New London — The Connecticut College men’s soccer program values ball possession the way a teenager values a cell phone.

Both don’t want to let go of their prized possession.

The Camels maintained control for long stretches on Tuesday in the resumption of the Whale Cup rivalry against the Coast Guard Academy, the first meeting in seven years.

They broke open a tight game with two second-half goals in a 3-0 victory, remaining unbeaten with an 8-0-3 record.

So why have the 10th-ranked Camels been so successful?

“I attributed it to our off-season work,” senior Matt Scoffone said. “This spring and into the summer, all the guys were working extremely hard. That’s the basis of our team and core values. In the season, a lot of guys have stepped up. … We’re playing as a team. And it feels really good to keep the loss column at zero.”

Scoffone is one of roughly a dozen players remaining from the program’s 2021 national championship team.

It took time for the Camels to take control.

Scoffone buried a penalty kick after being fouled in the box, accounting for the lone first-half goal. It was his team-high tying fifth of the season.

By the second half, the Camels settled into a nice rhythm, patiently passing the ball and using their speed to spring players free on the outside. Often when they did lose possession, they recovered quickly and regained control.

“They controlled the ball,” CGA coach Chris Parsons said. “They were better on the ball. They were faster on the outside.”

One nice build-up eventually led to the game’s second goal five minutes into the second half when sophomore Samuel Brockelman scored off a scramble in front of the goal.

The Camels didn’t lose a beat after bringing in substitutes.

Coast Guard goalie Josh Hudson (five saves) prevented one goal with a great save, tipping the ball over the bar. He had no chance to stop junior Christian Perugini’s low-hard blast that found the left corner. Credit senior Jordan Viotto for the nifty set-up.

Conn College held a 22-4 advantage in shots and an 8-1 in corner kicks. Goalie Peter Silvester made just one save before being replaced by Casey Shea for the final 12 minutes.

“In some ways, we didn’t exactly know what to expect because we hadn’t played them in a while,” Conn College Reuben Burk said. “We knew that obviously they’re an extremely hard-working and dedicated team, so we knew it wasn’t going to be an easy game.

“Most of the preparation was on ourselves and trying to be better than we were against Williams.”

The Camels, who forged a 1-1 tie with Williams on Saturday in an important New England Small College Athletic Conference game, made progress.

“I think we made better decisions on the ball and controlled the ball a little bit better,” Burk said. “We were less frantic today compared to Williams. I still think we need to improve defensively.”

As far as the Bears (2-4-5), they’re dealing with some injury issues. They lost three of their four starting backs in last weekend’s 4-0 shutout of Clark University in the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference.

It forced coach Parsons to dip deep into his bench. At one point, the Bears had six freshmen at one point on the field.

“We knew going in it was going to be a challenge,” Parsons said. “The two center backs had never played together before and the left back. Those kids have played a total of 50 minutes all season.

“But I don’t know if the outcome would have been any different. I think it would have allowed us to be a little more solid back there. They were the better team. They created more chances. They had way more possession. It was nice to come over and play against a really good team.”

“... I’m proud of the way the kids stepped up, the kids who hadn’t played much, so it was awesome. The mentality of the team is outstanding.”

Now it’s back conference play for the Camels and the Bears.

The Whale Cup rivalry will continue next October.

g.keefe@theday.com