Laura Meikle-Koch Alumni Happy Hour!

If your someone who still reads this blog on a semi-regular basis I think you should have come to three conclusions about me by now.  1.) That I need to get a real job soon, because I have way to much free time on my hands.  2.) That I care enough about the goings on of Drexel Soccer to create a website that helps to build up the Drexel Soccer community, but still haven't found the motivation to locate the spellling/grammar check on the blog... 3.) And finally that humor, as inconsistent as its application may be, is a great way to keep people involved.  This post relates mostly to the first part of number two.

The Ineligibles do a lot of good things for the men's program, but we also like to do some good for the women's soccer program at Drexel when we can.  I can't think of a more important cause to endorse than the Laura-Meikle-Koch Restoration Fund.  Without risking butchering the powerful story that is behind the Laura Meikle-Koch legacy, I will just mention a few important facts you should know then refer you to a better source (like drexeldragons.com...).  In addition to an awesome 3v3 soccer tournament in the spring, there are a few events that our women's program holds to help add to the Laura Meikle-Koch Campaign during the year.

The next big event is the Laura Meikle-Koch Happy Hour at Cavanaugh's Restaurant & Sports Bar.  Details are all spelled out on the Facebook Event Page, but I'm so nice I copied them here for Leland and anyone else who is too much of a recluse to have Facebook.  You really can't have a better cause to donate to, so please plan ahead and make the effort to attend if you can.  It's a great cause & a great time, so why not!

Laura Meikle-Koch Alumni Happy Hour!
Saturday, December 11
6:30pm - 9:30pm

Cavanaugh's University City

39th and Sansom, Philadelphia, PA

This year's Laura Meikle-Koch Fundraiser Happy Hour will be held on Saturday, December 11th from 6:30-9:30 p.m. At the request of many, we have moved the happy hour back on campus and will have it at Cavanaugh's in University City. In addition, the athletics department is giving away free tickets to the men's basketball game at 4 p.m. that day to anyone that pays ahead of time. Please come out and see our guys take on Rider, check out the new recreation center and most importantly, come honor the memory of Laura Meikle-Koch, a former member of the Drexel Women's Soccer team. All proceeds go toward the Laura Meikle-Koch Locker Room Restoration fund. Tickets include a three hour open bar for only $30 ahead of time ($35 at the door). Please come out and support a great cause, catch up with fellow alumni and teammates! Look forward to seeing you then!

 - Any questions please direct to Jaclyn Barrett @ Jrb72@drexel.edu or call 267-679-9243  

NCAA Bracket-Watch, Round-3!

That's it then.  The last remaining CAA team has been eliminated from the NCAA tournament.  A decent run for William & Mary saw them knocked out in the Sweet Sixteen by Southern Methodist, with a score of 1-0 last night.  Both CAA team's each picked up one win and one loss in the big dance this year.  Old Dominion beat UVA in the first round then lost in the second round to Penn State.  William & Mary got a round further but only because of their first round bye, they beat UMBC in the second round then lost to SMU in the round of sixteen.  A decent showing for the CAA, but nothing spectacular.

Check out tribeathletics.com for the official game recap and box score as well as CAASports.com for their official write-up.   

NCAA Bracket-Watch, Round 2!

The CAA's two representatives in the NCAA Tournament part ways in the second round.  Old Dominion, who is coming off a stunning victory over last year's NCAA Champions UVA, crashes out in the second round.  While William & Mary narrowly escapes the second round after being afforded the luxury of a first round bye.

Old Dominion, probably still high off their win over UVA on Friday, was unable to keep their buzz going as they traveled to Penn State yesterday.  A 4-1 loss on the road was probably expected for a team that barely made it into the tournament to begin with, having missed out on the CAA playoffs at 5th on the table.  They legitimized their at-large bid for sure with the shocking 1-0 victory over UVA, but were brought right back down to earth when The Nittany Lions had there way with the Monarchs in the second round.  

William & Mary legitimized their automatic bid and first round bye by knocking off a tough UMBC side.  While not nearly as convincing as the last game the tribe played, the 4-0 win over Hofstra in the CAA final, a 0-0 (4-3 on PKs) was good enough to see them through to the sweet sixteen.  Now the only remaining CAA team in the big dance, William & Mary will recover and get ready to tango with Southern Methodist in Dallas next Sunday.  Or maybe its the Cotton Eyed Joe, I don't think they tango in Dallas...

