In a match that had fans sitting on the edge of their seats until the very last moment, the MCLA Trailblazers pulled off an incredible 2-1 victory over the visiting Elms College Blazers, proving that anything can happen in the final seconds of a game.
The match took place on October 22nd, and was MCLA men’s soccer’s last home game of the season. As the clock ticked closer to the 6:00 PM kickoff, students arrived at Shewcraft Field in droves to witness the game and show their support for the Trailblazers.
The game was finishing off their non-conference schedule, and thus, did not count toward the MASCAC standings, but tensions were still high as both the team and audience alike ravenously hoped for a home victory.
“Our strategy has been to focus on attacking,” said Coach Adam Hildabrand, when asked about the team’s plan heading into this final home game. “Either by breaking through the defense to create scoring opportunities or maintaining possession to control the pace of the game.”
With this mindset the men opened up the game, securing possession of the ball. A flurry of passes quickly brought the ball into the Elms College defensive zone, forcing them to kick the ball out of bounds to slow the gameplay onto a more even keel.
All of this gameplay occurred within the opening thirteen seconds of the match. One thing was immediately apparent: both teams were playing to win. Energy was high, players were vocal, and decisions were fast-paced from both sides of the field.
Despite entering the match with an overall 3-11-2 record (compared to the Trailblazers’ 7-6-2 record), Elms College scored the first goal 16:39 minutes into the half, when a corner kick from Elms rebounded off of one of MCLA’s defensemen and traveled to an open Blazer at around the ten-yard line, who would decisively send the ball arcing past a just barely out of position Ryan Taylor ‘25, putting the visiting team up 1-0.
Taylor, as MCLA’s primary goalkeeper this season, has become familiar with the feeling of letting the occasional goal slip past, and he shared his unique perspective on the matter.
“A big thing to recognize when you concede first in a match is how much time is left,” he explained. “The biggest thing about getting scored on first, especially as a keeper, is to forget it even happened. Because as soon as you start thinking about what happened, you are no longer in the game,” he said. “Pressure is nothing more than situation and mental obstacles. If you don’t acknowledge them, they aren’t there.”
For their part, the Trailblazers, while visibly disappointed, did not allow the goal-against to dissuade them, instead exchanging a few words before readying for the next kickoff – which they took on with high energy.
For the next fifteen minutes of the match, the Trailblazers resolutely refused to allow the Blazers to gain any momentum from their lead. Shots on goal against MCLA were limited and brilliantly deflected by both the defensemen and Taylor alike, and MCLA launched a few attacks of their own against the Blazers.
The course of the match suddenly shifted when, just past the 32-minute mark, forward Traizen Griffith ‘27 took control of the ball and led a forward charge through Elms’ defense, taking it up the field before notching a pass backward to Avery Manzolini ‘26. Manzolini made good on the pass, firing a shot from the 8-yard line directly past Elms’ goalkeeper and into the net, to raucous applause and jubilant cheering from the ecstatic audience.
This goal marked Griffith’s 17th point of the season, as well as Manzolini’s 4th goal of the season.
During this entire charge, communication from MCLA was constant, both verbally and physically. Manzolini made his presence known to Griffith when too many defenders started to surround him, allowing Griffith the confidence to send the pass behind him.
“The quiet team concedes goals,” said Taylor. Based on the sequence of events that led to the score-tying goal, these words ring true.
Manzolini’s goal sent the teams into the break tied at 1-1, meaning the Trailblazers would have to dig deep and find a way to muster another goal if they expected to secure a victory from their last home game.
“Every halftime, we have a moment of purely the players communicating what we need to add to our game, what we need to subtract, and what we need to continue doing,” said Taylor. “And it’s on the players to bring that into fruition.”
If his words are anything to go by, the Trailblazer halftime talk must have included plans to continue the dominant play over the Blazers from the back end of the first half, because the start of the second half saw a tonal shift toward scrappier, chippier, and all-around more aggressive play.
It didn’t take long for Elms to emulate this behavior, and soon enough, fouls began to fly out from both ends, reaching the double digits.
Audience members picked up on this electric energy, and their cheers became even louder, their cries against a bad call more forceful, and their attention on the game even more rapt.
“I almost lost my voice, I was cheering so loud,” admitted a laughing Ethan Wood ‘26, in an interview after the game. “The game was just so crazy.”
Fouls weren’t the only sign of aggression from the teams as, during the second half of the game, MCLA took a yellow card while Elms took a yellow then a red card with just under 18 minutes left in the game, when a Blazer pushed a Trailblazer to the ground as he was about to go on a breakaway.
As the officials held up the red, the MCLA audience burst into self-righteous cheers against the unsportsmanlike play from Elms.
Despite the reinvigorated passion from the Trailblazers, who were cheered on practically every time they touched the ball, and Elms being a man down from the red card, play was very back and forth leading into the final minutes of the game. As the clock wound down to the final 60 seconds, it appeared the match would end in a mere tie.
Once again, the trajectory of the game was tipped on its head when, in a desperate bid against the clock at 24 seconds, MCLA secondary goalie Oliver Lacheur ‘27 sent the ball careening down the field, toward the other goal line. A Blazer beat MCLA in the foot race to the ball, kicking it out of play and prompting a corner kick for the Trailblazers.
Unexpectedly, with four seconds left on the clock, Elms drew a yellow card for standing directly in front of the Trailblazer taking the corner kick and preventing him from getting a shot off. There was a one-minute break from play, as the refs called for the time to be set back to five seconds, and MCLA sent in Griffith for this last corner kick of the night.
Viewers could hear a pin drop as they waited with bated breath for him to take on the kick.
The chances of this kick resulting in a goal were low; none of their three other corner kicks of the night had resulted in any scoring chances. But, everybody knew it would be legendary if the Trailblazers could, somehow, capitalize on this five second opportunity.
As the refs blew their whistles, setting the clock back in motion, Griffith sent the ball out toward Brandon Balcazar ‘28. As if he had been waiting for the moment all night, Balcazar headed the ball directly into the goal— with 1.9 seconds left on the clock.
The crowd went wild. The commentators went wild. The Trailblazers went wild. Unable to contain their excitement, the team immediately came running toward the crowd to celebrate their victory against the odds.
“The team’s success can be attributed to our strong team chemistry,” said Coach Hildabrand. “Their leadership and their commitment to the team’s goals are a consistent strength.”
Echoing this, Taylor said, “The chemistry on the team this year has been our biggest strength. It’s much easier to play on a team that allows you to have fun and just enjoy the sport.”
Seeing the lively cheer and almost childlike joy after their last-second goal, the Trailblazers were certainly full of brotherly team chemistry that night.
