Aaron Gibbons, a senior on the 2011 Milwaukee men's soccer team, will be blogging all season long on the UWM website. Today is his sixth entry of the year.
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Once conference starts, it’s the beginning of a whole new season in our eyes. Heading into our Saturday night game against our first conference opponent, we knew it would be a challenge.
Butler had not lost at their home field since 2007, and it felt great to end their streak with a convincing 3-1 victory, and a solid three points.
The game started quickly for us as sophomore Jamie Ashcroft netted his first Panther goal in just the fourth minute. Butler equalized nearly at the halftime mark.
Our second half play was exciting to say the least, as senior Robert RefaI tallied his fourth goal of the season and freshman nick Langford scored his second on the year.
The win was a fantastic confidence booster for the team and we will hope to carry our winning ways into our next conference opponent, Green Bay this Wednesday at Engelman field. H
ope to see you all there as we look for the second conference win and move closer to the ultimate goal of the conference finals.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
On to Horizon League play...
Aaron Gibbons, a senior on the 2011 Milwaukee men's soccer team, will be blogging all season long on the UWM website. Today is his fifth entry of the year.
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We left Milwaukee Thursday morning, confident we could get things back on track after a disappointing result with Northeastern last weekend. With two new Panther opponents in Gardner-Webb and UAB, we felt up to the challenge.
Our travel was complicated by the fact that we had to fly into Atlanta and drive to Birmingham. Traveling is always a fun experience. We are treated like professionals, with the planes, food and activities. Our lengthy travel was rewarded with a really nice hotel. We had a chance to stretch our legs with a short warm-up session on Friday morning and seemed to be ready for our unknown opponent.
Friday’s game against Gardner-Webb was not our best performance. Not sure if it was the heat or our first game on grass for the year, but we struggled to get any rhythm. We could not create much attack and John Shakon again kept us in the match through some tough times.
Parts of the second half were better and a scrappy goal by Nick Langford made us feel like we could take the points. Unfortunately, we continued to lose some physical battles and gave up an equalizer within minutes. Then, a dagger free kick in the 89th minute put us behind. We left the field knowing we didn’t play very good soccer, but even more disappointed that we let the points slip away so late.
On Sunday, going into our second of the weekend we knew we would have our hands full. The host UAB was undefeated and had a big win last week against powerhouse Clemson. While it was nice to be back in warmer weather, the heat seemed to slow our legs. The first half of the game did not go according to plan. It felt like all we did was defend. Shakon kept us in the game with a couple of awesome saves and everyone pitched in to clear balls and cover mistakes.
Coming into the second half we were flying high. Langy drew a foul in the box and Saveedra drilled the PK for a 1-0 Panther lead.
We battled and had some better play in the second half, but could seem to put together a consistent attack. Shakon continued his dominate GK play, until the pressure finally got to us with an equalizing goal with less than five minutes to play. UAB’s tall and athletic defender had come forward to score an incredible far-post header from a long throw.
We were a bit shocked going into overtime - only to have the same UAB player then scored the game winning goals on a near post header five minutes into OT.
We have to find a way to put the poor play and missed chances behind us. Our early non-conference results are the highlight of the young season. Conference play begins this weekend with a game against last year’s Horizon League champion Butler Bulldogs. It won’t get any easier, but we will prepare ourselves well knowing a good result will start conference play with a bang! We will be ready for Butler on the 24th!
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We left Milwaukee Thursday morning, confident we could get things back on track after a disappointing result with Northeastern last weekend. With two new Panther opponents in Gardner-Webb and UAB, we felt up to the challenge.
Our travel was complicated by the fact that we had to fly into Atlanta and drive to Birmingham. Traveling is always a fun experience. We are treated like professionals, with the planes, food and activities. Our lengthy travel was rewarded with a really nice hotel. We had a chance to stretch our legs with a short warm-up session on Friday morning and seemed to be ready for our unknown opponent.
Friday’s game against Gardner-Webb was not our best performance. Not sure if it was the heat or our first game on grass for the year, but we struggled to get any rhythm. We could not create much attack and John Shakon again kept us in the match through some tough times.
Parts of the second half were better and a scrappy goal by Nick Langford made us feel like we could take the points. Unfortunately, we continued to lose some physical battles and gave up an equalizer within minutes. Then, a dagger free kick in the 89th minute put us behind. We left the field knowing we didn’t play very good soccer, but even more disappointed that we let the points slip away so late.