Check out NCAA.com for full championship bracket & read the post game write-ups for both W&M and ODU on their respective sites.    

NCAA Bracket-Watch, Round-1!

ODU Monarchs!  The first round of the Men's Soccer NCAA Tournament has finished.  Last night's action was in danger of going unfortunately unnoticed by many college soccer fans.  Being nearly eclipsed by the drama and hype surrounding Round-1 of the final Harry Potter movie the NCAA Tournament was brought right back to the front page by one of Drexel's classic CAA rivals.  While William & Mary got to rest the first round of the tournament, sitting high on their CAA Champ automatic-bid, Old Dominion (the only other team to make it in from the CAA) made the best of one of the toughest draws in the bracket.  The Monarchs were stuck facing The University of Virginia, last years NCAA Champions, on the road in Charlottesville VA.  

They will certainly get good reviews for that one!  A 1-0 win bumps ODU's all-time NCAA playoff record to 7-9 and advances them to the 2nd round of the tournament (the 3rd straight year in a row they have done so...).  While in previous years you would have assumed that Old Dominion would get into the tournament and do well, 2010 was not a year to win a bet on that same assumption.  Old Dominion finished tied for 4th in the 2010 CAA table and didn't even make the playoffs by virtue of a head-to-head loss to Delaware.  Talk about a roller coaster!  Going from essentially 5th place in the CAA, because of a loss to one of the perpetually poorest teams in the CAA (That's UDel), to a surprise bid in the NCAA Tournament where they snatched a win from the defending NCAA Champions!  Harry Potter, sorry, but as good as Round-1 of The Deathly Hallows was (and it was good...) you got nothing on The Old Dominion Monarchs as far as cinematic drama.

Check out the official write up on UVA's website as well as ODU's and on CAASports.com.  You might find a bit of irony as well in the post NCAA bracket selection blog.  

Old Dominion and William & Mary both get right back to NCAA action on the 21st.  This Sunday, Old Dominion will travel to Penn State for a 2:00pm game and William & Mary will play host to UMBC at 5:00pm.  

Playoffs!?

Yeah Jimmy I wanna talk about playoffs... So there we have it, CAA Playoffs are over and its the end of the road for the majority of the men's soccer teams in the CAA on the long 2010 campaign.  For some the road wasn't so kind, Drexel is among these poor and weary travelers.  We finished dead last in the CAA for the second year in a row, making it ever harder to cling to the recent successes of the 2007 and 2008 seasons.  As depressing as that may seem, that will certainly not stop The Ineligibles from keeping up the usual nonsense, that is for certain.

For other teams though the road was less cruel than it was for the Dragons.  William & Mary finished their CAA season first in the conference, allowing them to play both of the CAA playoff matches at home in Williamsburg VA.  The Tribe took full advantage of the home playoff schedule by first knocking off Delaware in a double OT thriller in the semi-finals.  Thank god for that! Can you think of anything more depressing than Drexel finishing last in the CAA -AND- Delaware making it to the finals?  We may have shot ourselves in the foot plenty of times all season, but at least we dodged that bullet, thank you W&M.  The Tribe then went on to embarrass Hofstra in the finals with a 4-0 ass-kicking in Williamsburg earlier today solidifying their automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Check out the official CAA write up and nifty video after the semi-finals on CAAsports.com.
Check out the official CAA write up of the final game on CAAsports.com.  

Not quite sure yet how the 4-0 spanking of Hofstra in the final will play in the at-large bidding scene for the NCAA tournament... Usually when a conference like the CAA has so much parity (that's "evenness") as many as 4 or even more teams can get bids to the NCAA Tournament.  That being said the playoff parody (that's Hofstra's performance in the final game...) may tip the scales away from granting any other team an at-large bid to the tournament.  It may be the case that William & Mary solidified themselves as top dog and essentially screwed everyone else out of a chance to compete in the NCAA's.  Regardless of how it pans out, the only thing Drexel should really worry about is rooting for William & Mary when the big dance rolls around.  As much as it sucks to cheer for a team out of your conference, its in Drexel's best interest if The Tribe do well.. That whole "The enemy of my enemy is my friend" business doesn't really apply here.  The more success that more CAA teams have, the more recognition the CAA and its other teams get nationwide, even the ones at the bottom.

