August 23, 2007

Greetings from Kingston! Hope the summer has gone well for you and you're enjoying what's left of it. Time flies as we all know!

I wanted to extend a "thank you" to all who participated in the 11th annual men's soccer golf outing on Monday August 13th at Green Valley Golf Course in Portsmouth, RI. We had over 20 foursomes of alumni, parents and friends of the program. Special thanks go out to our corporate sponsors Hudson Companies, KenBro Soccer Camps, Stantect (formerly Geller Sports) as well as our tee sponsors Charlie O's Tavern, Herff Jones, Ikon, American Power Conversion, G2 Interactive, Banner Buick-Olds-Pontiac-GMC-Saab, GN Mortgage, Taste Rite, Rams Football Club and Rhode Island Elite Soccer Academy. We were very happy to have our new Athletic Director Thorr Bjorn on hand at the post-round reception to say a few words before the awards ceremony and raffle that followed. Alum and assistant coach Gareth Elliott, Steve and Kyle Froberg, Chris Simon and Corey Sullivan all were instrumental in ensuring that things ran smoothly.

Well, we're a little over a week into preseason training and so far we are very pleased - not only with the effort but with the play as well. The guys came back in good shape and everyone met the minimum standard our fitness guru Frank Bergren set for them. The freshmen have performed well and after a few day of training have already made things much more competitive and realistic.

Sunday we had our first exhibition game of the year with a mid-afternoon match up with the Wildcats of the University of New Hampshire. It was a beautiful day to play and nice to get out and face someone besides ourselves. We also got a chance to look at a couple different line-ups over the 90 minute game. In the end we were very pleased but not satisfied with the 0-0 result. Tonight we travel to Worcester, MA to meet up with Holy Cross for our second and final exhibition games before out Blue vs. White practice on Monday night at 7:00 pm here in Kingston.

Following the final tune-up to the season we'll start getting ready for our opening match at #24 Harvard University on Saturday, Sept. 1 at 1:00 pm. Following out game against the Crimson will be a Monday night home-opener against interstate rival Providence College at 7:00 pm.

Classes begin on the 5th of September and it doesn't get any easier from there as we travel to South Bend, IN for the Mike Berticelli Memorial Soccer Tournament where we play host and 10th-ranked University of Notre Dame on Friday Sept. 7. After a days rest, we complete our visit to the Midwest with a match against the No. 7 Indiana University Hoosiers on Sunday.

Our return to Rhode Island only gives a short reprieve until we slip up the road to play our other Ocean State foe Brown University on Sunday Sept. 14 at 1:00 pm. It'll be quite a challenge, as our first five games are against teams that all competed in last season's NCAA Tournament. It will be a GREAT test for our veteran team!

Take a look at our complete schedule... hopefully you can plan a trip to see us play either here in Kingston or on the road.

Just a quick reminder about HOMECOMING 2007! There is a tremendous weekend planned with two great Atlantic-10 games, alumni vs. alumni game, Friends of URI Soccer BBQ and the traditional Homecoming football game versus James Madison. The schedule looks like this:

FRIDAY OCTOBER 12th
6:00 pm Match vs. Xavier University
8:00 pm Homecoming Rhody Rally followed by fireworks.

SATURDAY OCTOBER 13th 10:00 am Alumni vs. Alumni Game (Odd years versus Even Years) 12 Noon Men's Soccer BBQ 1:00 pm Homecoming Football Game

SUNDAY OCTOBER 14th
1:00 pm Match vs. University of Dayton

We really hope that you can join us!

Before I sign off, I want to welcome our new assistant coach, Mitch Stone. Mitch joins us from New Hampshire where, most recently, he was the director of the Grantham Indoor Soccer Center. He's also the former head coach at Lawrence University in Appleton, WI. I've know Mitch and his family since I was an undergrad at the University of Maine and I'm sure you will all join me in making him feel at home with the URI soccer family!

Well, that's about it from the soccer office. Keep in touch, thanks for your support and GO RAMS!

