Carroll's Corner
Oct 23 | Men's Soccer
Hello all, my name is Josh Carroll and I transferred here to Rutgers last spring and this year I'm going to be doing this little write-up about how the team is doing and what's going on inside the life of Rutgers Men's Soccer.
Entry #12 - December 7
For the final post of 2008 I need to take care of the youngest group in our little family. It’s always hard for freshman to adapt to the college lifestyle, being away from home and family for the first time, harder school work, living with roommates, girls, parties, girls, parties, etc. This is a tough time for freshmen in general, but add the rigors of a Division I soccer team schedule and it becomes near impossible. These guys have gone through a lot this season and especially since we were so young there were things asked and expected of them that may have not been fair, but they battled through it. These freshmen are truly special and have handled themselves with extreme character in the face of adversity. They are all truly great guys and I’m proud to have had every one of them as teammates and friends.
Alright so we’ll start it off with one Sam Archer. Sam is one of the freshmen who have been thrown to the wolves this year and has handled the pressure like a pro. Fast, strong, and skillful, Sam has the tools to be an incredible player and with all the experience he gained this year he is someone that the whole BIG EAST needs to watch out for. And I must say his father was someone that I always heard in the stands no matter where we were and with his father in the stands and son on the field I think success is on the horizon for all of us.
Up next is Ibrahim Kamara or, Big Ibe as we like to call him. Ibe is the type of guy that will bring a smile to your face every time he comes to talk to you. On the field Ibe is a strong striker than no defender ever wants to mark. He uses his natural abilities to confound defenders and with the talent that he has he will be a forced to be reckoned with for his remaining years as a Scarlet Knight. From Africa with love, Big Ibe is here to stay.
All the way from loveable Egypt comes Ibrahim Khafagy, better known as Hima who is one of our backup goalkeepers. Hima has adjusted to college soccer gradually over the season and is shaping up to be a fantastic addition to the goalkeeper ranks. Always having a smile and being a great guy is a must for Hima because he is humongous and would be one scary dude if he wasn’t such a teddy bear. This year he went through practices working as hard as he could. Adjusting to a new culture and style of play is a lot for anyone to go through and he handled everything with a smile which is why we love him.
Keeping with the flow we have Adam Klink another goalkeeper coming to us from a land called Virginia. Adam came in this season and was an absolute behemoth of a guy. We all knew he was strong and athletic but then the three mile came...and he smoked us all. A goalkeeper beat all of us, and handily. That’s when we knew that this guy was something to be reckoned with and we weren’t wrong. This whole season Klink has gotten better and better and as far as I can see, the sky’s the limit for this kid. He’s a big guy with an even bigger heart and one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet.
One thing that you look for in a player is that they have something to offer, something different that most people don’t have. Bryant Knibbs has a glorious throw in. Don’t get me wrong the kid works hard, has a good attitude, he’s strong and good in the air, but that throw in...that thing is awesome. Knibbs came into games and played a myriad of positions and anyone who can do that is okay in my book.
If this were a yearbook then best smile would definitely go to Robert McLarney. The guy has a laugh that would make anyone grin and an attitude that makes Mister Rogers look like Charles Manson. On the field Robbie is unbelievable, outrageously skilled and a work rate to match. He was one of our best players all year long and for a freshman to be able to play like that consistently is unreal. It’s going to be amazing to watch him continue to get experience and play the rest of his collegiate career and I am so excited to have been a part of some of it. If you can meet him, do it, if you can’t, at least watch him play because the guy is something special.
Now for my little brother, Gaetano Panuccio. Ever since the first day of preseason camp, if there has been one guy who has bought into everything Rutgers soccer 100% it has been Gaetano. He came in and has given everything he’s got every minute of every day on and off the field and that says something about the type of person that he is and the character that he has. On the field he combines hard work with skill and is a leader through his action and his passion which makes him an absolute joy to play with. He’s the type of person everyone wants to be friends with and that energy that draws people to him is the same energy that he brings on the field and that is the recipe for greatness.