Visit NCAA.com for Tournament Central on Division I Men's Soccer action.

Some more Drexel specific post-season news is the 2 All-Conference selections that The Dragons received, despite their late season drop off.  Two of my favorite players Nathan "Gerrard" Page & freshman Ken Tribbet each received All-CAA honors.  #8 Nate Page (aka the only Englishmen ever to come to Drexel that didn't bring along an insatiable lust for loose women) was honored with a Second-Team All-CAA award in just his sophomore season in West Philly.  #16 Kenny Tribbet snatched up a CAA All-Rookie Team in his first go around at Vidas Field.  Two of the most solid performers in the midfield for The Dragons all season, these boys deserved the recognition.  Congrats gentlemen!

Check out the official write up on drexeldragons.com
Visit CAAsports.com for the full list of 2010 All-CAA selections.

That's a Wrap!

Stolle, Cory, Justin, Buzz, Max, Vignola, Nate, Baf, Thiago

Last Saturday Drexel displayed more heart, grit and determination than the fans at Vidas have seen from them all season.  Almost every senior honored got the starting nod and a hefty dose of overdue playing time.  The only senior missing out was the injured Max Crockett.  The end product of the night was a hard fought match with one of the premier teams in the CAA where Drexel came up just short of a victory due to a pair of truly unfairly accurate ODU srtikes.  Seniors Cory Rohlfsen and Andrew Stolle played particularly well for The Dragons in the 3-2 loss to Old Dominion.  All of the seniors had great games, to the point where you have to ask yourself why these guys didn't see more of the pitch all season?  

Man of the Match:  This one was tough.  Cory Rohlfsen certainly made a case for himself tearing it up down the right flank and getting himself a slick back-heal goal, the first of his career.  Andrew Stolle made his effort clear as well, an absolute workhorse in the center of the park Stolle was winning tackles and solidifying the backbone of the team all game.  Seeing as it was senior day and we're all about sunbeams and rainbows here on The Ineligibles... I'm giving it to both of them.  Way to finish boys.

"POOP SQUAD" Player of the Game:  I knew this one before the game even started.  Just after the senior presentations and before the starting lineups were even announced this clown solidified his place among the Poop Squad Legends.  Thiago "Fabino Chicharito Messi" Assumpcao is Poop Squad Player of the Game on a senior day that wasn't really even his. Asking our administration to go out of their way to involve him in the senior day ceremony is fair enough for Thiago, who had missed 2 seasons due to 2 successive ACL tears.  However, indulging in this ceremony then collecting the framed action photo and alumni scarf before (excuse my language pretty please...) F@%KING OFF to go out drinking for the night all before the game even started...  ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?  I made my frustration with this kind of behavior clear at the various alumni events after the game at a few bars and the only response I received was exactly what I expected... "(disappointed head shake) classic Thiago..." Fabio would not approve.

Check out the official game recap and box score on drexeldragons.com.

With no more games to look forward to for the Vidas Field faithful, its time now for thank yous and appreciation.  With a long off season there will certainly be time to get into the end-season outlook & CAA playoff news as well as talk more about all the off season comings and goings - the banquet, alumni events, recruiting etc., so we can take a break from the buzz for just a little bit.  

I do want to add a special and sincere thank you to Cavanaugh's Restaurant & Sports Bar!  Cavanaugh's, or "Classy Cav's" as many of its faithful patrons over the years have dubbed it, has been serving the university city community for way longer than I care to research.  So as you roam around university city grabbing a few beers, watching a game or jumping in on college nights on Wednesdays make sure you stop by Cavanaugh's over on 119th South 39th Street (@ Sansom St.), and show your support for our #1 sponsor of The Ineligibles.  Cavanaugh's has done wonders in helping to get The Ineligibles off the ground since we started in 2009 and on behalf of all of us we would like to extend this Thank You!