May 1, 2007

Greetings from URI Men's Soccer,

As I sit here writing this final report of the spring (on Sunday afternoon) I can feel that I am in need of a nap after a busy but fantastic weekend! It was an action-packed couple of days during which, miraculously, the weather cooperated for the alumni game on Saturday. We were worried when some heavy rain on Friday threatened to continue into Saturday. So, we were a little nervous on how it would affect the game and our final non-traditional fixture of the semester. The spring season turned out to be a very good one as we finished with a 2-0-2 record and didn't concede a goal. We defeated Southern Connecticut (2-0) and UMass (3-0) while tying Boston University and UMass-Lowell 0-0. We had also scheduled a game with UConn, but unfortunately, the Huskies cancelled - which was too bad because that would have been a good match-up too. All in all, I am very pleased in the performance from the small group that we had.

Anyway, Saturday came and the sun appeared just as our alums where arriving... and they did arrive in droves! All in all there were over 25 alums ranging from veterans Lenny Mercurio '81, Mike Stricklin '77 and Mike Rogers '79 to Chris Simon, Jesse Simmons '00 and Dan Brownridge '01 all the way up to our just graduating seniors and every era in between. The alums warmed up with an alumni vs. alumni small-sided half-field game.

The actual alumni game began with a flurry as both sides got up and down the field... some breathing harder than others. Fifteen minutes into the first 30 minute period, freshmen Mitch Trainor (Amenia, N.Y.) opened the scoring with his first goal in a URI uniform after gathering a rebounded off a Robbie Dircks (Rockaway, N.J.) shot which came off the post. The score was increased to 2-0 when sophomore forward Kedan Crosby (St. James, Trinidad) fed junior Steve Mellen (North Kingstown, R.I.) who hammered the ball in the top corner.

The alums regrouped after that and Lenny Mercurio '81, showing the skill that made him the third all-time leading scorer in Rhody history, nearly got a goal after he chipped at freshmen goalkeeper Anthony Tavares (East Providence, R.I.) from 35 yards out and just missed to the right of the goal.

The alums then got an oxygen break which allowed them to get some ice and bring on the subs - which brought some renewed energy to the squad (as well as a younger average age). Led by Kevin Kennedy '03, Jesse Simmons '00, Michael Bradley '97, Emerson Aguilera '05 and Perek Bellah '04, the alums were able to generate play and earned a corner kick. Unfortunately while jockeying for a position in the box, now-assistant coach Gareth Elliott '02 (who had been pumping up the alums' chances in the game during training that week) broke his nose on the back of junior midfielder Geoff Cameron's head. As URI Director of Soccer Operations Frank Bergren would point out later at the banquet, "G" came on the field and was off before he even touched the ball.

The alums' player/coach/spiritual leader was down and out and so seemed the alums' chances in the game. After that, the flood gates opened with Mitch Trainer assisting on a Geoff Cameron (Attleboro, MA) goal which was then followed by tallies from Danleigh Borman (from Crosby) and two by Lukasz Tumicz (Biszytnek, Poland). One was unassisted on a free kick (around a misaligned wall which could have been caused by an optical illusion from the prescription sports goggles goalkeeper Steve Pickman was wearing) and a second on a breakaway, making the final 6-0. The score was certainly not reflective of the alumni's effort. They well and just came up short... kind of. Following the game, the players, alumni, parents and friends moved to the Holiday Inn-South Kingstown for the 1st Annual Friends of Soccer Team Banquet. A pre-dinner reception provided a great atmosphere for everyone to mingle and catch up including Michael Hoffer '61 who was in attendance and played on the very first URI men's soccer squad! The buffet dinner was followed by the annual team awards ceremony.

The first presentation of the evening was the Bob Butler Sportsmanship Award, named for the first soccer coach at URI and given to the player on the team who "exhibits the spirit of athletic competition and fair play". Director of Soccer Operations Frank Bergren passed it on to junior transfer "Danger" Dan Lucas (East Providence, RI) who's energy, enthusiasm and undying support for the players, staff and program made him a very appropriate recipient.

The second presentation of the night was the URI Rams Academic Achievement Award, which was established this year to recognize the team member who best defines the term "student-athlete". Academic Advisor Nicole LaBranche-Poloski presented the award to senior goalkeeper Mark Sauter (Columbus, OH). A double major in History & Political Science, Mark was a Dean's List student in each of his semesters in Kingston and graduated in December. He also won the Margaret Thomas Phi Alpha prize for outstanding work in history in his junior year and was honored at the Rhode Island State House this past Monday, April 30th, as a scholar-athlete. Mark will enter law school next fall, at the University of Cincinnati.

