October 27, 2008

Sorry that this will be a short one today... Its one of our only full days rest in a while and I am off to do some errands this morning and then take the kids to get their pumpkins for Halloween after school. This past weekend when we had the guys over for pre-game brunch, my kids Megan and Michael were excitedly telling all the players what they would be for "All Hallows Eve". Megan is going as Jesse the cowgirl from the Disney movie Toy Story II and Michael (of course) will be a POWER RANGER!... The red one. Unfortunately, we will be in NY for Halloween but by the looks of the "bed head" some of the guys had on Sunday morning, they won't have to bring along a fright wig to scare anyone... that was scary enough!

Well, it wasn't the weekend we were hoping for but we came away from it with some important A-10 points... just not as many as we had hoped. We ended up tying 1-1 and 2-2 to George Washington and Richmond, respectively - our fifth and sixth overtime games of the season. Tying is always better than losing of course but it is a little disappointing considering we had chances to win in both games.

As tough as that is, its all we could ask of the guys and I'm proud of them for it. To be able to play that many extra periods takes a special bunch of players with the mental and physical toughness to get through it. We can attribute the latter to Director of Soccer Operations Frank Bergren who has them fit as a fiddle with "just 15 minutes". The former is a tribute to the competitiveness of the squad. The work hard every day in training, pushing themselves and their teammates to be better.

The league itself has been quite a strange one this season with Dayton being the only team to separate itself from the rest of the pack to date. If you look at the standings, it is still wide open for berths in the A-10 tournament - which is hosted by Duquesne the weekend of November 12-16. These weekends become more and more important to us and I am confident that we will rise to the occasion and be one of the top 6 by season's end. The greatest thing is that we have something to play for and that is incentive enough for player's as competitive as ours.

Freshman Erkko Puranen (Viitasaari, Finland) had quiet a weekend after missing last Sunday at St. Bonaventure following a very curious ejection in the Duquesne game. He was VERY dangerous on Friday night, having a breakaway saved and just missing another point blank shot. He continued his work rate on Sunday and it paid off when he scored twice versus Richmond. He is a dynamite kid - both on an off the field - and I have been increasingly impressed with his progress. I look forward to what the future brings for him in Rhody Blue!

This weekend we hit the road for games at Fordham in the Bronx and La Salle in Philadelphia. Both should be great matches and we hope that all those alums and friends in the New York and Philly area will come out and see the guy's play. If you're not close, you can follow all the action thru Gametracher on www.gorhody.com.

Before I sign off, our friend Jodi Pontbriand from URI Sports Communications sent me this nice article on Danleigh Borman '08 concerning his career with New York Red Bull.

Both he and classmate Geoff Cameron (Houston Dynamo) continue to do well as does Lukasz Tumicz in his native Poland.

GO RAMS!
Coach O'C

October 20, 2008

For all of you who were on campus this past weekend for Homecoming 2008, we're sorry we missed you. Unfortunately, we were away for two important Atlantic 10 Conference games at Duquesne and St. Bonaventure. We hope all of you were in town for the festivities had a great time visiting with your friends, classmates and former Rhody teammates. It was fun to be around that atmosphere last year and we look forward to being in Kingston in the future.

The first leg of the doubleheader weekend was an exciting one... maybe more than we wanted but with the help of our international connection and a key goal in extra time, the team earned at Duquesne 3-2 which is always tough. The Dukes will host the 2008 Atlantic 10 Championships in November so it was nice to get familiar with the surface and environment.

The game itself was a tale of two halves, the first being a defensive struggle between the two sides with each team getting good chances. Duquesne's came VERY early in the first 45 minutes when one of their forwards slipped behind our defense an got off a quick shot that was destined to score. But, junior captain and goalkeeper Chris Pennock (Middlesborough, England) shot off his line and down to his right to snare a sure goal.

The game stayed at a stalemate going into the intermission but our boys came out of the gate on fire, determined to grab the lead and a victory. After a Duquesne foul in the attacking third, senior captain Kedan Crosby (St. James, Trinidad) alertly played a quick free kick to our Finnish striker Erkko Puranen (Viitasaari, Finland) who burst behind the Dukes' defense and in on the goal to collect his team-leading fifth goal of the season. Kedan would later push the lead to 2-0 as he collected his own unassisted goal. The 2-0 advantage felt good but as those involved in the game will tell you, this score is often the most dangerous. And that it was...

