November 9, 2010

Dear Alums & Friends,

The season has ended and not as we had hoped or planned back in August when we rolled into preseason camp. On the flight back from Charlotte Sunday night the guy’s were busy getting their homework done or listening to their music. Looking around it is amazing to me how resilient they are and have been considering the day, the weekend and season. It’s the great thing about youth and the innocence it brings. It’s not that they don’t care or weren’t affected by the disappointment, but that they can move on so quickly because for most aside from our seniors they still have another season to look forward to and prove that this fall was an anomaly.

Friday we were in St. Louis for the first of the final two Atlantic 10 and regular season games. Game time was a little brisk but the trip was a good one so far bar the 6:00 am departure from campus on Thursday morning. The match itself was an important one for the host as they needed points to make the A10 Tournament but for us it was playing for pride and playing the role of spoiler. It looked as though we would fulfill our goal in the opening stanza when Thomas Lindroos (Espoo, Finland) hit a cracker of a shot the Billikin goalkeeper rebounded out to Reece Markman (Dallas, TX) who finished it cleanly but…the off sides flag was up. Lady luck had foiled us again.

Half-time was deadlocked and coming out of the dressing room we got the better of the chances for both teams. A subsequent SLU corner turned into the best of all as a challenged header was knocked down, side footed and saved initially by Peyton Warwick (Prairie Village, KS) but as the ball spun on the goal line a mere touch to recover it sent it into the goal. We chased the game with great resolve forcing the SLU goalkeeper into a game high 6 saves (to Peyton’s 1) including a blast by Greg Balicki (Wlibraham, MA) whose rebound was swept out for a corner and a slicing run and rip by Jon Pereira (Barrington, RI). In the last 2 minutes Thomas Lindroos got to the six yard box on the angle and shot over and in the final ticks Reece Marksman's volley off a corner sizzled over. It was the best performance against SLU in the regular season since my time at URI.

The second leg of the trip to Charlotte was again marked by an early flight and training. We were set to finish against the already crowned 2010 Atlantic 10 regular season champions and #1 seed in the A10 tournament. If you missed the first 10 minutes of the game you would have missed a lot of excitement. UNCC got on the board a little over 5 minutes in on a great shot from distance but even better, our boy’s responded less than 30 seconds later. Off the kick off Reece Markman got a great pass through from Jon Pereira that he drove first time across the 49er goal for Greg Balicki to finish with a thundering first touch for 1-1 score line. But the fireworks weren’t finished as the home team took the lead again on what looked to be an offside goal before you could say forty-niner. We were 10 minutes in with a 2-1 score line that extended to 3-1 later on a hotly contested penalty. The second half hoped to be better but only got worse as the hosts tacked on 2 more for a comfortable lead. A late free kick by Joey Haught (Brecksville, OH) found the head of Dwayne Williams (Westmoreland, Jamaica) who headed it down where Eric Hutson (St. Louis, MO) pounced on it to bring us one back. In the final seconds a blast by Matt Preyss (Chagrin Falls, OH) looked like another little to late tally but a deflection took it off the face of the goal. I could only smile as it seemed to be a final symbolic example a season full of deflections and pieces of bad luck.

It was the last game for our senior class that is always a tough one for them and me. They had come in bright eyed 18 year olds but when I watched them walk off the field at UNCC they were very different people. A long season like ours can do that to you but also four seasons of memories transforms you too. Campaigns like this don’t come along very much and although I’ve seen a few, they have always been followed by one filled with results that represent the true nature of the program. The 2011 season can’t get here too soon but before then a long off-season of reflection, re-tooling and re-dedication to the principles of Rhody Soccer are due. That I promise you.

GO RAMS!
Coach O’C

November 1, 2010

Dear Friends & Alumni,

What a way to end the weekend with a tremendously gritty 1-0 win over Fordham on Senior Day as well as a wonderful post game tailgate with our friends and families. Thanks so much to Judy Balicki, Nancy Eckmayer, Valerie Tanke and Nancie Preyss among others who put it all together. It was a great way to top of the final home game of the season.