The Len Mecurio Offensive Player of the Year was next on the docket and the winner was no surprise to anyone in the room. Named in honor of the legendary Ram forward (who did, by the way, play in the alumni game earlier in the day) was won by senior All-American Jefrey Gonsalves (Markham, Ontario). Unfortunately, Jeff was unable to attend the banquet as he was in the Czech Republic visiting teammates Dawid Badecki (Jelenia Gora, Poland) and Callum Bissett (Pencaitland, Scotland) who have been studying abroad in Prague this spring. As the reigning Atlantic 10 Offensive Player of the Year, Jeff was the second-leading scorer in the country in 2006 with 18 goals and 5 assists for 41 points. Jeff scored in 13 of 23 games played, had four multiple-goal games, five game-winning goals and moved into fifth place on the all-time scoring list this past fall. Jeff was also later honored as the recipient of the Geza Henni Most Valuable Player Award, which I'm sure would have made the former skipper of the Rams very, very proud.

The final presentation of the afternoon was another newly-established award, honoring Alumni Service. The yet-to-be-named award will be given annually to the alumnus who "has shown dedication, passion and leadership in support of University of Rhode Island men's soccer program". In a surprise announcement, especially to its' winner, Assistant Coach Gareth Elliott's name was called. "G" has be an invaluable part of the program for nearly 10 years - as a player and now coach. He has made it possible for such a smooth transition between Coach Ed Bradley's departure and my hiring. Luckily, I was able to keep this presentation a secret - even though Gareth was the one who arranged for the inscribing of the awards for the banquet. I know the alums were unanimous in their support of his winning this inaugural award!

The evening was ended with a tribute and presentation of gifts to the senior class of Kevin Algozer (Northport, N.Y.), Jim Goetter (Marlborough, Conn.), Jeffrey Gonsalves, B.J. Kochis (Naugatuck, Conn.), Mark Sauter and Joe Spofford (Waterville, Maine), followed by a slide show. In spite of some "technical difficulties", it was a nice way to finish the academic year up. Special thanks to junior midfielder Steve Mellen for his computer expertise in getting things up and running!

All in all, it was great day and something which we are confident will grow and grow each year.

A reminder to all alumni, parents and friends that our next event will be the 12th Annual URI Men's Soccer Golf Outing, which will be held on Monday August 13th at Green Valley Country Club in Middletown, R.I. This fall, we will also be sponsoring an alumni vs. alumni game and BBQ on Homecoming Weekend (October 12-14). More information will follow on our website, www.GoRhody.com.

Hope to see you soon!

March 12, 2007

Greetings from URI Men's Soccer,

Hope all is well and you are enjoying the winter months. I just returned from Florida where I was on vacation with my family. It was a nice diversion and a chance for my kids to see both sets of grandparents who are down there for a few months. With the weather here in Rhode Island as of late being fairly fickle, I am not sure if I would prefer to have the snow over rain so I will be careful what I wish for... I know my kids would love to have one last snow storm to build a snowman and go sledding.

Things have been busy here in Kingston with the team as we're finishing up our NCAA-allowed eight hours per week of training. Although it is great to keep connected with the team over the winter months, we can't wait until after spring break to practice outside.

Speaking of spring, below is our non-traditional schedule which we think is a pretty good test for the guys:

Sunday, April 1
Southern Connecticut State University
New Haven, CT
12:00 Noon

Saturday, April 14
University of Massachusetts Spring Tourney
(vs. Hartwick, Army & UMass)
Amherst, MA
10:00 am start

Thursday, April 19
UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT
Kingston, RI
6:00 pm

Saturday, April 21
Boston University
Boston, MA
1:00 pm

Wednesday, April 25
UMASS-LOWELL
Kingston, RI
7:00 pm

Saturday, April 28
ALUMNI GAME
Kingston, RI
1:00 pm

We will have fairly small squad due to the loss of our seniors, an injury to junior Dan Lucas (broken foot) and with juniors Dawid Badecki and Callum Bissett abroad for the semester in Prague. They are both in the International Business program here, so this is a great experience for them and it should be fun to hear all about it when they return!