Senior Tributes, Class of 2010

That's right its finally here! Children of all ages, boys & girls and whatever Kyle wants to be called after his surgery... November is upon us and the beautiful fall weather is in full swing!  With the final match of the 2010 CAA regular season fast approaching, we will soon have a new class of Alumni to welcome into The Ineligibles.

After an epic end-season suicide dive to the dog house of the CAA the only remaining game for our boys in the blue and gold is an exciting Senior Day match up this Saturday at 7:00pm vs. Old Dominion.  While Vidas Athletic Complex will also play host to the CAA Field Hockey Championships this weekend, the prime event as far as The Ineligibles are concerned will be taking place on the actual Vidas Field.  Senior day for the guys is always a great time.  Regardless of the result, it's a time to get together and celebrate Drexel Soccer as well as honor the careers and efforts of a new class of players.    

Cory "Baby Face" Rohlfsen:  Thought I'd start with the little guy, no not Buzz.  This towering 6'2", 175lb. beast is just about as intimidating as a Tickle-Me Elmo.  A defensive midfielder with a sexy smooth touch who, although he often forgot which way he was going himself, could make even the best of defenders look like they just walked off the tea-cups ride at Disney World.  All the best that the Midwest has to offer, Baby Face is as genuine a kid as your gonna find.  Winner of the "Tits-Magee" award for the best bench press in the weight room Cory is our second favorite Omaha Nebraska native (after The Counting Crows).  We are thrilled to welcome him into the ranks of The Ineligibles.  

Tony "The Ringer" Bafile:  My man has seen it all.  With a playing career length rivaled by very few.  Anthony Bafile has seen Drexel Soccer go full circle.  From a dismal freshman year for the team in 2006, an identity changing 2 years in 2007 and 2008, the epic collapse in 2009 and finally in the painful rebuilding of 2010.  Throughout it all Baf has proved to be an ever present solid contributor in the Drexel midfield.  "Defend for Fabio, 'ok'.. Be the play maker, 'you got it boss'.. Lead the team in assists, 'no problem'.. Be a leader from the bench, 'only if I can listen to Bob Marley in the locker room'.. Play right back for us, 'ill give it a shot'.." Baf has played with players as old as Kwesi Hakim Klass and Grandpa Dom Balsamo to players as young as Ken Tribbet and Manny Cazares, & they ALL respect him.  It feels more like an overdue official notarization than an initial welcoming into The Ineligibles for this 3 year captain, Mr. Reliable, Anthony Bafile.    

    

Dan Vignola:  The Pike prodigy.  The only player in Drexel Soccer history to make it back on the squad after joining the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity.  Just about every player ever to get cut from the varsity team had joined Pike not a month before that.  Vignola is the special exception.  Although he did get cut his freshman year from the team and then joined Pike.. (a near death sentence for his soccer career) Vigs has miraculously made his way back into the squad and even snagged more than his share of playing time, especially his senior year where he scored his first career goal as a right back the other week against Northeastern.  A model on the side (easy ladies..) and an all around good guy, we are happy to bring Danny Vigs along.  

  

Justin Johnson:  Mr. Adidas, never a Nike swoosh in site.  This guys owns more clothes than I ever have in my entire life.  Never mind the shoes! I was gonna start with "more shoes than his girlfriend", but I think its actually more like "more shoes than everyone's girlfriend on the team combined plus a few alumni and next year's recruiting class."  At some point it becomes a fetish.. like the point where you own a "Ms. Piggy Edition" of casual Adidas sneakers.. as a straight college male.  Aside from the whole "he'll never be able to buy a house that doesn't have 6 walk-in closets" thing J.J. is as normal a guy as you'll meet.  My roommate for about 2 years this master skier is a gritty defender who works as hard as anyone during practice or games.  It's about time man, I'm buying your first beer as one of The Ineligibles.
    

Bryan "Buzz" Conzentino:  The actual little guy, although I think he'd beat out Cory in a tackle most of the time.  A Bryan after my own heart, especially because no one would ever know either of us were actually named Bryan.  Came to Drexel with a super sweet Hobbit mini-fro, that made him look even younger (as if thats even possible). An offensive midfielder with great vision and a few of those little tricks only the tiny guys can pull off, Cole Feffer I'm lookin at you.  For the little guys on the team Buzz was never on the "No Tackle" list (Fabio, Thiago, Cole, etc..).  He could take his fair share of hits and dish them out as well.  You're never disappointed to have Buzz in the room, and we can't wait to welcome Buzz into the group.

