October 18, 2007

HOMECOMING 2007... and what a homecoming it was for your Rams! It was a fantastic weekend all around - which was just what we all needed.

We kicked things off on Friday night, with our opening Atlantic 10 match against Xavier University. The game was the start to the 2007 URI Homecoming schedule and the parents, friends and alumni in attendance got what they paid for in an exciting 2-1 win. After dominating the first half statistically, we unfortunately went into the intermission down 0-1. The boys showed confidence though and they certainly were not ready to fold up the tents. Their hard work and determination paid off in the second half when Lukasz Tumicz (Bisztynek, Poland) tallied the equalizer after a great build up with the help of teammates Kedan Crosby (St. James, Trinidad) and Dawid Badecki (Jelenia Gora, Poland).

The goal, Lukasz's sixth of the year gave us extra energy and this materialized into a Geoff Cameron (Attleboro, MA) goal from Danleigh Borman (Capetown, South Africa). Danleigh played a nice ball into the box that Geoff flicked back over the on rushing Xavier goalkeeper. Cam nearly got his second in the final minutes on a breakaway after he took the ball off one of the Muskateers central defenders but his slotted ball just went wide of the goal. It was great to comeback from a deficit and finish what we had started.

Following the game, the guys were able to bask in the short-lived glory at the Rhody Rally held in Keaney Gymnasium. The squad got a nice reception when introduced and a couple of laughs when Dwayne "the Hurricane" Williams (Kingston, Jamaica) got a chance to speak to the crowd on behalf of the team... I couldn't hear exactly what he said but the boys found it very funny.

A bonfire and fireworks followed the rally and it was great way to start the weekend!

Saturday morning came quickly for everyone, especially the former players who showed up for our alumni vs. alumni game following the team practice. It was nice to see Dan & Vince McCrudden, Pat McGuire, Brian Bradley, Mike Stricklin, Mike Rogers, Kevin Kennedy, Dennis Richards and Jesse Simmons who all joined in with some of the reserves for a small-sided game. Afterward, we all retired to Rhodyville, where we had a tent and a place to rest the tired bones. We had a nice crowd of about 60 which included the players, parents and our alums. David Caetano who was back in the country from Portugal (to be inducted into the Danbury HS Athletic Hall of Fame) and Cliff Schechter stopped by and we finally got to meet after exchanging a lot of e-mails over the past year or so. It was a nice atmosphere and convenient staging area to support the football game that followed.

On Sunday, you couldn't have asked for a better game from a fans point of view. But, becoming a team referred to as the "cardiac kids" is not exactly what I was looking for in the season but I'll take it. The game, which was broadcast via tape delay (on Cox Sports Rhode Island, Monday night at 10:00 pm) was an epic battle. Your Rams came out firing on all cylinders again and carried the play for most of the first 45 minutes. At the interval, we went in tied at 0-0 but I could tell by their body language and conversation that the guys were confident and we just needed to "tweak" a few things to be successful.

As we all know in life, the "best laid plans of mice and men often go astray" and this was the case in the 59th minute when Dayton found the net and a 1-0 lead. The guys knew that they didn't need to be looking ahead too far, just look for the equalizer... and that we got on a superb effort by Tumicz. He was set up by a great long pass by Steve Scalzo (Plymouth, MN) - who was filling this weekend for an injured Callum Bissett (Pancaitland, Scotland). Steve was outstanding on the weekend after being called into duty under difficult circumstances. Anyway, he sent a long ball through, which Tumicz ran onto... The Flyers' GK came to get the ball on the end line but Lukasz got there first, pulled the ball back and cut around him to deposit it into an empty net. It was electric!

We kept the pressure up and in a "Made For TV" scripted ending, scored the go-ahead goal with 3 minutes to go after Tumicz served a ball from the end line that Danleigh Borman hit on the flying side volley into the goal at the back post. WOW! I'm sure COX TV was delighted with that one!

The final minutes of the match were not without excitement as Dayton pressed for the equalizer. We finished the game off and got the win but not without a loss as Geoff Cameron was shown his second yellow of the day in the final minute for a late tackle when his enthusiasm got the best of him. He will now miss the game at Charlotte on Friday but I'm confident that the guys will pull up their boot straps to fill in during his absence.

