

There will be many moments this season where this team will face the challenges and adversities that coach Samuels talks about but there won’t be one moment that will define it, as this team is a tight nit group who has put in the work both on the field and in the classroom, to be able to play and maybe this year, bring that elusive 4th championship back to Fort Kent.

Jonathon Eigenmann, newssource sports.

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