Growing Pains: The Story of the 2008 Anchorwomen (Part 1 of 3)

(I originally submitted this story without a title, until I received feedback from my professor with "Untitled" in the story line. I'm usually not that cryptic. So, the title here is one I came up with, like, 20 seconds ago. Thought you'd enjoy the spontaneity of that. Or not.

Anyway...)

***

November 1, 2008.

It’s a postcard of a day on Mount Pleasant Avenue in Providence. Fiery oranges, cherry reds, and burnt siennas cling to their towering branches. Their time is near, as they wave their final goodbyes in the breeze. A powder blue ceiling hangs above the emerald green soccer pitch at the RIC Soccer Field. The air is unseasonably mild. It is a splendid autumn day.

For the Rhode Island College women's soccer team, the date on the calendar signifies something else. The alluring promise of the playoffs is often so rich that it can tasted. The post-match perspiration. The sugary lemon-lime of splashed Gatorade. The crisp, cold water that wells itself in a parched mouth.

Throughout the years, women’s soccer at RIC has experienced the joys of victory.They’ve reached the playoffs the previous four seasons. But this season is different. There will not be a postseason for the Anchorwomen. No chance for fruit-flavored showers. No celebratory water-splashing sequences. The only thing on the line on this gorgeous gift of a fall afternoon is a final shot at redemption. To offer a glimpse of what might have been. A chance to prove the cynics wrong. A chance to show that they are a team better than their abysmal 1-16-1 record indicates. As in one win in eighteen tries.

The aroma of boiled hot dogs and popcorn marinate the air. A large white posterboard with “KAYLA #4” spelled out in maroon letters flaps against the stands behind the Anchorwomen bench. Three maroon balloons dance above it. In a touching pre-game ceremony with her proud parents, the team’s lone senior, Kayla Fleming, is presented flowers for her contributions to the team during the past three seasons. As one of the team's captains, she has the added responsibility of being an on-field coach to her younger teammates. It's an understatement to say that this has been a tough season. It hasn’t yet hit her, but this will be her final game as a member of the RIC women’s soccer team. The south end stands embrace the moment with resounding applause.

“I think today will finally be their day,” said one parent. “Let’s hope so,” said another, a twinge of guarded optimism in her voice.

Just before the start of the match, the Anchorwomen, clad in their bright white home kits, gather near their bench and form a crude circle as they wrap their warms over each other’s shoulders. They raise their arms in above the circle. On the count of three, the Anchorwomen proclaim their battle cry:

“TOGETHER!”

***

THERE WAS NOTHING to shout about only three months before. They had been betrayed. Deserted. All of them. Not one was spared.

Earlier this summer, you couldn’t see the RIC practice field from Mount Pleasant Avenue. It was tucked away behind a wall of high oaks and maples that flaunted abundant green leaves. The grass matched the hue of the leaves, despite a few brown chunks of earth and some unflattering patches of crabgrass. Four bright white goal posts bookended the park.

The fall semester was two weeks away. All was quiet on campus, save for the heavy breaths gasped by an collection of young women – many barely old enough to vote - sprinting in dull maroon shorts and gray, sweat-soaked shirts across the vast field.

Nearly forty recruits had signed up to play RIC Women’s soccer team before the preseason. They love it enough to sacrifice the precious free time allowed between classes and schoolwork to devote up to twelve hours a week to play. The vast majority are freshman and sophomores, which left just enough room for three juniors and one senior. However, their love was tested on a humid late-summer morning.

I wasn’t there when it happened, though. In fact, I hadn’t interacted with any of the Anchorwomen until mid-September, when a class assignment sent me toward the RIC practice fields to interview Christina Tavana about the life of a student-athlete.

The project couldn’t have been more perfect. She told me about the challenges she faced not only as a student carrying thirteen credits, but guiding a very young team filled with freshman. Helping them both on and off the field. And telling them to keep their heads up even after the abrupt departure of their former head coach.

What happened?

She spoke about the shock the entire team felt. Just before the start of preseason training, Head Coach Denis Chartier had sent a mass e-mail to his squad. He had resigned. There were no phone calls, or in-person goodbyes. Just the stark impersonalness of an electronic message.

As the only other coach on the squad, assistant head coach Jessica Knobel was flooded with e-mails, calls, and text messages from her players.

‘What's going to happen?' 'Are you going to be our next coach?' 'Who's going to coach us?'

"I was just as shocked as they were," said Coach Knobel. "But I assured them that I would be returning."

Although she announced that the college would be conducting a search for a new head coach, the uncertainty weighed heavily like the humid summer air.

“For awhile, we didn’t even know who we were going to have for a coach," said Maddie Pirri, the team’s starting goalkeeper. "We didn’t know which recruits were going to stay."

Only sixteen remained long enough for the obligatory team photo prior to the first regular season game on August 30th.

Thus began the worst season of women’s soccer in Rhode Island College history.

The opposite of happy

I'm a bit perturbed. Really.

I may have mentioned something about a 20-page paper due for my Advanced Creative Writing class. It was going to be narration of the Anchorwomen soccer season. Their tough record. The heartbreaking finishes. The will to carry on through adversity. It was going to be top-shelf stuff.

After setting aside hours of writing, interviewing, tweaking, re-writing* and reading, I had a solid eighteen double-spaced pages come Wednesday.

(*Which happened while I was copying and pasting my masterpiece together. I accidentally cut about six double-spaced pages and saved the document without pasting. I hit "undo" more often than a married man in Vegas, but alas, could not retrieve what was likely the most poetic six pages I've ever produced.)

However, my professor notified the class that the paper need only be five pages. Five. As in fifteen less than twenty. As in, anything beyond 15 pages will not be accepted. As in, you're sucker for slaving over your paper.

I told myself I would keep things G-rated and not swear here.

...10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1...

Exhale.

There. I feel moderately better.

So, for your reading pleasure, here is how I was going to start the paper.

There are twenty-one players on the RIC Women’s soccer team, all of whom love the game of soccer with a passion. The vast majority are freshman and sophomores, which leaves just enough room for three juniors and one senior. However, their love for the game was tested this season.

It was a humid summer morning

SNIP SNIP SNIP

Here's the middle. I was going to transition this nicely...

Late summer gave way to fall, but the warm air stayed along for the ride. Due to a rather odd scheduling curiosity, the Anchorwomen opened up the season with seven games on the road. Needless to say, it didn’t help matters. After trading results at the St. John Fisher Tournament in upstate New York, they promptly dropped their next five matches in embarrassing fashion. 0-4 to Johnson & Wales, 0-5 to Babson, 0-1 to Roger Williams, 0-6 to Wheaton. They finally scored a goal against Salve Regina, but nevertheless, lost 1-2.

And so on. The losses accumulated like the autumn leaves. The season

SNIP SNIP SNIP

It took me about twelve minutes to think this paragraph through.

If it weren’t for the score, the scene makes for a perfect postcard of rustic New England splendor. The bright glows of leaves are clinging to their branches as the wind threatens to rip them off their branches. The grass on the pitch still holds the same rich hue it did in August. But beauty has no impact on the score – the Anchorwomen attack is chilled, just like the biting winds circulating around the track-enclosed pitch.

SNIP sNiP

I'm beginning to boil over.

The 2008 Anchorwomen season will fade like many of its predecessors - without any extensive record or recollection, save for that of coaches, players, families and friends. Nevertheless, their story

i

SNIP

i

SNIP

i

SNIP

i

I lied.

i

$#!%@*!

Now what?

At the end of every soccer season - amateur, college or pro - I always feel like that guy in Forrest Gump who follows Forrest along his coast-to-coast jogs across the country. For years, this guy just follows Forrest across the country jogging with him. That is, until the bearded Gump stops suddenly, presumably somewhere in the southwest, and turns around to his disciples.