Anyway, before I sign off I wanted to let you know how excited we are to be holding our inaugural Rhode Island Elite Soccer Academy camps for youth and high school players this spring and summer here on campus. The first will be an April school vacation half day camp (co-ed, April 16-20) from 8:45 a.m. - 12:00 noon. Then we will hold a day camp (co-ed, June 25-29) and an overnight camp (July 21-24) for boys grades 9-12. The Elite Residential Academy will hopefully help our recruiting as it allows those who are serious about soccer (and also playing at URI) to visit campus, stay in the residence halls, eat in the dining halls, meet our players, work with our staff and of course be evaluated. I am sure the participants will make some friends too!

If you want more information or know someone who would be interested go to our website at http://gorhody.cstv.com/sports/m-soccer/uri-m-soccer-body.html. We hope you can attend and learn more about us!

Well, take care and feel free to give me a call or drop me an e-mail if you have any questions or we can do anything for you. I will drop you a line later in the spring with my recruiting schedule for the summer.

Sincerely,
Coach O'C

January 16, 2007

Happy New Year! Hope both you and your family had a great holiday season. Sheila, Megan, Michael and I had a great one...our first in Rhode Island. The only thing that was missing was a white Christmas but it was wonderful to wake up in our home with a fireplace where Santa could come down and leave presents for the kids. We video taped the whole thing so we will cherish that morning.

Anyway, I just returned from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) annual convention in Indianapolis where I attended our Atlantic 10 conference meetings as well as got to see clinics, presentations and even catch up with friends and colleagues.

The highlight of the convention for us was seeing Jeffrey Gonsalves (Markham, Ontario, Canada) selected in the Major League Soccer draft by the expansion Toronto FC. Jeff was nervous about his chances because, as you may or may not know, he came down with mononucleosis in December and was not able to participate in the MLS Combine in Florida. He is on the road to recovery now and we'll get to work getting him fit and ready for pre-season. We were all confident as we have seen what kind of player he is (and can be) so we are very, very happy for him!

It's been a busy 2007 so far with this travel to Indiana as well as to Florida before New Years to recruit at the Disney Showcase, one of the premier events in the country. It's a good start to the 2008 freshman class as we will wrap up the 2007 incoming class in the next couple of months. We'll be sending out an announcement of those student-athletes soon so keep your eyes peeled.

On January 24th, our team will be honored for it's accomplishments in 2006 at half-time of the men's basketball game versus UMass. Prior to the ceremony, we will host a "Friends of Soccer" reception for a cost of $20 per person. That price includes a ticket to the game as well as food and beverages prior to the start.

Well, the players return to campus in the next week or so and we're excited to get going with our winter training which will be comprised of 2 hours a week of technical training and 6 hours a week of fitness with Coaches Bergren and Stone. I know the guy's want to get back to work and begin to prepare for another run at the A-10 title and NCAA Tournament.

We have a great non-traditional game schedule set up for the spring, with games against Boston University, UMass, Army, Hartwick, UMass-Lowell and UConn. The spring will conclude with our annual alumni game on April 28th, followed (at night) by our first annual team banquet which will be open to parents, friends and alumni. We hope you will be able to join us... More details will follow.

Take care and enjoy the winter months...

GO RAMS!

November 17, 2006

IT WAS A GREAT RUN... too bad it had to end. As elated as we were with our PK shootout win over Rutgers last Saturday evening, we felt an equal level of sadness in our shootout loss last night to Lehigh University. As I sit here on the bus on the way back from Pennsylvania, I still feel deeply for the players as I know they put everything they had into a game played with 22 players on a 120 yard x 75 yard surface. In the end, the game was decided between two players from a spot just 12 yards from the goal.

You have to know that it was a great atmosphere at Lehigh and a well-hosted event. The weather was warm, the field in good condition, it's the second round of the NCAA tournament and the crowd was a record-setter for the Ulrich Sports Complex. We couldn't have asked for more...

The game began with a good amount of pressure (as expected) by the home team, which had not played in two weeks. Chris Pennock (Middlesborough, England), who has gotten better and better as the season has progressed, made a point blank save to preserve the 0-0 score early in.

We weathered the storm and on our first real open chance, Lukasz Tumicz (Biszytnek, Poland) scored his seventh goal of the season off a Jeff Gonsalves (Markham, Ontario) assist. We felt as though were on our way but Lehigh was not about to lay down, as their 15-1-2 regular-season record and #16 seed would attest.

