Opinion: Time to dream? Not yet.

First published in The Bachelor, October 7, 2022.

BENJAMIN BULLOCK ’23 | SPORTS EDITOR • There is definitely something special about this Wabash College soccer team. They have out-muscled, out-performed and out-witted a number of quality opponents, a feat made all the more impressive by their relative youth. And it has people wondering… are we witnessing the beginning of something historic?

Cameron McIntosh '26 celebrates scoring with teammates.

But it isn’t time to get excited–not yet, at least. Because if the Little Giants want to be considered as serious conference contenders, they still have one big task to prove: that they can score goals when it matters.

It sounds strange, I know. This is a team that has scored 37 goals so far this season, an average of more than three per game. Only Kenyon College, the favorite to win the conference, has a higher goal per game ratio (4.1). But a brief glance over the Little Giants’ results will tell you most of what you need to know: we struggle to break down strong defensive teams.

Don’t misconstrue my meaning, this is not to take anything away from Wabash’s compelling victories. As the old adage goes, you can only play what is in front of you, and the Little Giants have done just that. In six of Wabash’s nine wins, the team has scored four or more goals, an impressive achievement regardless of the caliber of opponent.

However, we need to look more closely at the games in which Wabash hasn’t scored as many goals. Only four opponents have held the Little Giants to a goal or fewer, but those games tell us a lot more about this Wabash team than the big wins do.

Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and Webster University both shut Wabash out in two equally frustrating home contests. In these games, the Little Giants dominated possession but faltered in the attacking third. Wabash only registered one shot on goal against Webster, a dull attacking performance to say the least.

One of Wabash’s biggest strengths this season has been using the outside backs to push forward. Right back Quinn Leous ’23 and left back Jerry Little ’23 have done excellent work moving the ball higher up the field and feeding into the front line.

“Coach wants our outside backs to play high and wide from the get-go, and that’s different from how we’ve played in the past,” said Leous. “I think it makes sense, though, because now we have the most attacking depth and firepower that we've ever had.”

Both Rose-Hulman and Webster countered this threat by sitting their wingers in deep, not allowing Leous and Little much time on the ball and thus shutting down the wide attack. As a result, the Wabash forwards didn’t get the service they needed to get shots away.

“If you watch any of the times we’ve struggled this season, it’s been against teams that sit in on us,” said Leous. “I guess it’s a good thing that other teams respect our attacking abilities, but it has also been very frustrating at times.”

Wabash’s upcoming NCAC opponents are adept defensive teams. Kenyon and Denison, the Little Giants' next two fixture, have conceded just six and nine goals respectively, an average of less than one per game. Wabash will need to get creative to break down these sides.

So, what options does the team have? Well, it certainly won’t be last season’s top goal scorer Coledon Johnson ’23. Having picked up an ankle injury early on in the year, Johnson is expected to be out for the rest of the season. As a proven goal scorer against NCAC opponents, the loss of Johnson is a huge blow to Wabash’s offensive front.

Thankfully, there is another proven goal scorer in the team, somebody who, despite his excellent form, has gone somewhat under the radar so far this season. Alexis Delgado ’23 is currently the Little Giants’ most powerful offensive player. With six goals and two assists on the season, Delgado has been a consistent attacking threat.

However, Delgado has at times struggled to fnG his rhythm against more GeIensiYe minded opposition. Against Webster, for instance, he played 75 minutes but managed to pull off only one shot all game. It was a similar story against Illinois-Wesleyan, getting no shots on goal in 60 minutes of play time.

The Little Giants will only succeed in breaking down their NCAC opponents if they get Delgado into scoring positions. It is as simple as this: when Delgado shoots, Delgado scores. He currently has a .375 shot conversion rate, higher than his Kenyon counterpart Alem Duratovic whose conversion rate it .321. Playing to Dlegado’s strengths, then, should be at the top of Wabash’s offensive priority list.

“I think the main problem for us is combining in the final third," said forward Cameron McIntosh ’26. “Teams like Webster and Rose-Hulman all tend to park the bus on us. And so, I think we could work on playing in the center forward, letting him take a couple of touches and then playing off him. That would be a good solution.”

Of course, the burden isn’t entirely on Delgado. Two new players, Caleb Castaño ’26 and Jose Escalante ’26, are also hungry for conference goals. The Bachelor named Castaño, the headline-hitting wonderkid from Las Vegas, Player of the Month for September. His four goals and four assists on the year so far have made him an instant fan favorite player.

Escalante has also put himself back in the limelight after a stunning performance against Hiram College on October 1. His brace helped ease Wabash to a 5-0 victory against the Terriers, a welcome relief after a run of three games without scoring.

With just six games left in the regular season, the real hard work begins now. This team has talent–that much is clear. But Kenyon and Denison will be the true litmus test of Keller’s side. Can the Little Giants break down these formidable defenses, or will they crack under the pressure?