On Sunday, going into our second of the weekend we knew we would have our hands full. The host UAB was undefeated and had a big win last week against powerhouse Clemson. While it was nice to be back in warmer weather, the heat seemed to slow our legs. The first half of the game did not go according to plan. It felt like all we did was defend. Shakon kept us in the game with a couple of awesome saves and everyone pitched in to clear balls and cover mistakes.
Coming into the second half we were flying high. Langy drew a foul in the box and Saveedra drilled the PK for a 1-0 Panther lead.
We battled and had some better play in the second half, but could seem to put together a consistent attack. Shakon continued his dominate GK play, until the pressure finally got to us with an equalizing goal with less than five minutes to play. UAB’s tall and athletic defender had come forward to score an incredible far-post header from a long throw.
We were a bit shocked going into overtime - only to have the same UAB player then scored the game winning goals on a near post header five minutes into OT.
We have to find a way to put the poor play and missed chances behind us. Our early non-conference results are the highlight of the young season. Conference play begins this weekend with a game against last year’s Horizon League champion Butler Bulldogs. It won’t get any easier, but we will prepare ourselves well knowing a good result will start conference play with a bang! We will be ready for Butler on the 24th!
Monday, September 12, 2011
Panthers Claim Milwaukee Cup!
Aaron Gibbons, a senior on the 2011 Milwaukee men's soccer team, will be blogging all season long on the UWM website. Today is his fourth entry of the year.
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It was yet again an eventful weekend, as we came out with a very exciting victory against our biggest rivals, Marquette. It felt great to yet again win the Milwaukee Cup, taking the UWM total win tally over Marquette to 27 overall.
Though the win was a great peak for the weekend, there was a valley, as we suffered our second loss of the season due to a questionable penalty call in overtime.
The game against Marquette was electric. Always my favorite game of the year, the excitement always lives up to expectations. Playing against Marquette is the sort of game every kid dreams about playing in one day. In front of 2,000 fans, under the lights, hoisting the trophy in the air to a collaboration of UWM victory songs is truly an amazing feeling.
Though Friday was a great win, Sunday was a different story for us. It seemed as if a bit of fatigue had hit some of the lineup and our play was not the usual, as we lost 2-1 to Northeastern.
Though we scored the first goal of the game, they were able to equalize and send the game to overtime. Early in the first overtime, a penalty was awarded to Northeastern. As anyone knows who has played soccer at a high level, sometimes the difference between a win and a loss can come down to one single decision or mistake, this was very much so the case in this week’s loss.
A quick note from last week’s practice:
As a senior, I have developed quite the eye for hidden talent, and hidden talent I have seen from a few choice players on our UWM soccer team. Junior Jamie Bladen has truly developed a big soccer kick that is extremely powerful and deadly. He has been booting it very long lately and is showing good promise for the upcoming season. Sophomore Robbie Boyd has also shown some improvement as his soccer kicks are flying into the goal as well! Should be quite the weekend at UAB, and looking forward to two victories from the Panthers!
-Aaron Gibbs #8
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It was yet again an eventful weekend, as we came out with a very exciting victory against our biggest rivals, Marquette. It felt great to yet again win the Milwaukee Cup, taking the UWM total win tally over Marquette to 27 overall.
Though the win was a great peak for the weekend, there was a valley, as we suffered our second loss of the season due to a questionable penalty call in overtime.
The game against Marquette was electric. Always my favorite game of the year, the excitement always lives up to expectations. Playing against Marquette is the sort of game every kid dreams about playing in one day. In front of 2,000 fans, under the lights, hoisting the trophy in the air to a collaboration of UWM victory songs is truly an amazing feeling.
Though Friday was a great win, Sunday was a different story for us. It seemed as if a bit of fatigue had hit some of the lineup and our play was not the usual, as we lost 2-1 to Northeastern.
Though we scored the first goal of the game, they were able to equalize and send the game to overtime. Early in the first overtime, a penalty was awarded to Northeastern. As anyone knows who has played soccer at a high level, sometimes the difference between a win and a loss can come down to one single decision or mistake, this was very much so the case in this week’s loss.
