Mach 23, 2008

Dear Alums & Friends,

I apologize for not be in touch for a while but even though we are in between our traditional and non-traditional seasons it has been a busy time on campus. First and foremost we were in the hunt to replace Gareth Elliott who as most of you know, left in January to become the head coach at Siena College (NY). "G" has been busy himself sorting out things for his program but we didn't have to look far for someone to fill his shoes. Our second assistant Mitch Stone was elevated into the full-time position Gareth vacated and now we are on the look out for the person and funding to fill this position.

The second thing on the docket was fundraising and we have been working hard with alumni appeals and working with our club program to raise the funds necessary to get a second assistant on board. We had some moderate success with donations from alums and friends. We were stunned and extremely grateful for these but most especially to Vince McCrudden who chipped in with a $10,000 check for the program. Vince and his brother Dan who both played here at URI have been big supporters of URI soccer and we can't say enough about what Vince's generosity will do for us.

On the playing front the guy's have been training this winter with technical sessions on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 6:30 am while lifting and running Monday, Wednesday and Friday in the afternoons. They are on break this week and excited to get outside when they get back to campus to begin our non traditional spring season. We kick it off with a trip to Siena College on March 29th to meet up with Gareth Elliott's new squad and continue on with a games against UMass, Central Connecticut, Quinnipiac, UMass-Lowell (NCAA Division II), Southern New Hampshire (NCAA Division II), Maine and finish off with the annual Alumni Game and banquet on Saturday April 26th at 1:00 pm here in Kingston. We hope you have already begun to make your plans to be here that weekend as last years event was a blast.

From the alumni front we are happy to update you on our guy's who are out there trying to make a go at playing the game they love. Geoffrey Cameron is presently in Guatemala with the Houston Dynamo after signing a senior roster contract. Lukasz Tumicz was unfortunately released by the Columbus Crew but fate has a funny way of working out as he got a chance to travel back home to Poland for a trial with Jagiellonia Bialystok FC of the Polish First Division and subsequently earned himself a three year contract to play the team who ironically was the one he supported as a youth. Danleigh Borman, who was taken in the supplementary draft by Red Bull New York, was back on campus about a week ago after returning to the states from Austria where he continued to train with Red Bull. We just got great news the other day that he was offered and accepted a senior developmental contract with New York and it looks like - according to internet rumors - he has a very good chance to begin the season as a starter.

Closer to Rhode Island, Callum Bissett, who was invited to pre-season with the Harrisburg City Islanders (United Soccer Leagues Second Division) decided to stay nearer to his surrogate home and has signed with the Western Mass Pioneers. It's an extraordinary accomplishment for such a talented class.

Well, that's about all there is to report. We continue on the search for a second assistant and are looking forward to the ANNUAL ALUMNI GAME & TEAM BANQUET ON APRIL 26th. Don't forget about the 10th Annual URI men's soccer GOLF OUTING ON MONDAY AUGUST 11th AT FENNER HILL GOLF CLUB IN HOPE VALLEY, RI. More information on both events will follow but clear your calendars and join us for two of the best events we do here for URI soccer.

Happy Easter and GO RAMS!

January 27, 2008

Dear Friends & Alumni,

WHEW! It's been a whirlwind couple of weeks here, so I thought I would give you a quick update with what has been going on here in URI soccer land...

First, as many of you know, my assistant Gareth Elliott was recently named the head coach at Siena College. He's been around this week saying his farewells, although we know he will not be too far away.

We had a great sending off event last Saturday over at Charlie O's in Narragansett. I have to thank Chris Simon for his hospitality in helping us with the arrangements and for his generosity in providing food for this crew. Although we had to cancel our little testimonial game in the morning because of some facility issues here, we had over 50 people in attendance, including alums Aidan Byrne and his wife (Aidan is going to be a dad very soon), Jesse Simmons, Michael Bradley and his sons Logan & Keegan, Kevin Kennedy, Corey Sullivan, Lukasz Tumicz, Danleigh Borman, Dawid Badecki, Callum Bissett, Mike Stricklind, Nancy Stricklind , Mike Rogers, Dennis Richards as well as Terry and Trish Casey.