"Quiet, quiet! He's gonna say something!"

"I'm...pretty tired. I think I'll go home now."

After a dramatic pause, Forrest turns around and starts walking back to Greenbow, Alabama.

"Great - now what are we supposed to do?"

With the Anchorwomen season over, that dude is me right now.

Chuck Culpepper, one of my favorite sportswriters, penned a booked titled "Bloody Confused!"*, wherein he moves to England and becomes a Portsmouth fan. At the end of the EPL season, he states that "final days haul some pretty heavy emotions that grip even the insouciant creature, the sportswriter." Count me in as well.

(*Curiously, the title of the UK edition of his book is christened "Play Up Pompey!" Two very different titles for the same story. If I ever publish a book on the Anchorwomen, I will be sure that there are at least two variations of the title in an attempt to appear more worldly.)

One thing that made the season seem hurried was the fact that the first home game of the season wasn't played until September 20th, which surely didn't aid their early season success (they went 1-6 before finally playing at home). Yet, the same schedule also afforded me a wonderfully concentrated month and a half of Anchorwomen soccer.

Throughout that period, I met Coach Mike Koperda after I e-mailed him about my feature writing assignment for Advanced News Writing. His understanding, hospitality, and kindness unquestionably helped me ace the assignment. As a result, I was inspired to do a greater story on the team as a whole for my Advanced Creative Nonfiction class. Coach Mike allowed me to speak to whomever I needed to in order get the assignment rolling. My hope is that the story itself is an accurate reflection of what I, as well as he, already know: that this year's team, despite its record, was a special group.

I'm also thankful to Christina Tavana, who allowed me to speak with her to get that little feature done. The grade I received for it is just as much hers as it is mine. Coach Jessica Knobel, Kayla Fleming, Maddie Pirri, Danielle Martino and Kristina Haughey all took the time to chat after training and matches throughout the year. They are directly responsible for the miracle in itself that I'm more than halfway through the once-dreaded 20-page paper that's suddenly morphed into something I'd love to expand beyond twenty pages.

There are many things I'll miss. I'll miss cheering this team during midweek and Saturday afternoons. I'll miss the sudden RIC goals. I'll miss Maddie's incredible saves. I'll miss Christina's incredible seeing-eyes free kicks. I'll miss Kayla sneaking under defenders and putting quick shots on goal. I'll miss watching the backs come together as the season progressed. I'll miss Coach Mike shouting encouragement to his club from the sidelines, calling them "young guns" and "young bloods." I'll miss watching all of this under the picteresque foliage that is quintessential New England. I'll miss seeing that homely white sidewalk signs posted on each end of the campus proclaiming "Rhode Island College Athletics Event Tonight: RIC Soccer".

Most of all, I'll miss the people. I'll miss talking with Bob and Lisa Childs, whose daughter Jenna is turning into a fine left back for the team. I'll miss the post-game and post-training chats with Mike, Jess, Christina, Maddie, Kayla, and Danielle.

I have trouble believing that the Anchorwomen season is finished. Somehow, it doesn't seem right. I just saw them play their best match of the season. There has to be more.

It can't just stop - right?

*******

For anyone near a radio tonight between 7-8pm, Revolution Recap's Sean Donahue has invited me to join him as the in-studio guest for tonight's show. We'll be discussing the First Leg of the Revolution-Fire Eastern Conference Semifinals, as well as Thursday's Second Leg.

The show can be heard live beginning at 7:05pm on WNRI 1380AM.

Feel free to submit your questions to Sean at revolutionrecap@gmail.com.

If you happen to miss the live broadcast, I'll post the link for the archived podcast on Monday.

Anchorwomen win 2-0, clinch first LEC victory

They did it.

The Rhode Island College Anchorwomen, who hadn't won since August 30th, and having endured a 15-game winless streak, finally clinched their first Little East Conference win this afternoon.

They did it with only ten players, after Chelsea Creamer was shown her second yellow card in the first half. They did it with exceptional defending and stout goalkeeping from Maddie Pirri in the closing minutes. They did it with a relentless attack. Did I mention they were a player down? They did exactly what many of them told me during the past tew days: they were going to beat Southern Maine. And they did. They won.

It's been a disheartening campaign for the young Anchorwomen. This victory was well-deserved. They scratched and clawed. They played physical. They never backed down. It was unquestionably their best performance of the season. If this was a preview of coming attractions next season, mark my words: this will be a very good team next year.

Kayla Fleming, the lone senior on the team, finished her career on a high note. It couldn't have happened to a more deserving young woman. There is no doubt in my mind that this team will be greatly improved next season because of her leadership this fall.

It was a well-played game, with a well-earned result.

Good game, Anchorwomen.

Southern Maine v Anchorwomen 11.01.08: The Season Finale

The clubs:
University of Southern Maine Huskies (4-11-1)
Rhode Island College Anchorwomen (1-16-1)

The time: 1:00pm*

(*Kudos to my friend Tony Biscaia, who noted that I COMPLETELY FORGOT to mention the start time of the match. D'oh!)

The place:
RIC Soccer Field (Providence, RI)

The last time they played:
October 27, 2007 - USM 1, RIC 0

What's on the line?
Both clubs sit at the bottom of the Little East, as both are 0-5-1 in LEC play. This will be each club's final chance to secure that elusive first conference victory.

Analysis:
Neither club wants to go winless in the conference to finish out the season. While the Huskies may be content to clinch a point on the road, the Anchorwomen, who have not prevailed since August 30th's 4-0 victory over Pitt-Bradford, appear to be the hungrier team. It's the final match of the season for both clubs -I would hazard a guess that winning is the preferred way to close out a tough season.

For RIC, the key will be to score the first goal, as they've been forced to play from behind in nearly all of their matches this season. For USM, the key will be to control the flanks and exploit the young RIC defenders.

Who to watch for:
RIC- Midfielder Christina Tavana (6 goals, 1 assist)
USM - Forward Heidi DeHaan (5 goals)

Paper writing

What a day. A day marked by four very odd occurrances:

1. My pocket quacked.

2. I consumed, for the very first time, a Honey Nut Scooter that tasted like a California roll.

3. A large Dunkin Donuts coffee committed suicide off the roof of my car.

4. I bought cheese.

Now, this may come as a shock you...but I actually enjoy sitting on a cold aluminum bleacher at the tail of October to watch college soccer. Really. I don't know what it like more: enjoying a hot summer day at Narragansett Beach with my friends*, bodysurfing ten-foot waves, and getting plenty of attention from hot chicks in skimpy swimwear...or watching college soccer on metal bleachers cold enough to churn homemade ice cream on.

(*No offense at all to any of my previous girlfriends or chick friends, but there is no comparison between going to the beach with your guy friends and going with your gf/chick friends. Seaweed wars, the luxury of chick watching without interruption, and just general mischief are all made possible when surrounded by your fellow men.)

For real.

Wednesday afternoon's Anchorwomen game was no exception. It was cold. It was windy. It was cold and windy, two very unconfortable sensations. And what better way to experience that wonderful pair than parking one's darriere on the perfect conductor of said combo: an aluminum bench.

I arrived 15 minutes late, in large thanks to the afternoon logjam on Killingly Street, no vacancies on the lots adjacent to the field, and the retrieval of another large coffee. After such trifles, I was greeted with a 0-2 scoreline in favor of the orange-clad Salem State Vikings.

I greeted some familiar faces, then whipped out the notebook and its tag team partner, the pen.

You see, I've got this class. It's called Advanced Creative Writing: Nonfiction. My esteemed professor in said class assigned us a hearty 20-page paper to undertake before the end of November. The topic: anything you want. Romance. Drama. Comedy. Pokemon.* It didn't matter. But we have to be able to occupy twenty pages without sounding repeating ourselves ad nauseam. Or relying on size 24 font.