Regardless, it was a great weekend and tremendous results for us. We've continued to make strides forward in our goal to qualify for the Atlantic 10 Tournament. I appreciate our parents, friends and alums for being there and showing their support.

I would also like to personally thank Dennis Tierney of the Narragansett Youth Soccer Association and Jay Sisson of Jamestown Youth Soccer Association for coming to the games for their special nights at the URI Soccer Complex. These groups, along with South County Youth Soccer and Soccer Rhode Island, have had "theirs nights" at URI - which have included give-a-ways, an exhibition at half-time and involvement in our pre-game festivities. It has meant a lot to us to have the support of the local community as these youth players could be the future of URI men's soccer.

Well, we're back on track now and looking to keep it going the rest of the way through our Atlantic 10 games. We head to Charlotte and St. Louis this weekend, which will be a great challenge. We follow that with a game at UMass and then return home at the beginning of November for our last home games versus Fordham and La Salle of which the latter will be senior day at the URI Soccer Complex. The season finishes with an away weekend at Temple and St. Joe's, so let's hope we are in position to play in the Atlantic 10 Tournament at that time.

Thanks again to everyone who was with us this weekend... we hope to see you and others soon!

GO RAMS!

October 8, 2007

HOT, HOT, HOT... That was the word to describe the weather in Richmond, VA this past weekend as well as the play of your Rams! It was an excellent performance in difficult conditions and the boys came through with an effort which would have made you very proud.

It was a long day of travel to Richmond as we left campus at 6:15 am to catch a flight out of TF Green to Baltimore. We arrived and loaded up into vans for the 2 1/2 hour ride south - which reminded us all why it is so nice to live in a small state like Rhode Island. The traffic was nothing compared to what I had experienced in Chicago for 10-odd years but it did make you wonder if you could be a commuter around our Nation's capital. We had a big slow down just outside Washington DC, which ended up being caused by people "rubber necking" at a car that had hit a deer. Will wonders never cease.

We got to Richmond in time to train and shake out the travel cobwebs. We experienced outstanding hospitality from the Richmond Assistant Matt O'Toole (who is a Providence grad) who got us situated on an afternoon where I'm sure he would have rather been home watching college football. After a short session, it was off to our hotel and a nice meal at place called "Vinnies". It was just across the street from the hotel so we were not in a rush and had a nice relaxing meal and tremendous preparation for the match.

The boys were very excited for the game and were up early for their pre-game. It got even more exciting for Coach Stone and myself as we were sitting enjoying the tail end of our breakfast after the players had left when a fire erupted in the toaster. Someone had foolishly put a plastic plate with their toast onto the conveyor and it ignited. There was lots of black smoke and no one in the place seemed to be moving. So, in a move that would make my father-in-law (an ex-fire fighter and Fire Marshall) proud I grabbed and extinguisher in the hallway and proceeded to do my best impersonation of "Firefighter John" as I was tabbed later. Everything ended up being fine but it was just the beginning of our exciting day.

At the match, we started out very well and created numerous chances in the first half. We got several quality chances from Lukasz Tumicz and Kedan Crosby as well as super sub Steve Mellen who had a great week of training prior to the match. Andrew Ruiz added a great spark to the team and gave us some much appreciated flexibility to the line-up. The conditions were tough as the players experience HOT feet from the sun and the fact that the Richmond field turf adds another 10 degrees onto the actual temperature!

Richmond only really threatened once - from a melee in front of the goal after a corner kick - otherwise, Chris Pennock and our defensive unit held strong. It should noted that Kevin Algozer, who had received several stitches from a collision in the UMaine game, did a fantastic job defending Richmond's best attacking player who happened to be a good buddy of Kedan Crosby's from Trinidad.

In overtime, our players looked the fresher of the two teams and only a couple of good saves by the Spider goal goalkeeper and some near misses kept us off the board. I thought we deserved better, considering our performance, but that is the way the game goes sometimes. All in all, I felt that it was a tremendous team effort and great preparation for the beginning of the conference schedule next weekend during homecoming.

Just a last push for Homecoming - which begins next Friday night (October 12th) with our game against Xavier at 6:00 pm and the Rhody Rally and fireworks to follow. Saturday, as noted in earlier game reports, will feature an alumni vs. alumni game at 10:00 am followed by a BBQ at noon in "Rhodyville" (outside Keaney Gym) just prior to the Homecoming Football game versus James Madison.