Going back to goalkeepers we have the freshman Ian Rooney. Rooney is another backup goalkeeper who came in and has worked hard all semester in practice. He’s a great guy with a sense of humor that’s infectious and a hard working attitude that was a huge help to all of us in training throughout the season. It’s great to play with people with this kind of attitude and it was great to get to know and play with Rooney.
The next guy up is a fellow Mid-Westerner that came to us all the way from the great state of Kansas, Mister Jimmy Simon. Jimmy came here and from the get go we knew he was going to be a special player because the kid is a freakishly good athlete. Fast, strong, good on the ball, Jimmy is the kind of player that you have trouble playing against just because of his sheer athleticism. What shows more about Jimmy’s character is that he came here as a forward and was immediately asked to play a defensive role. Adjusting to the speed and level of play is hard for any high school player coming into Division I college soccer, but coming in and being asked to learn a new position on top of that...that’s pretty hard. But you never heard a complaint out of Jimmy who worked his butt off every day for the entire season. He’s one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet and I do suggest you do because he’s someone that everyone who knows him will look back and be proud to have known.
The first time I met Marty Stern I thought he was a quiet, serious kid who played like a freight train on acid. Well one out of three isn’t too bad. Marty is the kind of player that only makes you better when you play against him because “going easy” isn’t in his vocabulary. Marty is one of the fittest guys on our team and it’s not a fluke, the guy works insanely hard and has the attitude that coaches kill for. Marty grew so much as a player this year and he is really going to be a force to be reckoned with this spring and for the rest of his career, he is a fantastic defender and a natural leader who will continue to do nothing but great things for this team. As a person, Marty is a natural comedian who can make you laugh no matter what the situation, his zest for life and confident attitude makes him the life of the party and a fun guy to be around. He’s a fantastic guy and you couldn’t ask for a better teammate.
The last, but certainly not the least of the freshman is Sly Nye Winslow. Nye came into preseason and was quiet and reserved but continually worked hard and once he got used to the physicality of the college game, he was unreal. You can be playing defense on Nye and one minute he’s in front of you, the next minute he’s putting the ball around you and laughing at you. Nye has great foot skills and that foundation of skill laid upon hard work and athletic ability makes Nye a really dangerous player. Throughout the season he opened up and began to show more of his personality which was great because of the person that he is. Confident and easy going makes “Sly Nye” who he is and what makes him great for the team. He was a great addition to the team and someone to watch for in future games, he’ll be the guy in the corner making defenders look stupid, laughing at them while he does it.
So there are the freshman, I hope that you have enjoyed reading about the different personalities on the team and I hope that you will all continue to support us as we look forward to next year where we will be older, wiser, and ready to prove that the Scarlet Knights are a force to be reckoned with not just in the BIG EAST, but the entire nation.
Entry #8 - October 10
What makes a morning? Is it the rising sun unleashing its light upon the world like a warm golden blanket? Or is it that fresh cup of coffee, that heaven-sent nectar of heat and caffeine that makes the early hours bearable? Well for us its bagels.
Every morning there is a bag of bagels that gets delivered by some magical bagel fairy to the locker room providing all of us with fresh doughy nourishment in the morning. Quite honestly that has nothing to do with this weekend because it has been happening all year but I have no idea how they get there or who provides them, but thank you whoever you are.
So this weekend we played DePaul which finished first in the BIG EAST standings last season and presented a formidable challenge. We went out and played well although in the first half we were a bit stagnant. Throughout the game we had chances to put the game away and just couldn’t find the back of the net no matter what we tried. Aly had an absolutely brilliant shot from about 40 yards out that hit the crossbar which pretty much summed up our day, pretty sweet to watch but with no product. We ended up tying 0-0 after the overtimes, it was disappointing not to get the win especially at home but we did get a point which is good.
This week we have started a new five-a-side tournament within our team. There are many clubs such as the BBFC, The Leftovers, The Convicts, and The X-Men (don’t ask about the names it’s to difficult to explain). These teams do battle weekly and although we all come together to represent the Scarlet Knights on game days, on five-a-side day we all represent the orange, grey, blue, and neon hot pink (BBFC) of our respective clubs. These games are heated and intense as any but in the end we are all working together toward the same goal.