(*Actually, this premise is impossible. Pokemon, to the uninitiated, is not real.)

Guess which topic I chose? Seriously, guess.

You are absolutely right.

I chose sports.

Guess which team I chose to focus on? C'mon, c'mon. Just one guess. Last guess. No more after this one, I promise. Humor me.

Darn it, you're good. I did choose the Anchorwomen.

By the 20th minute, I was writing a virtual novel. Brief notes and though, mainly. No complete sentences. My brain was beginning to get numbed by the gusts of cold air that entered my ears. It was rough going for much of the game. By the second half, my writing took on a form that resembled a unique combination of early Picasso, hieroglyphics and elephant brushstrokes.

But a pair of Anchorwomen goals in the 26th and 67th minutes warmed my soul, even if it failed to warm my bones. Then, the chill returned when Salem State scored the clincher in the 77th.

Despite the fact that the loss doomed the club to the worst record in school history, I spoke with Maddie Pirri and Kristina Haughey, and they were not upset. Sure, they would have liked a few more wins. I'm sure Pirri wishes her goals-against average wasn't so high (which is tough because of the young defenders in front of her). And I can tell Haughey would do anything to be able to play right now.

At any rate, there was no bitterness. No sadness. In fact, there was optimism. The opportunity to do better next year exists. There is hope. And that's why I chose to devote twenty pages of writing to them - the best worst team in school history. Their record only tells 0.0001% of the tale. This year's team has a great story behind it.

And I intend to tell it.

A Ray of hope

It was the kind of afternoon that was made for daydreaming, taking a nap, or brewing some hot chocolate. Gray, damp and cold, with the temperature wavering between 50-52 degrees. It was your run of the mill dreary New England day. In other words, it was a perfect day for football.

So after punching out at the work release assignment at 4:28pm ET, I tarried over the Washington Bridge to the RIC Soccer Field to catch the second half of the Westfield State College.*

(*The match started at 4:00pm ET, which ensured that I'd miss the first half. I suppose I could have used a "get out of work early" pass, but I've already got that planned for next week [October 29, 2008 at 4:00pm to be exact]. You don't have to say it: I already know it's pathetic.)

By the time I arrived, it was already 2-0 Owls. I was told that that after these two sinister goals in the first ten minutes - a tough way to begin any match - the field started to tilt toward the WSC zone. And at 55th minute, the Anchorwomen finally carved the lead in half, and appeared primed to seize the equalizer shortly thereafter. Although the the air was cool and crisp, the RIC attack warmed the crowd better than any espresso or coffee could by threatening the Westfield goal with numerous chances. It felt that another RIC goal was in the making.

Yet, despite all the fight and tenacity of the attack, the Owls quickly assembled a counterattack and claimed another goaljust a hair before the 70th minute. A sharp breeze suddenly whooshed through the cold metal bleachers. With the return engagement of the two-goal deficit, the Anchorwomen scratched, clawed and chewed into the Westfield zone. But a series of missed passes and unlucky sequences ultimately spelled the end of any comeback opportunities.

********

The loss gave the Anchorwomen an unenviable 1-14-1 record on the season, and have already achieved a dubious record by recording the most losses in a season for a RIC women's soccer team (the previous record was 11, during the program's first season in 1997). At this time last year, they were 8-7-1, and on their way to the Little East semis. What a difference a year can make.

Not conversely, what a difference a year can make. Exhibit A: The Tampa Bay Rays. In 2007, they were 66-96, which by the way, was the THE WORST record in Major League Baseball. They were horrible. My friends and I used to ridicule them, their fans (or lack thereof) and their domed stadium. They were so bad that they should have been relegated to AAA, and some team like the Portland Beavers or something should have earned promotion.

But the Rays had something going for them. They had budding talent on the diamond. Carl Crawford, Rocco Baldelli, Scott Kazmir and Dioneer Navarro were already on board. Evan Longoria, David Price and B.J. Upton were biding their time in the minors. Matt Garza was on another team for crying out loud. So it was just a matter of molding the team around these young bloods, and having them buy into Joe Maddon's system on managing. Less than 48 hours ago, a team with the worst record in baseball last year beat the best team in baseball last year. Tomorrow night, they will play in Game 1 of the World Series. Incredibly, they are favored to win a championship that looked quite unattainable only a season ago. And I am at a loss to explain how insane that idea is.

I've seen these young Anchorwomen struggle. I've seen them look really bad. They've been beaten to a pulp by some great schools. But I can't help but think that better days are well within their grasps. Not just because of their record. After all, they certainly can't do much worse, record-wise.

It's because there have been moments where, if the stars were aligned or if the leaves fell just so, maybe an extra goal falls through, or a critical save is made that wasn't previously, the promise of better days and better games becomes that much clearer. It's clear that RIC Soccer Field has often become the intersection of unluckiness and inexperience.

However, if the Rays can pull themselves out of similar circumstances and make a run for a championship in less than 365 days, then there is no doubt in my mind the Anchorwomen are equally capable of achieving the same. It may take more than a year. It may take two or three autumns for the Anchorwomen to return to the upper echelon on the Little East.

Heck, maybe they just need blue mohawks.* Maybe they need to drop the "Anchor" and just go by "Women."** In any event, the flashes of promise are gradually extending themselves as the season wears on. With only three matches remaining, Mike Koperda's squad is in danger of recording the worst overall single-season record in the program's 14-year history. To say that pride is on the line during the last few games would be an understatement.

(*I hope not.)

(**Everyone talks about how the Rays found success once they dropped the "Devil" from "Devil Rays", their previous moniker. I do not approve of the same for the Anchorwomen. C'mon. Rhode Island College...Women? I don't think so.)

But it's my hope that this team isn't judged on its record alone. This club is comprised of a great group of young ladies who can play the game extremely well. Come out to RIC Soccer Field and see for yourself. Or if you're lazy, check out a broadcast of any one (or all) of their home matches at the RIC Athletics site. (It takes a little bit of navigation, but if you love soccer, have a spare fifteen minutes, and Windows Media Player, you won't be disappointed.)

********

I luckily found myself in the company of Pam and Kerry Donahue for today's match once again. We talked about how this team, despite its hard luck season, has an increasing fan club in the stands. And let me tell you, these players appreciate every single one of their fans.

As a former student-athlete, I can tell you how much a crowd can boost your spirits, especially when playing on a losing club.* When the scoreboard isn't on your side, the cheers and encouragment of the crowd really inspires the vast majority of ego-less athletes.

(*During a magical 6th grade basketball season, my team proceeded to go 0-12. Yes, that's a zero. No wins. We were so bad our principal threatened to disband us after the first nine losses. The rest of the league would conduct a player allocation-type draft. But the team vehemently objected to this proposal, and in protest, promptly dropped our remaining three games thereafter. We were bad, but it was easily the most fun I ever had playing any sport because the crowd always cheered us, the season-long underdogs us to get that first victory.)

Random post time!

It's that time again - the random post is back - and worse than ever!

I talked to injured sophomore midfielder Kristina Haughey after Saturday's match, and she said that when she first hurt her knee, she didn't think it was serious. But after an MRI this week, the injury was confirmed as an ACL tear, which will require surgery and end her season.


The prognosis is good. She hopes to be able to play soccer in about six months, which is remarkable. She said she was "lucky" that it was just the ACL, and not the MCL and/or PCL as well, which would have likely kept her on the shelf for a bit longer. More importantly, though, it appears that the injury won't affect her long-term health, and she'll make a full recovery.


Obviously, the Anchorwomen would love have Haughey on the field rather than the bench. It's a big loss considering how good she was on the wing this season. Is it as crucial a loss as, say, Aubrey O'Day's departure from Danity Kane this week?*

(*It's confirmed: I have absolutely no shame.)

Time will tell.

