Boston College Athletics
BC Weekly Diary With Adam Pfeifer
October 09, 2001 | Men's Soccer
October 2, 2001
This past week was a big one for us. We came into Wednesday's game against Harvard 3-2-0, and we knew that the next two games could be the turning point of our season. Harvard was ranked 18th in the country and BU was ranked ahead of us in the region in sixth. But the fact that these two teams were ranked ahead of us meant nothing - they are two of our most bitter rivals. In games like these, the teams' records and rankings are thrown out the window. It comes down who wants it more and who is willing to fight until the finish to get the win.
Rivalries are one of the most special things in sports, and growing up in Boston I know all about them. From the Red Sox and the Yankees to the Celtics and the Lakers, and the Bruins and the Canadiens, I've seen some great battles. I also know about the rivalry that we at Boston College have with BU and Harvard, and it extends beyond the athletic field, which is what makes these rivalries so special. All you have to do is buy a ticket to a Beanpot game and you can see the intensity of these rivalries. It doesn't even matter if the schools are facing each other, or even if there is a game going on at all, just sit in the FleetCenter and listen to students from each of the respective schools spit chants across the arena at each other. There is always tension.
We jumped on top of Harvard five minutes in. Bill Arnault played a great ball over the top of the Harvard defense, and Bobby Thompson made no mistake depositing the ball into the back of the net. It was the second time in two games that Bobby put us on top five minutes in, as he did the same against Virginia Tech last weekend. Early goals like these can really set the tone for a game, and it did for the next forty minutes of this one. We added another goal seconds before the end of the half when Krauser scored his first career goal at BC.
The second half was a different story, Harvard came out playing the body and they knocked us around the field and took control of the game. With about 20 minutes left in the game, Harvard scored the equalizer and the game was level at 2-2. But we were not going to be pushed around any more, especially by Harvard.
Guy Melamed set the tone for us, making several hard tackles and stirring the team up. We went back on the attack and Harvard were on their heels. With about eight minutes to go in regulation, Bill once again took on the role of the playmaker, knifing through the Harvard defense and setting up Baloo, a.k.a. Neil, for the game's final and decisive goal. The win, which moved us to 4-2-0 on the season, came at the highest of prices. We lost one of our best players and leader, Casey Schmidt, for the season.
To know Casey is to love him. You would not want to meet a more caring or genuinely nice person. With about five minutes remaining in the first half, Casey collided with the Harvard goalie after courageously trying to get to a head ball that was sent from the midfield to the top of the Harvard box.
The sound and impact of the collision paralyzed players and fans alike. It was truly a shocking moment. My heart sank when the collision occurred but I couldn't let it get to me because I was Casey's replacement. We played out the half and, immediately following the halftime whistle, my attention turned to Casey. He was dazed and completely disoriented, which was a very disconcerting sight because Casey is always very in control of himself. He was brought right to the hospital and we were forced to go on with the game.
Following the game we were all wanting to know about Casey's well-being. Our trainer, Kristen, was hit with a barrage of questions. She told us she thought that he had broken some bones in and around his cheek. This was bad news.
We heard nothing about Casey's condition until later that night when we got a call from our assistant coach, Zach, who told us that Casey had in fact fractured bones around his eye and cheek and that there was a very serious chance that Casey would be forced to miss the rest of the season. About a half hour after we found out, our friend and captain arrived back in our room. He was very tired and emotional and he told us what we already knew, but it was much different hearing it from him.
Casey went to see a specialist while we were at practice on Thursday. He and Coach Z showed up about halfway through the practice and gave us the final news: he was out for the year. I gave him a hug and went to the corner of the field for some alone time to think about the news the team had just received. I know that a good portion of the weight of Casey's loss is going to fall on the shoulders of myself and Neil, but I am also sure that we are up to the challenge.
The loss of Casey was more than just the loss of a player. He is truly a leader, and in the most effective way, he leads by example. He is well-prepared for every game and every play. He is always 100% focused and concentrated on the team's goals. Casey is truly committed to our team, our program, the athletic program and the institution as a whole, and this is what makes losing him so hard. But we have to move on.
On Saturday we played Boston University at Nickerson Field. There was an incredible atmosphere and large crowd, and the presentation of the game was purely professional. The Boston Breakers of the WUSA picked Nickerson Field as their home field. BU and the Breakers dug up the old turf that had been there as long as I can remember and replaced it with Field Turf, which is the closest thing to grass there is today.
The first half of the game was slow and we struggled to start an attack, but towards the end of the first half we started to do what our offense is capable of.
In the second half, we took the game over. Our defense pushed up and we knocked the BU defense back into their own half of the field. The game remained scoreless until Ramon Smith showed the fans his lightning speed. He stole the ball from a defender and crossed it to a wide open Chris Cleary, who put a perfectly placed shot just beyond the reach of the goalie and an opposing defender. The celebration was on.
The game ended 1-0 and we were back on track. It was a huge win. We are now back in the national rankings at 24th in the nation, and we're on the move up the list.