Wednesday we went to Villanova and played. Well, we put on uniforms and ran around pretending to play at least which is what it looked like as we dropped an abysmal game to a team that should not have given us as much trouble as they did. We came out flat and didn’t get better and we have now dug ourselves into a hole. Not something that we cannot recover from but definitely a wake up call for us. Practice is going to be hard with a lot of running for a while because of our effort and well…we deserve that. Now we head out to play a tough Syracuse team on the road but the belief is still there. This team can still pull off great things and I for one have no doubt about our talent. But now we have to fight to prove that we are the team that we think we are and this Saturday is the first step on the road to our comeback.
Entry # 7 - September 30
Finding a way to win no matter what is what separates great teams from good ones. This weekend we had examples that showed us that we need lots of improvement, but also that we have it within us to be great.
Friday night against Georgetown we played very well and dug our way out of an early hole only to let down in the first half of overtime. This was extremely disappointing because we had the better of the play and needed to put the game away, but we didn't. The mood in the locker room was downtrodden and sullen as we all reviewed in our heads the individual battles and situations that we could have done better in. A shot here, a tackle there, it can drive you crazy. There was no time for hanging of heads because we had Seton Hall on Sunday which had become even more of a must-win than it already was.
Saturday was a recuperation day and we had a light practice at the RAC fields in the morning. Some light jogging and keep away until we played some 5-a-side to goal. I will tell you this, there is nothing that gets our team going more than first goal wins 5 vs. 5. Whether its Sal yelling a sarcastic comment or an "Ew!" after a missed shot, Charlie celebrating a goal like he's won the world cup, Yannick playing his "natural" position which is apparently forward, or G deciding that he will meg at least nine people before he shoots. It is all good fun and definitely lifted our spirits; we were ready for Seton Hall.
The game against Seton Hall was a battle with an extremely questionable penalty kick call for them that put them in front in the second half. We continued to battle and found a way to win as Dilly put two in for us in the second half leading us to victory. It may not have been pretty, but we found a way to win and that is what's important. This team is getting better and learning with each new game and experience which is what is making us more dangerous every time we play.
We had Monday off to recover and today we were back hard at work practicing. This week is going to be a hard week of practice trying to get us mentally ready for DePaul on Saturday when we play our last home game for a while. We need to win this one and our work that we put in this week will pay dividends on the weekend I'm sure of that.
We have the potential to go on a run and really show the BIG EAST what Rutgers soccer really is. We have monster potential and as Robbie McLarney said in one of his English papers, "It could happen to anyone, but it also couldn't happen to anyone". Well said Robbie…well said.
Entry #6 - September 24
Ahh the open road, traveling along with the beautiful landscape of Pennsylvania rolling past you like a Van Gogh painting come to life before your very eyes. The serene and beautiful setting is broken however by the all too present call of, "Can we watch a good movie for once?" ringing out from beside me. As most of you know we went away for the first time this weekend to play Pittsburgh and West Virginia both at their respective homes. Our bus was a nice one and because only freshman have to share seats, it was a comfortable one for most of us.
We reached Pittsburgh and stayed at a wonderful hotel in downtown Pittsburgh which I can safely say is the quietest city I have ever visited in my entire life. Our whole team took a jog around one of the city blocks and there was no honking, swearing, yelling, or anything going on at us while we did it, it just didn't feel like home.
Our game is one that we would soon like to forget as we dominated the Panthers throughout the game and just could not find the net no matter how hard we tried. Due to a combination of not scoring and questionable officiating (and by questionable I mean the three blind mice could have critiqued a painting better) we lost the game in the final minutes by one goal. But, these things happen in soccer and we should have gotten the job done. We moved on and the next day we were bound for West Virginia.
West Virginia again was a beautiful state to travel through. Gorgeous mountains and valleys that just call for you to run through them in a "Sound of Music" type manner. The mood on the bus was not the happiest but spirits were picked up as we reached our hotel and found a piano in the lobby. While most of us played the piano like a chimpanzee strangling a chicken our own Nye Winslow sat down and played us ballads about love and all that is good in the world. Needless to say Nye won our hearts with his playing both on and off the field this weekend.