A quick note from last week’s practice:
As a senior, I have developed quite the eye for hidden talent, and hidden talent I have seen from a few choice players on our UWM soccer team. Junior Jamie Bladen has truly developed a big soccer kick that is extremely powerful and deadly. He has been booting it very long lately and is showing good promise for the upcoming season. Sophomore Robbie Boyd has also shown some improvement as his soccer kicks are flying into the goal as well! Should be quite the weekend at UAB, and looking forward to two victories from the Panthers!
-Aaron Gibbs #8
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
And the Panther Invitational is ours...
Aaron Gibbons, a senior on the 2011 Milwaukee men's soccer team, will be blogging all season long on the UWM website. Today is his third entry of the year.
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Following a disappointing loss to IPFW, there wasn’t any better way for us to end the weekend than with two solid victories. There were numerous exciting accomplishments that the Panthers earned this weekend, both as a team and individually.
Winning the 37th Panther Invitational was definitely the overall highlight of the weekend. The last time we had accomplished this was back in 2006. It feels good to have won the first trophy of the season. And, with perhaps the most important trophy match on the line this Friday, there’s little time to sit back and enjoy this one.
Not only was winning the Panther Invitational a refreshing feeling, but the style and swagger that the team has started to play with these last two matches is even more exciting, if you ask me. The win over Western Michigan on Sunday marked the first time in my college career that we had scored four goals in a home game and came out on top. This four-goal win was also the greatest margin of a win in my college career. It just goes to show how our hard work and dedication has truly paid off in these first couple of games.
Having two great wins under our belt was a great way to end the week. Though both were exciting, there’s no comparison to the anticipation of the Milwaukee Cup coming up on Friday. Playing against Marquette is always in my opinion the best game of the year. There really nothing like it. The atmosphere and the crowd is always top notch, last year capacity coming to over two thousand.
The Milwaukee Cup not only is known as a rivalry statewide, but nationally as well. College Soccer News posted the game as the 14th-most exciting college rivalry game in the nation, in my opinion should be much higher. Friday’s game is sure to be high intensity, entertaining and a true battle.
Hopefully I will see you all there Friday at Engelman!!!
-Aaron
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Following a disappointing loss to IPFW, there wasn’t any better way for us to end the weekend than with two solid victories. There were numerous exciting accomplishments that the Panthers earned this weekend, both as a team and individually.
Winning the 37th Panther Invitational was definitely the overall highlight of the weekend. The last time we had accomplished this was back in 2006. It feels good to have won the first trophy of the season. And, with perhaps the most important trophy match on the line this Friday, there’s little time to sit back and enjoy this one.
Not only was winning the Panther Invitational a refreshing feeling, but the style and swagger that the team has started to play with these last two matches is even more exciting, if you ask me. The win over Western Michigan on Sunday marked the first time in my college career that we had scored four goals in a home game and came out on top. This four-goal win was also the greatest margin of a win in my college career. It just goes to show how our hard work and dedication has truly paid off in these first couple of games.
Having two great wins under our belt was a great way to end the week. Though both were exciting, there’s no comparison to the anticipation of the Milwaukee Cup coming up on Friday. Playing against Marquette is always in my opinion the best game of the year. There really nothing like it. The atmosphere and the crowd is always top notch, last year capacity coming to over two thousand.
The Milwaukee Cup not only is known as a rivalry statewide, but nationally as well. College Soccer News posted the game as the 14th-most exciting college rivalry game in the nation, in my opinion should be much higher. Friday’s game is sure to be high intensity, entertaining and a true battle.
Hopefully I will see you all there Friday at Engelman!!!
-Aaron
Sunday, August 28, 2011
The Season Begins
Aaron Gibbons, a senior on the 2011 Milwaukee men's soccer team, will be blogging all season long on the UWM website. Today is his second entry of the year.
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The mood throughout the locker room was quiet and full of disappointment Friday night after our season-opening loss. Shock and confusion would pretty much sum up my feelings post game Friday.
Anyone who would have seen the first half and even 25-30 minutes of the second half, despite the goals, would have put their money on the Panthers coming away from the game with a comfortable victory.
We owned possession throughout the whole game, so despite only scoring one goal throughout our numerous chances, this was one positive that came from the match.
Another pleasing aspect that came from Friday's game were the fans, despite the 4:30 start, and not having many students on campus yet, the crowd definitely showed up for the Panthers.