After this time, the game took on a completely different look when Erkko - while trying to get through on goal for his second of the day - was fouled and ended up being sent off by the official. The reason was a mystery to us, since there was no fight or altercation, but we had to deal with it. Not surprisingly, that one decision changed everything, turning the game into what resembled a street fight at times. With 6 minutes left on the clock, the Dukes scored to make it a 2-1 game and again in the final minute (actually with just 14 seconds to go) got the equalizer. What a turn-around! It again shows why the 2-0 lead is the most dangerous.

Going into overtime we refocused, knowing that this was going to test our players' character and resolve. We had been in this position before and I reminded them that character was not about the size of their biceps but making the right decisions and doing the right things during moments when it is hard to do so.

It did not take long for Dwayne Williams (Westmoreland, Jamaica) to change early into his Halloween costume in the form of a Superman cape and "bock" (Jamaican slang for heading the ball) a corner into the back of the net for the game winner. This was Dwayne's 3rd game-winning goal of the season which he credits all to the service of Gary Crooks (Falkirk, Scotland) which has been superb.

I commend the guys for showing their character and determination and finding a way to finish the game off.

The trip up to St. Bonaventure from Pittsburgh started off as an interesting one. We chartered a bus up to Olean, NY from the Steel City but did not expect what we got for our transportation. Upon gathering in the lobby for departure we met our bus driver who had arrived the day before from CANADA in his "chariot" (as he called it) that was a 28 passenger Niagara Falls Tour bus. It was not what we had ordered but after some phone calls to the bus company with some rather poignant words from assistant coach Mitch Stone, we none the less departed and got a tour of the beautiful Allegheny National Forest along the way. It was a great day to take a ride but took a little longer then expected as our chariot struggled a bit going up the mountains at times. We arrived in Olean, trained, had a nice meal and retired to our rooms to catch the Red Sox win game 6 of the ALCS.

The next day, we prepared for the second game of the weekend but unfortunately we didn't fair as well as Friday. St. Bonnies was in crisis mode to stay alive in the hunt for a place in the Atlantic 10 tournament and came out with a lot of energy. We played ok in the first half which ended 0-0 but a strike from about 30 yards out that hit the underside of cross bar and bounced down found it's way in the net in the second half.

The guys worked to get the goal back, but in the end could not find that one good chance to equalize and give us a chance to win. It was not for lack of trying! We just seemed a little flat and I've been racking my brain to figure out why. I told the players that it was as great opportunity to put us in a position to secure an early spot in the A-10 tournament, but unfortunately, we were unable to convert on the day.

This week we will prepare for our first home A-10 doubleheader weekend when George Washington and Richmond come to Kingston. I am confident the boys will rebound from the disappointing weekend in Olean and get back on track. It will be a dog fight in the league and we need to make sure we show our teeth and keep the other hounds at bay.

Before I sign off, I need to send along public congratulations to former Ram Michael Bradley '97 and Grandpa Ed Bradley on the birth of Brooke Neumann Bradley born Sunday October 19th at 4:28am, weighing 7lbs 12 oz and measuring 21 inches long. Another little Rhody Ram in the stable...

GO RAMS!
Coach O'C

October 13, 2008

Don't ever under value a rivalry... just ask the Hatfields and the McCoys. It may not be that bad, but as our alums told me when I first came to URI... the UMass games are pretty close. Today's match was an exciting one - so exciting I had to have my blood pressure checked at half-time. UMass was coming off a fantastic 2007 season where they reached the NCAA Final Four but history and past results go out the window when the Minutemen and Rams face off!

We started the day with a pre-game brunch at the O'Connor household. Although the guys enjoy the food on campus it is always nice to get them together away from campus for a home cooked meal. We had a beautiful day to work with, our first A-10 game to look forward to and three great recruits visiting campus. So, all looked right for the Rams.

