With time dwindling and an undefeated season on the line, Jake Malinzak ’27 stepped up and scored an incredible goal to put Davidson men’s club soccer up 2-1 over High Point University on Friday, Oct. 25. The self-coached ‘Cats (5-0-1) punched their ticket to the regional tournament in Greensboro for the second consecutive year.
Davidson finished the regular season ranked seventh in the southeast, right behind powerhouse teams like the University of Kentucky, Georgia Tech, the University of Virginia, the University of Florida and Emory University—and just ahead of in-state rival UNC Chapel Hill, who Davidson beat to open the season on Sept. 6.
The ‘Cats averaged 3.5 goals per game, the highest in the region. They combined for 21 goals scored and five goals allowed across the season.
With no head coach and less than $5,000 in funding this year, the ‘Cats are led by captains Zack Davis ’26, Eli Naughton ’26 and Dominick Schraeder ’26.
Quick to share credit, the captains said the team’s raw talent and strong sense of community is key to the team’s success. Davis said the last minute goal scored by Fin Spitaleri ’28 against High Point was arguably the highlight of the year.
“It was super exciting for the team and a fantastic moment to be a part of. All season we have been keeping our focus forward, taking the season one game at a time. But when Fin scored that last-minute goal, it felt like a moment where we could finally appreciate the amazing season we’ve worked so hard for,” Davis said.
With every week comes another big win. Three of Davidson’s last four games have resulted in lopsided victories against big schools such as Wake Forest University, UNC Greensboro and High Point. The team has beat opponents by an average of 2.7 goals per game.
No one has contributed more on the statsheet for the ‘Cats than Spitaleri. Through seven games he has found the back of the net twelve times, scoring four goals in a 7-2 victory over UNC Greensboro and three in a 6-0 win against High Point University’s White Team.
Spitaleri pinpointed the team’s strong identity as the reason for their success.
“We know how to come back from a deficit, we have immense individual talent, and we have full trust in each individual player that makes the roster each week. This understanding has made us pretty much impossible to break down,” Spitaleri wrote in an email to The Davidsonian.
Ben Flowerdew ’28 expressed a similar sentiment heading into the postseason. “I believe our team has a bunch of talented players who can make some special plays and we play so well together as a unit. We have a really great chance at going far and I think we are all pretty excited for the opportunity to do so,” Flowerdew said.
Davidson competes in NISRA Region 2 with other teams across the Southeast. The ‘Cats have bounced around the regional rankings, beginning the season unranked before jumping all the way up to the number one spot after the week of Sept. 20th. They stayed in first place for multiple weeks before finishing the season in seventh place.
Davidson has a target on their back heading into the regional tournament, according to Naughton. “As I’m sure most of the Davidson community feels, we are often overlooked or not discussed when it comes to anything, given our size as a school and our historical performance in the league,” Naughton said. “We went in with the mindset that we had to prove ourselves again and put Davidson Club Soccer on the map. I think we have earned the privilege of having a target on our back and of people knowing we are high up in the rankings because we continually prove ourselves worthy every week.”
Last week’s game against High Point was certainly the highlight of the season so far, not only because it capped off an undefeated season, but also because of the atmosphere. “[It was] just a blast to play in front of a bunch of our friends and it was a great environment,” Flowerdew said.
The team will make the trip out to Greensboro this weekend for the regional tournament. Nine teams from each of the eight regions make it to the Men’s Championship Division and will play for the Club Soccer National Championship in late November. In order to qualify for the tournament, the ‘Cats will either need to win the regional title, be the runner-up, or receive one of the seven at-large bids given out to the region.
The tournament will be a big test for the ‘Cats but Schraeder thinks the team can handle it.
“We have managed to stay healthy this season, with relatively few drawbacks. The buy-in and commitment from everyone has been extraordinary. Although we will probably be the smallest school in regionals, I think we have the talent to go far.”