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!

October 31, 2007

The local weatherman said that it would be an unpredictable day, but it ended up being an afternoon with an unpredictable start and a very predictable finish...

It only took 44 seconds for UMass to get on the board. I remember turning to Gareth after the goal went in and saying, "We like to make it exciting don't we?" The game still had 89 minutes and 16 seconds to go and, by the time of the final whistle, we would end up using all of that time to get a decisive victory in Amherst.

The shot which scored ended up being the Minutemen's only shot on goal for the half and 1 of 3 for the day.

Massachusetts had beaten Saint Louis a week earlier in Missouri, 1-0, in what (statistically) would have looked like a lopsided victory for SLU. So, UMass knew how to get a lead and hold it, no matter what the box score said.

This was the only thing I was a little apprehensive about.

In the end, I was very proud of the way the team responded after getting behind the eight ball early. They stuck with their game plan and preparation. We were methodical and patient, keeping possession when we needed, and attacking with speed and preciseness when required.

In a physical game, we kept our cool and found the equalizer just before the half on a direct free kick from redshirt freshmen midfielder Andres Ruiz (Providence, RI). It was a great moment for Andres in that it was his first career goal. I was delighted for him as he has worked very hard to get to this point. He got himself up to speed academically in the classroom and trained intensely in the off-season to earn his spot on the team and now on the field. But it was just one of a couple of memorable moments for the day.

The second half opened with our squad controlling play. We were without the services of Lukasz Tumicz (Bisztnyek, Poland) and Dawid Badecki (Jelenia Gora, Poland), who were both struggling with injuries. But, the veterans picked up the slack and the newcomers grew just a little more to provide the push we needed.

Everything came together with about 15 minutes to go when Geoffrey Cameron (Attleboro, MA) dribbled through several UMass players to get into the penalty box where he unleashed a low shot that the Minuteman goalkeeper could only parry away.

First year Greg Balicki (Wilbraham, MA) then pounced on the rebound and slammed home his second goal of the year. It was the second great moment of the day, as Greg had not only notched the game winner but it was done in front of his family and friends. We had eaten dinner at the Balicki's the night before, so now we are convinced that there was something magical in the pasta!

Not soon after, we got a great insurance goal from Domenic Petrarca (Providence, RI) when he overlapped from his right back position and got in the box where Steve Mellen (North Kingstown, RI) slipped him a perfect pass that Dom guided into the far corner for his first career tally. It was a nice finish to a great comeback and effort in an important A-10 match up.

We now sit at 3-1-1 and are in 4th place in the league.

Every game from this point on is important as we control our fate towards our goal to be one of the top two seeds in the Atlantic 10 Tournament. We run the table and we will accomplish this benchmark.

This weekend is yet another big one as second-place Fordham (just two points ahead of us in the A-10 standings) comes to town on Friday.

It's also a special weekend with Sunday's game against La Salle being our last home game of the regular season and "Senior Day" for the nine players who will be playing their last game at the URI Soccer Complex.

It should be a nice pre-game ceremony as Dawid Badecki's parents are here in the US from Poland as are Adam Howarth's (Isle of Wight, England) and Callum Bissett's (Pencaitland, Scotland).

We hope that you can be there with us to celebrate this class of players that has accomplished so much throughout their careers at URI.

GO RAMS!

October 22, 2007

We just finished what seemed to be the longest weekend of the season with our trip to Charlotte and Saint Louis. Of the A-10 travel, this trip was the most difficult not only because of the quality of the opponents but also because of the distance traveled. I know the guys look forward to these trips, but it takes a little out of the old coach.

Friday night's game versus Charlotte stacked up to be a very good one. The 49ers began the weekend 0-2-0 in the conference and were desperate for a win to keep their A-10 tournament hopes alive. We too were looking for 3 points after back-to-back wins at home the previous weekend versus Xavier & Dayton.

