Strong Leadership, New Blood Fuels Team

Every season opens with optimism. Al-though three All-New England players and one first team All-American graduated last

May, the Middlebury men’s soccer team looked to continue its regional and national promi-nence. Seniors Colin Nangle ’10, Nolan Lincoln ’10, Andrew Banadda ’10, Mike Spiak ’10, Zack Smith ’10, Steve Hart ’10, and Micah Wood ’10, led a team that had almost returned to the 2008 NCAA National Final Four, losing on penalty kicks in the quarter finals last November.

In addition, the emergence of Robbie Red-mond ’12 and NESCAC Rookie of the Year Tyler Macnee ’12 as serious future All-American contenders provided the squad with enough new blood to build the foundations of a capable team, equipped to compete with the best Division III teams in the region.

Chemistry, luck, and good health all contrib-ute to the success of a sports team. Our 2009 team suffered an unfortunate early injury to Harrison Watkins ’11 in game three. An influential and dominant player, Watkins was hard to replace. Teammates often described him as the “emotional glue” of the team. Losing him in game three to a broken foot had a physical and emotional im-pact on the squad. During his absence, the team stumbled to a 3-2-2 record, yet with him on the

Season Recap: by Coach Dave Saward

Middlebury Men’s Soccer 2009

field the team had a record of 7-3.The final run in the season saw Middlebury beat Bates,

Williams, Amherst, and the number one ranked team in New England, Wesleyan, to put Middlebury in the NES-CAC final for the fourth consecutive year.

During this winning run, the team showed the char-acter and resilience that is necessary to compete at the highest level. However, we fell in the conference final to Williams in double overtime. During this end-of-season burst, Watkins scored five goals in five games, and was

Photos courtesy of Trent Campbell

Tyler Macnee ’12 pushes past defense on his way to the net.

Continued on last page

The complete experience was very rewarding. Even through the midseason inconsistency, team members discovered a belief in themselves that should bode well for future years.

I can’t imagine my experience at Middlebury without soccer, nor can I imagine having had a better col-lege soccer experience. It was not always easy for me, but looking back, it was the times of adversity that I faced personally and as part of a team that have taught me about life.

Playing soccer at Middlebury, I learned a great deal about people: how to interact with different types of people, how to inspire, how to lead, how to support one another, and how to come together as a group to work toward achieving your goals. During my four years on the soccer team, I not only learned the important aspects of being on a team, but I also learned so much about myself and grew and ma-tured as a person. I am so thankful that I was able to be apart of the Middlebury soccer family. It’s the largest family I will ever be a part of, because it grows every year as new players enter the program.

When I pulled on the Middlebury jersey, I knew that I was represent-ing not only myself, teammates, and school, but every former member of the Middlebury soccer program. I am continuously amazed by the fierce support of Midd soccer alums. It’s a great feeling to step onto the field at another school and hear alumni cheering and chanting for Middlebury soccer. I can remember distinctly games in which I could hear Midd alums cheering us on at games. It’s a special support that doesn’t come only from recent grads, but from alumni who graduate in the ’60s and ’70s. I remember when we did a fund-raising raffle for a our trip to England how many soccer

alumni, who had never met the guys on the team, sent in generous donations so that we were able to take a once-in-a-lifetime trip.

The last few years, the team has been a group of guys who genuinely love playing soccer together. Guys were always getting down to the field early to work on drills together or staying after to play different games and share some laughs. I am very thankful that I was able to get an education outside of the classroom through soccer. Coach Saward has always said that sports don’t build character, but rather they reveal it. I learned a great deal about my own character and other people’s characters as a member of the soccer team and those lessons will help me as I go forward in life.

I have a fantastic relationship with my fellow teammates. Middlebury soccer is one big family made up of guys who have a passion for the game. The friendships that I have made as a member of the soccer team will last for a lifetime and that is special. I have a great relationship with Coach Saward and our assis-tants. When I was named co-captain, my relationship with Coach grew, because we met frequently to dis-cuss the team. After discussing the team, we would talk about events in professional soccer, our lives, and the world at large. Coach Saward is not only a first-class soccer coach, but he’s a world-class person. I feel

comfortable speaking with him about anything that is going on in my life; it doesn’t have to be related to soccer. He is understanding, kind, thoughtful, and wise. I learned a great deal from Coach Saward, and he is someone I will keep in touch with for the rest of my life. Col-lege is a period when people grow significantly as people, and Coach Saward understands this and helps guide young people as they learn about who they are.

I couldn’t imagine my Middle-bury education without being a member of the soccer team. This experience has taught me discipline, hard work, determination, and how to deal with adversity, work with others, and lead others. These are qualities that were reinforced on the athletics’ field and are applicable to the classroom and to my life.

Learning about People: by Nolan Lincoln ‘10

Learning about Others

Middlebury Soccer Alumni

Love of the Game

Lasting Friendships

HOMETOWN: East Thetford, VTMAJOR: History

At Middlebury College, I define myself as a scholar-athlete and take pride in attempting to excel in both arenas. My experience has been greatly impacted by my involvement with the soccer program.

I can honestly say that I have formed lifelong friendships with the people I have shared the field with. The friendships and bonds are something that I greatly cherish and sincerely hope I will carry through my whole life. Being part of the Middlebury soccer team creates a special bond between everyone who pulls on the jersey, due not only to the great tradition and legacy of the program, but also to the fact that for less than the three short months of the fall season, you know that the guy next to you will pour out his heart in support of you and the team. It is one of the most amazing feelings I have ever experienced.