A much welcome army of former UWM players and students did an excellent job of agitating the IPFW keeper from the bleachers behind the goal net, hopefully this group will prove to be regulars this season in accommodating our team throughout the 2011 season.
Though the first match of the season wasn’t the ideal, the season is long, with many games to come. Our next match lands on Friday, September 2nd, facing Western Michigan.
This week’s practice will surely stress the aspects of the game that were absent from our previous match such as finishing our chances, and eliminating silly defensive mistakes. This will surely prepare us for the upcoming game.
Hope to see you all there as we look to take our first victory on Engelmann Field this season!
-Aaron
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The mood throughout the locker room was quiet and full of disappointment Friday night after our season-opening loss. Shock and confusion would pretty much sum up my feelings post game Friday.
Anyone who would have seen the first half and even 25-30 minutes of the second half, despite the goals, would have put their money on the Panthers coming away from the game with a comfortable victory.
We owned possession throughout the whole game, so despite only scoring one goal throughout our numerous chances, this was one positive that came from the match.
Another pleasing aspect that came from Friday's game were the fans, despite the 4:30 start, and not having many students on campus yet, the crowd definitely showed up for the Panthers.
A much welcome army of former UWM players and students did an excellent job of agitating the IPFW keeper from the bleachers behind the goal net, hopefully this group will prove to be regulars this season in accommodating our team throughout the 2011 season.
Though the first match of the season wasn’t the ideal, the season is long, with many games to come. Our next match lands on Friday, September 2nd, facing Western Michigan.
This week’s practice will surely stress the aspects of the game that were absent from our previous match such as finishing our chances, and eliminating silly defensive mistakes. This will surely prepare us for the upcoming game.
Hope to see you all there as we look to take our first victory on Engelmann Field this season!
-Aaron
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Preseason Begins...
Aaron Gibbons, a senior on the 2011 Milwaukee men's soccer team, will be blogging all season long on the UWM website. Today is his first entry of the year.
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As August rolls around the corner, there is one thought and one thought only on the minds of a UWM men’s soccer player ... Preseason.
While the majority of college students are deeply content, enjoying the perks of a long fun-filled summer, the time has come to report to captain’s practice for us Panthers. As a 5th-year senior, the content to these captains’ practices throughout the years has changed drastically.
Though captain’s practices don’t stress much formal fitness, once coaches' practice begins, players are expected to be in top-notch condition.
The first day of coaches is always the worst from a player’s perspective. The morning session consisted of a 3-mile intervals test. This consists of running three miles with a six-minute rest in between each mile; each mile must be finished before a time of 5 minutes and 30 seconds.
Though player’s fitness varies some, overall the performance was great. This enables the majority of coach’s preseason to consist of a colorful blend of possession drills, attacking/defending variations and foot skills training, all together focusing on putting the final pieces together in preparation for our first exhibition match.
The alumni game was the first on the schedule of exhibitions. While for many schools this match may be looked at as a breeze, the UWM men’s alumni consist of a bundle of professional, ex-professional and even a World Cup 2002 U.S. men’s national team starter. This year the 2011 Panthers took a quick two-goal lead, both coming from junior forward Potato Banks.
The alumni evened the score at two-all late in the match. We quickly responded when a cross was put in the box by senior defender Aaron Gibbons, sent directly to freshman midfielder Laurie Bell, who cleverly flicked the ball past alumni keeper Chris Dadian for the go-ahead and game-winning goal.
The alumni game overall proved to be a success. The three goals was a positive, but the two goals allowed and some sloppy play showed that we still had lots of work to do as the second and final exhibition approach facing Lewis University.
As the squad left the much needed air conditioning of the travel vans upon arrival of Lewis University, the sun was beaming and the legs were heavy. Fatigue was present, but never the less; it was time for the last preseason game. The match was off to a great start again thanks to another fantastic goal from junior Potato Banks. He received a ball from junior defender Ryan Whitehead, just outside the box and sent the ball flying over the Lewis goalkeeper, off the crossbar and into the net.
The second half was full of new Panther faces, as every player on the roster that was able to play, did indeed so. The flow was a bit shaky at times, but proved steady to hold onto the 1-0 advantage all the way through 90 minutes.
As preseason has come to an end, the excitement and anticipation for the home opener against IPFW is growing rapidly. All of the hard work, sweat and dedication has proven unbeaten as we will look to continue this trend into the season.
