Boston College Athletics
Men's Soccer Captains Share Thoughts On Upcoming Season
August 27, 2004 | Men's Soccer
Aug. 27, 2004
With the season opener against Brown less than a week away, the men's soccer team has been working hard to prepare for its nationally ranked opponent. The Eagles have spent the past two weeks helping their 11 newcomers become acclimated to the college environment - on and off the field. The team's 24 players have become a cohesive unit and its captains believe Boston College is poised for an exciting year. "We've been practicing hard and it's been going well," said Guy Melamed, the 2004 BIG EAST Preseason Defender of the Year. "There are a lot of incoming freshmen from different countries, but they're a hardworking group and the chemistry on the team is good. We try to lead by example and make sure everybody is comfortable." The 2004 squad is one of the most diverse in school history, with players hailing from nine different countries. Five different languages can be spoken by at least two players in the locker room, including English, Spanish, Hebrew, French and Japanese. The Eagles have been practicing twice a day since they arrived on campus August 18 and have participated in scrimmages against Southern Connecticut and Franklin Pierce. "The first scrimmage against Southern Connecticut we had been here only two days," said co-captain Pat Haggerty about the 2-1 loss. "There were a lot of good things that came from that scrimmage and they showed in the second scrimmage that we won 3-0." The captains have been pleased with the progress made during practice, and are also impressed with the fitness level of all of the players. "Everybody came in pretty well prepared," Haggerty said. "It's just been a matter of playing together and getting to know each other." "We did a conditioning test the first practice and the results were better than last year," Melamed said. Billy Arnault, a second-year captain, is happy that this team looks different from last year's 6-7-4 squad. "This is one of the best classes we've had in a while," Arnault said. "There's a lot of talent there. I don't see us giving up a lot of goals and hopefully the offense will come together. We have a lot of speed this year. It's a different look and it will be interesting to see how it goes." The Eagles will host Cal State-Northridge, a participant in last year's NCAA Tournament, on Sunday, September 5, two days after the opener versus Brown. "I don't want to think too far ahead," Melamed said. "We need to open strong and be dominant on our home field. Teams can't come to our field and think they have a chance to win. We will take one game at a time. These are two very important games."
