Well, former assistant coach and alum Gareth Elliott '02 must still have a little of that URI magic from his days as a player and coach with him when he came to Kingston this past Friday night. Maybe it was in the pre-game meal at Kingston Pizza or that he sprinkled it on his Siena College side in warm-up. Whatever the big elf did, he combined it with a good work ethic and determination for a 2-1 overtime win. As he told me after the game, it was a little strange for him and his two assistants (URI alums Ahmad Manning `02 and Aiden Byrne `01) to come back home to Rhode Island and defeat a team they are so attached to. But weird or not, he and his Saints took advantage of our errors in OT and capitalized on them.
The game was a good one with a fun crowd comprised not of only parents, coaches and players from Chariho Youth Soccer but our loyal friends and alums, who were excited to see Gareth and his new team. The match was an entertaining one with both teams coming out with a fury. The stalemate was not broken until the 28th minute when Siena opened the scoring with goal from 25 yards that was shot along the dewy grass of a fall night, squirted under goalkeeper Chris Pennock (Middlesborough, England) and off the post for a 1-0 lead into intermission.
While the Chariho Youth Soccer U12 squad entertained the crowd with a halftime exhibition game, the team re-grouped and got ready for the second period. The boys came out with a renewed sense of purpose and it did not take long for it to pay off. Things all came together when sophomore forward Josh Sousa (Barrington, R.I.) took on a couple of Saints defenders and unleashed a shot that the Siena GK could not hold. Senior co-captain Kedan Crosby (St. James, Trinidad) was there to volley in the rebound for his first goal of the season knotting the game at one. It was a well deserved goal for the work he has been doing thus far.
Down the stretch we gained momentum and only a couple of good saves and blocks by the Siena defense and netminder kept it 1-1. So, it was on to overtime.
The overtime seemed to belong to the Rams and we were on the cusp of finishing our third overtime game this season the way we did the first two, with a win. But, as the game of soccer can be a cruel one, the game unfortunately would not be ours that night.
Coach Elliott got the upper hand on his old boss and handled it with the class and respect he always showed as a player and assistant. The result was a tough pill to swallow, especially when we were in a position to win the game. But, this is the way the game goes and we must tip our hats to Siena for finding a way to win.
The great thing for us is that we have another game next week - and it's a big one!
Next Sunday we not only open the Atlantic 10 season but we host our neighbor and rival UMass - which made it to the NCAA Final Four in 2007. It will certainly be a competitive one as the Minutemen are not only a quality squad - but also the team that put us out of the A-10 tournament in last year. So, if you planned on coming to a game this year, and have not yet, this will be a good one to see!
Before I sign off, I wanted you to be aware that you will soon be receiving a letter from me concerning our annual alumni & friends appeal. This is an important time of the year as we are looking for the financial support to cover expenses and needs of our program that the state budget does provide us with. There are things we need to keep up with our contemporaries including: video scout and computer editing equipment, training equipment and needs in preparation for hosting the Atlantic 10 Tournament in 2009. We want it to be a first class event so we need your help in making it so.
For those of you here in Rhode Island, you know with the recent and continued budget cuts from the State House, being self-sufficient will become even MORE imperative in the coming years so keeping up with annual donations is crucial. Included in this letter will be a chance to support at the level that exemplifies your ability as well as the experience you had while at URI. We realize that our more recent and younger alums cannot give at the level that our older and more established veterans. But, I truly believe that EVERYONE has the ability to give something to the place that gave you so much in return. We are encouraging EVERY alum and friend to join us in important drive whether through your continued support or as a first time donor. PLEASE GIVE WHAT YOU CAN AND GO RAMS!
Coach O'C
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