November 18, 2008

The season came to an abrupt end Thursday night with a 3-2 loss to eventual Atlantic 10 Tournament Champion University of Dayton... I wish, for the boys, that it had continued longer. It was a heck of a game, very entertaining to watch as both teams fought for the prize of the championship and NCAA automatic bid. We just ended up on the short end of the stick.

The boys started the game very well - motivated, focused and organized. Their preparation paid off in the ninth minute when first-year forward Erkko Puranen (Viitasaari, Finland) took a pass from his fourth-year striking partner Kedan Crosby (St. James, Trinidad) and got through the Dayton defense, scoring a classy bending goal around the Flyers' goalkeeper. The game would prove to be a teeter-totter affair as Dayton equalized at the 20 minute mark and then went ahead just before the half on a PK - after some confusion around the top of the box between one of the center backs and goalkeeper Peyton Warwick (Prairie Village, KS) who was filling in for Chris Pennock (Middlesborough, England) who was still not at full strength with a hip injury.

At half-time we regrouped and sorted out our challenges, coming out of the locker room with great energy and passion. The momentum of the game moved back and forth and just when things seemed to settle down the Finnish Sniper struck again. This time after a cross by Matt Pryess (Chagrin Falls, OH) found Gary Crooks (Falkirk, Scotland) who fed it to Erkko, which has he has done 8 previous times, scored to tie the game at 2-2. But, as statistics in soccer have shown, the most dangerous times are the 5 minutes after a scored or conceded goal. This proved true as just 31 seconds later after a dubious foul call, A-10 Tournament MVP Florian DeCamps - the Flyers 6'5" forward - got his head on a ball served in the box, breaking the stalemate again. The guy's did not give up and had the run of play in the last 20 minutes getting good chances from Greg Balicki (Wilbraham, MA), Reece Markman (Dallas, TX) and Andres Ruiz (Providence , RI) which were saved or just missed. It was not until a shot over the bar with 10 seconds to go that the game did not seem winnable. But, it was not to be.

Disappointed, yes... proud, yes sir! You would have been very happy of how hard the team played, in true Rhody style. Even in loss, there are a lot of great things to take out of the season. Our goal was always to make the A-10 tournament, which we accomplished. We found a bon-a-fide scorer to follow in the footsteps of great URI snipers such as Mercurio, McCrudden, Williams, McCreath, Crocker, Collis, Elliott, Henni, Gotsmanov and Gonsalves in freshmen Erkko Puranen, who was voted a member of the 2008 Atlantic 10 All-Tournament Team. He will only get better with time. Our young players got tremendous experience and most importantly the team represented URI the way we all wanted, with class and dignity even in defeat.

As we move into the holidays and the off-season we say good-bye to seniors Kedan Crosby, Kevin Hamill (Easton, CT), Andres Perdomo (Pawtucket, RI) and James Quiah (Providence, RI). I can't say enough about them and the different roles they each played in the success of the program this season and during their careers. We are excited about next season's incoming class, which is ready to follow in the shadows of the Class of 2009. You'll get to know more about them soon but trust that they will look good in Rhody Blue!

Well, that is about it for now. Here is wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!

I'll be in touch after the holiday about the team banquet in January as well as to update you on all the URI news.

THANKS FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT THROUGHOUT THE SEASON!

GO RHODY!
Coach O'C

November 10, 2008

Well, I promised more details on a weekend that was filled with ups and downs. Luckily the downs were sandwiched by the ups. We had an exciting overtime win on Friday, a disappointing loss on Sunday and then found out that we had secured the 6th seed in the Atlantic 10 Tournament following the game so we were up again. I have to say we are thankful as we got a little help with the A-10's from some other teams and results but with that said we are glad to be able to keep playing!

Going into the weekend, we knew that we held our fate in our hands as two wins would guarantee us a spot. But this would be a tall task as coming to town were two very good teams in the form of Charlotte and Saint Louis.

On Friday, Charlotte came to town looking to secure its own place in the A-10 tournament. For those who were there, the game was an exciting one - an epic battle. We started the game out very well, seemingly catching the 49ers with a little jet lag or maybe adjusting to the long and wet grass of the northeast fall. Either way the guy's were buzzing and their hard work paid off when Kedan Crosby (St. James, Trinidad) got behind the Charlotte defense and drove a ball back across the box were Andres Perdomo (Pawtucket, R.I.) connected for his first goal of the year. The 49ers came back and equalized with a header that just eluded the fingertips of goalkeeper Peyton Warwick (Prairie Village, Kansas) who was filling in for regular starter Chris Pennock (Middlesborough, England) who was injured in training the day before.

We went into the half tied 1-1 but we came out with a flurry. In the second stanza, we came out firing but the game stayed that way through regulation. Charlotte had some good looks at the goal but was kept off the board thanks to some timely saves by Peyton Warwick. In the second overtime, our chance came when after a cross by Domenic Petrarca (Providence, R.I.) was cleared, freshmen midfielder Reece Markman (Dallas, Texas) collected the ball and drove a ball across the box where Kedan Crosby calmly let the ball run through his legs and healed it under the 49ers goalkeeper for the win. We had done our job for the night but we still had some important business ahead of us.

On Saturday, we had a light workout and a swim to loosen up the muscles from our seventh overtime game of the year. Saint Louis, who was coming to town on Sunday for the final regular season game of the year, had just had their own overtime game at UMass, that they lost 2-1. So, SLU had their backs against the wall too as a loss to us meant that they could be out of the A-10 tournament for the first time since they joined the league. It made for a very interesting storyline...

