A Winning Legacy

Bryheem Hancock could only lay on the ground in disbelief for several minutes. Ray Reid had to go over to console Hancock and pick him up off the ground.

Mansour Ndiaye could not hold the tears back during the press conference after the game.

Chris Gbandi, Sam Forko, Eric Soares and David Castellanos could only sit on the sidelines and watch Rutgers celebrate on their home field.

The dream for a repeat was over for the 2000 defending national champions. These six seniors knew that there would be no next times. There was nothing they could do as their careers came to an abrupt end.

The Scarlet Knights ended that dream when they scored the game-winning goal with less than eight minutes gone by in the third overtime of last Sunday's NCAA Tournament game.

For this senior class, it was not suppose to end this way. In a perfect world, they were supposed to go to Columbus, Ohio next month and win another national championship.

It just was not meant to be.

In hindsight, this senior class has a lot to be proud of. They brought Connecticut soccer back to life after a decade absence from the national spotlight. They had an astounding four-year record of 71 wins, 17 losses and four ties.

They were the first class to play in four NCAA Tournaments since the late 1980s. They advanced to two College Cups and they won last season's national championship.

They won the Big East regular season title for four straight years. This was a quite an accomplishment as the competition in the league grew tougher and tougher. They also won the 1998 Big East Tournament.

This was also first class to have success in the national polls. They were ranked number one at some point during the season for the last four years.

As Reid noted, he wishes all of his senior classes could have the same success as this class.

"They put Connecticut soccer back on the map," Reid said. "They should be proud of what they accomplished. I know I am, as people and as players. All senior classes should have the success this group had."

Their could have been a lot of what ifs and could haves, but it was straight talk as the Huskies approached each game. A lot of credit had to go to Reid and his coaching staff to instill the value into their senior to be leaders.

This team could have given up at any time this season, but they refused. They played with the hand that they were dealt and won.

They started the year with several new players and the lost of Rui Fernandas, a key player from last season, to an ACL injury. Then when the season started, they were forced to play without Gbandi, the best player in the country, due to a NCAA suspension for an eligibility violation.

But the five other seniors refused to let their team to give in.

Then another blow to the Huskies came as they lost Cesar Cuellar, their best offensive player, to an ACL injury in game against Villanova. The senior class did not allow their team to pack it in as the season started out tough, but this only helped build tighter bonds as they gelled as a team.

They looked toward the horizon and they saw that brighter days were in the future.

Gbandi came back from his suspension and he was joined by freshman Shavar Thomas to bolster the defense.

The Huskies seemed to be back to full strength and near last season's form. Teams could not score against them as they just opted to play defense.

As the postseason approached, they lost Gbandi to a season-ending injury, but it seemed that everything was going to be okay. They played without him before and now they had the confidence to try to complete their dream without him.

And they almost did.

However, the ultimate downfall to the Huskies was their inability to score.

For the past several weeks, they showed that they were the best team in the country. They locked up opponents and they were going to win a lot of one-goal games.

On the other hand, it was their inability to put the ball into the net to get that first goal and put opponents away.

The object of soccer is to score in order to win games. They just did not have that one-two punch from last season, and this was the area that they missed Gbandi and Cuellar the most.

A lot credit has to go to the senior class for preserving a legacy of winning and of making the best of every situation. These were six tough men that did not give up when things got hard, but to only make the best of any situation.

They have a right to be upset that they fell short of their goals, but it is just a shame that they could not play together for Connecticut one last time.

As the UConn men's soccer program continues grows under the leadership of Reid, the winning legacy of this senior class of 2001 should be passed on to all future UConn teams. They should learn how to face adversity and win.