Doug Stone, Ben Smith, Brian Bradley, Steve & Kyle Froberg, Paul Fanning and Pat Maguire also would have been there if it was not for the schedule change and some conflicts.

Also in attendance from the athletic department were Paul Kassabian (compliance), Ted Romanosky (equipment manager), Mitzi Dusin (athletic trainer), Jim Foster (baseball coach), Jodi Pontbriand (sports information), Lauren Goley (athletic trainer), Michelle Levreault (athletic trainer), Angie Farine (athletic trainer), Liz Proctor (strength coach), Denise King (assistant women's basketball coach), Donna Perrault (business office) and Mike Laprey (sports information director) as well as Frank, Wendy, Molly and Emily Bergren and Dr. John Sullivan (sports psychologist).

So, you can see it was a great crew. I received a lot of terrific e-mails from people wishing Gareth well as they couldn't make it because of distance or schedule conflicts.

I also want to thank Russell Blank, Michael Bradley, Terry & Trish Casey, Jeanette Gonsalves and her family, Mike & Nancy Stricklin, track & field coach John Copeland, academic advisor Winkle Kelly, Corey Sullivan and the Pryess family for their and others' generous contributions that helped us raise over $1,000 which will be donated to the program in Gareth's name - a very nice tribute to an incredible player, dedicated alum and talented coach!

Of course the exciting news on the soccer front was the drafting of Geoffrey Cameron, Danleigh Borman and Lukasz Tumicz into Major League Soccer. Geoffrey and Lukasz were invited to the MLS Combine in early January and the big fella from Attleboro, MA was subsequently drafted in the 3rd round of the MLS Superdraft by the 2007 MLS Champion Houston Dynamo. Lukasz and Danleigh were selected in the supplemental draft this past Thursday, with our South African friend being selected as the 7th overall pick by the New York Red Bull while the Polish wonder boy went 34th to the Columbus Crew. We are very excited for them as well as for Callum Bissett who will be going to training camp for the USL Harrisburg City Islanders very shortly. What a great class and tribute for URI men's soccer!

The last bit of news I wanted to share before signing off is that at the Atlantic 10 Conference soccer meeting during the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) convention in Baltimore, the University of Rhode Island was named the 2009 ATLANTIC 10 CHAMPIONSHIP HOST SCHOOL! We are ecstatic about this opportunity as we haven't hosted since 2000!

We have a lot of work and planning to do though - including finishing the DUGOUT & SCORERS BOOTH PROJECT... if this isn't incentive for all of us I don't know what is!

Well, that is about it now... a lot of news but all of the exciting kind! The players are back on campus and we begin our winter training next week. Before you know it we will be back on the field playing.

And speaking of playing... keep an eye on the web site for our spring schedule. The annual ALUMNI GAME & TEAM BANQUET IS SATURDAY MARCH 29th AT 1:00 PM, so start getting fit and making your plans to be here!

GO RAMS!
Coach O'C

P.S. DON'T FORGET THE 12th ANNUAL ALUMNI GOLF OUTING IS MONDAY AUGUST 11th AT FENNER HILL GOLF CLUB IN HOPE VALLEY, RI! START PRACTICING AND GET YOUR FOURSOMES READY!

December 20, 2007

Dear Friends & Alumni,

I'm off to Toronto tomorrow morning (7:00 am!) for a showcase this weekend and don't return until the 23rd. So, I wanted to drop you a quick note wishing you and yours a Happy Holiday and a wonderful New Year!

It has been quite a busy place around here with the hiring of our new football coach Darren Rizzi '92 (former Rhody football player) as well as watching the UMass soccer team make its run at the NCAA Championship. Although we are jealous that UMass was there and we weren't, it is great for the Atlantic 10 Conference and we are happy for our good friend Sam Koch and his squad. It goes to show you the potential we had but the Minuteman peaked at the right time, got some great performances and had a little luck on their side - which you always need in a special season.