I think the players would admit that we did not start the game the way we had hoped. It was a physical match - which didn't make it any easier - and were a little lethargic so it took us almost 30 minutes to get going. UMass took advantage of this, so going into the intermission we felt fortunate for the score to be 0-0.

The second half began much better with inspired play from junior defender Domenic Petrarca (Providence, R.I.) and co-captain Kedan Crosby (St. James, Trinidad) as well as freshmen Reece Markman (Dallas, Texas) that got us into a good rhythm. The Minutemen are a good squad that has experienced some tough results so we knew it would not be easy to break them down.

A week or so ago, Kedan reminded the team that former Ram Danleigh Borman (now in MLS with the New York Red Bull) used to tell the boys that sometimes you have to "grind out" a win... well the team remembered that today. It took 87 minutes to do so but after a yellow card foul by UMass, junior Gary Crooks (Falkirk, Scotland) sent a great free kick (one of many he has been serving this season) into the box that center back Dwayne Williams (Westmoreland, Jamaica) redirected past UMass GK Zack Simmons, who by the way is a classy kid.

It was a little hairy in the end with UMass getting one last chance on a free kick but the horn sounded and all was right in Rhodyville...

Although the guys get today off for the Columbus Day holiday, it will be a short week leading into an Atlantic 10 doubleheader weekend at Duquesne (Pittsburgh) and St. Bonventure (Olean, N.Y.) next Friday and Sunday. As nationally-ranked Saint Louis (1-2 loss to Fordham) and Charlotte (1-2 loss to LaSalle) found this past weekend, there are no easy games in the A-10 so we can't and aren't going to take any of the remaining games lightly if we want to be playing in the A-10 tournament come November.

GO RAMS!

October 6, 2008

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

September 30, 2008

Dear Alums & Friends,

It was a very good weekend for the Rams as we traveled to Amherst, MA to take part in the UMass Invitational Soccer Tournament. It was excellent few days as we met up with America East Conference foes the University of Vermont on Friday and the University of Hartford on Sunday. These would be the 4th and 5th America East opponents the team faced in the early part of the season so we felt it was a great test for us building towards the A-10 part of the schedule.

We had a strange start to the weekend as the weather almost put a wet blanket on the tourney with torrential rain predicted for Friday. The UMass administration was worried about field conditions - not only because of the incoming weather - but also the fact there would be three games on Rudd Field that day. The UMass women were playing their A-10 opener at Noon, followed by the UMass men vs. Hartford at 2:30 pm and our match against Vermont at 4:00 pm. But in the end, the call was made for "game on" and off we went after training on Thursday.

It seemed like a long wait for the game on Friday... We filled the time with study hall in the morning and then our pre-game meal in the early afternoon. We were ready to go and the timing was right but the "best laid plans of mice and men often go astray"... the Minutewomen went to OT in their match as did their male counterparts versus Hartford (which won on a "golden goal" after a goalkeeping error). So, this left our game beginning at 5:15 pm, which was not good on a dreary, cloudy and rainy afternoon. The downpours and intermittent rain contributed to a rather sloppy game as well as the eventual suspension of the game after 70 minutes - due to darkness. Because we got that far the game was official and ended as a 0-0 tie. To be very honest, with the conditions and play it was a fair result.

After a good day off filled with morning training, some college football (and nap) in the afternoon and a great dinner at the home of sophomore midfielder Greg Balicki (Wilbraham, MA), the boys were ready to get back on the field for the second game of the weekend.

By the way, special thanks to the Balicki, Tanke and Preyss families for creating such relaxing atmosphere Saturday night as well as for the AWESOME food!!!

Sunday couldn't have come sooner... the weather broke and it was amazing how well Rudd Field had held up, considering all the rain we had received over the weekend. It would be an interesting game as junior transfer Kevin Shaw (Denny, Scotland) was facing his old team and friends. The game kicked off on time and both squads came out with some fire. Our Rams started off well, dominating play in the first 15 minutes but Hartford, coming off their overtime win over UMass, found their way and created some chances of their own.

The guys battled back and held serve, getting some good chances from freshman Errko Puranen (Visitasaari, Finland) and senior co-captain Kedan Crosby (St. James, Trinidad). Junior goalkeeper Chris Pennock (Middlesborough, England) managed the game well and even got a little help from the cross bar in the second half to keep it 0-0.

