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