I remember back in 1996 when I took my University of Chicago team to the NCAA Division III Final Four, where along the way we beat the #1 team in the country Wheaton (IL) in a PK shoot-out, #6 Trinity (TX) 1-0 - after being out cornered 19-1 and came from behind to beat the #8 Greensboro to get to there. Only a 3-2 loss to Kenyon in the semifinals stood in our way of our ultimate goal.

URI soccer always has that potential to do the same. So, we will get back to work after the holidays preparing for our spring non-traditional season and of course the 2008 campaign. It will be an exciting ride with all the new faces and energy this young team brings. Stay tuned...

I would be remiss if, before I sign off, I didn't send some special holiday wishes to the 2007 squad for their hard work and unrelenting spirit; to my assistants Gareth Elliott and Mitch Stone for keeping me sane; to our volunteers Ben Smith and Frank Bergren who continually amaze me with how they can juggle their full time jobs and families with helping the boys; to Doug Stone for believing in us and keeping us strong in mind and body; to Lauren Goley for keeping us healthy and for the care and compassion she shows for the squad; and of course to all our parents and alums for their continued and undying support of URI soccer. I'm confident that the new year will bring us an exciting time here in the soccer office and hope that you will continue to be a part of it.

All the best for healthy and happy holiday season from our family to yours,

Coach O'C

December 15, 2007

Seasons Greetings from the URI men's soccer office!

It's been an exciting time here this week as the post-season accolades are beginning to role in for our players.

First, we found out that we had four players make the Adidas/NSCAA All-Region team. Geoffrey Cameron (Attleboro, MA) and Lukasz Tumicz (Bisztnyek, Poland) made the first team while central defenders Callum Bissett (Pencaitland, Scotland) and Adam Howarth (Isle of Wight, England) were voted to the second team.

Then, the second news that you of may have seen is that Geoffrey and Lukasz also were selected to participate in the 2008 adidas/Major League Soccer Player Combine in Ft. Lauderdale, FL from January 11-15. They are two of only three Atlantic 10 players selected and are now among the top 54 seniors in the country who will get a look in preparation of the MLS Superdraft on Friday January 18th in Baltimore, MD. We know they represent themselves, their families and URI well. I am also confident that Callum, Adam and Danleigh Borman (Cape Town, South Africa) will also get a chance down the road to continue their careers in either MLS or the USL. So, keep your fingers crossed for them.

Anyway, I hope this e-mail finds you well as we move into this busy holiday time. As you probably know by now, we unfortunately finished our season a bit short or our goals. Our loss in the Atlantic 10 Championship semifinals brought the season to an abrupt halt. But, I was very proud of the way the players turned around the season after a tough start, losing only two of the final twelve matches. It was exciting to be a part of it, as it just adds to the exciting lore of the program.

Over the past few months there have been a lot of exciting things happening on campus. The Making a Difference campaign kicked off, working to raise money for the new Student Athlete Development Center (SADC). The goal is to raise $5,000,000 which will be then matched by the University to build the SADC and associated projects.

Recently, an anonymous donor gave $1,000,000 to the baseball program, which will be used to renovate the field and build indoor batting cages for use by the baseball and softball teams. It is a tremendous boost to the baseball program and a gift like this is what it is going to take for our program to complete the dugout and scorers booth on our game field.

Like baseball, the enhancements to the facility will not only help recruiting but will enable us to host future Atlantic 10 Championships as well as NCAA Tournament games. THIS IS A MAIN GOAL OF OURS, AND ONE WE NEED TO GET MOVING ON SO THAT WE'RE NOT BEHIND OUR COMPETITORS AND OTHER ATHLETIC PROGRAMS AT URI.

Any ideas on how to finalize this project are welcome!