Regulation ended and overtime began with neither team getting any clear chances. In between the first and second OT periods, the boys were reminded by assistant coach Mitch Stone that this moment was the reason why "Coach Bergs" (Director of Soccer Operations Frank Bergren) works them so hard during fitness sessions - to be able to get to this point in the game and have enough left to finish it.

Well, "Finish" it we did... in more ways than one. Less than a minute into the second overtime Kedan Crosby fought for a loose ball on the right side off the kick off, dribbled past a Hawks defender and delivered a driven cross which Erkko "the Finnish Flash/the Sniper" Puranen got on the end of, headed down and the game was ours. It was well deserved and the result earned the guys the tournament championship as Vermont and the hosts tied 0-0 later that afternoon.

Although we were looking for two wins this weekend, we are happy with the results over the past 4 matches. We've done well only conceding 1 goal but need to work this week to create more clear cut chances for ourselves.

Our next game will be a special one as we welcome back former Ram and assistant coach Gareth Elliott to the URI complex - wearing the green and gold of his new Siena College squad. The match kicks off on Friday, October 3rd at 7:00 pm and will mark the end of our non-conference slate for this fall.

Hope to see you all there supporting URI men's soccer!

GO RAMS!
Coach O'C

September 19, 2008

Dear Alums & Friends,

Hopefully by now you have seen the tremendous 1-0 overtime result during our midweek game versus Harvard University here at the URI Soccer Complex. I was very proud of the guy's for the way they came out and handled themselves after the disappointing game at BU. Wednesday nights tilt was an exciting match and a night which included a doubleheader with the URI women's program who finished off the night with a 2-0 shutout of Vermont. In our match we got a great overtime goal from Erkko Puranen (Visitasaari, Finland) on a "no look" pass from Gary Crooks (Falkirk, Scotland) that sent the "Finnish Flash" on a breakaway. He took it well and the win was a good one over a very talented Harvard squad which includes two players on the Herman Trophy (College Player of the Year) watch list. If not for a couple of Chris Pennock (Middlesborough, England) saves and the organization of our defense led by Kevin Shaw (Denny, Scotland) and Dom Petrarca (Providence, RI) we could have been on the short end of that result so we are happy it went our way in the end.

Well, it is on to the next match which will be another big one for the Rams as we take on intra-state rival Brown University at 7:00 pm tomorrow at Stevenson Field. It is a big night as not only is it Soccer Rhode Island Night (the youth soccer organization in the state of Rhode Island) but is also the culmination of a joint fundraiser for Grassroot Soccer.

As you may or may not know, Grassroots Soccer is a global AIDS prevention organization works to deliver prevention messages to children in the world's most HIV affected countries. ALL youth soccer players wearing a soccer jersey will be admitted FREE to the game. Our players as well as the players will be wearing limited edition jerseys (yellow for URI and red for Brown) during the match to bring attention and raise awareness to our cause.

We hope those who are in the area will be able to attend not only to support URI Men's Soccer during this VERY important match but also to help us help the children of these African nations as all proceeds from the game go to Grassroot Soccer. I feel it is a VERY worthwhile cause and one I have close ties to with as two of the founders, Methembe Ndlovu (Bulawayo, Zimbabwe) and Dr. Tommy Clark (Hanover, NH) are former players from Dartmouth College who played there when I was an assistant coach there from 1990-1995. I also have one of my former players from the University of Chicago Stuart Phelps who is in South Africa right now training in preparation for his work with Grassroot Soccer. They have worked hard to bring attention to this global problem and we hope that you will join me in supporting their cause.

Anyway, it will be a great night and one which everyone will be a winner in the end...hopefully our Rams more so then not. On behalf of Grassroot Soccer and the University of Rhode Island men's soccer program we thank you in advance for your support! Hope to see you there...

GO RAMS!
Coach O'C

September 4, 2008

Dear Alumni & Friends,

Hope you all had a good labor day and have been enjoying weather as beautiful as what we have had here in Kingston. We just returned from the first games of the 2008 season, coming away with a win and a loss in the 19th Annual UNH Nike Fall Classic hosted by the University of New Hampshire. It was a great setting to begin the season after 15 days of pre-season training. It was nice to get away on our own and begin the fall campaign.

