Marietta College Athletics

Sept. 16, 2010
Busy Week

It has been a very busy week for Men’s Soccer. We had an overnight trip to Defiance on Saturday, followed by a home game Sunday and another game on Wednesday. After all of this, the team leaves Thursday at 4 PM for another two games this weekend. 

After classes on Friday both the Men’s and Women’s team jumped on a bus to Findlay, Ohio to stay the night before heading to Defiance the next day. Although it was a fairly long drive coupled with very little space to move around, movies like Billy Madison helped keep the ride entertaining. I sat next to fellow sophomore Andrew Dufford and we found some fairly entertaining videos on his laptop. Upon arriving in Findlay, which is where I live, my family treated both teams to a wonderful meal. Mini-tacos, pasta salad, chicken wings, strawberries and many other foods were on the menu. However, it was the cookies that stole the show. Forward Brandon Siringer could not get enough of them and ended up filling two-gallon size Ziploc bags with the leftovers so he could take them back to the hotel. 

Once we checked in to the Red Roof Inn we still had a couple hours before curfew. I took the guys that I live with back to my house to show them around. While we watched West Virginia's comeback against Marshall we found it incredibly entertaining to watch my black lab chase down the light reflecting off of our phones. At one point he pounced on Will Jaques before Will had a chance to move. At the hotel, the rest of the team got together with the women’s team and played card games and introduced themselves to one another since this was the first chance we had to interact with the other team. 

The next day we finished the drive up to Defiance to watch the women play before taking the field ourselves. It was a cold rainy day in the flatlands of northwest Ohio and the play on the field was pretty sloppy. Although we dominated possession, Defiance had two goals on two shots in the first half, which proved to be just enough to beat us 2-1. The next day at home against Bethany it was a completely different game. We moved the ball incredibly well but our defense was lacking. Final score, another loss, 4-3. 

With these two losses our team had become frustrated. However, the resolve of this team is quite impressive. It is remarkable to see such a young team fighting to the very last minute, no matter if the game has gone smoothly or not.  Every game thus far we have been in position to win. Yet, some way or another, the other team has managed to squeak out a win or tie. Much of this can be accredited to the mental errors that we have been making as a team. For most of the game, our team will play sound in both the defensive and offensive portion of the field. However, at the worst portion of the match we seem to commit physical mistakes and the opposition punishes us for those mistakes. If we are able to eliminate these untimely mistakes, then we will put ourselves in a position to start winning some games. 

In the locker room before the game Wednesday against Washington & Jefferson, Coach Rose stressed to us discipline. He told us to be smart with the ball and not to commit stupid fouls. The team seemed to rally around this idea during the game making the simple passes and not trying to force anything. When the ball was in our defensive third we cleared it out instead of trying to be fancy with it. The end result was very encouraging. Although we came away with another 1-1 draw the pace of the game was very different. Washington & Jefferson scored on a physical mistake, and we simply could not find the second goal to clinch the win. In the end we had them on their heels, we just ran out of time. 

This weekend we need to continue to step up our play as we visit Christopher Newport who is ranked #2 in the country. The last time Marietta men’s soccer beat a Top 10 team was back in 2002 when we beat #5 Otterbein 1-0. With a commitment to discipline and limiting our physical errors, we should put ourselves in a position to be dangerous against Christopher Newport. 

Wish us luck!



Sept. 9, 2010
Lessons learned

Looking back on this past weekend of men’s soccer there is one lesson that the team has quickly learned: There will not be any easy victories this year.

To recap the action, Saturday night the team battled Westminster underneath the lights of Don Drumm Stadium.  Brandon Siringer scored the team’s first goal of the season on a header into the corner of the net. However, after 110 minutes of hard play, the match ended in a 1-1 draw. On Sunday, the team was right back at it with Mount St. Joseph. Again, we scored first but later relinquished the lead. It was a particularly rough match seeing several cards given to both teams. Mount St. Joseph was forced to play down a man most of the game after one of their players was given a red card in the first half and lost a second man to another red car in the first overtime. Even with the advantage, and another overtime match, the game ended 1-1. 

Although we didn’t come out victorious in either game, we learned a lot as a team. Unlike past years, there is no single player that has the ability to carry the team on his back, and as a result, we must play as a cohesive unit. Saturday night we did this very well. Westminster is a very dangerous team that the defense and midfield kept in check. We controlled the ball and were able to play our game. After the match, everyone was satisfied with the performance and walked off the field with heads held high. Sunday was a different story. It was fairly obvious that the team had been caught scoreboard watching. Mount St. Joseph had been handed a 9-0 defeat at the hands of Wooster the day before, and we came into the game with a nonchalant attitude. Even playing down a man, MSJ played tenaciously and controlled the pace of the game. They wanted it more than we did. In another overtime game the score ended even at 1. After this performance the entire team was left incredibly frustrated and disappointed with what had just occurred.

Moving forward the team has focused on the fact that we remain undefeated and the knowledge that we can put together a very solid 90+ minutes of soccer. If we are able to play every game at level in which we played against Westminster we will win a lot of games.

This weekend the team travels to play Defiance on Saturday. Before we arrive in Defiance we are staying the night in the great Findlay, Ohio (my hometown) at the Red Roof Inn. Hopefully this will conjure up some memories that I will share with you next week. We then play Bethany at home Sunday at 3 p.m. Till then, have a great weekend and go Pios!


Sept. 2, 2010
A New Beginning

Another August in the books means another season of Marietta College men’s soccer is about to begin. September 4 at 7 p.m. is the time of the first game that the whole team has been looking forward to. However, by no means is that where the journey starts.

Just like every other year, preseason starts with a two-mile run followed by stairs and sprints at 6:30 a.m. The thing that separates this preseason from all the others is how hard the team has worked. Throughout the 90-degree three-a-days, early morning conditioning and even in the weight room sessions, this team has worked harder than almost any team I have ever been a part of. There is a deep passion to succeed in each individual that will help immensely over the course of the season. In fact, all the hard work is already paying off. Our team is fairly young this year, which allows a lot of guys to battle it out for the starting spots. The highlights of these battles take place in net and in the midfield. The team has four freshman goalkeepers this year who are all showing that they have what it takes to start. When it comes to the midfield, our options are endless. So many players have stepped up and proved themselves that the coaches will have a difficult time writing down a lineup before each and every game.

Apart from soccer, I am very surprised with how quickly the team has come together. Freshmen are able to crack jokes with the seniors (as long as they remember to bring all the equipment to practice). Even Coach Rose and Coach Pat get into jokes every now and then.  One way we have come closer is by having a “wildcard” at various practices. Whoever is selected by the coaches to be the wildcard must stand up and tell the team something interesting or funny about themselves. As you can imagine, some of the stories get pretty animated.

A huge topic of conversation for many people who follow Marietta soccer has been about the changes in the coaching staff and how they will effect the upcoming season. I am happy to say that both Coach Rose and Coach Pat have stepped up and made the transition a very comfortable one. 

Overall morale is high and the team is ready to make a run at the OAC title. September 4. Don Drumm Stadium. 7 p.m. That is when it all starts. Hopefully you will be there to join us on the ride.