When Alonzo Clarke ’26 and Myles Culley ’27 entered the box with 15 seconds remaining, hope for a success against the nation’s eighth ranked team was at its lowest point. But as Culley got the ball with ten seconds left and placed it in the back of the net, the ’Cats knew that they had secured a tie against High Point University—going the entire month of October without a loss.
The tie against High Point capped off a seven game no-loss streak, including six wins. During this streak, the ’Cats clinched the fourth seed in the Atlantic 10 (A-10) tournament and a first-round playoff game at home. Culley claimed four of the team’s ten goals in the final stretch.
Culley reflected on the moments after scoring the game-tying goal. “[The goal] didn’t really set in for a while after that, it was a black-out feeling,” Culley said.
Davidson’s seven-game streak did not come out of nowhere. Throughout September, the ’Cats went 0-4-2, facing teams including Furman University, ranked ninth in the nation at the time, and University of North Carolina at Greensboro, ranked 17th in the nation.
Forward Tobe Ibe ’28 commented on the team’s turnaround. “At the beginning of the season, we definitely struggled a little bit finding results,” Ibe said. “[Coming back] was more of a mental issue—just really being strong, being able to come back from a deficit, and really just fighting and putting in the effort to win games.”
Evidence of the team’s development can be seen in the team’s freshmen. “Ever since October kicked off, they’ve all been finding their confidence, their form, their rhythm, and it’s helped the group gain confidence as a whole. Duquesne was a great example of that [development],” Associate Head Coach Jesse DiLuzio said.
In the 2-1 victory against Duquesne, Nicholas Zeballos ’29 secured a 1-0 lead early on. After Duquesne answered Zeballos’ goal, Zeballos and JP Mora ’29 shared an assist to Brady McGlone’s (’28) game winning goal.
Ibe said the team is anchored by seniors, including captains Clarke, Jack Brown ’26 and Baylen Young ’26. “It’s really nice having [the seniors] in the pitch and in the locker room. They always come with experience, but then they also come with the passion that our team really needs, especially from Alonzo and Jack,” Ibe said.
On top of internal team development, the fans have seemingly made an impact on the ’Cats’ season. “The celebration at the end of the High Point game was such a cool thing to see. Students aren’t only going there to witness the game, but really enjoying and experiencing it. It’s been tremendous […] it’s definitely influenced our results,” DiLuzio said.
“Home games have been such an advantage. I call the student section a 12th man,” Culley said. “When I’m on the field, feeling that energy, it genuinely gives you this energy boost that you can’t get from anything else.”
The ’Cats lost their final regular season game 2-1 against Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) on Nov. 1. Now, the team is looking ahead to their upcoming game against George Mason University on Nov. 8 to open the first round of the A-10 tournament.
Entering the tournament raises the stakes. “Playoff soccer is all about sticking to the things that make up your identity, that make you successful. Games get a little bit cagier, there’s a bit more tension,” DiLuzio said.
George Mason led the A-10 in goals scored. Davidson posted a tie against them during the regular season. “George Mason is a good team […] We know their quality, but we have to make sure that we can just make them feel who we are as a team from the first five minutes,” DiLuzio said.
For Culley and the rest of the ’Cats, the A-10 tournament is their chance to display their desire to win. “We’re coming off of a tough loss to VCU, but I think that’s only going to fuel us forward,” Culley said.
“It just all comes down to our togetherness on the field. In fact, it’s rarely about who’s the better team. It’s usually about who wants it more.”