Taki's
Final Four Journal
Franklin Pierce junior back Peter Petropanagos, recently named an ESPN
The Magazine Academic All-American is keeping a journal of the Ravens
first Final Four appearance since 1991. Check back daily for his
updates here.
Sunday,
December 4, 2005
Today
was too emotional to get into all minor details of dining and
traveling. In my mind,
only one event mattered, the game.
The hours before the game were mechanical with the
superstitious rituals that most of us perform.
Joyce cleaned his room, a pre-game must for him, while Michel
and I played catch with a little stress ball, a ritual we had randomly
started since his return from injury.
These little details might seem ridiculous, but as players we
find comfort in these things and use it to focus and relax.
Before
the kick off, many thoughts were going through my mind. Watching Fort Lewis play previously, I felt they were a very
good team, capable of attacking with numbers at high speed. Also, after our last performance, it was obvious that our
team was the tournament’s underdog.
We hadn’t played to our potential last game, and most people
had written us off as contenders for the match.
As a
team, however, we understood it was essential to step up the quality
of our game. This is what
made us dangerous. We had
already accomplished so much, and in essence really had nothing to
lose. For details of the
match go to our web page.
After 90
minutes played, I felt we outplayed our opponent, but that is the
beauty of soccer. Everyone
left their best efforts on the pitch, we battled for every ball and
challenge, and truly this game exhibited the peak of our abilities as
a team. I can speak for
everyone when I say that we have no regrets.
Despite the disappointment of not winning the championship, we
are extremely proud of our accomplishment.
It has been a long and rocky season, which further more
exemplifies the depth of character of this team.
We stuck it out, we persevered, and we made history at FPC.
On
a final note, we would like to thank President Hagerty, Bruce Kirsh,
our trainers, our media group, both coaches, and most importantly all
of our fans, family and supporters throughout the season.
It is your devotion and support which has propelled us to this
great opportunity.
Saturday,
December 3, 2005
Waking
up this morning, many were still overwhelmed with the reality of our
situation. Reaching the
Final Four, let alone making it to the fina,l could definitely be a
once in a lifetime opportunity for most of us on the team, and for
seniors such as Evan Luster and Willie Hanlon. This weekend is their
last experience as an FP
Raven.
It is crucial then that we live up to the moment, embrace the
atmosphere, and play to our potential individually and as a team.
After
breakfast in the hotel, the team went to the MSU practice field to get
in a training session and to loosen up tight muscles. Practice was light, and consisted mostly of keep away drills,
which always bring a good laugh or two for how many times we can meg
Bisharra, or for how long we can keep Michael in the middle to wind
him up. The best
practices are always the ones where we walk off the field cohesive, as
a unit, everyone smiling and euphoric for the love of the game.
After
practice we watched the women’s finals.
It was an entertaining game to watch, but I still felt that our
women’s team was capable of being there and should have been
competing that day. We
left the match at halftime to return to the hotel for rest.
The hot tub in the hotel had become our best friend and most of
us could be seen soaking in it throughout the day, easing the soreness
of the previous 90 minutes played.
At
6:30pm the team left for dinner, eating once again at the Italian
restaurant we had dined at two nights before.
After an excellent meal, we hopped back into the bus.
One thing that can not be expressed through these journals is
the amount of fun we have as a team in all these in between moments. There comes a point where you have been around people so long
that they become like family, and we create the most amusing times out
of just our company.
After
10 minutes of disco dancing on the bus, we pulled into the hotel
parking lot. Some of sat
down to a game of dominoes or cards, and others treated their slight
aches and knocks, but by 11pm we were all in bed thinking whatever we
each think about the night before we compete in the NCAA Division II
Final.
Friday,
December 2nd 2005
Okay, I
have no patience so I’ll just let this out now. WE WON! We are going
to the finals!
So let
me start from the beginning. Coach let us sleep in until 9am today; it
was a well needed break with all the traveling and excitement going on
in the last few days. After breakfast in the hotel the team gathered
for a quick meeting. The coaches handed each of us a sheet of paper,
which had every player’s name on it. They then asked us to go back
to our rooms and for each player write three positive comments for
them under their names. We returned the sheets back to coach without
thinking much of the assignment at the time but soon we would find the
significance.
At
11:30am the team met in the hotel conference room for our pre-game
speech from coach. We discussed tactics along with individual and team
objectives and by the end of the meeting the entire team was fired up
and prepared for the crucial match. We arrived at MSU around 12:30pm
and started getting changed for the match. As soon as we took our
seats coach Willie handed each of us an envelope with our names on it.