The cost of Saturday's events is $25.00 person which includes a t-shirt, BBQ, ticket to the football game and help in defraying the cost for our current players. The weekend finishes up with our game versus Dayton on Sunday at 1:00 pm which will be shown locally on Cox Sports television.

So, if you haven't already told us that you are coming, then sort yourself out, drop me an e-mail and get your butt to Kingston. It's going to be a great time!

GO RAMS!

October 1, 2007

WHEW! We knew it was coming and I am so happy for the guys that their hard work has paid off. Sunday was a strange match as we were not only facing off against my alma mater the University of Maine but the team is now being coached by former URI assistant coach Pat Laughlin. Games like this can always be strange because as good of friends as we all are, and as much as we follow one another's progress, all of the sudden we are competitors.

We knew that it would be a good game as Pat is a good coach and would have the Black Bears organized and ready for a squad that he knows very well. The beginning of the game started off well as the teamwork and sharing of the ball paid off with a well-placed header from Kedan Crosby (St. James, Trinidad) from Danleigh Borman (Capetown, South Africa) found its way into the net and there was a collective sigh of relief... at least from the old coach on the sideline!

A second goal followed about 10 minutes later when Geoff Cameron (Attleboro, MA) slipped a pass to Lukasz Tumicz (Biznytek, Poland) who blasted it in the net. The goal was great but the build-up even better.

Maine responded with one of its own to make it 2-1 but a goal wasn't all we lost as just before the half an accidental collision of Kevin Algozer (Northport, NY) and a Black Bear player resulted in stitches for Gozer and 9 staples in the head for our opponent. It was not something you would have wanted to be the result of two competitors going at it. We're just glad they are both ok!

In the second half, we were fortunate to extend the lead on goals about 10 minutes apart from Tumicz and Greg Balicki. Balicki's goal was the first of his URI career and came on a well executed free kick from about 30 yards out. I'm sure its a moment Greg won't forget as he was mobbed by his teammates. The team finished the game out well and was happy for the final score.

After a nice day off today, we're back to training tomorrow in preparation for this weekend's match at the University of Richmond. Although the Spiders are in the Atlantic 10, the game does not count towards our A-10 record as they are one of four teams not in our league rotation this season. It will be a re-match of the 2006 A-10 Tournament semifinal game, so we know it will be a good one.

Before I sign off, Homecoming is just around the corner and we've heard from a few of you who have said you are coming. PLEASE E-MAIL AND LET US KNOW THAT YOU WILL BE HERE SO WE CAN BE SURE TO HAVE ENOUGH FOOD AND T-SHIRTS FOR EVERYONE!

The cost of the event is $25.00 which includes a limited edition Homecoming t-shirt designed by our assistant coach Mitch Stone, a BBQ and ticket to the football game... So, let us know NOW if you will be in attendance as we must purchase everything in advance. It should be a wonderful weekend with our Xavier & Dayton games, alumni vs. alumni match, the BBQ and the traditional homecoming football game.

Well, that's about it from here. We're back on track and appreciate all the e-mails and calls of support and encouragement. Keep the faith and we hope to see you in a couple of weeks...

GO RAMS!

September 24, 2007

As you can imagine, it hasn't been a happy weekend here in Kingston as the squad suffered another frustrating defeat, Friday night to Boston University. It looked to be a great day, beginning with tremendous weather, a heartfelt letter of support from URI alum and 2006 All-American Jeff Gonsalves in pre-game and a great crowd which included youth players from all over the state for Soccer Rhode Island Night. It all looked to be going our way...

I think we all felt that we were prepared after a great week of training and some tweaking with the line-up to accommodate missing Lukasz Tumicz (Bistzynek, Poland) who is struggling with a nagging injury. We chose to keep him out in order to have him ready for Atlantic 10 play down the road.

We started off the game really well and we seemed to be firing on all cylinders. We were able to create a few chances and limited BU to some routine defensive clean-ups. But like many of our games so far this season, a little lapse in concentration and all of the sudden the Terriers are on the board. It was a shock to us and the crowd of over 1,100. We rebounded well and almost equalized when Geoff Cameron (N. Attleboro, MA) got through on the goal and just shot wide.