Sunday was a bright and beautiful day as we honored our four seniors prior to the beginning of the match. Kedan Crosby, Kevin Hamill (Easton, Conn.), Andres Perdomo and James Quiah (Providence, R.I.) were all playing their last regular season home games at the URI Soccer Complex. As always, it is a pretty emotional day for me but the boys were ready to get the game going.

However, if we had known what the outcome was going to be beforehand, we might not have been as eager to start. A good Saint Louis team dominated us from start to finish scoring 4 of their 5 goals on re-starts. To be on the short end of a 5-0 score on Senior Day was definitely not what we wanted but our disappointment soon turned to elation as we discovered through Assistant Sport Communications Director Jodi Pontbriand that a 1-0 Charlotte loss to UMass coupled with the 2-1 upset of George Washington by St. Bonaventure had given us the 6th seed in the A-10 Tournament. We had another chance to keep playing and prove to ourselves that Sunday's performance was not a reflection of the capabilities of the this team.

Now we are preparing to head off to Pittsburgh, Pa. where Duquesne University is hosting this years' tournament. We will face 3rd seeded Dayton which looked to be the run away winner of the regular season title, until late losses to Temple and Xavier spoiled it for them. They are a talented team which we beat in the regular season in 2007 on a spectacular flying side volley by Red Bull New York player Danleigh Borman '08 with about 3 minutes to go. We have our work cut out for us but we are excited to have the opportunity to compete for the A-10 Tournament title again.

Before I sign off, congratulations goes out to both Geoff Cameron and Danleigh Borman who have been working towards an MLS Championship. Geoff was recently named one of the three finalists for Major League Soccer Rookie of the Year. Danleigh's NY Red Bulls and Geoff's Houston Dynamo also played against each other in the first round of the playoffs with the Red Bull upsetting the two-time defending champs 4-1 on aggregate. Geoff is also up for Sierra Mist MLS Goal of the Year... CLICK HERE to vote for him!

In one of the other MLS quarterfinal, former URI Ram and all-time leader in points Andy Williams came on as a substitute in the 80th minute for Real Salt Lake to help them secure a spot in the semi-finals.

Well, that's about it from here. Keep an eye out for the results through www.gorhody.com and if you are in or around Pittsburgh we would love to see you come out and support the team!

GO RAMS!
Coach O'C

November 3, 2008

Well, we are still in the hunt for the A-10 Tournament after splitting the weekend in New York and Philadelphia. We were hoping to come away with two wins but we were on the good and bad end of 1-0 scores.

On Friday night in the Bronx, we came up against a tough Fordham team who, like us, was fighting for a spot in the Atlantic 10 Championship. So, the table was set for a hard competitive match. The first half was a little of a seesaw battle and as it progressed we seemed to be getting our rhythm and some chances but could never get too close. Greg Balicki (Wilbraham, MA) got behind the other Rams' defense dangerously a couple of times and we just nearly missed a driven cross that went through the box. And then - as of late - the worst thing happened... halftime came.

Fordham came roaring out and we were suddenly under siege in a very direct style of soccer. Goalkeeper Chris Pennock (Middlesborough, England) was called upon to make three outstanding saves to keep us in it. On the attacking side, we got very few chances - mostly coming from midfielder Kevin Hamill (Easton CT) - but other than that we had a tough time generating any attack in a game that was basically played from one 18-yard box to the other. Fordham kept coming and eventually their midfielder crossed a ball that a Fordham forward just barely headed away from Pennock, and ever so slowly found its' way behind, lightly off the post and in... with 3 minutes to go. If was a difficult pill to swallow, particularly in that we weren't able to muster any good chances ourselves.

Saturday we travelled to Philadelphia and were tempted to drop in on the Meadowlands in NJ to catch the MLS playoffs which featured former Rams Geoff Cameron of the Houston Dynamo and Danleigh Borman of New York Red Bull. By the way, the match was a draw with the second leg being in Houston this week. But, we had to get to the "City of Brotherly Love" to get used to the surface at La Salle which was only 66 yards wide but 120 yards long. Sunday couldn't have come any sooner after the team had a heart-to-heart on Saturday night. We boys were up and ready to go, partially because of the change in day light savings time and the need to get out there and prove themselves to get back in the A-10 hunt.

As any team in the league will tell you, La Salle is a tough place to play and their record was in no way indicative of their abilities as they had beat Charlotte earlier in the season. The game was an entertaining one which saw both teams getting at it from the start. It was senior day for the Explorers so emotion was on their side. But, our resounding need to get things back on track was in our minds and hearts. We got some great performances out of central midfielders Gary Crooks (Falkirk, Scotland) and Andres Ruiz (Providence, RI) who locked down the midfield. The effort paid off midway through the second half as freshmen midfielder Reece Markman (Dallas, TX) took a feed from Domenic Petrarca (Providence, RI) and hammered a shot from the right side of the box into the left side netting that the goalkeeper never moved for... 1-0 Rams!

After withstanding a little pressure and getting another great save from Chris Pennock, we nearly made in 2-0 in the waning minutes when Errko Puranen (Viitasaari, Finland) went through and got around the LU goalkeeper but ran out of field while trying to deposit it in an empty net. It proved not to be needed as the game ended without change.

Now, the big test comes this weekend when Charlotte and Saint Louis come to town for the last regular season games of the year. The A-10 tournament is still in reach and I believe if we stay together we can get there. Sunday will be an emotional game as it is senior day where we will honor our seniors Kedan Crosby (St. James, Trinidad), Kevin Hamill (Easton, CT), Andres Perdomo (Pawtucket, RI) and James Quiah (Providence, RI) who will be playing their last games...at least at home! Hope anyone who is around will come by and cheer us on in the all important weekend!

GO RAMS!

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