When we opened the envelopes we found all of the comments that the
rest of the team wrote about each player. To see how much faith and
praise your teammates have for you was just incredible. Looking around
the changing room, every player’s face was shining with confidence
and pride, knowing how much support we all had for each other and our
personal contributions to the team.
When the
match kicked off, we did not know what to expect from the opposition.
You can read the game details on the FP
website for a more in depth
description of the match. After 90 minutes the FP
soccer team
demonstrated class, passion, and a winning character that would not
deny them of what they truly wanted and deserved; the victory.
The
final whistle brought tears to many of our eyes. The moment was
overwhelming. We celebrated on the pitch as a team and applauded our
fans for their continuous support. Many parents, including my own,
flew down to Texas, and we appreciate their dedication and commitment
to this team.
The
momentous occasion was celebrated in immaculate fashion. President
Haggerty treated the team and staff to a tremendous steak feast making
it certain that tonight we would sleep like babies. After dinner we
returned to the hotel for injury treatment and rest.
Today
Franklin Pierce men’s soccer made history by being the first team to
reach a National Championship final. We are ecstatic with what we have
achieved, however, there is still one more task at hand.
Congratulations boys! Tonight we rest, and Sunday we finish the job.
Thursday,
December 1, 2005
*A
quick addition to yesterday’s log.
At the NCAA banquet the team was content and proud to hear that
Chris Joyce and James Thorpe received All-America honors.
Congratulations boys!
Today we
woke up at 7am for a Denny’s breakfast.
The team is still debating what was worse, the food or the
service and personally I’d have to go with a tie.
After painful digestion, we went back to the hotel and grabbed
our gear for a 9:30am training session.
The
pitch at Midwestern State University was different from what we had
grown accustomed to at our home field.
Being on natural grass now instead of turf, it was important to
get this practice session in to become familiar with the bumps and
inconsistency of a grass field. The
team trained intensely and overall practice went really well. After
our session on the practice field, we were allotted 20 minutes on the
actual game field to have a look around.
The field was covered in NCAA logos and once again the thrill
of our situation surfaced. We
took photos, had a good laugh, and I’m sure everyone on the team had
been imagining what it would be like to play here tomorrow.
We
returned to the hotel to shower and relax a little.
At 1:30pm we departed to lunch.
The Food Gods made up for breakfast because lunch was
incredible! McAllister’s Food Deli.
If you are ever in Wichita Falls, I strongly recommend it.
We took the food to go because the women’s game kicked off at
2pm. When we arrived it
was 1-0 for the girls, but soon the other team equalized.
After a hard fought battle, and some unlucky offensive chances,
our women’s team lost 2-1 to Nebraska-Omaha.
It was devastating to watch the girls lose, but on another
level it made it seem even more important for the men’s team to do
well tomorrow. To bring
at least one championship back to FPC.
At
6:30pm we went for our team dinner at a small Italian restaurant.
After eating extremely well, we gathered for a team meeting
with our coaches. On the
bus ride back to the hotel, in the spirit of closeness and team unity,
we made the freshman stand up and sing a song in front of the rest of
team. Myles Morneault
took the stage and sang a Queen classic, and after the first verse we
had the whole team shouting our lungs off.
We pulled up to the hotel, and rested for the remainder of the
night.
Wednesday,
November 30, 2005
My
roommates and I arose at 5 AM singing!
Despite the shortened sleep, we were lively and energetic from
the excitement awaiting us. Today
embarked a huge accomplishment for Franklin Pierce University
Men’s
Soccer, and a huge accomplishment for all 23 members of our squad.
Our bus departed for Logan International Airport at 6 AM, the
NCAA Division II National championship awaiting our arrival. The looks
on everyone’s faces spoke volumes of where we stood and the long
journey which had brought us to this point. “There’s only one
‘T’ in Texas!” Chris Joyce began chanting.
He always found a way to get the whole team singing, and in
essence bringing 23 individuals to the unison that sparked our magic
as a team.
Our
flight landed around 1 PM, and it was delightful to step out of the
airport to a temperature of 65º, a drastic change from the snow
covered pitch we had been training on only days before in New
Hampshire. After settling
in at the hotel, the team went to a nearby field to get a brief jog
in, and loosen the tight muscles accustomed to a day of travel.
Once again, stepping onto the field with my teammates, the buzz
of purpose was in the air. We
made it! We are in Texas, and we are here to win the National
Championship!
After
training, we rushed to get dressed for the evening’s banquet.
As we were ushered into the large dining hall, we were greeted
by applause from our Franklin Pierce Women’s Soccer team.
It was an honor to be part of history made at Franklin Pierce,
having both the men’s and women’s teams make it to the Final Four.
After several speeches, some Texan food, and some more
speeches, the banquet was over and we came back to the hotel to rest.