I am looking forward to sharing the UWM men’s soccer team experience with you all and hope you enjoy reading!
-Aaron
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As August rolls around the corner, there is one thought and one thought only on the minds of a UWM men’s soccer player ... Preseason.
While the majority of college students are deeply content, enjoying the perks of a long fun-filled summer, the time has come to report to captain’s practice for us Panthers. As a 5th-year senior, the content to these captains’ practices throughout the years has changed drastically.
Though captain’s practices don’t stress much formal fitness, once coaches' practice begins, players are expected to be in top-notch condition.
The first day of coaches is always the worst from a player’s perspective. The morning session consisted of a 3-mile intervals test. This consists of running three miles with a six-minute rest in between each mile; each mile must be finished before a time of 5 minutes and 30 seconds.
Though player’s fitness varies some, overall the performance was great. This enables the majority of coach’s preseason to consist of a colorful blend of possession drills, attacking/defending variations and foot skills training, all together focusing on putting the final pieces together in preparation for our first exhibition match.
The alumni game was the first on the schedule of exhibitions. While for many schools this match may be looked at as a breeze, the UWM men’s alumni consist of a bundle of professional, ex-professional and even a World Cup 2002 U.S. men’s national team starter. This year the 2011 Panthers took a quick two-goal lead, both coming from junior forward Potato Banks.
The alumni evened the score at two-all late in the match. We quickly responded when a cross was put in the box by senior defender Aaron Gibbons, sent directly to freshman midfielder Laurie Bell, who cleverly flicked the ball past alumni keeper Chris Dadian for the go-ahead and game-winning goal.
The alumni game overall proved to be a success. The three goals was a positive, but the two goals allowed and some sloppy play showed that we still had lots of work to do as the second and final exhibition approach facing Lewis University.
As the squad left the much needed air conditioning of the travel vans upon arrival of Lewis University, the sun was beaming and the legs were heavy. Fatigue was present, but never the less; it was time for the last preseason game. The match was off to a great start again thanks to another fantastic goal from junior Potato Banks. He received a ball from junior defender Ryan Whitehead, just outside the box and sent the ball flying over the Lewis goalkeeper, off the crossbar and into the net.
The second half was full of new Panther faces, as every player on the roster that was able to play, did indeed so. The flow was a bit shaky at times, but proved steady to hold onto the 1-0 advantage all the way through 90 minutes.
As preseason has come to an end, the excitement and anticipation for the home opener against IPFW is growing rapidly. All of the hard work, sweat and dedication has proven unbeaten as we will look to continue this trend into the season.
I am looking forward to sharing the UWM men’s soccer team experience with you all and hope you enjoy reading!
-Aaron
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Final Thoughts With Peter Sanger on 2010
Peter Sanger, a senior on the 2010 Milwaukee men's soccer team, has been blogging all season long on the UWM website. Today is his 13th and final blog entry.
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So by the time all of you read this, I’m sure that you’ve already found out that our season came to an end in the quarterfinal round of the Horizon League Tournament at the hands of the Loyola Ramblers, 3-0. It was a rough way to go out and thus it’s taken me awhile to finally wrap up my last blog of the season.
The game against Loyola was not a pretty game to remember. We fell behind 1-0 in the first half and in pushing everything we had forward for an equalizer, we got caught on the counter for two late second-half goals. It was a tough game to swallow, because it all became very apparent as the last five minutes ticked down, that this would be my last collegiate game, ever.
In the past, it was easier to deal with, because there was always next season. However, this time around, it was truly the final whistle. It was even harder to deal with, because it was a game where it felt like we really hadn’t left it all on the field. Furthermore, for me personally, I knew that it wasn’t my best either.
Following my aforementioned ankle injury the last time we had played Loyola, I never really felt like the same player. It was something I definitely wasn’t used to dealing with. In the past three seasons, I spent whatever time I sat on the bench thinking that I should have been playing, because I knew that when I got my chances, I could take them. Yet, now I never really knew what to expect out of myself, because one day my ankle would feel almost back to normal, only to feel like I could barely push off enough to walk up stairs at school the next day normally.
I had always imagined going out differently, on top even, but I suppose there’s a reason why those stories are called fairy tales.