The game was one of ebbs and flows as each team got their chances to change the score line. Our best chance came when Danleigh Borman (Cape Town, South Africa) put Tumicz through for semi-break-a-way but the Mountain Hawk GK made a nice stop. It looked as though the game would end with another Rhody win but unfortunately Lehigh equalized off a counter with just 6 minutes to go in regulation.

In overtime, each team had at least one quality chance but the match would end, as regulation did, knotted at one apiece. It would now be up to the shootout and it just was not our day as Lehigh prevailed, 5-4, in sudden death.

It was a tough and abrupt ending to a season we had hoped would extend for at least another week. It was hard for me to watch the players, many with tears in their eyes, agonize over this result. But now, as I did last night, I feel nothing but pride for being a part of this season and such a great program.

As I told the players after the game, that I feel like I am the luckiest guy in the world to have had the fortune to come to Rhode Island, have this great group of men handed to me on a silver platter and do what we did together. I have to thank Tom McElroy and Eddie Bradley for that...

Most of all, I'm honored to have been with this senior class in their final year. They are a wonderful group of people and each contributed to the successes of the season in their own unique ways. My hat goes off to Jim Goetter, Jeff Gonsalves, B.J. Kochis, Mark Sauter and Joe Spofford for the legacy they leave for future URI men's soccer players.

In the next week, as the fog of disappointment lifts, we will be able to look back and realize what a great season 2006 was for all involved. On behalf of the team and our staff I want to thank our parents, friends and alums who have been such great supporters over the fall. URI soccer is here to stay and we will make sure you are a part of it.

GO RAMS!

November 13, 2006

Well, it was an exciting night in Piscataway... maybe not as exciting as the Rutgers vs. Louisville football game the Thursday before, but exciting nonetheless. If you were there you know what I mean.

Our guy's were FANTASTIC, playing with passion, heart and a will to win. We scored about 6 minutes in and were on our way. See if you can picture this....

It all started when freshmen goalkeeper Chris Pennock (Middlesborough, England) collected a Rugters cross and threw out immediately to Jeff Gonsalves (Markham, Ontario) who played it first time wide to Danleigh Borman (Cape Town, South Africa). Danleigh dribbled inside and found Lukasz Tumicz (Bisztynek, Poland) up top who connected with Geoff Cameron (Attleboro, MA) streaking up the field in support. Geoff went wide and got behind the Scarlet Knights on the dribble and sent a driven ball across the goal that Gonsalves (remember now, he was one of the ones who started all this!), who deposited it into an open goal. It was beautiful!

Rutgers tied it in the second half on a bomb from 30 yards... and the rest of the way either team could have won it.

After two 10 minute overtimes it was on to the shootout the boy's prevailed (4-2) in a penalty shootout with Pennock saving one after Rutgers missed one. Tri-captain Callum Bissett (Pencaitland, Scotland) drove home the game winner and it was pandemonium!

It was a performance that would have made you proud! We had an unbelievable crowd of RHODY parents, students, alums and friends at the game who just added to the tremendous atmosphere (Thanks to all of you for coming to support us!).

You can see photos of the game and our fans by clicking on the "Photo Gallery" link in the game recap on our website (http://gorhody.cstv.com/sports/m-soccer/recaps/111206aaa.html).

Anyway, we are off to the 2nd round of the Division I NCAA tournament which will be held:

WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 15TH
7:00 PM
vs #16 SEED - LEHIGH UNIVERSITY
Bethlehem, PA

Ticket prices are $10 for adults and $5 for students and there is talk of a fan bus being organized so if you are interested in going drop me a line back and I will let you know. I have heard that one will go if a minimum of 40 people sign up.

If you can't make the game LIVE VIDEO and AUDIO will be broadcast online at: http://www.lehighsports.com/info/broadcast/ (click on the words "CLICK HERE" at the bottom of the schedule and above the broadcast logos) with streaming provided by Yahoo! Sports. Additionally, the game will be broadcast on 91.3 FM in the Lehigh Valley.

The winner of our game will face the winner of the Duke-Brown match in the third round of the tournament.

We really hope you can be with us, but if not, make sure you watch us on-line!

GO RAMS!

