2008 Woodie Awards
Friars Drop Two to Best of Big East
John Butler '11
Issue date: 10/2/08 Section: Sports
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The Friars' two most recent contests ended in losses on the road. On Friday, Sept. 26, Providence came out on the short end of a 3-0 contest against Syracuse, and fell at the hands of a powerful No. 4/6 St. John's team on Sunday, Sept. 28 with a score of 1-0. The Friars are now 3-3-3, with a 1-3-1 record in conference play.
And in spite of suffering three consecutive losses after snapping a six game unbeaten streak to start the season, the Friars remain optimistic and are confident that their determination will lead them to prevail.
"We knew going into the season that we were in one of the best leagues in the country," said Providence Head Coach Chaka Daley. "There are always peaks and valleys. We just hope that we've seen the worst and we can start climbing."
Indeed, the climb must begin soon if the Friars hope to secure a good seed come tournament time. The remaining eight regular season games are crucial, and the club is aware that this upcoming stretch is a "make-or-break" period.
The Friars' chance for a tournament bid is improved by their strength of schedule, which has included contests against five ranked teams already. But when push comes to shove the wins column is the deciding factor.
"We have to win first," said Daley. "RPI [Ratings Percentage Index] means nothing if you don't win. We need to be above .500 in and out of conference to have a chance in the Big East tournament."
In their two most recent games, the Friars got a good look at what they can expect to see at the Big East Tournament in November.
The Friars managed four shots on the Red Storm goal on Sunday, and allowed only two shots on their own. Junior goaltender Tim Murray registered one save, but was unable to block a penalty kick by St. John's in the 86th minute of play which ended the Friars' hopes of a victory.
The Syracuse game was another frustrating contest in which the Friars again outplayed the competition, but could not find the back of the net.
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