Soccer Seasons Coming to a Close

The men's and women's soccer teams are nearing the end of what has proven to be tough seasons for both the teams.

The men's team has struggled and have only four wins with just three remaining games on their schedule.

The men have won two of their last three, with senior forward Shire Stadnes scoring game winning goals in overtime in both their wins, earning the Mid Atlantic Conference Player of the Week honors in the process.

The women's team also started the season off slow, but have won five of their last six games, all of which were conference games. They play conference rival FIU at 7pm in Boca Raton on Halloween night to end their regular season.

While I sat in on last Wednesday's Owl Radio Sports Hour, which airs from 1-2 pm and replays 2-3pm (and I will be hosting next Wednesday), women's head coach Brian Dooley came in to talk about their recent success. He said that in nearly every loss the lady's had one or two mistakes that cost them the game and it's not their talent, but their couple of miscues for why they had been struggling.

In recent weeks, the Lady Owls have phased out their early season mistakes and strung together an impressive winning streak building up momentum going into their conference tournament.

Conference Tournaments start for both men's and women's soccer in early November.

Fooouuurrrr....Months Until the Next Golf Tournament?

FAU's golf teams have a wacky schedule.

Both the men's and women's teams play in Deland, FL for the Stetson Invitational at the beginning of next week.

They've played a couple of tournaments already this year, and have done pretty well. Men's finished second and women's finished sixth in their last tournaments.

Sometimes the two teams play against their same gender at the same tournament, but other times they play in separate tournaments.

Even weirder than that is the fact that after next weeks tournament, they will be having almost a four month break. The men's schedule says they don't play again until early February, and the women's schedule says they are off until late February.

Makes it tough to build up any type of momentum.

Running Into The Sun Belt Championships

This weekend the men's and women's cross country teams are off to Bowling Green, Kentucky for this years Sun Belt Championship.

Saturday, Nov. 1 is the big day. FAU has fared well on the season and both teams finished second overall in their last tournament.

Juniors Taylor Reeves and Stephen Dassin are what to watch for. Reeves has multiple wins on the year and Dassin was one of FAU's top finishers in last years championships.

Carlos Monroe Named A Pre-Season All American

The starting power-forward for the Owls men's basketball team, Carlos Monroe, is a pre-season All American.

The school's all time leading re-bounder is also on pace to become the school's all time leading scorer by this seasons end.

The team starts their season against Lynn University in a preseason match up on Wednesday, Nov. 5 at 7 pm at the newly renovated Burrow, that I would have to say is looking like a respectable basketball arena now with built in seats on both sides of the court, instead of only one side having built in seats and the other having movable bleachers like had been the case in the past.

Hopefully the accolades Monroe has received won't affect his play. Quarterback Rusty Smith received similar honors as the Sun-Belt preseason player of the year, and that hasn't worked out so hot for him.

Last time I spoke with Monroe, he hurt his foot in practice, but he said it was no big deal and he's fine. We'll see how that pans out in the weeks to come.

New head coach Mike Jarvis has had the big men working on the old school sky hook, something Monroe says he won't be using in games, but some of the other big men said they might use it. That's something to keep an eye on.

There will be more on that when I finish the video I'm putting together about Jarvis attending his former player Patrick Ewing's Hall of Fame induction speech.

With both Jarvis and Monroe, it promises to be an interesting year.

Owls Survive in War Versus the Warhawks

Revenge never tasted so sweet! FAU's only conference loss came to ULM last year, and this year's game against the Warhawks went all the way down to the last minute, and what a war it was.

Just when it looked like all hope was lost on the season, the Owls QB reminded us fans why we had the slogan "In Rusty We Trust" last year.

He led the offense on an Elway like drive down the field with only 1:40 left in the game, capping it off with an ever so familiar Smith to Gent touchdown. Center Nick Paris said there isn't anyone he would rather have behind him leading a drive in the last two minutes of a game.

Still there was a plentiful of mistakes. Smith threw two more interceptions, that puts him on 11 for the year and he only had nine all of last season. The Owls committed 10 penalties that totaled 136 yards. Then there's probably the most recognizable play we've seen out of the Owls this season, the dropped pass.

Rusty's numbers have declined since last year, but a big reason is because his receivers can't seem to hold on to the pigskin. If Gent would have dropped that game winning touchdown catch, I don't think he would have been allowed back on campus. The athletic department may want to keep their eyes on him because how it's going he might just start dropping classes soon, too.

