VARSITY ATHLETICS

November 14, 2007

A season to remember...

By Chad Skidmore – Senior Goalkeeper – Centerville, OH

Last year's men’s soccer season left the team and the Case community with high expectations. With the return of the fall season, not only did the soccer team pick up right where they left off but the team had the best start in school history rising to number 2 in the nation. Now the season is over and I have heard some people see this season as a disappointment particularly to the seniors. However, I am compelled to look at my previous three seasons here at Case to gain a perspective on the 2007 season and my senior year.

My freshman year, I was not sure what to expect. I was leaving a high school that had a soccer stadium (yes, just soccer) something most colleges do not have, and a team that was consistently ranked top five in the state as well as even a national ranking my freshman year. We were good. I was coming to a team that did not even have a home field and the previous year had a record of 2-12-1. Still I was optimistic, besides Case is all about academics right? But, I was part of the first class of soccer players to be recruited by Case. Additionally, new fields were being built and Dan Palmer had just been hired as the new men’s soccer coach. Everything seemed to be turning around for Case men’s soccer when we won our first two games of the season, a feat that was, up until then, unmatched by most of the previous Case soccer teams. However, things quickly turned as we went 13 games before winning. One of the cities we traveled to that year was to Boston. As soon as we got into the city, the Red Sox were playing the Yankees. It was game six of the ALCS and we had only been in the city about an hour when David Ortiz hit a game winning homerun and you could feel the city shake. Although that trip as well as most others ended in a loss, there was no replacement for the fun and excitement that year brought. The end of the season did bring some hope as we won our first UAA game, defeating Washington University 1-0 in overtime. We ended the season with a 3-12-2 record losing our last game of the year to Rochester 4-0. The seniors that year had waited 4 years to get one UAA victory; needless to say they looked back and considered the year a great success. I guess it's all in your perspective.

My second year on the team some noticeable changes started to occur. The Village at 115th was finished, which gave us a fantastic home field, and just as important, it allowed us to have fans. We also had another good recruiting class, which made up the bulk of our line-up. We again started the year 2-0, but this time when on to finish the year 8-9-2. Granted, not a stellar year but hey it was just the beginning of things to come, and the players had a great time!

The highlight of my time here at Case came with my third season, although for me it was littered with injuries. I was hit in the first two minutes of the first game, which ended in a couple of trips to the ER. I was back in playing form a week later only to pull my quad, which then put me out for the season. However, with Coach Palmer following one good recruiting season with another, and everyone playing up to their potential, we had an unbelievable season. We ended the regular season with a winning record of 16-2-1, won the UAA, and earned a spot in the 2006 NCAA Division III Men’s Soccer Tournament. We had the honor of hosting both the second round and sectionals of the tournament. The fans for the tournament games were amazing. It was so loud in the stands; all you could hear was the sound of noisemakers, chants and yelling. I remember the stadium announcer telling the crowd that noise makers needed to be put away and the swearing needed to stop. Ironically a friend of mine who was in the stands said he never even heard the announcement. It was a memory that I will never forget, and I know I speak for everyone on that team when I say the fans at those games made our season. We ended the year with the best season in school history.

This season brought its own excitement as well. A couple of weeks into the season we were given the rank of number two in the country. It is the highest ranking the soccer team has ever had. We were also given the privilege of hosting the homecoming game. We beat Brandeis 3-0 in the first homecoming game win since before 2003. Once again the fan support was amazing and without a doubt helped us win. We ended the year with a 12-5-1 record, the second best season in school history. Although this season did not end as well as the team, the University and the seniors (myself, Neal Duryea and Ronan Cahill) would have liked, it is hard to be too disappointed.

Looking back, I have had four seasons of soccer, each with something unique and different from the rest. I will never forget the players or the fans. I would not trade this season for any other; and although I would have liked to go out with a win, I think I can settle with ending my soccer career with the two best soccer seasons this University has had to date. Go Spartans!

Posted by: Creg Jantz November 14, 2007 11:55 AM | Category: Men's Soccer

Posted by: cnj4 (Creg Jantz) November 14, 2007 11:55 AM | Comments (0) | Trackback