West Virginia has great facilities and throughout the game we did our best to christen them with a ball in their net. However, missing Gaetano due to a red card from the prior game, we lacked some of our firepower up top which made it difficult for us to capitalize. We held possession the majority of the game and played very well but we could not find the killer instinct to finish the job. At the end of the second overtime I know that I was absolutely dead tired. Paulie, Chris, Dilly, and countless others were nursing some knocks here and there and although we were disappointed to not get the win with a tie we managed at least a point. Our seven million hour bus ride home was exhausting but the day off Monday was all the more sweet because of it. And the candy stop that we made about two hours from home was nice.
This week we're training hard to get ready for our double home games this weekend against Georgetown and Seton Hall. We've been rested and now we're going hard again to ramp up for the weekend which is going to be a big one with some must win games. If you can make it out to the games I suggest you do because we are ready to put on a show and prove that we are in the top tier of the BIG EAST.
Entry #5 - September 16
"UCSB is by far the strongest team that Rutgers has faced this year and should prove to be more than the Scarlet Knights can handle." - www.collegesoccernews.com
If there is ever anything that gets a team riled up it's a challenge. Yet it's the character of the team that determines how they respond when challenges arise. We could have gone into Friday's game "knowing" that we would lose. They were sixth in the nation, undefeated and a fantastic team that was on TV the week before. And who were we?
We weren't ranked or televised, and we apparently shouldn't have even been able to handle them. Before the game in the locker room there was a printed copy of that page from the website on everyone's locker. It was a reminder, a challenged issued to us, nobody believed and nobody gave us a chance. They were wrong.
The rain was pouring down that Friday night and for the lucky people in attendance, it created an absolutely electric atmosphere. It was a back and forth battle with us holding the majority of the chances and play. We played fantastic, running and fighting for each other everywhere on the field, dealing with the elements as well as the "powerhouse" opponent. When the whistle blew at the end of the game the cheers that erupted from the crowd were tame next to the roar of our players. The crowd was indeed absolutely fantastic and stuck it out through terrible weather to see us through which we all are so appreciative of. If you were there that night, listening to the radio, or just thinking about us, thank you.
After the game we were given the weekend to recuperate and celebrate the win with some much needed rest and relaxation. This week we're back and training harder than ever, getting ready for our first road trip to Pittsburgh and West Virginia. We also received some great news this week as Dilly was named to the conference honor roll for the week and our very own freshman Gaetano Panuccio was named Rookie of the Week for the BIG EAST. Gaetano played absolutely brilliantly in the win against Santa Barbara and showed both heart and skill as he battled a top national defense and scored the winning goal in one of the biggest games of the year.
As for Dilly, he was absolute class with two goals and a performance that made it known to the world that he has arrived. These are absolutely deserved awards going to two players who we are all proud to call teammates, congratulations guys.
So that's pretty much it, this week we're training hard to go on the road playing our first BIG EAST opposition of the season. This is what it all comes down to. From what we have shown thus far and the work that we're putting in, I believe we are ready.
On a more somber note coach Reasso missed practice today due to the passing away of his father-in-law Al Porreca. All of our thoughts and prayers go out to coach Reasso and his family as they go through this difficult time.
Entry #4 - September 8
Hello Folks! I am sorry for the delay with these writings; it’s been a hectic couple of weeks with all the games and school starting and such. It won’t happen again, I assure you and any complaints can go directly to my email which I have not provided. We’ve had four games and it’s been a roller coaster ride so lets get to it, prepare yourself for a whirling dervish of information that will put you up to date with the team and its activities since my absenteeism took place. I’m sure if you’re reading this then you know how to get to the website, therefore you already have read about how the games turned out, the scores, etc so I will not bore you with the tedious details again. Instead I will give you what you really want, inside and juicy stories about the team and how everyone is doing.
