Editor's note: This is the third in a series of articles profiling members of the Class of 2004 on Dartmouth varsity sports teams.
Participating in intercollegiate athletics is generally considered to be an exciting experience. However, it is highly unlikely that the men's soccer Class of 2004 bargained on the excitement that has marked the first two years of their Dartmouth careers. Indeed, it seems that the '04s encountered excitement from the beginning of their careers.
"Coming into a Division 1 varsity sport, I think a lot of us had dreams of playing that atmosphere," said forward Matt Labarre '04, "and I think that all of us had a pretty good freshman year. We all got to play as freshmen. At some schools, that's very rare to have a freshman start, or even get on the field, and also, we notched some goals, and our team went to the NCAA tournament, which was a real good accomplishment for our first year in school."
Labarre had an impressive accomplishment in his own right, as his 20 points " the most ever by a Dartmouth freshman " made him the fifth freshman in team history to lead the team in scoring. Labarre's Ivy Rookie of the Year season was the highlight of a strong freshman effort that played a major role in the team's 12-6 season and subsequent NCAA tournament appearance.
However, there was a different sort of excitement to come after the end of the 2000 season, which saw the team suffer a 3-0 defeat to the University of Connecticut.
On February 5, 2001, then-head coach Fran O'Leary was announced as the new head coach at George Mason University, leaving Dartmouth after seven seasons. Labarre described the news as "very much a surprise for all of us.
"We still don't know the details surrounding why he left. I think he just felt it was time to go, move up a level. It's hard to coach in the Ivy League because you can't give scholarships. It's very hard recruiting. Kids have to meet a certain academic standard, which other schools don't have to deal with that, and I think it's really tough for an Ivy League coach in terms of recruiting and staying at that competitive level."
Following O'Leary's departure, former Big Green assistant Jeff Cook left his head coaching position at the University of Cincinnati to return to Hanover. However, as forward Rob Daly '04 points out, "With a new coach, there's always an adjustment process." According to Labarre, the coaching change was particularly tough on the Class of 2005, "I think that for the ['05s], who were originally recruited by Fran, and made the decision to come to Dartmouth thinking that they were going to be coached by Fran, they had a tough time adjusting to [the fact] that they had a coach who they hadn't talked to much before.
"At first, I think they were a little [uneasy] about the situation," Labarre added. A general sense of uneasiness permeated the beginning of the 2001 campaign, as the team struggled initially under Cook. However, according to Labarre, "halfway through the season, things started to click and things really started coming together, and I think we started to gel with our coach a little more." The result was a more confident Big Green squad that won or tied in six of its last seven games. The '04s are anxious to continue that kind of success in their final two seasons.
As the '04s join the veteran half of the team, they will look to pass on the benefit of their experience to the '06s and eventually the '07s as well. When asked what they will attempt to communicate, midfielder Damien Quinn '04 said, "I thing the biggest thing about our team is that when we do well is when we work hard together, and as long as we get that across early on [we should do well]."
While the '04s become the veterans of the team, the leaders will be co-captains Matt Miller '03 and Thomas Billings '03. Labarre is particularly excited to have Billings leading the team.
"[Billings has] gone through 3 ACL surgeries," said Labarre, "and it's been a real tough 3 years for him, having to deal with these surgeries. But having [Billings] at the helm is kind of an inspiration for all of us, because his attitude's just been unbelievable. He's well respected by everyone on the team. If you get a chance to talk to him, he's just the most amazing motivational kid, especially in terms of balancing soccer and school. He's always been there for us when we've needed help."
Another source of excitement for the team is an upcoming preseason trip. "We're going to Scotland for two weeks for preseason," said Quinn, "so we'll get a good amount of games, and I think we'll gel together, and then we'll come back to the Ivies and just dominate."
Talks of domination might be premature, but with the valuable experience of a trip to Scotland, the addition of a talented crop of freshmen, and a year with Coach Cook under their belts, the sky appears to be the limit for the Big Green soccer '04s.