On a positive note, the defense looked a lot better. Hancock got another sack and also recovered a fumble. The Owls still have a chance at becoming bowl eligible and an outside shot at the Sun Belt title if they win out and some conference opponents lose a couple games.

It's time for Owl country to get back into the winning spirit. The homecoming game is against winless North Texas on November 8.

Notes: Word out of Boca today is the offensive line's leader John Rizzo will be out for the rest of the season after suffering a knee injury in Saturday's win against the Warhawks.

FAU has a bye this week

The Fix is In, Elite XC Is Out...of Money

Ohhh boy! Makes it look even more like a fix now!

Since Kimbo Slice's knockout by a guy my size, the company that put together the fight, the Elite XC, has gone bankrupt.

It just reiterates my, and many others, thoughts on how this fight looked to be fixed. And Seth Petruzelli telling one of his hometown (Orlando) radio stations that he was told before the fight that it would be "worth his while" to keep the fight from being a ground game, keeping it standing up, which is Kimbo's strength, doesn't help how it looks.

Even though Petruzelli knocked Slice out while listening to the Elite XC employees, it still seems that Kimbo could have been in on a fix. Even though he doesn't seem he would want to ruin his reputation of being a tough street brawler for any amount of money, it still is a possibility.

Think about it, Kimbo will fight again if he wants to. He'll get picked up by any Mixed Martial Arts Company out there, if not merely for his skill and potential, but for the revenue and attention he brings to the sport.

With that in mind, Kimbo could have easily been in on a bet with the Elite XC employees for Petruzelli, which I'm sure would have been a handsome reward with Slice being the heavy favorite in the fight. With the employees knowing before the fight that soon the company would be going bankrupt, they saw this as an opportunity to relinquish some of their losses.

And with talks right after the fight of how Slice's reputation hasn't been tarnished because he is known for fighting anyone anywhere at anytime, which he still did, Slice could take the money and run and be confident he can still fight whenever he wants for another big money making event with his reputation still in tact.

The fight is under investigation. Money, fraud, and suspicion; ahh the world of professional fighting. Boxing has a new opponent in the competition for most crooked sports.

Survival and Revenge Time for the Owls

The Owls are playing in Monroe, Louisiana tonight to face the Warhocks. FAU looks to win tonight's war and get revenge from last year's triple over time lost against their conference opponent, ULM.

There will be a battle tonight between the two, with the Owls looking for revenge against the team that gave them their only loss in conference play last year. Both teams have also had disappointing seasons and are looking to rebound to stay bowl eligible and remain in the hunt for the Sun Belt Conference Championship.

In my opinion, FAU's only chance at putting together some sort of winning streak to try and accomplish some what of a miracle in successfully defending their conference title is by starting with the running attack. Pierre, FAU's leading rusher in school history, looks to be back in his groove and nearly 100% recovered from that nagging toe injury. Word is, the Owls are thinking the same way I am and are going to showcase their running game tonight.

Regaining a good running attack will cause the defense to bring more men in the box, which will leave Rusty more passing lanes to throw through, something he has needed more of this year.

As long as the D shows up this week, and the special teams stays strong, the Owls should get their revenge.

What the heck, here's a prediction, too. FAU 20 ULM 14

Still No Where Near Over the Top of the Hill

Owls football (2-5) finally came up with another victory on the season, ending a 4 game losing streak by defeating the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. The main reason for the win was Charles Pierre's, who's been battling turf toe, breakout performance, setting school records in both single game rushing yards, 192 yards, and the longest run from scrimmage, 74 yards.

But don't rush to any conclusions, the Owls are no where near the top of the hill. Both wins have come against Division I-AA schools.

The running attack was utilized the most at any time this season with 44 total rushing attempts. The previous games this season were mostly comprised of not much rushing, really taking a pass on the run, and relying on Rusty's arm to lead the Owls to glory, problem is Rusty throwing arm has looked rather, well, rusty.

Another issue throughout the whole season is the Owls D. As good a game as the Owls had rushing , they still didn't have more yards on the ground than the Hilltoppers, who had 240 rushing yards in the game. It's a step back for the defense, which had been improving in recent weeks.

All in all, at least it's a win and with 5 conference games still left on the schedule, as defensive end Michael Hancock said as I sat in on Owl Radio's Wednesday afternoon Sports Hour "Maybe we can string together some wins, and somehow still win the Sun Belt Conference."

Kimbo Slice Fight Suspected of Being Fixed!

I know this is an FAU blog, but I have to comment on this Kimbo fight.

There's finally an investigation into the fight becuase it's suspected of being a fix.