I sit here writing after our game against St. Peter’s which we tied 0-0. This was our second overtime game and unfortunately we could not find a way to break the goose egg. Our play, barring the first fifteen to twenty minutes however was quite good and although we didn’t get the win out of this one, I think we have shown improvements and are doing much better as each day goes on. We are a little tired and ready for a recovery week before we play Santa Barbara. I would say that the team is looking forward to a good week of training to work out some of the kinks we have seen from our matches thus far. Playing all of these games in such a short time period really takes its toll as I think we showed against Towson. Recovery and time to prepare is our recipe for success for Friday’s game against the Gauchos.
Throughout the last couple weeks the locker room has been in good spirits and in normal jovial locker room-like behavior. Whether it’s Yannick doing some kind of dance in the corner of the room, Robbie laughing at….well everything, Marty saying something that makes everyone in the room stop and question his sanity, or Charlie whining about how early we’re up, or how he’s hungry, or that nobody has hair gel, or that he needs special English lotion, or how American cereal isn’t as good, or how he needs coffee, or that his clothes aren’t clean, you get the idea. (love you Charlie) Basically as long as the personalities in the locker room are shining through we know that everything is going well.
One nice little tidbit of information about our team is that four of our teammates are doing all of the training, school, and activities of regular life that we college students lead without food or water for most of it. Hima, Taha, Tino, and Aly our four Egyptians that we love so dearly are going through the month of Ramadan which entails that they not eat or drink anything from sunrise to sunset every day for a month. These guys have been going through practices, games, and class without eating or drinking all day. During practice we all get water breaks, these four stay on the field. It takes tremendous willpower and faith to go through what these guys go through and still be successful. Everyday I see them, they have big smiles on their faces and they are working harder than ever, these guys are great and the way they are handling everything makes me extremely proud to call them my teammates and friends.
So that’s it for this week, we’ll be training harder than ever getting ready for UCSB. If you can make it out to the game I know that we would appreciate the crowd and I’m sure you won’t be disappointed because it’s going to be a tough battle, and we’re going to be ready to fight.
Entry #3 - August 27
"We have met the enemy, and they are ours."
-Officer Oliver Hazard Perry, United States Navy
Preseason has come to an end and we have sealed the hard-fought end with a victory. Our game against Hartwick was the last preseason scrimmage before we face Delaware on August 29th in our season opener, and we did not disappoint.
Our first goal came off of a blazing corner kick struck by our own Sal Fusari who sent the ball whipping into the box with bad intentions early in the first half of the contest. The ball struck a Hartwick defender who put it into his own net past goalkeeper Adam Klink. Yes, I said goalkeeper Adam Klink a Rutgers freshman who I believe is the first Rutgers player to start for Hartwick…ever. You see, the goalkeepers from Hartwick were overcome with some sort of stomach virus before the game itself (probably from the sight of goal-scorers like Gaetano Panuccio or Guilherme Dantas who take more shots than an Irishman on St. Patrick's Day). So, the kind people that we are, we were happy to lend them Adam who went on to play a fantastic game which we were not particularly happy about so thanks Klink.
Although Adam did have a good game it was not good enough to cover up the goal scoring ability of Aly Mahzar who calmly and coolly tucked the ball away like Tiger Woods at the Masters later in the first half. Aly's goal turned out to be the winner because although Hartwick pulled back one goal they could not find an answer to the riddle provided by the Scarlet Knight defense.
Then the final whistle blew and proved to be the sound of sweet victory. It felt great to get that first win of the season especially at home and after suffering a disappointing loss earlier on. We have really bonded and come together as a team and as much as we have to learn, the improvement that has happened is something we can be proud of. We are ready for something great.
The week leading up to our season opener is full of tactical application and really fine tuning everything that we have been working so hard on over the past couple weeks. Everyone has tired legs but we have already proved that we can work through the pain and accomplish whatever we want when we play together and work as a team. The newer additions to the team and the upperclassmen have blended into a melting pot of greatness and we expect nothing less than success as the regular season approaches. Delaware is coming this Friday, and they will be ours.
