Felipe Cavalcanti is not the type of player who wants to be the individual star on the field. He loves soccer, and just wants to play and help his team. This weekend, however, he was the star.
The Lakers had two road games on Saturday Oct. 2 and Sunday, Oct. 3 against rivals SUNY Plattsburgh and SUNY Potsdam. Cavalcanti walked away from the weekend with three goals, two of which were game-winners in overtime.
In the game against Plattsburgh, he scored two goals. The first goal was off a free kick.
"Even though it was early, it felt like a win" Cavalcanti said. Plattsburgh later tied it up and the game went to overtime as it began to rain.
The second goal was scored when an Oswego State defender cleared the ball up and it slipped off of a Plattsburgh player’s foot. Anticipating this because the field was slick, Cavalcanti broke toward the ball. He was one-on-one with the last defender and beat him with a quick move. Next was the goaltender, who he also beat with a smooth move and scored on the empty net to win the game.
"It was an even bigger rush than before," Cavalcanti said, referring to the honor.
The more incredible part of this is that Cavalcanti had to sit out a large portion of the game due to a groin pull 30 minutes into the game. He then came back in the game at about the 70-minute mark, ready to play.
Potsdam was a tougher game. The Lakers were the favorites, but went down 1-0 early and would have lost if not for a late goal by senior Jim Mertz. This pushed them into overtime, where Cavalcanti once again worked his magic.
Off a corner kick, Cavalcanti found himself all alone in the middle of the 18-yard box. He said he felt like they played zone defense and just missed the coverage.
"I got lucky, it just ended up on my foot," Cavalcanti said.
The atmosphere from game to game was completely different. He said that the win was more of a relief than excitement because it was a come from behind win.
"I don’t play to get the honors, I play because I love it," Cavalcanti said about receiving the prestigious SUNYAC award. He also said that one of his greatest achievements this year is just being there to guide the younger players and be someone they can look up to.
This was the second time he had won the SUNYAC award, but he said the first time was a little more important. It was against the same two teams and he had just come back from an ankle injury.
"It was a nice little welcome back," Cavalcanti said, "But like I said, I’m not playing for the awards."
Cavalcanti said that he was really happy with how the team played and that he can’t forget to recognize them because, after all, he wouldn’t even have been able to win the game if his goalkeeper hadn’t been there to make the saves.
Cavalcanti has loved the game of soccer ever since he knew how to walk and it is seen through his statements. He is an outstanding player who played through an injury, scored two overtime goals and is just happy to still be playing the sport.