It was a weekend of mixed results with a disappointing 4-2 loss to La Salle on Friday night, but as noted above, an important win over a good Fordham team on Sunday. We got a nice surprise from former Rhody midfielder and now Houston Dynamo defender/midfielder Geoff Cameron ‘08 who was home in New England and came down for the game. Geoff spoke to the team at the pre-game meeting about sacrifice, staying together and working for each other as the backbone to success. He also graciously participated in the pre-game coin flip as well as signed autographs at halftime. It was great to have him back! THANKS CAM!



Back to the first fixture where, like many of our matches this season, we started off very well and this time were rewarded with a 1-0 lead just 10 minutes into the game on a Thomas Lindroos (Espoo, Finland) goal off a Reece Markman (Dallas, TX) assist. But La Salle was able to get back into the game with a trio goals less than 10 minutes apart to lead 3-0 at halftime.

In the second stanza, we came back to cut the lead to one when a Jon Pereira (Barrington, RI) corner was dummied at the near post by Reece Markman and central defender Eric Hutson (St. Louis, MO) slid in to knock it past the La Salle goalie for his first collegiate goal. Momentum had shifted but as we pushed forward looking for the equalizer we got caught on the counter and the Explorers got their two-goal lead back which stood until the final whistle.

As it is in the A-10, you can’t dwell on results as the second half of the weekend was still in front of us with Fordham coming to town after defeating UMass 1-0. It would also be Senior Day, which is a special for the guys who have been part of the program for four years. Playing your last game on the URI Soccer Complex can be an emotional one and this was not different. In a nice pre-game ceremony, our six seniors Greg Balicki (Wilbraham, MA), Jon Pereira (Barrington, RI), Matt Preyss (Chagrin Falls, OH), Michael Tanke (Niles, MI), Anthony Tavares (East Providence, RI) and Dwayne Williams (Westmoreland, Jamaica) were honored, along with their families, for their contributions to Rhody men’s soccer. So, the game was set-up to be a special one and an impassioned speech on what it means to be part of the URI soccer family by Callum Bissett ‘08 in our pre-game meeting infused even more energy into the squad.

It was a beautiful sunny day and Cox Sports was taping the game for re-broadcast locally (Tuesday 11/2 @7:00 pm and Wednesday 11/3 @8:00 pm). The wind was whipping and it would prove to be a factor in the game. We again started well as there was energy and electricity in the air. With the wind at our backs and our focus forward, the boys moved the ball as well as they have all season. About 16 minutes in, Jamie Eckmayer (Harrington Park, NJ) collected a ball wide and slipped to Joey Haught (Brecksville, OH) in the middle of the park. Joey slashed and danced through the Fordham central defense before rolling a ball out to an oncoming Matt Ribbens (Tinley Park, IL) who lashed a shot from about 25 yards out into the corner past a diving keeper for his first collegiate goal. It was wonderful build up and finish.



Not much later Michael Tanke almost doubled the lead when he dribbled through on a breakaway but missed wide.

We switched ends in the second half and, as I eluded to earlier, the wind was a factor. Fordham changed their tactics, consistently tried to play behind us but the back line of Jon Cloutier (Honolulu, HI), Matt Pryess, Robby Gargaro (Naperville, IL) and Dwayne Williams - along with the rest of the squad - held tough. When Fordham threatened with a couple of dangerous shots and corners, senior goalkeeper Anthony Tavares came up big, particularly when he picked out a cross in traffic in the latter stages of the game. The final whistle blew and Tony was mobbed. It is great when Senior Day ends as it did.



Well, we still have two games to go with a tough trip to Saint Louis and Charlotte next weekend. For both opponents, the games are important as far as seeding and qualifying for the A-10 tournament but, in my mind, even more important for us in continuing the momentum and establishing a mindset for the future after getting the proverbial monkey off our back this weekend. The guys are excited for the opportunity to play spoiler and I am confident they will do everything they can to fulfill the part.

GO RAMS!
Coach O’C