*******

After my Advanced Creative Nonfiction class Wednesday evening, I traipsed over to the campus bookstore in an effort to find a new piece of RIC apparel to add to the wardrobe. A few items piqued my curiousity. A fashionable long-sleeved 'Go Anchormen' tee here. An UnderArmour RIC top there.

But where was the 'Go Anchorwomen' apparel?

Here's a suggestion to the fine folks at the bookstore: get some Anchorwomen apparel in there. And not just chick apparel either. An Anchorwomen soccer scarf? Put me down for two. An Anchorwomen jersey? Make mine # 7*. While we're at it - how about an Anchorwoman logo?

(*Gotta shout out the player responsible for the acclaim I received on my feature for Advanced News. After my prof reviewed it, he said that I was "his favorite." Others will have to wash his car to stay on his good side.)

To borrow a phrase from my Sunday Morning Striker days...'my agent is standing by awaiting your phone call.'

Tradition renewed

Well, here I am once again.

For the first time in nearly a year, I'm at the Panera Bread in Smithfield after an Anchorwomen soccer game typing away my postgame notes.

In full disclosure, I did not know how much I'd miss this little routine of mine 'til today. Last year, after each RIC soccer game, I'd have my Acura take me to the nearest casual wi-fi equipped dining spot so I could dutifully convert my fresh postgame thoughts to written form onto this blog. And it's only fitting that I resume this ritual only minutes after I caught up with last year's senior captain Kerry Donahue and her mother Pam, both of whom took in this afternoon's RIC-Keene State game.

It was great to see them again - it's difficult for me to believe that it's also been nearly a year since I last saw them in the aftermath of last year's LEC semifinal loss to WestConn on a cold Danbury night. Kerry was one of the best collegiate defenders I'd ever seen. And Pam? Her homemade Rice Krispy treats are still 572% better than those pre-packaged imitations at the supermarket.

As for today's game - it was played under a cool blue sky and surrounded by brilliant oranges, subtle siennas and lively yellows. The air was a warm seventy degrees Fahrenheit. There was barely a hint of a breeze throughout. It was the quintessential New England autumn day.

On the pitch, the final score was 4-1, Keene State. That line is somewhat misleading: The final two goals were scored in the waning minutes after the Anchorwomen had kept the game 1-1 for 65 minutes. On paper, it looks like they're still sliding. Their last victory took place back in August, a 4-0 victory over Pitt-Bradford. On the contrary: the first sixty minutes displayed a confident bunch of players who menaced an opponent that should have taken care of them by the 20th minute.

The Anchorwomen were relentless - they pressured the Owls for a good 85 minutes before thet ran out of gas in the final five and conceded two unlucky goals. It was almost the exact opposite of their 2-4 loss to Bridgewater State, in which they morphed into a firing squad an lit up the board for two goals in the final eight minutes. If only the two sides could have been combined...

Mike Koperda's club continues to build off of these tough games, win, lose or draw. They are getting better*, and they will continue to do so for the remainder of the season. They know they're all but finished from Little East Conference playoff contention. That's the reality. There's nothing that can be done about the past. In essence, each game is a mini-playoff for these ladies. Spoilmakers? Why not? If they can do their best to knock out a few play0ff-caliber teams from contention, then all the better.

(*You may be sensing a theme here. No, I am not seeing a psychiatrist. Nor have I drank any Kool-Aid lately. So I challenge anyone to join me at any upcoming Anchorwomen game and tell me with a straight face that they're watching a bad team.)

Anyway, I was talking to Kerry at the half, and she said that despite the team's record (1-12-1), the team she joined as a freshman in 2004 also had its struggles before finding its form. But because they were all coming up together as a unit, they were able to get on the same page quickly. And you know what? That crop of freshmen in '04 ended up only three minutes away from clinching the school's first LEC Finals appearance.

Will this year's squad follow suit and achieve the same level of success come 2011? I don't know. But what I do know is that I have no doubt about the improvement I've witnessed through this season. I've seen some bad soccer, and let me tell you, I haven't seen it at Mount Pleasant at all. These ladies are not bad players. They are good, but very few are great. But ask Babe Ruth about fielding a team of great players:

"The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don't play together, the club won't be worth a dime. "

This team, as a whole, has played marvelously at times. It has also played horribly. But, the moments of the former have already begun to outweigh the latter. There's been some crisp soccer played by Fleming, Tavana & Co. and there hasn't been any indication to suggest that they're going to let up before their season finale on November 1st.

Don't get me wrong. I am not Aladdin. I do not have a genie. But if the last few games are any indication, this will team will be a serious contender before I finally exit with my Master's.*

(*Tentative completion of said graduate studies: May 2067.)

So, just before my battery dies, I look outside my table window and release a subtle chuckle.

It's been a year since I last found my Saturday schedule with Anchorwomen soccer and post-game Panera Bread.

Who knows where this crop of Anchorwomen will be a year from now?

Despite the record, Anchorwomen improving

Although the final score read 2-1 in favor of Welseyan University, there was a wave of optimism among the Anchorwomen players and coaches during the post-match scene near the exit of the RIC Soccer Field.

The game was level at 1-1 for much of the match, and against the same Welseyan side that had beaten a superior WestConn team 3-2. Christina Tavana scored on an incredible 25-yard free kick, and nearly captured a hat trick in when the dead ball specialist clanked the bar and the far post in the 41st and 86th minutes, respectively.

Additionally, the team looked potent with the ball. Chelsea Creamer, despite overcoming a bout of sickness, looked like her usual pesky, yet speedy self up top. Kayla Fleming was a world-beater up top, using her elusive pace to beat the Cardinal defenders all night.

The backs seemed to have picked up their game after dealing with the strike-at-will attack of the WestConn strikers, midfielders, defenders and goalkeeper (just kidding). Hilary Plourde and Claire Harris are starting to become stalwart defenders, Jenna Childs and Danielle Martino are locked in a tense battle for the starting centerback position.

And as an observer, I won't bore you with the usual "this is a better team than their record suggests." Because in all honestly, their record is an accurate assessment of their play thus far. There have been many misteps throughout the season. There are times when the defenders look like their playing musical chairs with their marks. Other times, the midfield looks about as organized as a a drunken pub crawl. In fact, if it wasn't for Maddie Pirri doing her best Oliver Kahn impression in the net, there would be even more disturbing scorelines this season.

But...BUT...if you want to behold a team that is improves right before your eyes, the Anchorwomen are the pack of players you're looking for. Their form has improved considerably since September. What you'll witness is a team that is starting to gel. A team that has found its own form, not the form of its prior, successful clubs. The 4-4-2 is gone. Coach Mike Koperda has installed the 3-5-2, which certainly played a part in having his frosh-filled backline making numerous mistakes.

But they're learning. After all, isn't that the purpose of college in the first place? It doesn't just end when the clock approaches ten of. It continues onto the pitch. These Anchorwomen are learning how to play well, and you can see the improvement before your own eyes. They find what they're made of against regionally-ranked competition. Their confidence is increasing, knowing they can hold their own with these difficult opponents. As a result, the Anchorwomen are quickly becoming a fearless bunch that dwells less on its mistakes, and more on its successes.

In short, they are an exciting team to watch - regardless of the result.

*******

A few random tidbits collected after the match:

-Less than two hours prior to the Wesleyan match, the team discovered that midfielder Kristina Haughey is out for the remainder of the season. The sophomore playmaker tore her ACL during the 7th minute of the WestConn game on Saturday.

-Without Haughey, the Anchorwomen had Flemming in the attacking midfielder/winger role last night. Given the success she had in her new role, look for her to continue that role on Saturday against Keene State.

-Speaking of Keene State, the Anchorwomen are expecting a physical game from the Owls on Saturday afternoon. Although it'll be another welcome home game, the players are bracing themselves for a rough game against the 9-4-0 Owls.

