August 29, 2006

It was another classic battle with PC and luckily our Rams ended up on top 2-1. On what started out as a rainy forecast threatening the start of the game, we headed up to Kingston Pizza for our traditional pre-game meal at Kingston Pizza. If we had believed that the events that started the day were going to be an indication of how the game was going to end up then our goose would have been cooked. In addition to the rain we left campus a little late and even got caught behind a funeral procession on Route 2 going to the veterans cemetery. So, things were a little slow in going to start but we made it to PC's campus with enough time to change and get down for a proper warm-up.

The game began with a flurry as both squads tried to imprint their game on the other. With the wet surface and rivalry brewing, we got a little impatient trying to win every tackle and this led to an ill advised challenge which gave PC a free kick just outside the right side of the box. The result was a bullet of a shot that hit the back support for a 1-0 PC lead just about 15 minutes into the game.

The guy's were not happy but regrouped well, carrying play over the next 25 minutes. Tri-captain Jeff Gonzalves (Markham, Ontario), and midfielders Danleigh Borman (Cape Town, South Africa) and Jeff Cameron (Attleboro, MA) all had excellent chances and we were on the verge of equalizing. With about 6 minutes to play in the half we were awarded our own free kick 35 yards out. Junior Dawid Badecki (Jelenia Gora/Poland) served a tremendous ball to the back post where junior central defender Callum Bissett (Pencaitland/Scotland) got on the end of to knot the score. After the half-time interval Rhody continued their surge and a great individual effort by Gonsalves found him through and past four PC defenders to slot home his first goal of the year. We were back level and on our way...

But, as with any game versus Providence or our other rivals from the Ivy League, this would not be the end of things. A late tackle by freshmen defender Dominic Petrarca (Providence, RI) earned him his second yellow card of the day and subsequent ejection. Not a great way to start his career as now were down to 10 men with 26 minutes to go. We ended up bunkering in a bit trying to withstand the onslaught the Friars put on us using the energy they got when they felt we were at a disadvantage. As many coaches will attest, when you are in this situation like this the clock seems to creep along. But, our guy's had trained men down in practice and it paid off. The guy's did well to keep together as a unit and give away less than a handful of chances. Goalkeeper Mark Sauter (Columbus, OH) was only asked to make a couple of saves on the day but both were key in preserving the score and in the end, the result. We snuck away with the 2-1 win and more importantly a resolve which will serve us well down the line.

We returned to campus a bit tired, but because of the victory and the manner at which the boy's did it together, made it all the easier to withstand the pain. Exciting times to start and I'm sure more to come.

August 26, 2006

Greetings from Kingston! Well, we've just completed double sessions and essentially our pre-season is over. We'll begin to taper down in preparation for our opening match of the season away at Providence College. It's a great game to begin with as even though we are away to start, the interstate rivalry will even the home field advantage for us. I don't think anyone will suffer from lack of motivation from what I hear.

We've been working hard together to teach and learn some new concepts, common soccer vocabulary and slight changes in the way the team has been playing tactically. The guy's have picked it up quickly and are really beginning to "get it". It's not easy to change your mentality and habits but I give the guy's a lot of credit in keeping an open mind. Our scrimmage versus the University of New Hampshire was a good chance to test out what we had been learning and although the result was not indicative of how we played (a 0-4 loss), it was a litmus test to where we were at this point. I must say that training through the pre-season was very, very good and the focus excellent considering we had 18 days to fill. I love the fact that we get all this time together as it gives us the opportunity to do some things off the field as a group as well as time off to rest and recover. Over the almost three weeks of training we were able to take the team over to the Alumni Golf Outing to "meet and greet" before tee off, then trained right there in Portsmouth, returning for the post golfing dinner and awards ceremony. On another day we went up to the top of campus to the ropes course to have a little fun, find out some things about ourselves while also accomplishing some often under appreciated team building. A couple of post session trips to the beach, off campus meals as well as the boy's driving themselves up to the New England Revolution vs Chicago Fire game were nice ways to break up the monotony that can occur during pre-season. I felt the guy's were fresh at every session and this of course directly related to their execution.

Although we are nursing a couple of injuries I am confident we are on the right track and are going to be ready for PC next Monday. Hope to see you all there...