Warning: This post is devoid of politics

Congratulations!

You've managed to find a post, published on November 4th, 2008 - Election Day - that contains no scent of politics, polls, or partisanship. In fact, the only spin here will be the one your head will dizzy itself into after reading this post.

Some bloggers are compelled to reference politics on such a day. A fashion blogger may endorse a candidate because said candidate prefers Armani suits over Jean-Paul Gaultier. Another candidate may get the thumbs up from a llama farmer's blog because of his pro-llama stance. Such is the vast blogger universe. It's all good.

In any event, I must say that I will not be publicly endorsing any canididate. I will say, however, that you should get out and vote. Trust me, you'll feel good about yourself afterward. And you're eligible for a free coffee at Starbucks.

Now that I've extracted thirty seconds of your life that you'll never get back...

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Shout out to RIC midfielder Christina Tavana, who was awarded Little East Conference Offensive Player of the Week.

Speaking of shout outs...I had to give radio props to a certain college soccer team during my recent appearance on Revolution Recap. Check the final minute of the podcast to discover which team it was, as if you didn't know already.

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I heart UEFA Champions League. There, I said it. Although it begins play in August, I always associate it with the holidays. I don't know why, exactly. The small, rational part of my brain thinks it's a rare opportunity for me to watch Man U, Chelsea, Real, Barca.* The other 95% thinks it's because of the large glowing soccer ball structure that floats onto an empty pitch. Whatever the exact reason, I love it, even after Christmas. **

(*Have I mentioned that I still haven't upgraded to digital cable? Granted, I can watch any of these football powerhouses on my laptop, but it just isn't the same as watching it on the telly. Just agree with me. Thank you.)

(**I was going through some of my recordings of last year's UCL matches, and there seems to be an abundance of clubs who wear red kits. Liverpool, ManU, Benfica, half-Barca, and Arsenal all come to mind. Perhaps my subconscious was picking up on a theme. Red kits, green pitch, silver bells, er, balls. Merry Christmas, anyone? Egh? Eghhhhhh...)

So you can imagine my excitement when I flipped through today's TV listings to read "(ESPN2) UEFA Champions League Groupstage - Matchday 4." It didn't mention which particular match*, but as long as Derek Rae and Tommy Smyth are behind the mikes, I'll surely enjoy it. Heck, have them call the local Bunnyhoppers-Squirrels U-8 match, and I'll plan my day around it.

(*Please, oh please, let it be Roma-Chelsea. EDIT: It's Liverpool-Atletico...still good!)

The match also affords me the opportunity to simultaneously continue crafting this 20-page paper I may have mentioned. Rae and Smyth breathe so many vivid details that much of their in-match analysis could be considered prose. In fact, I've already taken to reviewing my drafts while watching recorded UCL matches. Why? Because I hope to infuse the same descriptive lanaguage in my paper. If my paper contains 1/16th the vocabulary of Rae and Smyth, I will be a thrilled prospective grad student.

Plus, it'll keep me away from the army of talking heads tonight.

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.”

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.