I only had to pay to watch two soccer games this year. One was the women's soccer game vs Yale and the other was Men's Soccer vs Fairfield. Both were easily worth $2.
I've been to a lot of great sporting events but in my opinion this women's soccer game against Yale was the best ending to any game that I have ever seen. Previously I would have said the Mets winning on a walk off wild pitch by Brad Clontz with Mike Piazza up with the bases loaded against the Pirates in the final regular season game of 1999. The Mets win forced a one-game playoff with the Reds to see who would win the wild card. The Mets went on to be the wild card champ. It was a great game, but even in the end I expected the Mets to pull it out. Such was not the case for the Yale game.
Here I was watching the women's soccer team, a powerhouse in college soccer losing to an in-state school, an ivy league school. Ewww. I kept looking at the clock and seeing that we were down 1-0 forever. 80 minute mark. Still believed we could pull it off. 85 minute mark, still thought we had a chance. 89 minute mark uhh wasn't too sure anymore. At 89:50 I thought it was over. The ball was all the way at the other end of the field rolling towards the corner. Some UConn player went after that ball. I think it was Kacey Richards, but I'm not 100% sure (Regardless Kacey Richards deserves to wear number 23, like Michael Jordan, Lebron, Maya and Jordan Todman, she's a darn good player) I remember thinking to myself "thats great hustle, too bad it won't change the outcome of the game" The ball got kicked up into the air and went towards the goal UConn was trying to score in. With 3 seconds left it hit off the arm of a Yale defender in the box. That changed everything, UConn now would get a penalty kick with 3 seconds left. I knew that this could change everything, even though it was only the 4th or 5th soccer game that I'd ever been to in my entire life. So I watch as Yale puts 3 or 4 people in front of the penalty kick. Dan Willis, a UC Sports analyst, was telling me (as this penalty kick was being set up) how much he hated when defensive players would stand in front of him and the opposing player on penalty kicks because he couldn't see where the ball was. I knew nothing about what was going on and how to set stuff up for a penalty kick. Right before the kick I remembered watching the movie "Bend it like Beckham" in my sports lit class in high school and this kid from a summer program at the University of Miami showing me how to make a shot curve because I didn't know how to do that. I was thinking "man this would be the time that you need to bend it like beckham." I don't remember too much about the kick other than it looked like Cory Bildstein kicked it around the defenders and then past the outstretched arms of the goalie. All I remember well was the goalie diving and the ball going into the back of the net and the euphoria and energy that filled the stadium when that ball went in. I was shocked, thrilled and going crazy at the same time. Bildstein scored at 89:59 to tie the game. I was almost speechless, the ball was all the way at the other end of the field 10 seconds earlier. Cory deserves a lot of credit, as does the player (who I think was Kacey Richards) who hustled to kick that ball back upfield to give UConn a chance that most people didn't see coming. I don't remember a lot about overtime, but I was thrilled that Annie Yi put the ball in the back of the net to give UConn a 2-1 win and solidify that game as the best ending to any game that I have ever attended. I never thought I'd actually follow women's soccer. But I did because of Cory Bildstein. Ironically I was the first student to arrive for women's soccer senior day this season. I wasn't the only one who went crazy during the game. The women's basketball team went crazy too. Kaili McLaren, Renee Montgomery and Tina Charles were all at the game and they all seemed amazed at the outcome. It was also the first soccer game that freshman Tiffany Hayes had ever been to. It's funny how often this game has been brought up by Kaili and I during interviews. It's one of those games and moments that you never forget if you were there. (What I also thought was really cool was that Kaili's mother supported UConn Women's Soccer when they traveled to Georgetown for the Big East tournament)
I finally got around to congratulating Cory about 7 weeks after the fact. She wouldn't remember me or know me from a hole in the wall but I just had to congratulate her when she was speaking with Ryan Grace. You don't see an accomplishment like that all that often. I also mentioned to her that I ran into her father at the marketing table at a game and apparently her father mentioned to her that he spoke to someone about that game. (that someone was me) I didn't tell her the whole story, other than that I met him. He wanted to write "nobody" as a joke for goal of the game against #1 Notre Dame. I told him to keep his faith and he said he was just joking and that his daughter was on the team. I always ask which one if someone goes my son or daughter is on the team. (I've run into lots of athletes parents) He goes "mine scored the goal with one second left." I instantly knew who he was talking about so I started talking to him about the game. Apparently he almost missed Cory's goal. It's a good thing he went with his gut and drove up for the game.
As a side note, I always see people with those bumper stickers "my daughter was an honor roll student at Oak Ridge Middle School," or "my son is perfect, perfect in attendance at Davenport Ridge Elementary School" Cory's parents should get "My daughter was the one who scored a goal with one second left"
While we are talking about Cory I figure I should just talk about her dancing skills along with Melissa Busque's. I was reporting on the Georgia Tech women's basketball game and I always take a look around the arena to see what people will do for a Big Y card, T-Shirt (which is almost anything) or to get on the Golfers warehouse dance cam. So on comes the golfers warehouse dance cam and somehow I spotted the women's soccer team. Melissa Busque started to dance. She wasn't a horrible dancer but she wasn't a great one either. (to be fair it is hard to dance on narrow stadium stairs, maybe that turned her into an average dancer) After about a minute of dancing and not getting on TV, Cory (with a foot brace on, and according to Ryan Grace with two foot stress fractures) started to dance too. The funny thing was how they would pause for a milli second whenever the camera changed from person to person, be a little mad that they weren't on TV and then start dancing even crazier with hopes of getting on. Did they get on TV? Well I can't tell you that. Maybe they did when no one noticed.
Before I forget, just to give Melissa Busque some credit, I love how she plays the game of soccer. (Too bad I know nothing about soccer, but I still love how she plays it) She looks like the little energizer bunny on the field. She seems to be full of energy. I wish she scored a goal this year, especially against St. Johns. A UConn fan came over to pick Busque for goal of the game and they called her "The best women's soccer freshman in the country"
Regardless of her dancing skills, Cory Bildstein's goal is something I always talk about when people ask about UConn athletics or about this semester. I will never forget that goal, ever. I remember calling a huge soccer fan from my summer job, Erolido Quiles, to talk about the game. He was almost speechless when I told him what happened. I think I spoke about that game to everyone I spoke with for that entire week, thats how good I thought it was and that is why I continued to support the women's soccer team and all of the rest of the UConn teams. You never know what unbelievable thing you will see when you attend a sporting event. I know several women's basketball players would tell you how amazing that game was and that's impressive considering how many amazing games they are a part of.
I still think I have more women's soccer stories which seems to amaze me. I can't believe I wrote so much about those games...but that West Virginia game and the girl who sung Karaoke at the Student Union, those stories can wait. I'm sure you'd rather I space out women's soccer over time and let you read about the best jersey number to wear if you are at UConn and my Shea Stadium memories.
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