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By Brandon Day (MALD '00)
Not surprisingly, it wasn't until two minutes before the game that two-thirds of the Fletcher team decided to make a showing. With four substitutes, they started off. Fletcher began with a quiet cockiness as it dominated BU's third of the field. Its passing plays were impeccable. Then, BU began to make its move and Fletcher realized it had underestimated its opponent. The first half was a predictor of things to come: a scuffle here, a scuffle there, a curse here, a curse there, a head-butt here, a head-butt there, a shove here, a shove there, a yellow card here, a yellow card there. The game was a typical king of the hill, all-out, in-your-face rumble, similar to that scene in the The Outsiders. BU dominated the first half with the exception of an excellent shot by Fletcher's Lynn Swarz (MALD '01) that just missed the upper right of the goal. The half ended with no score. Halftime gave Fletcher a chance to regroup. In the second half, Fletcher battled its way into the BU third. Combat here meant more than technical skills. Silas Everett (MALD '00), Andreas Vogt (Ph.D. candidate), and Alain Ancion (MALD '01) all found themselves in positions where upper-body dexterity came in handy. Overall, the referee gave out seven yellow cards during the game, three of which went to Fletcher. Time was running out now. Was Fletcher to end its regular season with a tie? Then it happened: William Miller (MALD '01) to Everett in the Fletcher third. Everett, quickly surrounded by BU players, drops the ball back to Marcus King (MALD '00). King cross field to Sam Weber (MALD '00). Weber hits Miller through the middle. How did he make that pass? Miller spins around one player and sees Etienne Gonin (MALD '01). Gonin is stuck. He loses the ball. No, wait! Gonin sticks the BU attacker and regains possession of the ball. He sends it out to Michael Clayton (MALD '01). Clayton, with no room down the side, hits Miller again. Miller lofts the ball over the heads of the BU midfield to Todd Neff (MALD '00) running through. Neff traps the ball. One touch, two, and then we hear a hollow smack as he rips the ball right through the legs of the BU goalie. Goal for Fletcher! The score is 1-0! With five minutes left of play, BU starts back off. A shoving match takes place, now quite the common occurrence in this game. The ref stops play anyway. A shower of Latin slander falls from the tongue of one of BU's players. The referee, proclaiming knowledge of vulgarities in more than 150 languages, proceeds to give the BU player a red card. BU will now play one man down for the last five minutes of the game. BU, however, gets control and takes the ball down. A lucky shot is aided by the wind and heads into the Fletcher goal. But wait! Eric Davis (MALD '01) dives like Stallone in Victory to block the ball. There will be no goal allowed on his time! "You think you're a world cup goalie, don't you?" sneered a BU player. Davis' only remark was a swift kick that put the ball deep into the BU third where Ancion was waiting to scoop it up. Ancion, with a remarkable chest trap, feigned left, and was all alone. No one doubted him for a minute. Goooooaaaaallllll, Fletcher! Ancion, as if it were natural, slid the ball to the left of BU's goalie for Fletcher's second goal of the game! The final Score: 2:1 Fletcher. Fletcher thus ended its regular season with only one loss (a fluke) and one tie (a good game, but not our best) and four wins! Next up for the Fletcher squad: the College-Wide Soccer Tournament. Stay tuned here for scores and highlights. Comments? Write us at letter@fletcherledger.com |
Getting
out of bed on that cold wintry morn, wind chill 20°, was tough enough. Having to play a
talented Boston University soccer team made finishing off the regular soccer season with a
win even more difficult.