Matthew Levine

Past Entries

Entry 1

September 15, 2003

"You think you know, but you have no idea..."

Going into last weekend's road trip to Fayetteville, North Carolina, our team record was 3-0. After graduating three starting seniors, this year has seen newcomers starting in each match so far.

We have made noticeable strides in our tactical awareness behind the ball, and have made leaps and bounds when it comes to working as a unit. We have been increasingly confident in our ability to attack with numbers without giving up too many counter-attacks, and as a result have been finding the back of the net quite frequently.

Despite this new vigor instilled in the team, we knew as we got on the bus Friday afternoon that we were going to face two squads that would give us a tough challenge. Six hours later, full from the good ol' southern cooking of Cracker Barrel and predictably exhausted from watching such classics as "Road Trip" and "Scarface," we checked into our hotel for the night.

An evening team meeting reminded veterans of the pain that Christopher Newport has embarked on us over the course of the last three years, beating us soundly each year since I came to Emory. CNU has been our arch nemesis, our unicorn if you will, and we were all pumped up to try our luck with a new and improved crew.

With this in mind, leaving the field as 4-1 victors was probably the most satisfying feeling I have had from soccer since I came to Emory. Not only did we break the losing streak, we returned the favor they had so generously extended to us in past and handed them a decisive loss.

A nice dinner at the local Outback kept the 19 players in high spirits. On Sunday. Methodist came at us in the first 10 minutes of the game, as we came out flat and over-confident from Saturday’s easy win.

After weathering the storm, my roommate, on the road and in Atlanta, Chris Nehls, came on the field and burned the Methodist squad with his blazing speed. Two goals in just six minutes and the game was out of reach for the home team. A 4-0 victory made us winners of the Methodist Classic, a first in four attempts for me.

As always, winning made the trip home that much more fun as players and coaches alike joked and laughed the entire way back. Whether it was card-playing, southern shopping at gas stations, team meals, the lady at Shoney’s hitting on D-nice, movies on the bus, or one of the best on-field performances I have ever seen on a weekend road trip, this was definitely a weekend to remember.

And wouldn’t ya know, we get to do it all over again next weekend as we head back to North Carolina to face southern rival and current No. 6 in the nation, Greensboro College.

Matthew Levine is a senior from Princeton, N.J. He would love to answer e-mail questions from Emory recruits and fans.