A new dawn brings fresh hope and optimism. As the Brown Bears took to the field in the formative stages of the 2009 season, it was with many familiar faces, yet perhaps just as many new ones. Perhaps the most noticeable changes for 2009 were those patrolling the sidelines..... sure Coach Noonan is still at the helm, but beyond that only assistant coach Gregg Miller and athletic trainer Matt Culp remain. Ryan Levesque has now taken on a role with local rival/friend Bryant University. Nic Rossi, for so long an integral part of the Brown staff, has swapped the east side of Providence for the western shores of the Hudson River as he joins the staff at Steven's Institute of Technology in Hoboken, NJ. Perhaps, most significantly, one of the fixtures of Brown soccer over the past six years, Kenny Murphy, has taken the reigns in his native Connecticut at Conn. College - watch out NESCAC - here comes Murph! Aided by four-year starting defender, Stephen Sawyer, we're sure that Murph will be raising eyebrows in New London in no time.... To all three of our bretheren we wish you the very best and thank you for your tireless work in helping Brown soccer achieve all that it has over the past three to six years....
We welcome aboard two brand-new faces to the coaching staff. Pat "Ray Houghton" Laughlin comes to the Bears from the University of Maine, with stops at 17 junior colleges, 37 state ODP programs and 12 adidas apparel stores along the way. Phil "The Tourist" "C Double C" Jones arrives on our shores from St. Helen's, England. As a born and raised Evertonian, it should be interesting in the office during the Merseyside derby weekends as Jonesy teases Coach Noonan. With Liverpool already having succumbed at home to the mighty Aston Villa in recent weeks, it is left to Everton to secure Coach Noonan's misery for his beloved Reds.
Pre-season began on August 20th - no major injuries coming in except for a metatarsal injury to junior defender Ian Smith. The early sessions were lively and energetic, and it soon became apparent that within the ranks was a renewed attitude and a talented first-year class. The dreaded fitness tests were completed without any major complications and the team showed a willingness to learn and improve as pre-season wore on. A comfortable 5-0 victory over Guelph University (Canada) preceded a hard-fought and well-deserved 1-0 success at Fairfield. The signs were positive - two clean sheets and six goals scored.
One highlight of the pre-season fortnight included an impromptu visit by the esteemed Coach Stevenson and his wife, who captured the attention and imagination of the players with his stories from the history books (that he wrote!) of Brown Soccer of years gone by.
The first game approached and the traditional Noonan pre-season facial scruff became more pronounced - seems like the grey hairs are out-numbering the other colors nowadays....! The sessions increased in intensity, the uniforms came out of the closet, and all the usual pre-season check-lists were complete.... it was time for the first match....
Brown 1-1 Lehigh
It would be overstating things a little to say that Stevenson field was packed to the rafters, but with all things considered, a very healthy crowd was on hand to witness a performance that produced everything that you'd expect from a Brown team...... except a win! Commitment, desire, effort, tactical excellence and solid defending are all hallmarks of Brown soccer and these were on display throughout the 110 minutes of play. Yet after 65 minutes of relentless pressure, a momentary lapse at the back produced a bizarre against-the-run-of-play goal for Lehigh - they could barely belive it themselves. In the preceding hour their own goal had been peppered, while their goalkeeper produced a string of saves to keep Brown at bay. Yet, here they were with a one goal lead and 25 minutes left to hold on......
More of the same followed from Brown. First year players Dylan Remick and Tommy McNamara were prominent, while the Brown front-men did everything but score. Just as all hope seemed to be fading up popped the man, the myth, the legend, Jonny O to scramble the ball across the line for his first goal of the year. We're not sure of the exact part of his anatomy that actually made contact with the ball, but frankly we don't care/don't want to know..... His celebration was, well, ludicrous.....
Despite a further attacking onslaught in the final 20 minutes of extra-time, the Bears could not squeeze past a stubborn Lehigh defence and goalkeeper having a career-day.
Despite the scoreline, a very encouraging start for the boys. Let's hope for many more similar performances to come...
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