Both teams settled down and the play seemed to even out. It looked as though we would get into the half without further damage. But, a controversial foul just outside the box was converted into another goal and we now had a real up-hill climb.

The second half started as the first but we were able to maintain pressure and threaten the BU goal. It looked as though we would make the last 15 minutes exciting when Callum Bissett (Pencaitland, Scotland) headed a cross in but was whistled offside. The game ended in a 2-0 loss for us and our frustration continued...

It's a funny thing because I feel so strongly that we are on the verge of bursting out - but just need a little luck. I know the boys are putting their hearts, legs and souls into the games and do not deserve these results. As their coach, I have to take responsibility for the results as I am the one who is training and preparing the team for these contests. I can assure you they are putting in the effort so I need to make sure they have a way to create chances and keep the ball out of our net.

Up next is a game at the University of Hartford on Friday at 6:00 p.m., followed by a match at home against the Black Bears of the University of Maine on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. That day we will we welcome back to campus former assistant coach Pat Laughlin, who took over in Orono last winter.

Well, we had some exciting news this past week when we found out that our match on October 14th versus the University of Dayton will be broadcast, live, on Cox Sports Rhode Island. Play-by-play will be done by our fantastic PA announcer and alum Mike Mancuso with former-Ram (and son of my predecessor, Eddie Bradley) Michael Bradley, doing the color commentary. It will be a great way to cap off Homecoming Weekend!

Speaking of Homecoming, a second reminder about what we have planned for HOMECOMING 2007. The schedule is as follows:

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12th
6:00 p.m. Match vs. Xavier University
8:00 p.m. Rhody Rally in Keaney Gym
9:45 p.m. Fireworks behind Keaney Gym

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13th
10:00 a.m. - Alumni vs. Alumni Game (odd years versus even)
Noon - Alumni, Parents & Friends BBQ (located in "Rhodyville" in front of Keaney)
1:00 p.m. - Homecoming Football game vs. James Madison

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 14th
1:00 p.m. - Match vs. University of Dayton

As you can see, it's going to be a tremendous weekend. The cost of the weekend will be $25 per person which will include a limited-edition URI Soccer Homecoming t-shirt, BBQ and ticket to the football game.

So, let us know if you are going to be coming so we can get a count for the BBQ and have a t-shirt for you (send us your size). If you can't be there and you want to help underwrite the weekend feel free to help at whatever level you feel is appropriate.

Well, that's it for now. We appreciate your continued support and hope to see you soon.

All the best...GO RAMS!

Coach O'C

September 19, 2007

It's been a long week so far.

"No one said it was going to be easy...if it was, then everyone would be doing it." I heard that somewhere, and it has never rang more true then after this five-game stretch to start our season.

Sunday's 1-0 loss to Brown was a particularly painful one for us all because we felt it was a game that was there for the taking. Add that to the fact it was a match against nationally-ranked in-state rival the Brown Bears and you can only imagine what it meant to the team.

It was a great game to watch as witnessed by the crowd of nearly 1,500. There was a tremendous group of alums seated right behind our bench, including recent alums Jim Goetter, Joe Spofford, our Academic Advisor Nicole Poloski, former trainer Michelle Levreault and her family, local alumni stalwarts Kevin Kennedy, DJ Burns, Matt Moriarty as well as our family support from the Preysses, Donigans, Balickis, Camerons, Petrarcas, Ruizes and Mellens to name a few. It was nice to have the support in what can be a hostile environment - considering the history between these two teams.

The game itself was a battle of styles... the Bears looking to capitalize on their very effective "flip throw-in" specialist, corners and free kicks and our boys mixing up direct play and a quick build up to get into the Bruno penalty box. The ball selection the final third, whether it was a shot or cross, became our Achilles heel as we just couldn't get what we wanted to threaten the Brown goal. I was proud of the boys for the way they fought all the way to the end - where we got a final chance on a free kick just outside the box. But, the effort sailed over the bar and with it the game. Brown is on a role and we're just hoping that, down the road, we get a chance to meet them again.

Although we sit in a hole - which some teams would not be able to climb out of - I'm confident that our guys have the constitution to battle back. They have that kind of character and resolve. We really aren't that far away and the learning curve that has come through these rough times will serve us well down the road. I guarantee it!