The Christina Tavana assignment

During the past two weeks, I've become the de facto beat reporter for the Rhode Island College Anchorwomen soccer team. Post-game interviews. Training pieces. Heck, I even made a recent trip to Danbury, CT to catch their game against WestConn. In short, it's one step closer to realizing my dream: to become the Joe Posnanski of American soccer.

Of course, 90% of this is due in large part to my feature assignment for Advanced News Writing class. The other half is because I just love watching soccer, especially when the Anchorwomen are playing.

The criteria for our feature assignment was broad. A three-page piece on anyone you think is interesting, so long as he/she is not related to you. Here's the formula I used to find my subject:

Rhode Island College + soccer player = Christina Tavana

So, without further ado, here it is...

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Three minutes.

That’s how close Christina Tavana and her Rhode Island College women’s soccer teammates were from clinching the school’s first berth to the Little East Conference Finals last November against Western Connecticut State University.

Clinging to a 2-1 lead as the 87th minute of play approached on enemy turf and amid a chilly, late-autumn evening, it appeared that the LEC Finals were well within reach. But a controversial referee’s call enabled the home team clinch to the equalizer. That promising vision of an LEC title began to vanish, and then completely disappeared after WestConn sealed the game-winner in double-overtime.

It was a crushing defeat for the Anchorwomen, and yet, Tavana couldn’t do anything about it. An ankle injury kept the central midfielder off the pitch for the entire game. As the WestConn players rushed the field in celebration, Tavana could only sit back and absorb the painful loss with her dejected teammates.

“It was probably the best we’ve ever played,” said Tavana, who’s slender 5-6 frame hints that the central midfielder is most comfortable running alongside her teammates on the field rather than sitting on the bench. “But it was frustrating to have to sit and watch,”

Her words could be taken as much literally as metaphorically, because according to her teammates and coaches, Christina Tavana simply doesn’t know how to sit back and watch. Especially when it comes to soccer, a sport that she admittedly “eats, sleeps, and breathes.”

Her love affair with the sport began at six years old while playing on a local youth team. From there, she starred on many select and travel clubs, many of which enabled her to travel throughout the Northeast. But once her senior year at Middletown High School (CT) approached, it was time to choose a college.

While many student-athletes search for a school that meets their academic or athletic needs, Tavana – who had the talent to play Division I women’s soccer - chose both.

“I was an art major,” said Tavana, who’s entering her junior year at RIC. “So I needed to find a school with a good soccer team and a good art program.”

So she took her passion for art and soccer to Providence, RI in 2006. In her freshman year, she was immediately thrust into the fire, playing 21 of 22 total team games and collecting three goals and two assists for the season.

An injury limited her to 11 games in 2007, but she was able to contribute a goal in a 4-2 victory over Johnson & Wales University. The Anchorwomen enjoyed one of their finest seasons before the stunning 3-2 double-overtime playoff loss to WestConn. And yet, it was that bitter defeat that motivated her to do everything she could to bring her club back to that point.

“We most definitely tried to carry everything over from that game into this season,” said Tavana.

But after a whopping nine senior players graduated last season, the Anchorwomen were in dire need of some new leaders. Prior to the start of this season, the coaches requested player feedback before selecting the new captains this season.

The decision was unanimous: Tavana, along with senior defender Kayla Flemming, were named captains, one of the greatest honors bestowed for any soccer player. But with a roster filled with underclassmen, the title has pointed meaning this season, as Tavana attempts to teach her young teammates the sophistication of the collegiate game.

“Christina Tavana has an enormous impact on this squad,” said RIC women’s soccer head coach Mike Koperda. “She’s respectable, she has an enormous work ethic and she has the skill to back it all up.”

She knows that as a captain, she carries the weight of trying to steer her so many of her young teammates toward not only how to develop as players, but as a team. However, she relishes her role as not only an on-field leader, but an off-field mentor as well.

“The freshman look up to Kayla and me,” said Tavana. “Even just to help with school, and not just soccer.”

Freshman Danielle Martino was “on the fence” about joining the team this year, until she spoke with Tavana prior to the season.

“I talked with Christina and (assistant) coach (Jessica) Knobel and decided to try out,” said Martino. “It was probably one of the best things I’ve ever done for myself.”

As a freshman, Martino noted that Tavana’s leadership has given her and her fellow teammates a sense of family, especially off the field. That sense of family has given Martino and her fellow underclassmen confidence in their abilities.

“It makes you want to be a part of the team for the next four years,” said Martino.

The challenge presented to Tavana this season was evident during the team’s match Tuesday afternoon against Bridgewater State College. By the 60th minute of the match, the young Anchorwomen were already staring down a 0-4 score.

But instead of retreating back on defense to simply stop the bleeding, Tavana implored her teammates to keep attacking. In the 82nd minute, she orchestrated the first Anchorwomen goal after sending a quick free kick to freshman Alicia Lardaro, who freed herself from her opponent and buried the ball past the goalkeeper.

The Anchorwomen seized the energy from that goal and kept fighting. Seconds later, Tavana curled a corner kick that skipped off the goalkeeper’s gloves and into the net to pull her team within two. Although a comeback wasn’t meant to be, the captain was pleased with the performance.

“I think we’re progressing from the first game,” said Tavana. “We’re getting better.”

Never one in search for motivation on the field, she hopes her enthusiasm before each game sparks the rest of her teammates to play the same spirited soccer witnessed during the final ten minutes of Tuesday’s game.

“She definitely has the skills, but she’s also a great team motivator,” said Knobel. “She’s not afraid to say how things are.”

And Tavana isn’t afraid to address the club’s struggles. Through ten games thus far, the Anchorwomen have only one victory. Although she would surely welcome more victories, Tavana emphasized that the bigger goal for her is to instill a greater sense of teamwork among her younger teammates for this season and next season.

And what about her goals after graduation?

“I have no idea – I’ll just keep playing,” quipped Tavana. “I’ll keep playing until I can’t walk anymore.”

On a serious note, she hopes to find a job in graphic design, and – you guessed it – and coaching college soccer, something she’d “love to do” after graduation.

Koperda has no doubt that his captain will succeed in whatever she does in life after school.

“She has the heart of a lion,” said Koperda. “She’s a lady who brings everything she has, and then searches for more.”

Anchorwomen away

If the game had ended at the half, it would have been an upset of biblical proportions. You know, like locusts and stuff. Plagues. Famine. Okay, maybe not.

The Anchorwomen held an impressive lead going into the second half for the first time since August 30th against Springfield College last night. Yes, the brightly lit 1-0 score on the maroon board at RIC Soccer Field showed the game in favor of the home team. Chelsea Creamer wowed the crowd with a rocket from 30 yards minutes before the half. It was not just a garden-variety one-goal advantage for the Anchorwomen. This was a lead over a Springfield club that had thumped last year's senior-laden squad to the tune of 3-0. The crowd buzzed with excitement. The RIC ladies were 45 minutes from glory.

44...43...then the tent collapsed.

The next seven minutes saw three Springfield goals, all courtesy of freshman super mid Jen Jahoda. It was wretched. I sat next to a pair of Springfield supporters. They were laughing after Jahoda's seven minute hat trick. Mike Koperda, to his credit, tried to keep his club's spirits alive, by encouraging them to keep their heads up.

After that, I put my notebook down, and just watched Christina Tavana try to rally the troops. She tried everything. A few free kicks. A pair of perfectly-weighted outlet passes. To add injury to insult, the skipper appeared to have hurt herself after she slipped taking the final RIC corner. If it was painful for me, a spectator/student reporter, to watch, I can only imagine what it was like for the Anchorwomen. Even Koperda was running low on compliments as the final minutes mercifully evaporated.

