Like most people, I picked up this paper on Monday and was shocked at what I saw on the cover.
The Penn State men's soccer team had captured the Big Ten tournament championship.
As most people were, I was shocked, even though I saw the game on Sunday.
This team had no business beating Indiana in the semifinals, forget winning the whole shebang.
When the draw was released, I did not think the Nittany Lions had much of a chance, although something magical happened to this team Wednesday night.
I don't know what they ate the night before the tournament, but there were a bunch of imposters posing as Penn State men's soccer players roaming around Jeffrey Field this past weekend.
Calling this team "underachievers" during the regular season would be too nice, because they flat-out did not meet expectations. Potential had long been thrown out the window, but they actually realized this potential when it mattered most -- during the Big Ten tournament.
This "new" team that played last weekend was nothing like the team which suited up earlier this season. They were playing with heart and emotion, things that had been lacking all season. The leadership was there on the field and the players seemed ready to attack, which they did.
Having said that, one question comes to mind: Where has this heart been all season?
Yes, they played Virginia (but so did North Carolina, keep reading) and the first game against Indiana with passion, but that seems so long ago.
I never actually saw how hard these players train, or how they worked at practice, but I do know that a number of times this season, they did not bring their A game to the field.
Case in point:
A loss to American University, a school not exactly known for its athletic prowess. Then, just when things were looking up, and it was 7-4, Penn State dropped back-to-back contests to Seton Hall and Wisconsin. In their final Big Ten game, the Lions lost at home to Michigan State to fall to 3-3 in the conference.
Following that loss, something magical happened inside the men's soccer program. The coaches realized that Ryan Sickman should be their goaltender the rest of the season, despite losing that game.
Sickman was the No. 1 goalie to start the season but was soon watching from the bench after losing the first game, 2-1. That was the only game in which Sickman played the entire contest, and just a few games later he would be benched in favor of transfer Ryan Moate. (Not Eric Earnhardt, who left the team and nobody still knows why.)
Moate has posted a 1.41 goals-against average and a less than stellar .658 save percentage on the year.
Once Sickman got his job back, he did not disappoint. His numbers stand at .89 goals against and a .769 save percentage.
When it mattered most, in the Big Ten tournament, he allowed two goals in three games and only two penalty kick goals against the Hoosiers.
My question: why didn't Sickman play the majority of the games during the middle of the season when the team was struggling?
Now that the team has its "No. 1" goalie between the pipes and energy in its once-tired legs, this team, which finished with an even record in the conference, will now get a bye in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
Everybody has seen how flawed the NCAA can be with the BCS in football, but this is ridiculous.
Defending champion North Carolina must first win their opening-round game before getting the privilege of traveling to State College the day before Thanksgiving for the second round.
The Tar Heels finished the season with a 13-6-1 record and went 3-3-1 in conference, play, including a win over Virginia. The ACC has four teams in the top 13, including the top two, and will send six representatives to the NCAA tournament. The Big Ten will send only two.
If you ask me, the Lions do not have much of a chance of advancing far in the NCAA tournament, but I felt the same going into the Big Ten tournament.
