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Volume CXXXII, Number 8 |
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Humble team seeks its prize
SEAN WALKER
STAFF WRITER
After a disappointing, but standings-wise meaningless, 0-0 tie against Bates last Saturday, the Bowdoin Men's Soccer Team is primed and ready to challenge Amherst, Middlebury, and Williams for the NESCAC tournament crown at Pickard Field this weekend.
For the seniors on the team-Kevin Folan, Bart McMann and Chris Fuller-this weekend will mark their final opportunity to capture the NESCAC title and the automatic NCAA tournament bid that accompanies it. These three seniors have had a profound influence on the program since arriving on campus in 1999.
"We have a very young team. I think [the captain's] have done a terrific job this season," said head coach Brian Ainscough. While it is the Polar Bear players who make the difference on the field, Ainscough is the general who has successfully led his troops into battle so many times this fall.
"Coach Ainscough is the best manager in the NESCAC," said McMann. "He's an honest man who demands a lot of hard work from his players. I feel I have improved every year under his tutelage, and I hope to deliver him a championship this season."
Such praise for Ainscough is consistent among the Bowdoin players. A tough coach who is both respected and commanding of respect, Ainscough is not afraid to put himself on the line to defend one of his players, whether it is against an official or an opponent. The fierce temper of the former 1983 Irish national team player has rubbed off onto McMann as well.
"I play with a lot of emotion on the field and often my emotions get the best of me. I hope my actions demonstrate to the team my willingness to work hard and give a 'dig out' to every other player on the field," said the fiery midfielder.
Playing with emotion and confidence is different than downright arrogance, however. McMann talks about his personal desire to win a championship for his coach and the team's "desire to work hard and win a championship for [Bowdoin president] Barry Mills." Some captains from other teams in this weekend's tournament apparently weren't McMann's classmates in Humility 101.
On the Williams website, an article features several quotes from senior co-captain Alex Blake. For those of you attending this weekend's tournament, give Blake, #9, a nice Bowdoin hello for all of us. According to this forward, the NESCAC tournament is a mere formality.
Said Blake, "Amherst has a more skillful team than Bowdoin I think, but we're definitely better than both of them. There's nothing we'd like more than to beat Amherst on Saturday, and then beat Bowdoin's [butt] on their home field on Sunday."
This confidence comes even after the Ephs dropped each game they played against Amherst and Bowdoin this season. Unfortunately for Blake and his teammates, their best skill will not be applicable, as the game is soccer is predominantly played on one's feet, not their knees.
For example, just last season, a Williams player used his knee to break sophomore Jacques Guana's arm, a cheapshot move that almost brought Ainscough to blows with the Williams coach.
While Williams players joked on the sidelines on course to a runaway win, tempers flared on the Bowdoin sideline, only fueling the fire for this weekend. The most ridiculous aspect of Blake's comment is that Williams won't play either Amherst or Bowdoin until Sunday, and then only if they defeat Middlebury on Saturday.
Polar opposites of Williams, Bowdoin is confident and level headed entering the tournament, knowing from last weekend's experience that any NESCAC team is capable of wining any given game in this balanced conference.
The Williams team, also known as the training squad for the Jamaican national team, features three Jamaican players, Blake included. Though Jamaica has been independent from Britain for nearly 40 years, Blake still believes in the monarchial system.
"We are sure that we'll show everybody that we are still the kings of the NESCAC-kings of New England." In a country that is independent yet still allows its highest court to be controlled by the British, Blake may want to rethink his statements of royalty, even though the pretty purple color of the Ephs' uniforms would surely look super on the flowing robe of a king.
This is not a pot (paying homage to Bob Marley) shot at Blake's native country. Jamaica is surely a beautiful place. And who doesn't like the feel-good film Cool Runnings, the story of the Jamaican bobsled team's improbable winter Olympic showing?
Still, as with the Jamaican bobsledders in the 1988 Calgary games, Williams may be setting themselves up for a crash ending to their season. By overlooking a tough, competitive Middlebury team, Alex Blake and the Ephs might just find themselves watching as the Panthers take on the winner of the Amherst/Bowdoin game.
And if both Williams and Bowdoin get through their first round matches, you can be guaranteed fireworks on Sunday, as there is no love loss between the players or coaches of these two teams.
Blake might want to take a cue from McMann on how to properly deal with the media. Said McMann, "One must approach each game in a professional manner believing that he will win his battle out on the field." This is a testament to both McMann and the team he, along with Fuller and Folan, leads, as this modest statement was made far before Blake's comments were posted.
If both Williams and Bowdoin are fortunate enough to get through their semi-final games, look for McMann and the Polar Bears to give Blake and the Ephs a free Sunday lesson regarding the main points of Humility 101. The final exam for these self-proclaimed "kings of the NESCAC" will cover the finer points of how to observe as a team with true dignity and a fine leader at the helm carry the NESCAC championship trophy across the same field that Blake had hoped to "beat Bowdoin's [butt]" on.