I knew it! There's no way possible that a guy about my size (5'11", 205 lbs.) can knock out Kimbo Slice, who's near 240 lbs. of all muscle, in 14 seconds when hitting Kimbo while leaning back.

I've seen Kimbo take a lot harder punches then that in his back yard brawls.

Seth Petruzelli, the guy who beat Mr. Slice as I like to call him, slipped up on an Orlando radio station's interview with him, saying before the fight promoters were trying to influence him on how to go about the fight.

I really hope it wasn't a fix, because it's terrible for not only their sport, but all sports. The love of sports comes the uncertainty of the outcome and watching opponents put their hearts into winning.

Don't break my heart, I like thinking that there's a possibility I could knock a guy out that's Kimbo's size.

Owls Know How to Swim, Too

The men's and women's swimming and diving teams have competed twice this year. Once on September 27th, the other on October 3rd. Both were at the FAU Boca Raton pool.

Improvements were made by some of the athletes, and they are looking for more improvements in their third event coming up on Saturday, Oct. 18th, again at the FAU pool.

After this event, the teams will not be competing at their home pool again until Saturday, Dec. 20th, so if you want to see some Owls that can swim any time soon, you better get out there in about a week because they won't be back competing near town for a while.

Men's and Women's Cross County Running Together

Cross County's men's and women's teams compete together, but not like a Co-Ed thing. They compete against their same gender versus other schools at the same events.

I guess it saves time on booking events and plane tickets.

Anyway, men's junior Taylor Reeves (above left) ran the 4 mile race to open the season, winning the first event of his career . Since then he has set the school record three strait weeks in the 8K race.

As the season has progressed, the teams have improved with multiple runners setting personal best times.

They are more than half way through their season and travel to Lake Buena Vista, FL for the Disney Classic on Saturday, Oct. 11th.

Mike Jarvis Takes the Helm

FAU mens basketball's new head coach, Mike Jarvis, wasn't as big as I expected him to be. I see him next to all these huge basketball players on TV, and he looks near their size, but when I went to interview him, I almost passed him in the hallway.

He looks big and mean when he's roaming the sidelines, but in real life he's a couple inches shorter and probably about 30 pounds less than me, and I'm just under 6 feet tall and weigh about 205 lbs!

His softer side shows when you talk to him. He's very religious and is always involved in his local church. Right now he attends Boca Raton's Spanish River Church and lives about ten minutes away form the campus.

If it weren't for him, Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing would have never started playing basketball. He persuaded Ewing into playing in high school.

Besides coach him, Jarvis also taught Ben Affleck and Matt Damon at Cambridge Rindge and Latin High.

You got an event you want to post online? Go to his website http://www.jarvistv.com/.

FAU basketball has had high profile basketball coaches before, but they weren't around very long. Jarvis says he's here to stay. It's time to get excited for another coaching legend at FAU.

To add to Jarvis, FAU also have a newly renovated basketball arena. The season starts in less than a month.

Men's Soccer Struggling For Some Wins

The Owls men's soccer team (2-8) will need a win in their Saturday, Oct. 11 home game against conference opponent Hartwick, to keep any hope in a winning season.

They have struggled this year, but have some promising players. Junior defense man Jordan Kelly (above right) is a left footed star who has been asked to play for the Jamaican National Soccer Team.

Head Coach Kos Donev is another one of those long tenured FAU coaches. But, for whatever reason, men's soccer is another sport FAU has been struggling in this year.

Even with an on campus field not many students are attending soccer games, or for that matter really anything other than American football. The easiest way to create some interest is with winning, something these guys haven't accomplished in the last six games on their schedule.

Eight Strait Years of Winning Seasons in Owls Women's Soccer Snapped

The eight year streak of winning seasons for the FAU Owls women's soccer team has been snapped. They have one win, eight losses, and one tie on the season.

Such a terrible start would usually call for the coach's head to roll, but not with this team. Their head coach, Brian Dooley, has a nearly flawless coaching resume with this season really being the only blemish.

Dooley's teams are known for their defense. Even just last year the Lady Owls only let up only 15 goals throughout the whole season, ending as one of the top defenses in the nation.

So what's happened? Well, for starters the defense has already let up 16 goals this year and it's only half way through the Lady Owls season. When you add that they only have scored five goals, you realize it's really been a dreadful overall performance.

They lost in overtime to UF, who was ranked 20th in the nation at that time, lost to USF in overtime, who was 4-2-2 at that time, and tied Western Kentucky, who was 6-0 at that time.

