If you had told me in high school that I was going to watch one full soccer game ever in my life I would have laughed at you. If you had told me that I was going to watch an entire soccer game in 25 degree weather and delay my trip home for Thanksgiving break because of soccer I would have recommended that you be sent to see a psychiatrist. It is at UConn that I developed my love of soccer. Before I got there I laughed at soccer. I didn’t understand it and didn’t want to understand it. The Men’s Soccer team at UConn doesn’t allow people not to like soccer. The two model programs at UConn are the Women’s Basketball program and the Men’s soccer program. Two very classy, and successful programs.
It was the first round of the NCAA tournament and UConn had been struggling compared to the 20-3-1 year before. We were still ranked for most of the year and had the reigning MAC Hermann award winner O’Brian White on the team. Unfortunately O’B injured his knee and had to get surgery so he was out for most of the second half of the season. The second best player on the team, Akeem Priestley, was also out with a hamstring injury for a good month. Akeem at least returned for the 1st round game. Finally he was back, because I missed watching him play. Boogie as he is also referred to, reminds me of a puppeteer. He seems to be able to make his defenders go for his fakes so easily. I am amazed by his ability to move a soccer ball around in confined spaces. Boogie was back for this game, and considering that he always says hello to me, and is such a great player, it meant so much to me to see him back on the field.
We were playing Fairfield, the University that is probably closest to my home. It is a small private school and I had attended probably 5 or 6 of their men’s basketball games when I was young. I was a huge Darren Phillips and Deng Gai fan. Both of them were nasty defenders and rebounders. Deng’s cousin Ajou Deng, transferred from UConn to Fairfield to play basketball. Needless to say, I was always a huge UConn fan. UConn always came before Fairfield but it was interesting to root against Fairfield for the first time I remember that I hated Bobby Gonzalez and his Manhatten Jaspers when they came to Fairfield to play Tim O’ Toole’s Stags. I was definitely a fan of Fairfield in the world famous Jasper-Stag rivalry.
Fairfield got on my nerve quickly. They sent their band up for the soccer game.
Two years ago Fairfield came into Morrone Stadium and beat UConn in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Fairfield referred to that as “The biggest win in the history of Fairfield Athletics.” I was unhappy that Fairfield thought that they owned Morrone stadium, because they didn’t. I was not about to miss this game and I was as loud as I’ve ever been for a soccer game. I was even willing to hold the Jamaican flag poster that was made for Akeem and O’B. It was so cold at halftime that we went to the Hockey arena and caught some of the hockey game from the lobby. I just thought it was funny to hold up the Jamaican Flag at a Hockey game.
Now to the game. Fairfield had these two annoying fans that never shut up behind the goal patrol. I wish I could say that their band sucked, but it didn’t because the band never played. I also wish I could say that UConn put the ball in the net, but we didn’t. We almost did, several times. Tony Cascio could have probably had a hat trick. Fairfield’s goalie also did make an amazing save and what I believe was an Akeem Priestley shot, but I could be wrong about who took the shot. Instead after a header by Toni Stahl, Fairfield knocked the ball into their own net early in the first half for the only goal of the game. That was another game that UConn won because someone scored on themselves. They beat Stony Brook on an own goal. After the own goal by Fairfield I had fun watching Boogie, watching UConn almost scoring and drinking some hot chocolate courtesy of the soccer team. As I said, they are a classy team. They really treat their fans well.
I promised goalie Josh Ford that I’d be at the game. He was appreciative of my support when I spoke to him when I gave him his student T-shirt for basketball tickets. The Fairfield game was the 2nd men’s soccer game that I changed travel plans for so I could attend the game. I made it back in time on Labor Day weekend to watch UConn beat Stony Brook and left late for Thanksgiving break so I could watch them beat Fairfield. Interestingly both games were won by UConn 1-0 on own goals.
While on Thanksgiving break I also logged in to watch UConn play Creighton in the NCAA’s. I could only catch the 1st half at my lake house before I had to go somewhere. (Believe me I tried to get out of it) I saw Tony Cascio score in the first half and was thrilled that we took the lead. Unfortunately I heard we couldn’t keep it. However that men’s soccer game was the first soccer game that I had seen at my lake house and it may have even been the first UConn game that I had seen at my Lake House.
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