New London — The driving force behind Connecticut College’s success was on full display at Freeman Field on an unseasonably warm Sunday afternoon.

The Camels stuck together during the pressure-packed NCAA Division III men’s soccer second round game played before approximately 1,000 fans.

They remained unified while fending off a physical challenge from No. 19 Franklin & Marshall College. They received strong contributions from a variety of sources in a hard-earned 3-0 victory that propelled them to the Sweet Sixteen for the fourth time in five seasons.

It was a total team effort.

“What a performance from the guys,” senior Jack Kelesoglu said. “F&M is a solid team and they’re super athletic and have a solid playing style. But it just came down to working hard, lots of grit and just trusting our teammates.

“We make a lot of subs and we trust a lot of guys coming off our bench. … We’re a big collective team.”

Conn College (12-2-6) advances to play Kenyon College (13-3-4) on Saturday at a site and time to be announced.

Sunday’s game followed a familiar pattern.

For the second straight day in an NCAA tournament game, All-New England Small College Athletic Conference forward Matt Scoffone and junior reserve Elliot Spatz scored goals in the first half to hand the Camels a 2-0 lead. Conn beat Suffolk, 4-1, on Saturday.

With a two goal lead, the Camels are difficult to beat. They gave up more than one goal in a game only twice this season and posted 10 shutouts.

An organized and disciplined defense helped finish off the Diplomats (10-3-7), who had limited quality chances. The few times that the Diplomats had a clean strike on goal, senior goalie Peter Silvester (five saves) came up with huge stops. Silvester’s quick reaction tip save off a close range shot in the first half was a beauty.

“It’s a good part of your DNA when you can get a lead and not look back, really dig in,” Conn coach Reuben Burk said.

The Camels took advantage of some good fortune early on.

About a minute after Franklin & Marshall’s Adam Green lined a tough-angle shot off the post, Conn College finished off a counterattack with the game’s first goal.

Stationed just inside the top of the box, Scoffone collected a pass from junior Gavin Vanden Berg, made a quick move and buried a shot into the lower left corner for a 1-0 lead about 13 minutes into the game.

It was Scoffone’s team leading and career-best 10th goal of the season.

“I just took a touch and I put it on net, hit it well and it went in,” Scoffone said.

Spatz, a junior forward, came off the bench and extended the lead about six minutes before halftime. He found some space in the box and fired a laser into the corner for a 2-0 lead. Senior Luke Cibelli had the assist.

The Camels didn’t sit on their lead.

Following Burk’s advice during the break, they remained aggressive in the second half.

“At halftime, when it was 2-0, coach said — and he says it all the time — the next goal wins the game or changes the momentum of the game, so we’re hunting in the first 10 minutes of the second half as well to get that third goal to put them down so they don’t have any life to get back in the game,” Scoffone said.

With help from sophomore Marco Perugini, who made a nifty move to beat a defender, Vanden Berg basically sealed up the win with his third goal of the season at the 57:46 mark. Vanden Berg celebrated by running over to the students sitting behind the goal.

The Camels eliminated Franklin & Marshall in the second round of the tournament for the second straight season.

They’re playing some of their best soccer during tournament time. They’ve scored seven goals in two NCAA games and only allowed one.

They’re deep and talented enough to win in different ways, as they did over the weekend. And their postseason experience keeps them cool under pressure.

“Just like anything in life, the more you’re under pressure, the more you become used to it,” Burk said. “Probably more of a reason than that is togetherness. It’s not a culture where guys finger-point. It’s a culture where everyone sticks together and trusts each other through the hard times.”

g.keefe@theday.com