So, they have played well against the good teams, well, that is until their last game when they lost to Denver 4-0. Denver is 11-1-1 on the season.

On the bright side, the Owls (0-4 in conference games) have seven more coference games to try to salvage their season. And their is a chance at that because they have Dooley at the helm, who has proven he knows how to win.

Men's and Women's Opening Golf Tournaments

The golf season is in full swing at FAU. Both the men's and women's teams completed their first tournaments of the year in the first week of October.

Since I'm a gentlement, lady's first. They played in the Waterlefe Invitational in Bradenton, Florida. Five from each school's roster could take place in the event, and one of our five finished in second place. Senior Kimberly D' Andrea (above right) finished one under par. Her experience and improved play is something to watch for throughout the season.

The men's team played at the Mission Inn Intercollegiate Classic in Howie In The Hills, Florida. The five man roster they selected consisted of four sophmores and one freshman.

Angelo Sands, in his thrid year as the men's head coach, has one of the most perfect golf names in my opinion. Hopefully the golfers can stay out of the sands, aka bunkers, so they can have a successful season.

Owls are Over Hyped, And it's Not Even Debatable

I noticed myself watching the debate and waiting until the commercial to see what was going on as the the game went on. It started vice versa, but as we went down 27-10, I felt the debate was more important.

There's no debate about it, FAU football is disappointing and this year was more over hyped than Kimbo Slice. But, why wouldn't you believe Howard's words? He's so good at seeing talent. What happened? Help me Howard!

Lockhart, where the Owls play, is right down the street from my house, but after leaving my wine class early (hopefully the professor isn't reading this right now) I still couldn't bring myself to show up in person to watch these guys. It was for the same reason as why I didn't go to that Kimbo fight at the Bank Atlantic Center- there was something else more worth watching. During the Kimbo fight, it was Rampage Jackson fighting Forrest Griffin.

Something interesting with the Owls, though, is how the defense has improved. Problem is the offense and special teams look like my Northeast High Hurricanes when we went 0-10 one year.

I'll tell you, it's going to be hard to fill that new stadium up when the team playing in it is no good. And I'm sure Howard would like to leave his legacy of building programs from scratch into nationally recognized powerhouses untarnished.

Destroy Troy!

As the Troy Trojans come to town, Owl fans are wondering if we can wrap them up. Will we be able to keep them from busting through the middle? Can we stop them from hitting on all cylinders from every side and every angle? Can we seal them in, and keep them from a big day of (re)production?

Okay, that's enough with the jokes, but seriously, the Owls need a win here today to keep this season from being a lost cause. A conference title is still reachable with one loss, but two losses isn't very feasible. And anything other than a conference title is a step backwards for the program.

To compare the teams, the Trojans were the conference champions two years ago, and we are defending the Sun-Belt Conference title. We beat them last year, but they beat the MTSU Blue Raiders this year, and we are coming off a heart breaker against them.

It's time to lock the Trojans up in Lockhart. We must "Destroy Troy", as Student Government's slogan put it. We must, okay I'm done with the cliches, too.

Bottom line is we better shape up or ship out (sorry I lied about the cliches) because I know I won't be excited to watch this team play anymore with another loss. Rusty needs to return to last years form and the defense needs to keep going with it's improvement. If the football team wants to have their continued Owls supporters, they need to give us something worth supporting, because so far this year it's been embarrassing.

Oh, Hail No!

The whole black out thing didn't make any sense to me. Middle Tennessee State is called the Blue Raiders, so what was the purpose in the fans and team wearing black? Shouldn't they be wearing blue? I guess black looks cool when everyone is wearing it, but wouldn't blue look just as cool? Plus, looks don't win football games, just look at the Georgia v. Alabama blackout game.

Anyway, even with the Owls up 10-0 going into the fourth quarter I still had that uncomfortable feeling that our guys could pull it out. After all, we were on the road in a conference game so no matter who you are playing, or what the score is, the wackiest things seem to always happen.

And then it happened, in the last play of the game. With FAU up 13-7 the Blue Raiders had a Hail Mary's chance in winning. Then, from 45 yards out, up it went, I could remember my self yelling, "Just knock it down, just knock it down!" and down it came, in the Blue Raiders hands for the game tying touchdown. "Oh, hell no!... Oh, haaaaiil no!" Then, the extra point sealed it, a 14-13 loss.

A no TD pass game for Rusty plus only one TD scored for the Owls in the hole game is going to equal another tally in the loss column almost every time.