A Visit to the Bulldogs....

Brown 1-0 Bryant

Squeak - Thump - Squeak - Thump - Thump - Squeak....... "It's not the best type of bus to try to write things y'know" stated our bus driver as Coach Noonan desperately tried to steady his pen and prepare his pre-game notes. The converted school bus was clearly there to serve one simple purpose - to get us from Point A (the OMAC parking lot) to Point B (Bulldog stadium at Bryant University). It did that without any problem. Beyond that, one might determine that this had been a somewhat adventurous 23-minute jaunt across our small state (yes, we counted the minutes - for entertainment...). Laptops were kept in the safely-padded confines of backpacks, food was left in the sealed containers, and all other items that couldn't be stuffed under seats were happily bouncing around in the overhead racks....

The boys took to the field at Bryant for the pre-game walk-around and immediately noticed something quite unusual.... if Nick Elenz-Martin played on the wing he was suddenly 5'7"! Similarly, playing Austin Mandel at centre-forward made him a towering six-footer! The field, a multi-use (American)football / soccer / lacrosse combination surface was crowned like no other. The nice thing was that this group of players took it in their stride and simply had a laugh about it....

The pre-game team-talk took place in seats 22 through 52 at the back of our custom cruiser. The team had the information needed and now just had to go out and produce an energetic and disciplined performance against a very physical and fit Bryant squad. In 2008 this first-year DI team had given our squad a good scare and that was never far from the minds of the returning staff...
As soon as the match kicked off it was abundantly clear that this was never going to be a contest that would entertain the football purist. Tackles flew in, the speed of play was intense and the back-four and goalkeeper spent plenty of time dealing with the home sides' aerial assault. True to form, the defence never looked in any danger and the most that Grandstrand had to do in the Brown goal was routine.
At the other end of the field the speed of play and movement by our boys was beginning to cause unrest in the home defence. Sean Rosa and Austin both felt the full force of some strong tackling but managed to remain effective. Chances started to open up, with Evan Coleman being inches away from connecting with a corner and Tommy McNamara forcing the home 'keeper into a decent save.
The introduction of Jon Okafor after about thirty minutes added a new dimension to the Bears attack. And it wasn't long before "Oki" had an impact on the game as he raced clear of a static defence and slotted the ball to the right of the Bryant 'keeper....... ggggooooaa...... SMACK - it hit the post! In the ensuing mayhem the boys in black reacted fastest and up popped Tommy McNamara to slot the ball into a gaping Bryant net. 1-0 to the Bears and it was no more than we deserved.
The second half kicked off with Coach Noonan's advice ringing in the ears of the players. "Score the next goal" he insisted.... We did everything but score the next goal in a decidedly one-sided second half. Nicky broke clear and in an act of unbelievable charity elected to pass when he could have walked the ball into the back of the net. Flashbacks to Santa Clara circa 2007 perhaps???? Tommy Mac went on a mazy dribble through the home defence moments later and finally laid the ball into the path of Tayls who somehow managed to put his shot into the midrif of a goalkeeper who was protecting a miniscule portion of the home goal.
The boys were comfortable in defence and never really looked troubled. But that elusive second goal never materialized. The closest perhaps was a speculative 35-yard effort from Rob Medairos who rattled the crossbar.....
Some days you have to slog out a victory and this was a perfect example. Nobody came away from Bryant talking about a "great game" but all who witnessed and participated understood the endeavour and energy that it took to get a result against stubborn and hard-working opponents.
Next up is the big in-state showdown vs. the Rhody Rams....