I was aware that there would be games like this. Four-goal losses. 37-9 shot differentials. An opposing freshman scoring hat tricks in less time than it takes for me to switch my car insurance to Geico.

But that's the hallmark of a young team. Goals will be given up at alarming rates. Goalkeeper Maddie Pirri will continue to take more shots per match than Sonny Corleone saw at that desolate tollbooth. This team will have to learn to play from behind. They will need to learn the art of the comeback. And I have no doubt they will. They're 1-9-0 so far, and have two more games in the next four days, which will give them a tiresome three-games-in-five-days stretch that finishes on the road at Western Connecticut, the site of last year's playoff disappointment.

Their mettle will be tested. But I have no doubt that circumstances such as these will likely serve them well in the future.

Rain, rain, go away...

This rain.

Ordinarily, I don't mind rain. I don't mind it Monday-Friday, when I'm trapped in front of my computer at work. I don't mind it at night, when I'm undertaking reasonable efforts to capture eight hours of sleep.* I don't mind it in the late-afternoon on a hot, sticky August day, when it arrives minutes after a severe thunderstorm warning.

(*The last time I accrued the recommended eight hours of sleep: March 3, 2008. I was unspeakably sick with terrible nausea, and passed out [?] next to the toilet. I woke up without a trace of an illegal drug in my system, TEN HOURS LATER, then spent another two hours laying on the floor contemplating how the heck I got there in the first place.)

However, I draw the line on the weekends. That line is even more discriminating when said weekends involve live soccer games.

There's little to no doubt that tomorrow night's Revs-Crew match won't be cancelled, thankfully. I've been looking forward to this match since the Crew outsourced the Revolution attack to a third-world country and hit lemon-lemon-lemon on the scoreboard four times. It was ugly. There was a former hurricane throwing wind and rain at my windows. It wasn't a night to remember. It was a night to pop The Notebook into the DVD player and fall asleep to the scene where Noah rowed Ally along the creek.

I'm looking forward to hyrdoplaning up Route 1 to Gillette Stadium, firing up my laptop, catching up with Sean Donahue and Tony Biscaia, and banging out a worthwhile match report.

As excited as I am to do just that, I am saddened that tomorrow's Anchorwomen game is postponed until Sunday night at 6:00pm. Coach Koperda e-mailed me this morning with the news, which now leaves me with a gaping hole on my schedule from 12-2pm.

Ordinarily, this wouldn't be a huge issue. In fact, a part of me feels as if I'm blowing this whole postponement out of proportion. It's just that I've just never been a fan of waiting. Plus, I undertook an ambitious work out schedule at my gym in order to accomodate the Anchorwomen match. Let me tell you, I walked like a flippin' penguin into work on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday morning because I concentrated my regiment to the point where my hamstrings tightened up faster than a politician without a teleprompter. Needless to say, the rain associated with this premature Nor'easter is mocking me. What can I do? I just tip my cap call Mother Nature my daddy.

The forecast for Sunday evening is 67 degrees and rain, according to weather.com.

Maybe it'll be a dry rain.

Back to RIC Soccer Field

It's been over 300 days - 327 according to the maginificent calculator at timeanddate.com - since my last Rhode Island College women's soccer game. And my, oh my, have things changed immensely since that heartbreaking evening in Danbury, CT back on November 1, 2007.

For beginners, nine seniors have since graduated. That's nine seniors - five of which were All-Little East selections - that started on a club three minutes away from the Little East Conference Finals.

Then, preseason training opened with a gaggle of freshman, leaving Christina Tavana, Danielle Gelinas, and Kayla Fleming as the only returning upperclassmen.

Finally, one week in to preseason training, head coach Denis Chartier abruptly resigned to accept an assistant's job at Brown University on August 6th. For three weeks in August, assistant coach Jessica Knobel oversaw a very young Anchorwomen club while the school searched for a replacement. Eventually, Mike Koperda was brought in from New York and took over the head coaching reigns on August 25th.

So much for an easy transition.

The results thus far have not been great by any stretch of the imagination. The team is 1-8-0. They've been shut out six times already. They've scored only seven goals so far, three of which belong to Tavana. Their second leading scorer - sophomore Chelsea Creamer* - is hurt. With a 3-5-2 in place this season, the young backs are often overmatched and need assistance from the mids to defend. All in all, the Little East Finals seem well out of reach this season.

(*After conducting an informative post-game interview with Tavana, Creamer pitched an offer of $10.00 USD for the purchase of my white Nike US Soccer track jacket [retail price: $59.99]. "What? You want to borrow it for $10.00? Sure! Just have it dry cleaned before returning it.")

But that doesn't mean this crop of players won't succeed. Yes, they're young. They've got alot to learn before they can justify a playoff berth. But they are getting progressively better as the season rolls on. Yesterday's game against Bridgewater State College was an example of that progression.

They went down four goals before the hour, and it appeared the only motivations remaining for RIC was to stop the bleeding. Drop back and defend. Keep BSC from scoring anymore. Then, with less than ten minutes remaining, Tavana pushed a beautiful ball forward to Alicia Ladaro, who scored her first collegiate goal at the 82nd minute. Though it was still 1-4 guests, RIC wasn't about to let off the throttle. Less than a minute later, the Anchorwomen counterattacked and earned a corner. Tavana mailed it right into the far upper ninety, and just like that, RIC cut the lead in half.

Even though the comeback fell short, it was an impressive display. Tavana remarked after the game that she has to find a way to get the underclassmen fired up much, much earlier than the 82nd minute. To her credit, it was no surprise that the center mid was directly responsible for both goals.

From an outsider's point of view, it looks like it's going to be a long season. One filled with more mistakes, missed opportunities, and ultimately, more losses. There's no doubt Koperda has his work cut out for him. He's cognizant of that: he loudly cheers and shouts praise on even the smallest of details, such as double teams and marking on set pieces. He calls his charges "youngbloods" and "young guns." Indeed, youth is perhaps the most defining aspect of this year's team.

But, if Tavana and co-captain Kayla Fleming continue to guide this team to more brilliant flashes like the one seen in the final minutes yesterday, this will be a squad that will likely contend in the near future.

*******

One of my favorite sportswriters of all-time is Joe Posnanski of the Kansas City Star. He has the distinction of not only being one hell of a writer, but has what is likely one of the most unenviable beats in sports: the Kansas City Royals, arguably one of the worst teams in baseball for the past 20 years.

I suppose one has to have a sense of humor and unbridled optimism to cover the Royals. It has to get better eventually, right? Right? So, it is with that inspiration, that I will cover this season's very young Anchorwomen. Not that they are Royals-bad. The Royals streak of futility dates back to my Sesame Street years. The ladies in maroon have a generation of decline before they approach that level of failure.

Yes, it would be better if RIC's record was the exact inverse of what it actually is. Yet, I believe this team has alot of potential to do things this year, which I think will translate well next season. By no means am I giving up on this season. I know the odds of clinching postseason prosperity aren't great. They may lose alot more before November 1st's final game. That's okay, because this team is going in the right direction - unlike those hapless Royals.

It's Almost 2008 Rant

So I was at the local supermarket today, and while waiting in line for the requested deli meats at the delicatessen, I sampled what appeared to be a Nilla Wafer topped with a mocha-chocolate chip dip. It was delicious.

With the ball dropping just over 24 hours, I suppose it's time to lean back in the rocking chair, bind my hands together, and reflect upon the soon-to-expire 2007.