Along this theme, and in anticipation of this time of giving, we decided to come up with a holiday wish list (beyond completing our facility) which we hope will inspire and help secure the funds necessary to keep our program moving forward. All of the things on our list are items that are not provided by the state budget, but are essential to the continuing success of the program:

1. Annual funding of Second Assistant Position ($25,000)
2. Annual funding for soccer specific strength & conditioning sessions ($5,000)
3. Small sided goals and other necessary practice and training equipment ($2,000)
4. Energy/Recovery Drinks and Gels ($1,500)
5. Technological equipment upgrades ($1,000)

As with every "Wish List" we wrote as children, the big ticket item is the one we really want and need the most, but all are of equal importance. We have developed an annual fundraising plan of events to try and meet our needs, but even with these efforts we still require your help.

In the end, we hope that there is our own "Jolly Old Soccer Elf" out there to help put some of these things under our tree this year!

For those who are able to help (donations of $100+), we would like to reward you for your support with a limited edition 2008 URI Men's Soccer Calendar.

The calendar is a pictorial review of the history of Rhode Island soccer and sure to bring back many memories. These limited addition calendars are also available for purchase for $20.00 (plus $5.00 shipping & handling). Just complete the following order form and return it with a check made out to "URI Men's Soccer" and we'll get your calendar out in the mail!

As always, thank you for being part of Rhode Island men's soccer and we look forward to your continued support of the program. All the best for a great New Year!

Have a Happy Holiday Season, Coach O'C

November 21, 2007

Well, there are some days where things just seem to click and then there are those where your luck seems to run out... and that's what ours did this weekend in Dayton...

We had lost only once in the past 11 games and were undefeated in the last 5 but we would have traded all that for just one more win on Friday night. Disappointment is the only way I can describe it. I feel disappointed not as much that we didn't advance in the Atlantic 10 tournament but more so because we were not afforded the chance to give this senior class one more game in their distinguished careers. It was very hard for all of us but particularly difficult for them - there was not a shortage of tears at the end of the game.

Our season came to a very abrupt end on Friday night, with a 1-0 loss to our travel partner the University of Massachusetts. Our only solace lies in the fact that the Minutemen went on to win the A-10 tournament - and received the league's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. UMass beat UNC-Charlotte (2-0) after Charlotte eliminated Saint Louis University in a penalty kick shoot-out in their semifinal match (also on Friday night).

Our hats go off to UMass coach Sam Koch and his team - they found a way to get it done under tough conditions, a less-than-favorable playing surface and three games in four days. Our program had been their before, and accomplished the same feat, so through our disappointment, the boys could understand the excitement they felt. Good luck to them!

I know it was hard for the players to watch the game and celebration that followed. I wished we could have gotten a flight out on Saturday, but in the long run, I think it was an important experience for our young players - to see what they will begin to prepare for in a few short months.

At the end of the championship game, it was nice to see Callum Bissett (Pencaitland, Scotland), Geoffrey Cameron (Attleboro, MA) and Adam Howarth (Isle of Wight, England) be recognized as members of the Atlantic 10 Conference All-Tournament Team. It was a well deserved way to finish off their fantastic A-10 careers.

As my assistant Mitch Stone told all the seniors back at the hotel on Friday after the semifinal, you are all defined by the results tonight and the exciting thing is that you have much to look forward to in your future lives.

Well, you would think that we would be able to relax a bit but as they say - there is no rest for the weary. We have a lot to do between now and the end of the semester including organizing our recruiting schedule and trying to fill in the pieces of the class we are losing. They are so special!

So far, the only thing I can say is that we already have some commitments and are on the trail of some very good players who we think fit the URI men's soccer mold for success. People keep saying that we are going to have to re-build - but I just say we are re-loading! With the players we have returning, plus those we will have coming in, we will be ready to compete in "a manner we are accustomed to" once again.

By the way - exciting things are happening here at URI with the athletic department receiving an anonymous donation of 1 MILLION DOLLARS! Some of this will go towards the new Student-Athlete Development Center, but much will go to improving the baseball field with a new astro-grass infield and the installment of irrigation and new sod in the outfield. We are hoping that in the future we'll be able to finish up our own game facility with the completion of the press box/dugout project as well as resurfacing our practice field - which never seems to get much rest (except for during the winter months). So, if you know of anyone with a spare mil (or even a half or quarter) lying around tell them to go ahead and send it along! :)

Speaking of fundraising, its that time of the year and many of you will soon get a letter/e-mail from us with a request to join (or re-join) the "Friends of URI Soccer". Your donations are important to the lifeblood of the program so we hope you will be able to help.