Regardless, I know there’s still some people left to thank. First, I’d like to thank the Deutsch Family. It’s lucky enough to have ones own family supporting them, but to have another family doing the same is truly special. Thus, I owe a ton to not only my girlfriend Sydney, but also her parents, Rose and Dave. They’ve truly been a second family; not only attending games, but for the immeasurable support throughout all aspects of life-on and off the field.
Secondly, I’d like to thank those who’ve really been a help to me on the field, since coming to UWM. Firstly, I must thank and old coach of mine, Bob Spielmann. Coach Spielmann was the person to pull the trigger on bringing me to UWM. He convinced me that it was the right place for me to come, and regardless of spending such a short time together at UWM; I’m not foolish enough to forget the thanks owed to him for the opportunity he gave me. I’d also like to thank Chris Dadaian for his positive influence for my first two seasons at UWM. Without him being around, I’m sure that I would have walked out. But most importantly, I’d like to thank the new coaching staff that arrived for my last year of soccer: head coach Chris Whalley, and assistants Ben Shepherd and Kyle Zenoni.
A complete change-up was exactly what not only the current players needed, but the program overall. I still have my notes from our interview with Coach Whalley when he was applying for the job and the things that I wrote down that impressed me the most were his blunt honesty and ambition. I could tell right away that this would be a completely different approach from those in the past. Despite watching all of our game film from the previous year, he gave us all a clean slate-which is what I have to thank him for the most. It could have been so easy to walk into his new job with approach of giving up on the upper-classmen and focusing on the future with younger players and the players that he’d eventually be bringing in himself.
Instead of hearing, “you’re not one of my guys, I didn’t recruit you here,” which is something I had heard in the past, it was “I’m going to play the players who give me the best chance at winning the game”. I felt like I finally had something to play for again and it was a huge lift to have a coach who had your back; shouldering the responsibility when we lost, and diverting the acclaim to us when we won.
Furthermore, I’m thankful for Coach Shepherd as well for everything he brought to the team/program as well. Coming in at half time and to training sessions following games, he’d always have great insight for us players. You can really tell he has a great knowledge of the game, because when he speaks, he doesn’t usually say a lot, but the substance of those few words means more than a coach who just talks your ear off. Last, but not least, a big thanks goes out to Coach Zenoni. I’ve known Z a long time and I know there’s nobody more deserving of a coaching position at UWM than him. Nobody cares about the UWM Men’s Soccer program more than Kyle Zenoni.
When he had just finished his collegiate career, he was helping out with my club team as a favor to a skill coach of ours, Jerry Panek. Seeing first hand, what the next level demanded to be successful was extremely helpful for me and I had never forgot the advice he gave me when I asked for help about reaching my goals of getting there. His incredible work ethic, no matter if he was doing something that will continue to aid the program in the future.
Lastly, I have some people to thank who were there from the beginning ... my family-not only my parents, but sisters and brother as well. I remember bothering both of my older sisters from day one and wouldn’t be who I was without them. My brother John also gave me somebody who made me feel responsible for being a role model-the verdicts still out on how I’ve done there I suppose! Then come my parents ... although we butted heads for much of high school, I can’t begin to thank them enough. Always encouraging me to follow my dreams, despite disagreeing at times the right way to achieve them, their support was paramount. And despite those disagreements on the right path, my mom has always backed and fought for me through everything; which can make all the difference. And then there’s my dad who has been the ultimate role model for me. Not only on the field, but also off. I know that if I become half the man he is, I’ll be more than content.
Well, that’s a wrap. Thanks for joining me through my final season here at UWM. Hopefully, if anything it was a good read and somewhat insightful to boot. Cheers.
Joga Bonito
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So by the time all of you read this, I’m sure that you’ve already found out that our season came to an end in the quarterfinal round of the Horizon League Tournament at the hands of the Loyola Ramblers, 3-0. It was a rough way to go out and thus it’s taken me awhile to finally wrap up my last blog of the season.
The game against Loyola was not a pretty game to remember. We fell behind 1-0 in the first half and in pushing everything we had forward for an equalizer, we got caught on the counter for two late second-half goals. It was a tough game to swallow, because it all became very apparent as the last five minutes ticked down, that this would be my last collegiate game, ever.
In the past, it was easier to deal with, because there was always next season. However, this time around, it was truly the final whistle. It was even harder to deal with, because it was a game where it felt like we really hadn’t left it all on the field. Furthermore, for me personally, I knew that it wasn’t my best either.