*Of all of my undertakings this year, my most rewarding one was unquestionably my Soccer Odyssey, and I knew it would be. As a soccer junkie, I lovingly embraced the idea of scouting new places to watch, breathe, and ultimately, finding myself in my element. Although I didn't make to all of the venues I had originally planned on, I was able to rest my weary bones and recline at the following locations:

India Point Park (Providence, RI)
Gano Street Park (Providence, RI)
Stevenson Field (Providence, RI)
National Soccer Hall of Fame (Oneonta, NY)
Pierce Field (East Providence, RI)
RIC Soccer Field (Providence, RI)
Gillette Stadium (Foxboro, MA)
Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (Annapolis, MD)
Westside Athletic Complex (Danbury, CT)
RFK Stadium (Washington, DC)
Bryant University Track and Turf Complex (Lincoln, RI)
Rentscheler Field (Hartford, CT)


The typical mortal would say "egads, I'm exhausted." Not at all. If there were a match going on right now, in the dead of a punishing New England winter, I would bring a cannister of hot cocoa, and take my place at the top rung of the brutally cold metal bleachers for the entire ninety while my extremities endure the accompanying frostbite. I'm crazier about this game than Tom Cruise is about Scientology.

*Most memorable match: Little to no inner debate on this one. Hands down, it had to have been the WestConn-RIC Little East semi-final women's soccer match at Western Connecticut State University. Aside from the emotional attachment to my alma mater, the fourth-seeded Anchorwomen provided their own "Rudy" story when they stepped out onto the pitch with only two subs available against the perennial Little East powerhouse. Overmatched? Not on this night.

Although WestConn had beaten them to the scoreboard in the first half, the Anchorwomen responded with two goals of their own going into the 85th minute with victory in their sights. But a questionable call on the right channel of RIC territory led to WestConn's equalizer off the ensuring CK, tying the proceedings at two apiece. An exhausted RIC side braved through nearly 14 minutes of OT before they watched WestConn clinch the game-winner after 104 total minutes, with RIC giving it their absolute all to upset their opponents.

*Toughest match to watch: Revolution-DC on August 5th. I don't know if it was because of the heat, or partying like rock stars the night before, but the Revs were flatter than Paris Hilton. Nothing was working, and when it wasn't working, DC's Luciano Emilio made them pay, with two goals en route to his club's 3-0 victory. Perhaps the most disheartening aspect of the loss was the fact that the Revs, who had stood atop the Eastern Conference pinnacle for most of the season, we simply outclassed for the first time all summer. It was not pretty.

*Most impressive players: Jeffrey Gonsalves (Rhode Island Stingrays) and Kerry Donahue (Rhode Island College).

After a disappointing spring in which he was drafted by his hometown Toronto FC side, the former Rhody Ram was soon out of a job when injuries limited him in preseason training. So when he returned to RI to finish off his studies at URI, he also came back to his former PDL side and dominated. Ten goals, five assists in 14 games for the 'Rays left little doubt that Gonsalves has got the stuff to play professionally.

Donahue, a senior defender at RIC, was already known for her stellar play in the back with an all-conference selection in 2006. But she turned her game up another notch by scoring three goals, including a start at forward. Yet, her best match yet came when during the final match of her collegiate career against WestConn, where she absolutely shut down the lethal WestConn attack. It's said that the best players save their best when the stakes are at their highest, and Donahue proved this saying true, as she finished off her career with an exemplary performance in CT.

You're probably wondering why I started off this piece with my supermarket experience. Well, the Nilla Wafer is a metaphor (literally and figuratively) for this year. Like many of the matches I attended, they were new to me, there for the taking, completely free. After tasting the cookies with its delicate topping, I came away from it wanting more, much like all of the soccer I saw this year.

Hey, what where you throw those tomatoes!

Happy New Year everybody!

Goodbye, college soccer season...

It shouldn't be this difficult.

It's 10:21am on a November 8th morning, and I am in the very slow and deliberate process of peeling off the Rhode Island College men's and women's soccer schedules from my cubicle walls. Had I known how arduous an affair this was going to be, I would have avoided posting them on my walls back in late August.

Ok, so that's a straight lie. I would have done it anyway. It would have been futile to prevent.

Anyone who knows me is aware that a good chunk of my life revolves around the fixture lists of soccer clubs. So it was an impossible proposition for me not to put these schedules on the small walls at work. However, it definitely wasn't my intent to grow so attached to both clubs - especially the women's side, after getting to know many of the players' parents during the season.

These schedules afforded me many wonderful thoughts of escaping the office to the cozy confines of the RIC Soccer Field. In fact, each team's first home match of the season was brightly highlighted in yellow marker, signifying its importance for me to set aside all else and make it there. The first match wasn't the only ones classified as "important", mind you. I can recall many a time where things at work were hectic, only to glance back at the schedules, side by side, and take comfort in knowing that either team was playing within the coming hours/days. The promise of sunny afternoons and cool late evenings kept my spirits high through the late-summer, early-autumn workweek and following Saturday afternoons.

I've purposely delayed this unhappy task. Both teams’ seasons ended last week, thus rendering these lists obsolete. But now, as I ceremoniously peel the tape off these magical fixtures that opened the door to my wonderful fixation with college soccer, I cannot help but release a sigh of sadness.

Goodbye, college soccer season.

An Open Letter to the Rhode Island College women's soccer team

Dear Rhode Island College ANCHORWOMEN,

First and foremost, let me congratulate you on an incredible season. Although the standings fail to accurately reflect the hard work that went into it, allow me to convey my sincerest wishes to you all – especially the seniors.

I watched you play throughout the season, and can accurately affirm that this team was one of the best I've ever seen, in any sport, period. You played like champions from start to finish, and undoubtedly made your parents and coaches proud throughout.

On November 1, 2007, I witnessed what this team was truly made of. With the odds stacked against you, your resolve shined through. You battled, fought, and played a tremendous match against WestConn. You held the lead late into the second half; a lead that was undone by, in a very diplomatic term, a "questionable call" that upstaged a superb performance.

But you didn’t quit - going into the first overtime, you courageously battled, well aware that the match should have ended in your favor only minutes ago. Despite your best efforts, harsh reality cast its ugly shadow in the second overtime – an unfitting end for such a valiant display of teamwork and tenacity.

Nevertheless, what I saw was the remarkable spirit of this team in the face of adversity, and contrary to the scoresheet, you overcame it. You persevered. One questionable call can never diminish what you have accomplished. You left nothing on the pitch. You played your guts out. On Thursday night, you were the better team.

You deserved much better than what transpired. Be proud in knowing that in the face of adversity, you didn’t flinch one bit. You deserved the win in every sense of the word.

That being said, I can wholeheartedly say that there have been few times when I've been as proud to be a RIC alumnus as I was on Thursday night. Take heart in knowing that nothing could ever undo your amazing efforts on Thursday night, and on the season as a whole.

I wish all of you the best of luck, and I look forward to Anchorwomen soccer in '08!

Sincerely,


Brian O'Connell
RIC '04

Anchorwomen upset thwarted by controversial call; lose 3-2 to West Conn

Despite the heavy odds stacked against them, the fourth-seeded Rhode Island College Anchorwomen came within three minutes of a stunning upset of the top-seeded Western Connecticut State University Colonials in the Little East Conference semifinals before a controversial call sent the match into double-overtime, where RIC heartbreakingly succumbed to the 3-2 loss.

From the opening whistle, the Colonials controlled early on, as the Anchorwomen backline was tested with two shots by the tenth minute. Though the potent striking duo of Catherine Nathans (13 goals) and Kim Crayco (11 goals) challenged the guests, the burgundy and gold backline duly kept them at bay for much of the match.

Just as RIC had found its rhythm, West Conn sparked up a counterattack in the 38th minute when Nathans sprinted through the backline and went one on one with keeper Maddie Pirri before the junior striker calmly chipped it in, giving the her side the 1-0 lead.

Undaunted, RIC pressed on by controlling the midfield at length, menacing West Conn with a frenzy of crisp passes. With only two substitutes at his disposal, RIC coach Denis Chartier judiciously spelled his playmakers as much as possible in order to keep the attack energized.