Entry #2 - August 20
We have just recently started preseason camp where we are hoping to come together as a team, build our chemistry, and not cramp up with every blink or finger point. We have a very young squad coming into camp this year and it looks like we're going to be very talented and athletic. Our hope is that the blend of personnel that we have can bring us results.
Struggle and adversary brings a team closer together. After our scrimmage against LIU this Sunday the mood of the team was downtrodden and sullen as a foreseeable victory turned to loss. In the end, our possession of the ball was top notch. Although we had some problems latching onto chances and had some defensive lapses we played well for our first game together especially for how young we are. This team will only get better the more time goes on, which is scary.
No matter what happened in the game, in the end we walked off the field with our heads held high. As the "Rutgers!" cry rang off of the Yurcak stands there was no doubt in our minds that this was just a stepping stone in the greater journey. If our talent and ambitions for this season are scary, they are nothing compared to what was in store the following day.
There I was, hiding behind a blowup triangle, gun poised to fire at the forsaken enemy on the other side of the area we are encaged in. Then, screaming like some sort of possessed being, an Englishman sprints by you spitting his paint filled balls of fury with a vengeance toward the poised and waiting adversary. The voice of attack quickly turns into girlish squeals of pain as paintballs rain down with such frequency they cast a shadow over the very ground. Wait did I say scary? I meant hysterical.
The day after our scrimmage we went as a team to play paintball as a gift from the Rutgers program, and it was unbelievably awesome. Everyone was looking extremely manly and rugged in our paintball masks and guns. This lasted until anyone was hit by a paintball. Freshman Robbie McLarney laid that manly image to rest with cries of "AH AH I'M OUT! I'M OUT!!!" shrieking repeatedly into the afternoon air. The experience was a great team bonding exercise and let those with paintball experience like seniors Kevin McFadden and Amir Haghshenas completely dominate the rest of us mere amateurs peppering our bodies with bruises and welts.
Back in the soccer world we have been going through two-a-days with special interest in defense and team shape and movement. We have so many new people that we are just trying to figure out where we fit into the system and how to play it. It's been difficult but all in all we have worked hard and given our all every session, every single day. And that is what makes champions. There are a lot of things that bring teams together but the one thing that never fails is sweat. And if sweat is an indicator of success let me tell you that the BIG EAST Conference is in for one wild ride this year. The Scarlet Knights are coming, and we're bringing the thunder.
Entry #1 - August 14
Results aside though, all we are concerned about as 11:30 am hit the Holiday Inn August 12, 2008 is what is wrong with Charlie's hair? Blonde and striking like the glowing of a thousand suns Englishman Charlie Cox's new "do" radiated inside our tiny meeting room as we gathered for the start of our year. (Please feel free to look at his picture on the website as soon as it is updated, I will provide his cell to those with comments at personal request). The first day was full of meetings and guidelines, free gear and pictures. Free gear day is like Christmas all over again as we all clamor in line to get our boots, hats, running shoes, etc. Like the group of young gentleman we are we patiently stood in line and waited our turn…right.
The picture portion with the team was full of riotous comments and the ever present worry of whether or not to smile. After posing and being berated constantly by snickering teammates we all went back to the hotel for the evening. The dawn would bring us the ever approaching doom of the three mile run which wore on our minds each of us nursing thoughts of victory and defeat, maybe a little vomiting as we laid our heads to rest that night.
The second day of camp was upon us and nervous tension was ever present at breakfast, today was the day it all started, it was finally here. The three mile, preceded by acrobatics performed by freshman Marty Stern in the parking lot, was an event that really stated what our team was about this year. Like a vicious sweating mob we chased our invisible foe, father time. It was fantastic; everyone that ran gave 100% the whole time and really showed what Rutgers character is all about. The scrimmage in the evening where we played the newer members against the veterans of the group again solidified my belief that the effort and attitude of all of our players is without question and that is something that you can't teach. The older group took the victory but it was a great showing of things to come, the newcomers battling and showing everyone that they belong here.
We've only been through two days of preseason but already we are becoming a team through trials and tribulations both thrown at us and internal. We may be sore but we have not begun to scratch the surface of our potential, and it is going to be something to remember.