The match began with as good a first half as we have played all year. We were without the services of Geoffrey Cameron (Attleboro, MA), due to a red card suspension, as well as grad student Kevin Algozer (Northport, NY), who was unable to travel for the Friday game because of a lab he could not miss. But, we did have Callum Bissett (Pencaitland, Scotland) back from injury so we were almost at full strength.

Anyway, the ball was flying off the guys' feet and they played inspired soccer. It was beautiful to watch and a great example of what we are capable of doing. The effort and concentration paid off towards the end of the first half when Kevin Hamill (Easton, CT) got behind the Charlotte defense and played a great bending cross to Lukasz Tumicz (Bisztynek, Poland), who calmly took it on his chest and the volleyed the ball into the top left corner. It was a beautiful goal and only rivals Danleigh Borman's (Cape Town, South Africa) game-winning scissor kick versus Dayton as goal of the year.

The 49ers did not lay down and die but turned up the heat a notch when the second half began. Their direct play and counter attacking style was all we could handle for a while. Their pressure and determination unfortunately paid off with a goal of their own following a bevy of shots that were blocked by Chris Pennock (Middlesborough, England) and our defense.

The guys continued fighting on and we got some tremendous chances including a Steve Mellen (North Kingstown, RI) effort as well as a blistering angled shot from Kedan Crosby (St. James, Trinidad) that nearly knocked down Charlotte's goalkeeper.

The match continued that way through regulation and into overtime with both teams having chances to win. The 49ers' effort nearly put us on the end of a bad result as the second overtime expired. Going into the extra time, I had told the boys to play to win BUT make sure we come away from the game with a point. In our excitement to do so, we forgot to manage the game and time remaining better. It's a lesson I hope we've learned - in the final minute of the game, do not rush a goal kick, turn over the ball and then foul within shooting distance.

The 49ers ended up heading a ball in for an apparent winner but their own request for a 10 yard wall was not followed with the referees whistle so it was called back. Even then, a last-second shot goes in and not off the crossbar (as it did) and we would be sitting on a 2-1 overtime loss. We were lucky, but happy to have gained a point away from home.

On Saturday, we traveled to our second city of the weekend, St. Louis, MO - "The Gateway to the West". We arrived in time to train at SLU and prepare to be without Adam Howarth (Isle of Wight, England) who faced suspension due to yellow card accumulation. With Kevin Algozer now with us in St. Louis (after his flight down with the URI field hockey team on Saturday) and Geoffrey Cameron back in the lineup, we again had a squad which we felt very comfortable with for our battle with the Billikens.

On a beautiful but blustery day in the city with the famous Arch (not McDonalds), the game was a rematch of last season's A-10 final. The squad came out well off the kick-off and dominated the first 15 minutes or so getting several chances against the wind. But, the game of soccer is a funny one as one mistake and you can be fighting an up hill battle. A lapse in concentration and recovery had a ball which Callum Bissett intercepted and cleared almost straight up, bounce once and then was hit on the volley from 25 yards out for a 1-0 deficit.

We have come back from these type of games before, but another mistake was converted into a 2-0 SLU lead before the end of the half. We knew we had to tighten our belt buckles and come out with all guns a blazing.

In the second half, we had the wind at our backs and it indeed made a difference. Leading scorer Lukasz Tumicz got a long ball from Steve Scalzo (Plymouth, MN), hit an angled shot which the SLU goalkeeper didn't hold and Kedan Crosby calmly tucked it into the net to cut to make it 2-1. We continued to press and found some more success but unfortunately a semi-break away goal against the run of play gave SLU a cushion and the final 3-1 score.

It was a game which we felt we could win, but again, mistakes against high-quality teams will cost you. I was very happy with the players effort - especially after playing 110 minutes of soccer on Friday night.

We now have 5 games remaining, all in the A-10, which - if all goes right - could position us for one of the top 2 seeds in the tournament. It certainly will not be easy. We have a week to prepare for our next game at UMass, who currently stands at 3-1 in the conference after splitting the weekend with a 1-0 win over SLU and 0-1 loss at Charlotte. It should be interesting and we hope you all come along for the ride!

GO RAMS!