Our next match will be against another good team in the form of the Boston University Terriers. Last season we dropped a disappointing 1-0 loss in Boston, so the guys are looking forward to the re-match. Should be a great crowd as it is SOCCER RHODE ISLAND NIGHT where we will honor the youth players in the state, including a ceremony recognizing the RI state club champions who represented the Ocean State at the 2007 USYSA regional championships in Brunswick, ME this past summer.

Well, we're less than a month away from HOMECOMING 2007 and we hope you are making plans to join us. It will be a great weekend of soccer with our game Friday October 12th at 6:00 pm versus Xavier followed by the "Rhody Rally" afterwards to kick off the weekend. On Saturday it's the Alumni vs. Alumni game at 10:00 am followed by a BBQ hosted by URI men's and women's soccer, followed by the Homecoming Football game at 1:00 pm. On Sunday you get a chance to see another great Atlantic-10 match-up versus Dayton 1:00 pm. It should be a very exciting day as the game will be broadcast locally on COX Television.

Drop me a line at joconnor@mail.uri.edu to let me know you will be coming so we can plan for food and such. Hope you will be able to join us...GO RAMS!

September 10, 2007

MIKE BERTICELLI MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT - South Bend, IN

Friday, Sept. 7
No. 8 Notre Dame 3,
Rhode Island 0

Sunday, Sept. 9
No. 4 Indiana 3,
Rhode Island 1

All-Tournament Team: Adam Howarth & Callum Bissett

Well... it wasn't the weekend we were hoping for, but it also wasn't a weekend which didn't teach us something about ourselves and where we need to be at the end of the season. Both our hosts (the University of Notre Dame) and Indiana University were quality opponents with players who have won and competed for national championships at all levels. My hat goes off to them for playing the game the way its supposed to be played and exposing weaknesses in our game - which we can fix now. As a team, we certainly respected the Irish and Hoosiers but know that with some work and luck we had the ability to win.

When I accepted the invitation to the Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament from my former Dartmouth boss (and current Notre Dame head coach) Bobby Clark I knew it wouldn't be easy task to go into South Bend and play these two squads. We were hoping to get some positive game results from the weekend and unfortunately we didn't. In both matches our mistakes were converted into goals and out boys were unable to capitalize upon the minimal mistakes that our opponents made. It's important that we recognize that, because down the road - in any match - we may only get a few chances. And if that is the case, we need to use them to our advantage.

In the end, the best thing that came out of our time in Indiana was that our players know what it will take to be at the top of our game. I'm confident that the lessons learned from the weekend will take us far... or at least until the next game versus Brown on Sunday.

Before I sign off a special thanks goes out to John and Valerie Tanke (parents of freshmen Michael Tanke) who treated us to a great meal while we were in South Bend. Michael grew up in Niles, MI which is only a stones throw from the ND campus. We also were lucky to have a contingent of parents and supporters including the Preyss family, Greg Balicki's dad and brother, the Mellens, freshmen GK Peyton Warwick's dad, the Petrarcas, former Ram GK Dean Ruddy's brother and parents Luanne & Jim, alum Dan McCrudden and his son Kyle as well as what seemed to be the whole town of Niles... When Michael Tanke came on in the first half of the Notre Dame game he received a huge round of applause... it was the most popular substitute I have ever made in my coaching career! Add all that to some of my former UChicago players and Assistants and we had a nice supporters section right in the middle of Irish land.

Well, the Brown Bears are the next up and they are on a tear with wins in their own tournament over Fordham and Santa Clara. Hope to see many of you there - and please note that the game date and time has been changed to Sunday, Sept. 16 at 1:00 pm at Brown.

GO RAMS!

September 6, 2007

Dear Alums & Friends,

Sorry for not posting until now but things have been a little hectic with the beginning of the season and our preparation to go to South Bend tomorrow morning. We've have a good start to the season after a wonderfully productive pre-season. The guys came back in great shape and the squad is really starting to come together.

As I've said previously, pre-season training really was great. The squad of 25 worked hard and had a lot of fun along the way. Besides training, the guys had some good "down time" together - living in the new Eddy Residence Hall and dining in the renovated Hope Commons. If you haven't seen either, you've got to get to campus and experience them... they are fantastic!