November 7, 2006

WE DID IT! The guy's brought another Atlantic 10 Championship back to URI. The third in four years! What a streak. Hopefully many of you got to see the games this past weekend via webcast from the University of North Carolina - Charlotte. If you didn't, it was a weekend that would have made you proud.

The team went into the tournament as the #2 seed and the advantage of having the semi-final be our first game. We arrived in Charlotte on Wednesday and got a chance to train and get used to the lay of the land. On Thursday the team spent the morning in study hall, midday training and then watched the quarterfinals to see who we would play on Friday. In the first game #3 seed Richmond beat Xavier 1-0 on a goal in the last 2 minutes. In the nightcap host UNC-Charlotte battled Duquesne in a great game to watch with the Dukes ending up on the plus side of a 1-0 score. Richmond would be our next game by virtue of the Spiders being the highest seed remaining of the four. We could now make our plans.

On Friday the game could not have come any sooner. The guy's spent the day in anticipation of the game that night. After a nice pre-game meal at Cirro's Italian Restaurant which was adjacent to our hotel, we got ourselves ready. When we arrived at the field top seed St. Louis University was deadlocked with Duquesne at the half. The Billikens got a second-half goal with about 20 minutes to go put them in the lead, and eventually into the final on Sunday.

Now it was our turn. The first 20 minutes of the match with Richmond was all URI. The ball was "pinging" around and through the Spider defense creating numerous chances. Danleigh Borman (Cape Town, South Africa), who was playing center midfield in place of Dawid Badecki (Jelenia Gora, Poland) who was sitting because of yellow card accumulation, got the best opportunity on a short clearance and made it count. He proceeded to hit a cracker of a volley from 18 yards that deflected off a Richmond defender and into the back of the net. The team was ecstatic! Richmond mounted a formidable comeback but the defense held strong and the game ended 1-0.

The final would now be a rematch of the 2005 Atlantic 10 finals.

Saturday was a recovery day and a chance to relax and have some fun. We had a light training session which mainly consisted of a hotly contested game of soccer tennis. The mood was light and the confidence was high. We returned to Cirro's for another nice meal - carbo loading for Sunday's match. A good nights rest would do us well and I knew after our team meeting that night, the boy's would be ready to play.

We awoke to a beautiful morning on Sunday and the weather was going to be perfect for the final. We headed over and got our warm-up going and before we knew it, it was game time. St. Louis was the 9th ranked team in the country coming into the match in the first 20 minutes they showed us why.

The guy's withstood the attacks and looked to capitalize on Billiken mistakes. Senior forward Jeff Gonsalves (Markham, Ontario) did just that when he shot a ball at a surprised SLU goalkeeper which deflected off his hands into the goal... 1-0 Rams.

After the interval we returned to the field knowing that SLU would be pressing to score. Just 5 minutes into the second stanza, Atlantic 10 Tournament MVP Danleigh Borman received a ball out of our defense and knocked it over the SLU defenders to Lukasz Tumicz (Bisztynek, Poland), who deftly side-footed a volley over a stranded St. Louis goalkeeper for a 2-0 lead. Now we were cooking!

SLU continued but seemed to deflate. However they still came at us because they are a quality team. We got some timely help from super subs Joe Spofford (Waterville, ME), Steve Mellen (N. Kingstown, RI), Kedan Crosby (St. James Trinidad) and Steven Scalzo (Plymouth, MN) and we defended well and killed the game. The A-10 Championship and the NCAA automatic bid were ours!

So, now it's on to the Big Dance... the third time in the past four years! I've received a tremendous amount of congratulatory e-mails and phone calls but I have to thank Eddie Bradley for handing to me (on a silver platter) a great squad and terrific bunch of men. He, along with our parents, friends and alums supported and encouraged us when we were 1-2-2 back in September, having the faith that we could do it.

Other people like Dr. John Sullivan our sports psychologist, Doug Stone in strength and conditioning and GK coach Ben Smith donated their time and are pivotal elements in getting us to this point. Lastly, our athletic trainer Michelle "Dr. Frankenstein" Levreault, Frank Bergren, Pat Laughlin and Gareth Elliott have been consistent forces in keeping our team together (literally).

We're gonna make a run at it and we hope you will keep up with us as we begin the second season at Rutgers University on November 11th!

GO RAMS!