Senior years tend to go by in the blink of an eye, which has been the case so far for Western New England’s Dylan Husted.
The South Deerfield native is nearing the end of his penultimate semester of college and just completed his final season of soccer with the Golden Bears.
A goalie, Husted had an 8-4-1 record in net for WNE, as the team went 12-6-2.
“Wasn’t too bad of a year,” Husted said. “Started off stronger than I finished.”
The Golden Bears dropped their season opener to Babson, but went on a roaring run following the loss. They went 7-0-1 in the month of September, including impressive nonconference wins over Trinity and Brandeis.
Husted finished the year with 35 saves and allowed 15 goals.
Despite a great season, WNE fell to Nichols in the quarterfinals of the Commonwealth Coast Conference.
“I would have liked to have gone further in the postseason,” Husted said. “The conference was wide open, so we thought we were in a good spot.”
Husted’s freshman year was the most successful team he played for in his four years with the program.
The Golden Bears won the CCC championship over Wentworth, securing a spot in the NCAA Division tournament before falling opening round to Brandeis.
Despite not playing in any games, the South Deerfield native got a chance to acclimate to the higher level of competition during practice.
“It’s hard to stick with at first,” Husted said. “It’s a whole different level of soccer. The competitiveness, every game means so much. It’s a different feeling. You’re feeling the competitiveness all the time. It’s a whole different level of players. You have to get adjusted to it.”
Husted made six saves in two appearances his sophomore year and before starting five games and appearing in nine his junior year, coming away with 16 saves and three wins.
Husted isn’t alone in leaving the Golden Bear program, as 11 other seniors are set to graduate in what was a close senior class.
More than soccer, the relationships Husted made will stick with him the longest. The comradery led to this fall being his favorite year with the team.
“It’s pretty much who I hang out with,” Husted said. “My four years were amazing. Soccer aside, the friendships I made along the way is all I could ask for.”
Having played soccer since kindergarten, Husted doesn’t know what falls are like away from the field.
Besides the games and winning, the thing he will miss most from the game is the competitiveness. He and a few teammates joined an intramural basketball team to stay active and to keep those competitive juices flowing.
“It’s weird to think it’s over,” Husted said. “It doesn’t hit you at first. It’s starting to set in now seeing the younger guys going to workouts and practices.”
Majoring in criminal justice, Husted plans to apply to the police academy after graduation. Those classes begin in July.
“Freshmen year drags through as you’re getting used to everything,” Husted said. “Then it flies by after that. Don’t take it for granted.”