RIC kicked off the second half by dominating possession early on, and it paid dividends less than ten minutes later when Chelsea Creamer hauled in a Krista MacKinnon pass inside the box and deftly chipped it into the corner of the net, tying the score at one apiece.

With a severely depleted bench, an added sense of urgency prevailed among the RIC players in order to keep the match from turning into a multiple OT marathon that they were ill-equipped to endure. Their fervent attack found paydirt in the 74th minute when the speedy Calenda raced down the right and into the box, and angled a perfect shot that sailed into the upper realm of the net, giving the lower-seed a stunning one-goal lead with just over fifteen minutes left in regulation.

Cautiously sitting atop the one-goal lead, the Anchorwomen refocused on the defending, and though the Colonials broke through on two occasions, defender Kerry Donahue boldly snuffed any hopes the home side had at equalizing going into the 80th minute.

As the final minutes of regulation waned, WestConn inserted fresh substitutes in the form of Domonique Poscascio and Victoria Capoziello, attempting to crack the RIC backline. RIC, on the brink of a major upset, stepped up by solidifying its defense, as the Colonials were continually stonewalled despite creating quality chances.

Then, in the 87th minute, controversy ensued when a corner kick was fortuitously granted to West Conn after it appeared that, in a battle for the ball near the right corner flag, the ball had last touched a Colonial player before skipping past the byline. Despite vehement protests by the Anchorwomen, the decision stood, and seconds later, Caitlin Boyle headed the Cassie Barbaresi outswinger right into the heart of the net, drawing the match even at two-all, and sending the game into overtime minutes later.

An exhausted Anchorwomen side bravely fended off the Colonials during the first overtime, but with less than six minutes remaining in the second OT, the Colonials lined up for another corner. After the kick was played short to Jessica Sperlazza, she then pushed it forward to Kim Crayco, who slipped it past Pirri point blank for the game-winner in the 107th minute, as West Conn squeaked by to clinch its second consecutive LEC Finals appearance.

Excuses, excuses

I never thought I'd ever say this on a soccer blog, but thank God for the Boston Bruins.

Ok, so maybe I'm not saying it in the context to which I am wholeheartedly appreciative of the beloved Bruins. Don't get me wrong - Patrice Bergeron (get well soon), Tim Thomas, Marc Savard, and Glen Murray all have little planets named after them in my sports universe. When the TV is devoid of Red Sox, Patriots, Revolution, Benfica, EPL, NFL, Celtics, College football, and yes, even college hockey, I gleefully turn to the Bruins.

But this mild autumn morning, I have an even better reason to give thanks. For tonight, they have afforded me a wonderful alibi to which I was greatly given a half day at work.

"Oh, I'm going up to Boston to catch the B's game up at the Gahden." It’s an easy, carefree, no-further-questions-needed response.

Yet, why would I say such a thing when I’m unequivocally headed in almost the opposite direction? Instead of heading due northeast up I-95 to I-93 to the Hub of Hockey, I'll be heading southwest to Danbury, CT to watch the Rhode Island College Anchorwomen play top-seeded Western Connecticut in the Hub of...nevermind.

You may ask, "Why mask your intentions? Why not just state your true endeavor?"

Well, I don't know about you, but around these parts, a guy taking for a half day to watch a women's college soccer game around here is like a guy asking his buddy to spot him for a Midori Sour at the bar. You're just going to get alot of blank stares, ballbusting, and tart remarks about your seemingly juxtaposed priorities. It's not to say that I'm not proud of my favorite college soccer squad - indeed I am, and wouldn't be making the 149.73 mile journey if I wasn't. But to be absolutely blunt, I'm just too lazy to endure the ensuing workplace ridicule that would surely come if my actual plans were revealed. Besides, I'm using a vacation day - I don't have to reveal my plans. I could very easily attend to my llama farm without so much as a "Peace out!" at 12:30pm. The reason is completely irrelevant. So what harm is there is smudging the facts a bit when said facts aren't necessary?

So to the Bruins, I salute you. I wish you the best of luck during your young season, to which your 6-4-0 record speaks of wonderful promise for the 2007-08 NHL season. Thank you for choosing this date months in advance, when the scheduling gods affixed you and your opponent, the Buffalo Sabres, to the TD Bankborth Garden on this first of the month. Thanks as well for consummating the affair at 7:00pm, which works perfectly into the thread of alternate reality I have so whimsically dispensed to my peers. Good luck against the Sabres, a traditional Northeast Division foe, and I hope your sure-fire winning results pervade all the way down the I-95 corridor and into to Danbury, where it will rub off on my dear alma mater's women's soccer team.

Thank you, Boston Bruins. Someday, I'll really use half of a vacation day to make the trip up to the Hub of Hockey.

RIC overtakes PSU 3-2; advance to LEC semis

In a wild and crazy match that featured four goals, a controversial penalty kick, fisticuffs, and two players sent off all before the half, the Rhode Island College Anchorwomen valiantly claimed victory against Plymouth State University Panthers during Tuesday afternoon’s Little East Conference first round playoff match by the score of 3-2.

Right off the opening whistle, the Anchorwomen came out with an aggressive attack and wasted no time getting on the board when freshman Kristina Haughey took a cross from Brittney Godbout and flicked home the goal of the match in the 2^nd minute, immediately putting the Panthers on their proverbial heels.

Unsatisfied with sitting on a mere one-goal lead for long, the Anchorwomen struck two minutes later when Haughey struck again as she headed a nice feed from Gina Calenda, giving RIC an amazing two-goal advantage before the fifth minute mark.

But PSU wasn't about to sit back and focus on defending for long. Instead, they unleashed a fervent attack of their own, and were “rewarded” when referee Bill Morrone called a hand ball on the Anchorwomen inside the box, giving the Panthers a fortuitous penalty kick in the 31^st minute. Despite the home crowd’s objections, Lauren Lavery stepped up and delivered a rocket inside the left post for her club’s first goal of the match.

The guests continued to challenge the backs when Alex Marcell raced deep down the left channel, juked her defender, and fired a quick cross toward Stacy DiSabato, who deftly redirected the pass into the corner of the goal in the 38^th minute.

With less than two minutes remaining in the half, tempers flared after a Gianna Minervini throw in near midfield. After the ball bounced to a teammate, Minervini suddenly charged into the back of Linsday Laurie. The Anchorwoman midfielder retaliated and threw Minervini to the ground, as the two tussled a few yards deep into the Anchorwomen end. Morrone halted play to separate the perpetrators, who were soon joined by a rush of teammates. After the players finally dispersed, the sparring partners were sent off, leaving both teams with only ten players at their disposal.

The second half played itself out much like the early part of the first, with RIC aggressive on the attack. Curiously, the Panthers played right into this ploy by sitting back on defense, surely lacking the tenacity they displayed in the first half. The Anchorwomen took advantage, and tested the backs with almost limitless pressure, as the Panther backline bent like a bow.

However, the pressure became too much to withstand by the 63^rd minute when Abby Hummel finally advantage of a failed clearance and fired a screamer from the top of the box that seared high above the reach of Panther keeper Ashley Riberdy and into the top right corner of the goalmouth, giving back the lead to RIC.

Looking for goal number four, the Anchorwomen continued to pressure when Gina Calenda danced into the box and laced a hard shot goalward that Riberdy acrobatically saved to keep the deficit at one in the 73^rd minute.

As the time on wound down on the match, home club kept their foot on the accelerator, while their guests struggled to reassert themselves on the attack. PSU mounted one final journey toward the RIC end before the final whistle sounded. But it was all in vain, as the Anchorwomen took the 3-2 victory over the Panthers.

With the victory, RIC earned a trip to Danbury, CT to face top-seeded Western Connecticut for the Little East Conference semi-finals on Thursday, November 2^nd.