Diary

Kevin
McCarthy

Past Entries

November 1, 2004

Last weekend was a UAA road doubleheader for the Emory soccer team. For those of us who have been around, we know the road weekend means four days and three nights of complete bonding with the team. We play two games, eat lots of meals, do some sightseeing, and hang out in hotels. But whatever we're doing, we do it as a team.

The settings of our team activities last weekend were Boston and New York, two cities where there is plenty to see. Though we just missed the victory parade for the Red Sox, the team hung around at Quincy Market and took in the sights of the city on a clear, fall afternoon.

On Saturday, we took a bus tour of New York City during which the back of the bus crew incessantly worked on its chants despite the absence of its senior leader, Jeff Alexander, and some resistance from the front of the bus. Saturday was a great chance to see New York for all of us, many of whom hadn't been to Manhattan before.

Throughout all this team activity, everyone's focus remains on the objectives of the trip--winning our games. Friday's loss at Brandeis was a tough one to swallow. Missing several players, the team struggled to rise above the adversity. We knew that we hadn't played our best and feared we had let our chance at a UAA championship slip away.

But we had another game to play. This time the game was to be played in the rough conditions of NYU's home field. The worn turf and strong wind off the Hudson River added more factors that our team needed to play through.

However, we rose to the occasion. It made me so proud that our team was able to play through difficult conditions and get a big win with our backs up against the wall. This victory was a testament to our players' will to win.

Before Sunday's game we said, "If we're not gonna win, we might as well go home." I'm glad we decided to stick around. Doing so has given us a shot at winning the conference title.

Kevin McCarthy is a senior from St. Louis, Mo. He would love to answer e-mail questions from Emory recruits and fans.