A great example of this camara-derie was the last time I walked out of the locker room this past fall after having cleaned out the locker for the last time. I sat by my locker and thought about the past four years, the wins and the losses, the times of laughter and of tears, and I looked around and was able to imagine all of the different people that had been a part of my Middlebury soccer ex-perience.The program has become a huge part of my life, and will hold a special place in my heart for as long as I live.

I can’t even begin to explain what Coach Saward means to me and to the program. Simply put, he gets it. He understands that we, as players, are not here to become profession-als, but are here because we love the

game and want to compete at a high level. He under-stands that there is more to playing soccer than just playing soccer; it is about building relationships and memories, as well as characteristics like integrity, hard work, and discipline that enhance our time on the field and off of it as well. He is someone that I hope to keep in touch with for the rest of my life.

I was a sophomore on the 2007 team that won the National Championship. It was the most euphoric and amazing feeling, and it was an experience I will never forget. The 2007 team was special. We had great tal-ent, but what made us so great was how close the team was. During that season we did absolutely everything together.

That championship run also taught me the importance and value of teamwork. I had been a starter all year and had played almost every minute until the semifinals when I reinjured an ankle. For the first time in my career, I was forced to watch and support my teammates from the sideline. Disappointed that I would not be physically able to participate in the next day’s final, I found solace and later, pride, in the fact that I could still influence my team in another way, as a supportive teammate and an off-field leader. Giving advice and encouragement to my young replacement, and set-ting a strong and positive tone on the sideline, I put my own personal adversity aside and truly realized the importance of working together

as a team. Overall, that experience brought energy and passion to the program and created a tighter net-work of current and past players.

I strongly believe that athletics and academics have a symbiotic rela-tionship. Through athletics, I have developed a strong sense of work ethic, teamwork, self-motivation and discipline that has directly aided my productivity in the classroom. Throughout my career, I have at-tempted to attain a higher level of performance on the field and in the classroom, and the lessons learned in both arenas have helped me to reach these goals and obtain the best education possible.

Finding Value in Teamwork: by Colin Nangle ‘10

The Camaraderie

Coach Saward’s Influence

Winning a Championship

Balancing Athletics and Academics

HOMETOWN: Westport, CTMAJOR: International

Politics and Economics

Soccer at Middlebury is more than just a game. I don’t see it as an extracurricular. It’s a huge part of my education here. I don’t know where I would be without it. The amount it has given me already in two years, the debt I owe this program, will be nearly impossible to repay. What Coach Saward has created here is incredible. This team is a family. The friendships I’ve made with the other guys on the field and the time we’ve spent together will last a lifetime.

I say it’s part of my education, because playing for this team teaches me a lot about myself. The work we do together builds character, but even more so, it reveals character. I learn as much from my soccer experience off the field as I do on it. Being part of this team in this kind of academic environment takes great dedication and discipline. In

the fall, it is challeng-ing at times to manage the responsibility. In season, there is very little free time for non-school, non-soccer activities and players definitely struggle with that sometimes. What makes it worth it—and the reason we do it—is that we love what we’re doing. We do what we need to do in order to be ready for every practice, every game, every bus ride, every meeting. It means get-ting your work done so you can go to bed early and perform at your best the next day.

The vital mentality here is that nothing

needs to, nor should it, interfere with commitment to the team, and submitting to that is a big sacrifice. We all love the sport and team, leav-ing a group of men united, all driven by the same motivation towards the same goal. Team success on the field is about ability and talent, but even more so it is a test of values.

We have been extremely fortu-nate as far as the personalities that have come through this program. In the two senior classes that I’ve seen, we’ve had the best role models anyone could ask for. But it goes beyond luck. A team like this doesn’t just come together on its own; it’s built. And it’s built around these val-ues. A tradition has been established here, shaped by the coach and passed on by the older players. All the success we’ve had and what we’ve achieved, comes from hard work.

Every year, the goal at the beginning of the season is to be the hardest working team in the NESCAC. The reason we work so hard is that we know the man right next to us is doing the same. We all take on this responsibility of pushing ourselves to the limit for the benefit of the team.

Work ethic unifies us, and the love of the game ties us all together. We’ve had our disappointments, but they don’t divide the team. Instead, the bitterness of them spurs us on. At the end of the day, and Coach Saward says this all the time, the most important part of all that we do, of all that we gain from our experience, is the relationships we create with the other guys on the field.

Building a Family through Tradition: by Otis Pitney ‘12

Committment

Creating Lasting Relationships

voted first team All-American, first-team All-New England, and first-team All-NESCAC, as well as being named NESCAC player of the week, while Nangle and Red-mond were voted to the All-New England and All-NESCAC teams.

The complete experience was very rewarding. Even through the midseason inconsistency, team members discovered a belief in themselves that should bode well for future years. Athletic success is often based on belief and con-fidence. Confidence comes from winning, and losing creates doubt. All the players deserve credit for training hard every day and sustain-ing their belief and trust in one another. The future looks bright.

Coach Saward’s Wrap-up Continued from front

HOMETOWN: Washington, DCMAJOR: Political Science