We also spent some time off the field doing fun team-building exercises, highlighted by our visit to the URI Boat House! We took a morning to head down to the river where URI women's rowing head coach Shelagh Donahue (A-10 Coach of the Year) and assistants Jessica Lizzi and Bridgid Meyers showed the guys the techniques of rowing, preparation of the boats for races (i.e carrying them down to the river every day) as well as the importance of being very careful with these $30,000 dollar crafts.

The best part was that they taught them how to work together as a team to get the boats moving. If one person isn't on the same page then you mind as well pull out a fishing pole as you're not going anywhere. I don't think we are in jeopardy of losing anyone to the sport but it was a lot of fun and well worth the work. Thanks so much to Shelagh, Jess and Bridgid for their patience and humor... especially Bridgid!

The exhibition games against UNH (0-0 tie) and Holy Cross (2-3 loss) were a great test for the squad. They gave the veterans a chance to be back on the field and the newcomers a taste of what its like to be a part of URI men's soccer. The results weren't as important as the process, which gave us a lot to look at and tinker with in preparation for the season.

Well, as most of you know, the season has now begun and we stand 1-1-0 going into this weekend's trip to South Bend, IN. The season-opener against Harvard was a heartbreaker as we took on the 15th-ranked team in the country. We had a bit of a sluggish start and conceded an early goal but got it back on a Lukasz Tumicz tally after a throw-in and flick on from Geoff Cameron.

We then had another let down, characteristic of some early season errors, but I was proud that we came right back at the Crimson to get another equalizer. Unfortunately, Harvard answered one more time - on a good goal - and we couldn't break them again even though we got two cleared off the line. It was a disappointment but something we were able to build on going into the next match versus in-state rival Providence.

For the PC game, it was an exciting night not just because of the rivalry between the two Ocean State schools but because of the atmosphere. We had a crowd of over 2,500, which included the usual suspects of alumni, parents and friends - but add to that the freshmenm, who had just arrived on campus, and South County Youth Soccer Night and the place was buzzing!

As you can imagine, it was a tightly contested game but the boys took all of the electricity in the air well and played their game. After some initial PC pressure and a couple of corner kicks, we settled down and created a few of our own chances. Just before the half we got a good defensive effort to win the ball back in the PC defensive third, where redshirt freshmen Andres Ruiz (Providence, RI/LaSalle Academy) slipped a little pass to Steve Mellen (North Kingstown, RI/Bishop Hendricken) who juked a Friar and blasted a 25-yard left footed rocket into the bottom left hand corner. It was pandemonium!

In the beginning of the second 45, we picked up where we left off and Ruiz was in the middle of it again. Andres got a great strike off a layoff at the top of the box and drilled a shot - which the PC keeper made a great save on - only to have the rebound find it's way to the left where Danleigh Borman (Cape Town, South Africa) crossed it back to the other side of the box. Lukasz Tumicz (Biszneytek, Poland) was waiting there and volleyed the ball into the ground and over the PC keeper to make it 2-0.

We were on our way but needed to make it exciting in the end. For the second year in a row, we had a player sent off with about 20 minutes to go (no names mentioned, but it was the same player as last year's PC game) and had to play a man down for the remaining time. I was very proud of the way we handled it as it was very different then the end of the game at PC in 2006. The experience of our team showed through and we held on and remained in control to capture the shutout which goalkeeper Chris Pennock (Middlesborough, England) so richly deserved for his outstanding performance!

So, we head to South Bend tomorrow to play #9 Notre Dame and #4 Indiana. It will be a big test as they both just beat the previous week's #1 ranked team UCLA at IU's tournament last weekend.

It will also be a homecoming-of-sorts for me (as well as freshmen Michael Tanke who is from Niles, MI - a stone's through from ND). Every summer, I work at the Notre Dame camp where my former boss (from Dartmouth College) and friend Bobby Clark is head coach. I know a lot of the Irish players so it will be a great match to be a part of...

Well, that's it for this edition. Don't forget about Homecoming Weekend October 12-14. Keep an eye on the website for a chance to sign up for the alumni vs alumni game on Saturday at 10:00 a.m. as well as the BBQ to follow. We hope you will be thinking of us this weekend and will join us in October. All the best and GO RAMS!