The Oldest College Newspaper in Pennsylvania

The Lafayette

The Oldest College Newspaper in Pennsylvania

The Lafayette

The Oldest College Newspaper in Pennsylvania

The Lafayette

Keen senses allow youth to shine

Senior Chandler Fraser-Pauls  pushes the attack at Metzgar Field against Binghamton University.
Senior Chandler Fraser-Pauls pushes the attack at Metzgar Field against Binghamton University.

Photo by Athletic Communications

Young Leopards take the field

Lafayette’s men’s soccer team has giving new faces a chance to shine, a rare sight in the history of the team.

Freshman Chris Moyse, a central defender, and freshman Daniel Felman, a creative midfielder, showed enough in preseason to earn the confidence of Head Coach Dennis Bohn, starting every game thus far.

Bohn mentioned that their fitness made a great impression, as well as a keen sense for the Lafayette game.

“From the beginning they picked up our tactics, picked up on our system, and were really able to blend in with the upperclassmen right from day one,” he said. “They both did quite well in preseason games so it showed that at a division one level they could more than just hold their own.”

Moyse felt honored by the opportunity Bohn gave him, lauding his own efforts while still remaining humble.

“I’m not one to boast or brag about my skill level, but I believe that Coach Bohn saw that I was willing to put in all the effort I could to support the team, obviously using my talents to do so,” he said.

Felman, in his midfield role, has shown glimpses of skill that have earned him comparisons to fifth-year captain Alec Golini, a talisman of the Lafayette midfield. In spite of hefty comparisons, the speedy young freshman has managed to stay cool and keep his eye on the prize.

“I think once I was given an opportunity in preseason to have significant time, I didn’t take that time for granted. I wanted to turn those 30 minutes I got in preseason into 60 minutes, and then that 60 minutes I got into 80-90 minutes,” he said.

Although the fit seems perfect now, things weren’t always so clear for Felman.

“I had never heard of Lafayette at the time since it was in the Northeast,” admitted the current number-four shirt originally from Tampa, Fla., who initially caught the eye of the Leopards prior to entering his junior year of high school. “I wasn’t too interested at first, honestly.”

However, it didn’t take the young player too long to change his mind.

“Eventually I took my visit the spring of my junior year, and you don’t really know what Lafayette’s about, especially the soccer team, until you get here,” Felman said. “I felt like the camaraderie amongst the team was like something I had never seen in any other college I had visited.

“I felt like I fit in really well with the program, I thought I could make a difference from day one,” he continued.

The process of recruiting Moyse, who was also loosely talking to other Division I programs such as Boston University, Wisconsin, and Michigan, was also quite streamlined.

“I was always in contact with Coach Bohn and the other assistant coaches, so I built a great relationship with them,” Moyse said. “They built an even better relationship with my parents, so that made the connection strong from the start.

“Most importantly I knew that Lafayette’s…soccer [team] was a winning program, and I’ve always wanted to play at a championship caliber, Division I school ever since I was a kid,” he added.

Bohn expects great things from both moving forward, but hopes for more reliability.

“I think athletically and physically they have all the tools to be very successful here as freshman,” he said. “I really want to challenge them to bring that mental part every time they come to the field and make sure that they’re focused.”

Leave a Comment

Comments (0)

If you wish for your response to an article to be submitted as a letter to the editor, please email [email protected].
All Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *