BY TARIQ FISCHER

In print | Published November 18, 2004

The Tide finally had to roll in.

Coming off a powerful victory in the quarterfinals against Lebanon Valley on Nov. 10, the Garnet marched onto Clothier field on Saturday ready to bury Washington and Jefferson. By the end of the game, the scoreboard showed Swat 5, W & J 3. The Presidents, playing like the living dead, probably had a hard time reading the score from six feet underground.

However, the season seemed to be in jeopardy of ending prematurely after the Presidents took a 1-0 lead with 19 minutes left in the first half. Tide fans, used to one- or two-goal games, were worried — even with the home team up 2-1 — after Duncan Gromko ’07 saved what would have been the tying score on the goal line. Those worries were unfounded as the Garnet answered with five consecutive goals to seal up the game tighter than an Al Gore lockbox.

The Presidents’ term was up. The players packed up their equipment and prepared to leave, with five minutes left in the game. Coach Eric Wagner used the big lead to change the rotation. “We had a lot of new players in all at once. [The W & J goals] were a little disappointing, but totally understandable,” Wagner said. W & J scored two goals towards the very end of the match, but, given Swat’s Charmin-esque four-goal cushion, they mattered less than a Florida absentee ballot; the Tide’s place was booked in Sunday’s finals.

The finals against Wesley kicked off Sunday afternoon. Officiating was unusually tight, and the Wolverines were awarded a free kick in the 12th minute. Fragile-looking striker Evan Myers took advantage of the call and the resulting picturesque cross, heading home the first goal of the game to give the visitors a 1-0 advantage.

Déjà vu? The Tide comeback in the finals was not as overpowering as Saturday’s. “After we went down a goal on Sunday, we went to a three defender formtion,” Wagner said, explaining the adjustment to provide more offense. “It was a valuable and necessary risk, but it didn’t work out for us.”

Myers struck against the defensively vulnerable formation in the 56th minute to give Wesley a 2-0 lead. Brandon Washington ’08 scored a goal in the 62nd minute to pull the Tide within one. The bewildered Wesley keeper demonstrated the reaction time of a sloth as he watched the ball roll into the net.

A third Wesley goal in the 69th minute left the score at 3-1, but the Tide just would not simply roll over. Kirk Ellison dropped a spectacular volley behind the still-confused Wolverine goalie but officials ruled to call back the goal, ending the Garnet charge.

Coach Wagner was impressed with the Wesley effort. “They were absolutely clicking; all of their goals were quality,” Wagner said. When questioned about the officiating, Wagner explained “you never win or lose games because of the refs.”

The 2004 campaign has been remarkable in every sense of the word. The team broke records in scoring, beat Haverford, made the playoffs, and earned a bid to a postseason tournament. “We achieved every goal we set at the beginning of the season and more,” Washington said.

Why was the team so successful this season? “I told them at halftime on Sunday ‘nothing but your absolute best will suffice,’” Wagner said. “I am absolutely certain that they gave everything they had.” That success should carry over as the team prepares for 2005. “There’s a different attitude towards off-season training,” Wagner said. “This team is no longer the seventh-place doormat of the conference. Now we have a target on our back.” A strong recruiting class should combine with returning leaders to stack the roster higher than the dirty dishes in Peter Griffin’s dorm room.

However, the team’s most important achievement came off the field. An average of more than 200 fans attended home matches this season. Three Swatties dug out old cheerleading uniforms to wear to last weekend’s games (but notably misspelled “SWAT”). Roy Sriwattanakomen ‘05 was kicked out of Saturday’s game for hardcore cheering. The Garnet Club hosted tailgates for evening games. This campus, famous for its apathetic reputation regarding sports, has become aware of its newfound athletic muscle. This sleepy school has woken up. The Centennial Conference should be very, very afraid.

« RETURN TO SPORTS

« PREV ARTICLE | NEXT ARTICLE »