In the first game of the weekend, we came up against former URI Assistant Coach Pat Laughlin and his University of Maine Black Bears. As many may know, I am a Maine graduate (Pat is too) so it was a doubly special game for both of us. Maine is a much improved team from a year ago and that is something I expected considering Pat's knowledge and experience. The guys were excited to get things going but also nervous at the same time. The Black Bears were the better team the first 30 minutes and earned a great goal on a 25 yard strike. It came from a corner that we defended well, but the ball bounced out to Maine center midfielder Niko Bogdonovic who drove it through a crowd into the corner of the goal. Ironically, Niko worked at our camp this past summer so I told him after the game he was "fired"...LOL. The half ended 0-1 to the other guys in blue.

In the second, after re-organizing and a spirited speech by junior transfer Kevin Shaw (Denny, Scotland), the boys came out with a fury. Their hard work and resolve paid off when sophomore Greg Balicki (Wilbraham, MA) drove a diagonal cross over everyone, from the left side to the back post, where sophomore Josh Sousa (Cumberland, RI) headed it in. Maine would not back down and only a great save on a mini break-a-way by junior goalkeeper Chris Pennock (Middlesborough, England) would keep the score even at 1-1. The boys continued the pressure earning the game winner, this time off a corner. Junior transfer Gary Crooks (Falkirk, Scotland) bent a left footer to the back post where freshmen defender Franco LoPresti (Whitby, Ontario) headed it back into the 6 yard box. Sophomore defender Dwayne Williams (Westmoreland, Jamaica) connected with it, glancing the ball off a Maine defender and in to put us up 2-1. The score remained the same and we got our first win of the season.

After a day off on Saturday, we moved onto Sunday's tournament final versus host New Hampshire who had beaten Adelphi University 2-1 in the first game on Friday. The Wildcats were a big crew so not only did we have to match their size but also playing against a stiff wind in the first half. The game started out well for our boys with the ball moving crisply on UNH's new field turf. Greg Balicki came out on fire getting several quality crosses into the box while Josh Sousa and senior forward Kedan Crosby (St. James, Trinidad) nearly put us on the board early. Unfortunately, UNH would find the net first on a 45-yard driven free kick. We had hoped to withstand the wind without any damage on the scoreboard and nearly did it.

The second half saw the Rams getting several very good chances and only a big save by the Wildcat GK kept us from equalizing. With 5 minutes to go, we pushed forward in an attempt to tie the game but with 47 seconds left on the clock, UNH broke on a 3 v 1 and only after Chris Pennock saved an initial shot did the home team tally to make the final score 2-0. It was a disappointing result in a game we felt good about, but kudos to the champions. Kedan Crosby, Greg Balicki and sophomore defender Ryan McCormick (Cranston, RI) were named to the All-Tournament team for their efforts.

All in all, I thought we learned a lot about ourselves over the weekend. At this point in the season we are not the finished product and continue to work together to develop the squad. We began the Maine game with 1 freshman, 5 sophomores , 3 juniors and 2 seniors on the field with a deep bench of contributors who could be starters behind them. We are young and still looking for the best in each and every one of us. So, I'm confident we will find the consistency that will carry us through the season.

Today classes begin and we will now prepare for in-state rival Providence College next Tuesday. The Friars upset Boston College (which was ranked No. 4 at the time) 1-0 on Labor Day so this will just add to the already intense atmosphere that comes with this rivalry. The match - which is scheduled for a 3 PM start on Tuesday September 9th, will air locally on Cox Sports (via tape delay) on September 11th at 7:00 pm. We really hope that all of our local alums and friends will be there to cheers us on!

And don't forget... our HOME OPENER is Friday, September 12th at 7:00 pm at the URI Soccer Complex!

Follow the RAMS at www.gorhody.com and for an inside look at the team/season, check out Kedan's Korner - senior co-captain Kedan Crosby's season-long blog.

GO RAMS!

P.S. Click here to watch Lukasz Tumicz `08 scoring two goals this past weekend as his club Jagellonia Bialystok picked up a 2-0 win!