Nate "Trigger Toe" Baker:  You never had to tell this guy to shoot the ball thats for damn sure.  Happy to swing at a ball that most guys would hesitate to think was even in their possession, Nate is a born striker.  Quick as anyone on the pitch, it never really looks like he's even trying to run that fast at all.  A die-hard Boston sports fan who tends to be a little hot-headed, but we love him anyway.  I'm not so sure he pulled on his Lew Meehl tribute mustache in his senior photo (left) but that won't stop me from extending an official, actually an "unofficial" (because everything we do here is unofficial.. sarcasm intended)  invitation to Nate Baker to become a regular correspondent and guest poster on The Ineligibles blogpage.  After all, as good as I am I can't keep this up forever..  Welcome to the dark side Nate, I think you'll enjoy yourself quite a bit over here.
 

Andrew Stolle:  It took till his senior year for most of the team to figure out it was pronounced {stawl-ee} not {stoh-lee], (by the way it took forever to look that up..)  Just like Justin and Buzz, its much harder to write material on Andrew Stolle.  He's a relatively normal guy with a good sense of humor.  Maybe that makes him a little odd on the Drexel Soccer team... we certainly have collected a bunch of characters over the years.  As a player Stolle never complains much openly, just does his thing.  A hard working outside midfielder thats gets everyone with a perfectly executed stop-and-go about a hundred times a game.  I'm sure everyone (except Nedbal) is thrilled that Stolle is joining The Ineligibles this year.    

David Maxwell "The Rocket" Crocket:  Max is an absolute fan favorite.  As talented an athlete as you will find with the apparent self control of a crash test dummy.  Max has completely mastered the art of comedy so beautifully that his entire life appears to be one big sketch from Saturday Night Live.  One minute he's leapfrogging a kid on the field in the middle of a CAA game, the next he's dry humping Burgess in the back of the head when Lew isn't looking at practice.  Whether it's getting a lap dance from the coaches daughter, or just strolling around campus in boots and lacrosse shorts its always a good bet that at any given point simply asking "What is Max up to?" will get you a good solid laugh as a response.  Max can often be found throwing a lax ball at the wall before practice.. soccer practice.. or walking around by himself ranting about some encounter that's got him infuriated.  To the unsuspecting acquaintance he would appear to be Drexel Soccer's biggest space cadet, a true lax bro, or just an air-head but to those of us who have spent a little time talking to the kid its more like he's one of the funniest, down to earth kids you've ever met in your life.  He just operates a little different than the rest of us...  

  

Thiago "Fabino Chicharito Messi" Assumpcao:  The 1-season wonder!  This little bastard has had more ACL surgeries than season's played for Drexel Soccer.  He drinks more screwdrivers in a night than girls that Reber & Fisch hook up with in a year combined!  The "Sao Paulo Hurricane" is a walking administrative headache with an accent as thick as molasses.  Bow legged beyond comprehension, 80s mullet bigger than the legal limit, & laundry list of angry boyfriends wanting to whoop his ass for sleeping with their girlfriends, this guy doesn't go out for the night without ending up at an after hours bar downtown.  More importantly, he doesn't have a losing season... That's right, when Thiago is healthy Drexel win's games.  He finished his eligibility officially between 2008 and 2009.  In fact, his only full year played was in 2007, where Drexel was the best team we've seen in years capturing a CAA regular season title.  As a player he was more like Lionel Messi than Chicharito, just like he is more one of The Ineligibles than a 2010 senior but we thought we give him this unofficial honor anyway.

Gentlemen, thanks for you efforts and commitment to the program over the years.  You made it, you survived, now enjoy yourselves!  Welcome to The Ineligibles.

Drexel kicks off at 7:00pm tonight at Vidas Field.  Come join us in the parking lot around 4:30pm for some free food and appropriate beverages supplied as always by Cavanaugh's Restaurant & Sports Bar.  Official pre-game write up is on drexeldragons.com and you can follow the live stats online if you can't make it to the game.