We will also be in touch with a couple of announcements of "Friends" events including a reception on Thursday January 24th at the first home basketball game of the second semester. It was a fun event last year and we hope to make it even better this time around.

Another special project which our soccer "intern" Danleigh Borman (Cape Town, South Africa) has been working on is a 2008 URI Men's Soccer Calendar which will include photos from a various eras which have made URI men's soccer what it is today. We will be selling them to family, alumni and friends so keep your eyes peeled for the details!

Finally, don't forget that we have limited edition URI t-shirts for sale out of the soccer office which would make great holiday gifts. E-mail me for details or to have one sent along.

Before I sign off, I want to say thanks on behalf of the players and staff for all of the support you have shown us over the season. After a difficult start against some very good teams, I wasn't surprised to get the e-mails and phone calls of encouragement from all of you. Special thanks to Russell Blank, Terry Casey, Mike Hoffer, Lance Klima, Dan & Vince McCrudden and Mike Rogers (among others) who continually offered kind words, support and encouragement to the players and staff throughout this fall.

We didn't get to where we were ultimately heading, but you can trust me in the fact that you would have been proud at the way the guys represented URI soccer.

Have a great Thanksgiving Holiday and GO RAMS!

November 15, 2007

As I sit here on the bus, on the ride back from Philadelphia, I feel like I have a little time to relax. With Veterans Day upon us and no classes for the guys tomorrow, the office should be quiet. Nonetheless, it's going to be a busy day as we are preparing to take off for the Atlantic 10 Championship in Dayton, OH.

By virtue of this weekend's wins over Temple (2-0) and St. Joe's (4-2) in the "City of Brotherly Love", we secured the #2 seed in the conference tournament. Getting one of the top two seeds is the goal we have been working for all season and after our rough start, it is quite satisfying to accomplish what we set out to do.

On Friday, we played in the afternoon - which is unusual for the A-10 weekends. But Temple does not have lights at its field, so it actually was nice to have the extra time between games. Although Temple was not doing particularly well on the season, we knew that Coach Dave McWilliams and his team were a better playing team than their record showed.

We got a very good performance out of the guys in the beginning of the first half, but Temple found some success in the middle third of the stanza. Credit goes to the boys for getting back on track and as the half was ending, we started to gain momentum.

The build up of energy paid off and manifested itself in a lightning strike to the top left corner from 25 yards out by Kedan Crosby (St. James, Trinidad) to put us on top. That confidence kept us going until Geoffrey Cameron (Attleboro, MA) knocked a through ball to Lukasz Tumicz (Bisztynek, Poland) for the insurance goal and the win.

The boys would get a good days rest on Saturday - and we knew it was much needed as Sunday's game which was going to literally be a dog fight. We were playing for the second seed and more importantly, St. Joe's was playing at home, on their senior day in a game which would put them in the Atlantic 10 tournament for the first time in 13 years. This was a huge weight for our guys to bear... especially where these games - played on the old time Astroturf on "Hawk Hill" - were traditionally physical.

The guys handled the physical play and their emotions well, netting two first-half goals by Geoffrey Cameron and Callum Bissett's (Pencaitland, Scotland) first of the year, on a corner from Danleigh Borman (Cape Town, South Africa).

We began the second half with a bit of a different line-up trying to protect a few players who were carrying yellow cards and in jeopardy of having to sit out the next game (first round of the A-10 tournament) if they received another.

The changes didn't alter things on the field as Lukasz Tumicz netted back-to-back goals to increase the lead. This gave us a cushion to be able to get some other guys some experience. In the final 20 minutes of the game, we only had 3 starters left on the field.

St. Joe's made a brief comeback with two goals off of free kicks but the experience our young players gained after that far outweighed the score of the game. I was very proud of them and think that they will grow from this time on the field.

