(Red) Storm in a Teacup. St. Johns 1-1 Brown

So, the big question lingered...... How would this young team respond to their first true setback of the year? Not only did they have to produce a response worthy of a team looking for success, but they had to do it on the road in an environment containing noisy and crazy fans and a relentless(nauseating) pep-band.
With all these distractions, the last thing Coach Noonan was looking for was any further distraction. Yet perhaps the best man-marking job of the entire trip was performed by Lech Walesa, the St. John's security man who was assigned to be Coach Noonan's body guard all evening. Although it's a far cry from being the leader of a nation (Poland 1990-95) and Noble Peace Prize winner, I'm sure Walesa is enjoying the quiet life in the Big Apple.....

Coach Noonan's Celebrity Shadow - click here for more information...

Well , despite all the distractions, respond the boys did! The Tourist produced a truly inspiring pre-game rally with the boys out on the pitch before Coach Noonan imparted the final words of wisdom and motivation in the locker room. Then, if our boys weren't fired-up enough already, virtually all of the home players "broke" the line-up a full 45 seconds before Whitney Houston had uttered the final lines of the Star Spangled Banner. Our group stood firm and then Smithy told the home players exactly what he thought as he pointed angrily in their direction..... "That's not too respectful you know chaps" he spewed (or words to that effect).
The pace of the game was breathtaking. A desperate and very talented home team were determined to start the match on the front foot, yet our boys just wouldn't have any of it. We pressed and passed and won every ball that needed to be won. The reaction of the home bench was predictable, yet even more vociferous than one would normally expect with the Red Storm. It was clear that our boys had the home team rattled....
Both goalkeepers were reasonably busy in the first half, with Grandstrand producing one excellent reaction save at his near post and the home custodian also protecting his goal well.
Then it happened...... the ball was played into the home penalty area with both Sean and TJ having a dig, before the ball fell to Nicky, who made no mistake from six yards out.... 1-0 Brown and we were well worth the lead.....
It was at this moment that the home coach absolutely "lost the plot" and embarked on an on-field rage, first at his own player, then at the referee. It's rare that you'll ever hear this writer talk about referees in empathetic terms, but I almost felt sorry for this guy as he endured this tirade then almost apologetically produced a red-card. He really had no choice.....
For the remaining minutes of the first half the home team were simply holding on. They looked disorganized and capable of conceding a second goal at any moment. It was 1-0 to the Bears at half-time and we were in the ascendancy....
The pace of the game (naturally) slowed in the second half, and a re-organized home team started to exert some control on the match. Some uncharacteristic moments from Grandstrand probably had much to do with the raving lunatics behind his goal.... The pressure increased and then we made a critical mistake that led to penalty being awarded to the Red Storm. Unfortunately, the St. John's player made no mistake from the spot kick and it was 1-1......
As the match wore on it was clear that no team was going to roll over for the other. The contest remained fiercely competitive and overtime was inevitable - after all here was two teams competing with twelve ties between them!
Late in the contest we were awarded a free-kick about 25 yards out. Wallsy stepped up confidently and struck an almost perfect kick over the wall. It was deflected slightly and smacked the underside of the crossbar before rebounding back into play. The linesman was not in position to see if the ball had crossed the line, but some of our people were convinced it had.... Regardless, the referee waved play-on and the contest continued....
The final whistle blew and 22 exhausted players slumped to the turf. It had been a truly exhilerating match and showed us that here was a group of players who showed tremendous character after a disappointing weekend. It's not lost on anyone that St. John's have not lost at home for 20+ games, spanning three seasons. This was perhaps their toughest test yet....
Some old friends had endured the Obama-inspired Manhattan traffic to make the trek to the match, including former Director of Operations, Nic Rossi, who is now assistant at the highly successful Stevens Tech program in Hoboken, NJ.
As the boys boarded the bus for the long trek back up I-95 and full of more Schlenker-produced goodies, Coach Noonan bade a fond farewell to his new-found friend and shadow. Ray Houghton commented how sad and lost Walesa looked as the bus pulled into the night...
Next up is a visit to another New York Red - this time the Big Red of Cornell in beautiful Ithaca... 7pm Saturday.....