Boston College Athletics
BC Weekly Diary With Guy Melamed
December 04, 2002 | Men's Soccer
Dec. 4, 2002
Unbelievable!
That's the only way I can describe what is running through my head right now. Should I start by describing the most amazing game I have ever participated in, and by that I mean the one we played against SMU, or go gradually and begin with the game against Northeastern?
Let's go in chronological order. Last Wednesday morning was a special one. Besides the fact that we were supposed to play in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, we all woke up to a completely white day.
It was snowing and it was beautiful, but it came at a cost. We had no choice but to give up our home-field advantage, which we worked extremely hard for, and go play at Northeastern. They have field turf and can handle the unfriendly soccer weather. It wasn't mentally easy to put that aside, but our coach, Ed Kelly, explained how frightening it can be for the other team if they see we have no fear, and are willing to play anywhere, anytime.
So we did. It was an incredibly physical game, and it became even tougher as they had a 1-0 lead 20 minutes to go. But we showed that we don't break easily, and came back to win 2-1.
After the game, we could relax and celebrate Thanksgiving. Last year, we were in a hotel preparing for a game, so I couldn't actually see what the holiday is about, but this year was a different story. I went to Mike Cardenas' house, and it was wonderful. The food was great, and I immediately fell in love with the holiday. It combines two elements I have a weakness for: food and sleep, in an indiscriminate order.
The game against SMU is one that will definitely be saved in my archives, and in that of those who watched the game. It was an emotional roller coaster. Although SMU scored four goals against us, which is highly uncharacteristic, we were strong enough to come back in the second half after being down 4-2. Our strength was derived from the incredible fans we had. They were fantastic in playing the role of the 12th Man, and helping us put constant pressure on SMU's goal.
But now that game is put aside and our whole mindset is focused on our next opponent, Creighton. It won't be easy - that's for sure - and we can forget about a stress-free Sunday afternoon. I just hope we can do our job and have a good time. Hope to see you there.