Well, we're excited to get going to Dayton but it's not all sunshine and daisies as we leave early (6:00 am) on Wednesday. We will get a couple of days to recover and will find out after Thursday nights quarterfinal games who our opponent will be come the semifinals on Friday night.

I feel as though the team is firing on all cylinders right now, although we still have our best game in front of us. Keep us in mind this weekend as we take the field looking for that jewel that is the Atlantic 10 Tournament championship. We're looking forward to the challenge and appreciate the support everyone has shown us over the season...

GO RAMS!

November 7, 2007

Well, I know I am late in getting this edition of "From This End of the Bench" to you all but it's taken me a while to recover from this past weekend's excitement. We may as well be called the "Cardiac Kids" for the time of our game-winning goals over the last four matches. I am sure I have even less hair now then I had before the weekend began. And I have to be honest here, that's not a name by which any coach really wants be known. But, I have to admit it is a lot of fun when you are on the positive side of things.

As anyone who has competed in the Atlantic 10 knows, no game is easy. At times, some become that way, but I never go into the game with the attitude we will win by just showing up. Both Fordham and LaSalle came to Kingston sporting good A-10 records, the former being second in the league with a 4-1-0 record. It took two great efforts and a little luck to come up with the 1-0 wins (and shutouts to boot - which are nice byproducts of the work put in during the match by everyone).

Lukasz Tumicz (Bisznytek, Poland) continued on his hot scoring pace with the winner on Friday off a Steve Mellen (N. Kingstown, RI) assist. Steve had a chance to score himself but set Lukasz up with a goal on a silver platter - which defines Steve to a "T" - he's a hard worker who does whatever is needed for the team to be successful - whether its for 9 minutes or 90.

On Sunday, it was a little different matter. Although we dominated in the statistical categories, we give La Salle a ton of credit for keeping things even and giving themselves chances to win with their counter attack. It was not until about 01:30:00 left on the game clock that Adam Howarth (Isle of Wight, England) slipped a ball under the Explorer keeper off a Danleigh Borman (Cape Town, South Africa) corner for his first collegiate goal... It's a wonder how a 6'4" central defender would score with a little redirect while going to ground, as opposed to that powerful melon of his. But, the self proclaimed "Henri" of a practice game we play called "Bread & Butter" will remember it for the rest of his life! It was a great way to celebrate "Senior Day" and it kept us on our quest to qualify for the A-10 tournament and gain a top seed.

This weekend was an important one for us and the boys knew it. They came through with flying colors, not only in terms of results, but with performances worthy of the class of players who were competing in their last regular season home games as a Ram. It was a very emotional day for everyone. As I said to Dr. John Sullivan on the sidelines, "This is one of my favorite days but also one of the most difficult."

It was wonderful to have the Algozers (mom & dad), Badeckis (mom & dad), Bissetts (mom, dad, grandma, sister, brother and sister's boyfriend), Camerons (mom, dad & grandpa), Howarths (mom & step-dad) and Mellens (mom & dad) here with us. I also thank Nancy Kelly, Frank Bergren, Jeffrey Gonsalves and Gareth Elliott as well as Sheila, Megan and Michael O'Connor for acting as surrogate families for those who could not be with us on this special occasion.

Whether it was at Dartmouth, Chicago or here at URI, it is always difficult for me to realize how quickly time passes. As I watched these men - Adam, Badecki, Callum, Danleigh, Geoffrey, Gozer, Lukasz, Mellen, Scalzo - walk to the middle of the field to be recognized with their families and friends, I couldn't help but count my blessings to have such a great group to start my career with at URI. They are the reason this program has been so successful over the past four years. To be accepted into such a tight-knit group with such enthusiasm, and to be trusted in leading them, is something I will never forget. My hat goes off to them!

Now it is off to the "City of Brotherly Love" for our last two regular season matches at Temple (Friday at 2:00 pm) and St. Joseph's (Sunday at 1:00 pm). Each one is important in reaching our goal of a 1 or 2 seed in the A-10 Tournament.

Keep an eye on us via "Gametracker" and keep the positive vibes going!

GO RAMS!