Bucknell University Athletics
Bison Voices - Jason Soto, Men's Soccer
1/8/2007 7:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Jan. 8, 2007
Stepping foot onto the impeccable surface of College Park, Md., was an experience in itself for our young squad late in the season. In hindsight, this moment symbolized much more than simply a mid-week game for us. The significance of this game proved to spark a new inspiration to our roller coaster season, yet it wasn't on the field where we rekindled the spirit essential for the success we had reaped earlier in the season. I will never forget Coach Nash's halftime speech in the team trailer at Maryland.
After our impressive eight-game unbeaten streak earlier in the year, the road got bumpy for our team. Failing to gather wins on the road in the heart of our schedule against PL foes Lafayette, Lehigh, and American put us in a tough spot for tournament viability. Mix in two other underperforming results against Penn State and NJIT, the magnitude of the tailspin our team was facing begins to take shape. Team morale was low, but this situation allowed for our squad to really display our true colors and the underlying characteristics of strength, tenacity, and perseverance we shared. Rather than bite the dust, we rose from the ashes and re-charted our path to what proved to be a monumental year for our program. We needed a direction and a means of doing it.
We were down 3-0 to national powerhouse Maryland at halftime. Our hopes of an upset were quickly shot down by the Terps' barrage of scoring in the opening 15-minute span. It seemed like we would again taste the bitterness of defeat, but a fiery talk at halftime by Coach Nash extended beyond the lines of the soccer pitch and opened our eyes to the essence of team camaraderie. We needed to do a better job of finding one another out on the field, and resurface our dormant team chemistry. Second half we tied 1-1, and established quite a bit of possession and positive movement with the ball. Our entire bench stepped in for minutes and was able to keep a loaded Maryland offensive at bay, while gathering a goal from Anthony Ferraro. A 4-1 result would not normally be something worth celebration, but oddly enough, the elation on the bus ride home had a sort of championship feeling to it. At that point, I could not forecast our eminent run into mid November, but I knew that I was part of something special. The X-factor of team chemistry makes average teams good, good teams great, and great teams close to invincible. So many teams aim at fostering this into their mentality, but hopelessly fail. We had found it, but was our discovery too late to aid in our playoff aspirations?
Going into the last week of PL regular-season play, we did not have control of our own destiny. The only way we could earn a seating in the playoffs would be with a home win against Navy coupled with an American loss against Army. To make it interesting and keep our fate alive, we made it our business to dismantle Navy. Especially after last year's heart breaking tie in our final game, which hosed us out of playoff contention, there boiled some bad blood in the locker room prior to our handling of the Midshipmen. A 2-0 result kept our cards on the table. A period of anxiety cast over the tailgate, as we awaited the scorecard from the American game. On Halloween weekend, fortunes came our way. The Eagles dropped the decision with Army, pushing us into the opportunistic four spot and a trip to Lehigh for the PL tournament.
We were now playing with house money in the playoffs, nothing to lose and everything to gain. These conditions made our squad lethally dangerous. A grudge match against Lehigh under the heat of the lights went two overtimes with the help of a rocket soaring upper ninety from Dirk Swaneveld late in the second half to notch the score at 1-1. No tallies in the overtime period brought us to our bread and butter, penalty kicks. If you haven't gotten the chance to catch Joey Kuterbach in net defending penalty strikes, you're missing out on something special. His absurd pre-shot rituals and dazzling athletic ability simply cannot be surpassed by any keeper in college. Our supreme confidence in him, and composure when shooting left no questions asked at Lehigh that night. We knocked out the No. 21-ranked Mountain Hawks 3-1 in PK's. The celebration could only be short lived though, as the next day we regrouped and focused on our ultimate prize of the Patriot League Championship.
Knowing my team, we would not be content with simply an appearance in the finals. At the same time, our players understood Lafayette was not about to simply hand over their reigning championship to us. A cool, windy Sunday afternoon brought high levels of emotion and fight in both sides, as an epic 0-0 draw could not separate us through two overtimes. Once again it came down to PK's, but this time Lafayette seemed more prepared for Kuterbach's goal mouth showcase. Shooting continued until the last frame of PK's, and the game was placed in Joey's hands for us to win with a final block. His diving parry of Lafayette's shot led to an onrush of the field. We hoisted our program's first Patriot League Championship, and it could not have happened more fashionably.
From barely sneaking into the PL tournament to singing `Ray Bucknell after the championship bout in celebration of our victory, the string of events at the end of the year come tantamount to nothing I have ever experienced before. It was a wild ride, but we weren't about to get off now. The NCAA Tournament marked itself on our agenda. A PL Tournament is nice, but doing damage on the national stage feels like a boyhood dream to any competitive soccer player. Come drawing time, we squared up against George Mason for a first-round match in Fairfax, Va. Again we were the underdog, with nothing to lose. This spelled trouble for George Mason.
To no surprise the game was tied up through regulation time. The conclusion arose a little quicker this day, as a flashy no-look flick from Justin Wolf found the feet of Mark Schmiegel, who buried the decisive score in the golden-goal period. Onto the second round of the NCAA Tournament, only now we faced fourth-ranked Virginia.
This Cinderella story came to an end in front of 2,000 people in Charlottesville. Virginia was a first-class squad with loads of talent and athleticism. A 4-0 final closed the season for us with the Cavaliers going on to advance to the Final Four.
I felt more alive this fall then I ever have participating in a competitive fixture. We embarked on a special journey, which tested not only our physical capacities, but more so our mental toughness. As teammates we grew, as friends we grew, and as brothers we grew. We have had the chance to build a band of brothers willing to battle for one another no matter what the circumstance. The memories have only just begun.
Due credit must be given to our lone senior, Andrew Loia, as his apt leadership abilities were able to carry the weight of a young team across uncharted waters. On and off the field his graduation will leave shoes to fill, but I assure you we will press on. What a way to go out my friend.
Next year big things await us. The new stadium has reached the point of completion, and is waiting for our christening. Our diligent work ethic will continue through winter and spring training, with the bar for expectations being raised after this past season's championship run. We have seen the elite teams in college soccer, now it is time to not just compete with these squads, but to beat them. Until next fall, we will be earnestly awaiting our chance to step onto the field to feel the heat of lights once again.
Proverbial Words of Wisdom: "We don't wait for anybody." -Bucknell Men's Soccer 2006
- Jason Soto, Bucknell Men's Soccer