Following my aforementioned ankle injury the last time we had played Loyola, I never really felt like the same player. It was something I definitely wasn’t used to dealing with. In the past three seasons, I spent whatever time I sat on the bench thinking that I should have been playing, because I knew that when I got my chances, I could take them. Yet, now I never really knew what to expect out of myself, because one day my ankle would feel almost back to normal, only to feel like I could barely push off enough to walk up stairs at school the next day normally.
I had always imagined going out differently, on top even, but I suppose there’s a reason why those stories are called fairy tales.
Regardless, I know there’s still some people left to thank. First, I’d like to thank the Deutsch Family. It’s lucky enough to have ones own family supporting them, but to have another family doing the same is truly special. Thus, I owe a ton to not only my girlfriend Sydney, but also her parents, Rose and Dave. They’ve truly been a second family; not only attending games, but for the immeasurable support throughout all aspects of life-on and off the field.
Secondly, I’d like to thank those who’ve really been a help to me on the field, since coming to UWM. Firstly, I must thank and old coach of mine, Bob Spielmann. Coach Spielmann was the person to pull the trigger on bringing me to UWM. He convinced me that it was the right place for me to come, and regardless of spending such a short time together at UWM; I’m not foolish enough to forget the thanks owed to him for the opportunity he gave me. I’d also like to thank Chris Dadaian for his positive influence for my first two seasons at UWM. Without him being around, I’m sure that I would have walked out. But most importantly, I’d like to thank the new coaching staff that arrived for my last year of soccer: head coach Chris Whalley, and assistants Ben Shepherd and Kyle Zenoni.
A complete change-up was exactly what not only the current players needed, but the program overall. I still have my notes from our interview with Coach Whalley when he was applying for the job and the things that I wrote down that impressed me the most were his blunt honesty and ambition. I could tell right away that this would be a completely different approach from those in the past. Despite watching all of our game film from the previous year, he gave us all a clean slate-which is what I have to thank him for the most. It could have been so easy to walk into his new job with approach of giving up on the upper-classmen and focusing on the future with younger players and the players that he’d eventually be bringing in himself.
Instead of hearing, “you’re not one of my guys, I didn’t recruit you here,” which is something I had heard in the past, it was “I’m going to play the players who give me the best chance at winning the game”. I felt like I finally had something to play for again and it was a huge lift to have a coach who had your back; shouldering the responsibility when we lost, and diverting the acclaim to us when we won.
Furthermore, I’m thankful for Coach Shepherd as well for everything he brought to the team/program as well. Coming in at half time and to training sessions following games, he’d always have great insight for us players. You can really tell he has a great knowledge of the game, because when he speaks, he doesn’t usually say a lot, but the substance of those few words means more than a coach who just talks your ear off. Last, but not least, a big thanks goes out to Coach Zenoni. I’ve known Z a long time and I know there’s nobody more deserving of a coaching position at UWM than him. Nobody cares about the UWM Men’s Soccer program more than Kyle Zenoni.
When he had just finished his collegiate career, he was helping out with my club team as a favor to a skill coach of ours, Jerry Panek. Seeing first hand, what the next level demanded to be successful was extremely helpful for me and I had never forgot the advice he gave me when I asked for help about reaching my goals of getting there. His incredible work ethic, no matter if he was doing something that will continue to aid the program in the future.
Lastly, I have some people to thank who were there from the beginning ... my family-not only my parents, but sisters and brother as well. I remember bothering both of my older sisters from day one and wouldn’t be who I was without them. My brother John also gave me somebody who made me feel responsible for being a role model-the verdicts still out on how I’ve done there I suppose! Then come my parents ... although we butted heads for much of high school, I can’t begin to thank them enough. Always encouraging me to follow my dreams, despite disagreeing at times the right way to achieve them, their support was paramount. And despite those disagreements on the right path, my mom has always backed and fought for me through everything; which can make all the difference. And then there’s my dad who has been the ultimate role model for me. Not only on the field, but also off. I know that if I become half the man he is, I’ll be more than content.
Well, that’s a wrap. Thanks for joining me through my final season here at UWM. Hopefully, if anything it was a good read and somewhat insightful to boot. Cheers.
Joga Bonito
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