Bentley men’s soccer enters postseason play as nationally ranked top seed 

By Greg Levinsky

The Northeast-10 Conference boasts one of, if not the best, collections of men’s soccer teams in an NCAA Division II conference. Looking at a blank schedule and all the standout opponents might lead a Bentley University player or coach to wonder, how do we beat all these teams?

The answer might be cliché, but it’s also the honest truth: a day-by-day approach. 

“The biggest thing is you just compartmentalize each part of the season and not get overwhelmed,” senior Michael Haikal said. “You see a lot of good teams on your schedule, and [thinking] about how you will pull off these results is overwhelming and a waste of energy, honestly.”

That mentality led Bentley to one of its best seasons in program history. Regular season league champions for the first time in 30 years, the Falcons (11-1-3, 7-0-2 NE10) enter next week’s conference tournament as the top seed and ranked No. 11 nationally in the most recent United Soccer Coaches Division 2 poll. Bentley received a bye to the semifinals and will host an opponent to be determined on Wednesday, Nov. 12 at Bentley Soccer Field. 

Bentley’s only loss of the season came in the third game, a 2-1 defeat to Holy Family University. Since then the Falcons have outscored opponents 24-8 en route to an unblemished mark in league play. The two NE10 draws came at Franklin Pierce and versus Adelphi, and a 2-1 midseason victory over Southern New Hampshire University put Bentley in the driver’s seat for winning the league. 

Coach Gary Crompton, now in his 18th season, credited Haikal, a midfielder, and fellow captains Cam Hall, a goalie, and Luke Mollenhauer, a back, with setting the tone. Haikal is the team’s emotional leader with “ice in his veins” and a penchant for the big moment. Hall “makes brilliant saves in crucial moments.” Playing through a serious knee injury that requires wearing a brace, Mollenhauer inspires everyone around the program. 

“This group of guys is just so tight,” Haikal said. “It’s like a brotherhood. You usually don’t get this far into the season when everyone is buzzing to be at practice.” 

Graduate student forward Lukas Drahos leads Bentley in overall points with six goals and four assists. Haikal owns a team-best seven goals, including five game-winners, plus an assist. Both netted five goals across nine conference matches.

Nine other Falcons scored this year, including a tally by table-setting junior back Michael Gouvin, who boasts a team-high and conference-leading seven assists, in his first year in the program after transferring from Division I University of New Hampshire. Hall, a graduate student and two-time NE10 Goalkeeper of the Week honoree, has started all 15 games in goal and leads the league in goals against average (0.67), save percentage (86.3%) and tied for first with seven shutouts. 

Of course, draws don’t happen in the postseason. Extending a 12-game unbeaten streak is not easy, but the Falcons thrive in the low-scoring games that often come in postseason play. They allowed just 10 goals in 15 league games, the lowest mark in the NE10. Ranking in the middle of the pack in scoring didn’t outweigh a staunch defense. 

“We try to manufacture goals on set pieces as most teams do. We play an attractive attacking style of soccer,” Crompton said. “Defensively, we hope to continue to be stingy and well-organized.”

Winning the league tournament would ensure a berth to the NCAA Tournament, the program’s first since 1975 and second overall. The team’s bye to the semifinals already eclipses their finish the past three falls. 

“We’ve got a lot ahead of us,” Crompton said. “We stay grounded, keep working hard and not get ahead of ourselves.”