Show In 0 i. i Left LeftField Field By Corey Bullock Sports Editor The only audible sound in the rented van mini-van was the low hiss of the heater The van bounced up and down as it crossed some railroad tracks The sound of the heater grew more noticeable as it began to take effect warming the rain drenched bodies that were inside Although the chilled bodies were warming up the spirits that inhabited those bodies were not The van was one of carrying the Mens Men's Soccer Team back to their hotel after losing in the quarterfinal quarterfinal quarterfinal of the National Soccer Championships The Bruins dropped a 1 0 decision to the defending defending defending defend defend- ing national champion the Purdue Boilermakers As the scenery rushed by outside it was all a blur as the five players stared vacantly reflecting on what had transpired over the past three days For some of the players the game that had just ended was their c last in in an uniform Some had been with the team since its inception three years ago For some they were just beginning their college playing days All of those thoughts rushed through their minds as they rehashed a game that they dominated and lost Their stares were vacant but mean mean- Their faces wet whether from the rain ram or tears I dont don't know Fondly they remembered three days ago when they were the considerable considerable considerable consid consid- erable underdogs in a tournament dominated by four year universities Vengefully they thought of the lack of respect they received from an Indiana team before their opening match They promptly preceded to post a 0 5 win over the Hoosiers Amazingly they remembered how they became the Cinderella Story of the tournament after posting two more wins over Oregon and Wichita State Yet all the while the thorn in their side was the painful loss to Purdue They thought about the many things they could have done to win the game They pondered the fact that they dominated all but five minutes minutes minutes min min- utes of the game They meditated all of the shots they had on goal that went wide or hit the cross bar Most of all they wondered how it hap hap- They wondered how three years had gone by so quickly They contemplated contemplated contemplated con con- how in three short years they had seen their program grow from nom nothing to national prominence They reflected on the inevitable question What now Back to school and work Back to becoming faces in the crowd However the most important thing that they didn't realize was that for one weekend they turned heads For a few short days they were the talk of the town in Austin People showed up to watch and see if all of they had heard about was for real They had gained national respect Indiana players asked if planned on moving up to play in Division 1 next year No we are only a community college was the reply Three days ago they were virtual unknowns now everyone was talking talking talking talk talk- ing about how they sc scored red five goals goalson on a Division 1 goalkeeper who played for Indiana Everyone was impressed how they were five minutes minutes minutes min min- utes away from beating a Purdue team where most of their players were on soccer scholarships They impressed the organizers of the tour- tour i BBB with their sportsmanship and their talent Therefore when the players coaches and fans reflect on what happened in Austin this past weekend weekend weekend week week- end they will remember beating Indiana Oregon and Wichita State They will remember the pain of the loss but hopefully they will remember remember remember ber that they competed with the best teams in the nation To that I add well done gentleman well done |