Ryan Horch is a junior on the NYU men's soccer team. He shared his thoughts in this space throughout the 2011 season.
Written November 30
Any time you have a losing season it's tough. But, when a losing season comes following a record breaking one it is tougher.
The thing that came to define our season was overtime. This year we went to overtime seven times I believe, winning just once. To have all of those overtime losses is crushing to moral and confidence, and although we rallied as best we could and kept our spirits as high as possible, it was not enough. Statistically this shows. In the first half of our first 16 games this year we only allowed one goal. Just one. All other goals allowed came in the second half, and this is something that we will have to address as we prepare for our next season.
One of the positives to take away from the year is that we are only graduating two seniors. Matt Newman and Adam Fein will be greatly missed and we all wish them the best as they pursue their professional careers. But, looking towards next season, this means we only have two spots to fill (although those are incredibly large holes). Another positive (and you may think it is not but I assure you it is) is that this season hurts. It stings in a physical and emotional way.
One of the best parts about this squad is our ability to turn this pain into motivation. I can almost guarantee that every member of the NYU men's soccer team cannot wait for next season to start to get a shot at redemption. The next nine months will be months filled with sweat and blood for our squad, and we will relish every moment of it. Our freshman class has been great thus far with their work ethic and I know they'll keep it up because they feel as much pain over the last season as us vets do.
I believe so much in the work ethic of this team and the determination we have to be champions that I personally promise that we will be a better team next year and we will be successful. I believe in my teammates, and as long as we stand together I think you will find that is not an empty promise.
Thank you to all of our friends, family and supporters for coming out this year. Can't wait to see you on the field next fall.
Ryan Horch is a junior on the NYU men's soccer team. He will share his thoughts in this space throughout the 2011 season.
Written October 13
The UAA season has begun, and after our first two games we are a .500 team. The toughest part about being .500 is that we feel as though we are better.
Our games were against Case Western and Rochester. Case was an outstanding result for us, our first overtime win in I don't know how many years. That game was a great start for us - three points and sitting atop the table.
This past weekend was Rochester, generally a direct, physical side. We traveled north for the game and had great preparation, but were unable to really find a groove offensively.
Now as a .500 team, we realize that most of our hopes of reaching the Big Dance rely on our performance in the UAA. The best thing about that is that the UAA is based on points. In actuality, we can lose a game if we win most of the rest and at the least earn a draw. And, that is where we are at right now.
This weekend is our final homestand for the season. Tear-It-Up! on Friday against Wash U and then Chicago on Sunday. Wash will probably be the best team we play all season, and we know it. A win would put us back on top of the table, which is where we need to be.
We must succeed at home this weekend. Our season depends on it.
Ryan Horch is a junior on the NYU men's soccer team. He will share his thoughts in this space throughout the 2011 season.
Written September 9
Well it’s a bit of a nightmare start, really. Our opening loss to Stevens was a heartbreaker, Montclair we could not put away, and last night against William Paterson we lost in the second half of overtime. Losing a game is tough. Losing a game by a goal is tougher. Losing a game in the second period of overtime on a golden goal kinda feels like getting shot in the foot.
One of our team mottos is “no tough luck stories”, and I certainly don’t wish to make this sound like one. But, let me try and illustrate the goals that have been scored against us so far.
In the 75th minute against Stevens, their midfielder slotted a ball between four defenders and our goalkeeper to the back post that was volleyed in. Against Montclair, they scored off a partially cleared ball that was volleyed from the top of the 18, inches along the ground through about 12 players, which Jonah still somehow got a hand on but wound up in the bottom corner of the far post. To explain the shot that beat us last night I can draw some parallels to a wonder goal by Ashley Young of Manchester United (
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRyHyqHG5iA). Keeper had no chance.
One of the best aspects about this team is that we can dig ourselves out of any hole. Losing the two of our first three games is damaging, but I think you’d be surprised how quickly everyone will forget it if we win the next six in a row. The next game is against CCNY, who we have typically had success against in the past. That aside, it is extremely important that we win, and win big. As Kyle Green would say, Monday’s game is a great time to “open the floodgates”.
Now that school has started, it is important to develop good habits. Winning is one of them. Until Monday, I’m going to listen to the song “I Get Knocked Down” (thanks CeCe) a couple more times and focus on the game and adding one to the win column.
It may be a little early to say it but Monday’s game is a “must win” on all accounts.
Ryan Horch is a junior on the NYU men's soccer team. He will share his thoughts in this space throughout the 2011 season.
Written August 30
The 2011 men’s soccer team is fresh out of preseason camp, healthy and fit.
We returning players had a great time reconnecting with each other and meeting our new teammates as we bonded over the game and plenty of laughs (our freshman talent show was pretty good this year).
We are all excited about the tremendous upside of our newcomers and are eager to see how their talents can be utilized throughout the course of the season. But, that will come soon enough. After a week of hard work we are happy to be back in the city and are ready to begin defending our title of UAA champions.
One of the best things that I have noticed coming out of camp, especially from the returning players, is that no one seems to be complacent or dwelling on the success from last year. We know that there is a big target on our chest, but that only motivates us more. In sports one of the hardest things to do is repeat a championship season because everyone is gunning for you, and in many cases that chip on your shoulder has been filled with a shiny trophy. That is not the case with this team.
Defending the title was the emphasis of camp, so it is no surprise that the defense is where our focus lies at the moment. Task number one: work to shutout Stevens in our opener. During my first two years, we left their field with a loss, last year in overtime. This year we look to enter their campus with a new sense of confidence and some swagger that was not present at the start of the last two seasons.
It’s an intense, fast season in the NCAA. But, we are definitely poised to so some damage this year. Expect some big headlines from NYU men’s soccer as the season moves on. We certainly do.
