Matt Lee | Student Life

Freshman Nik Patel dribbles the ball up the field on Oct. 21 against Principia College, a game that the Bears won 4-1. Patel and seniors Alex Neumann, Harry Beddo and Randall Schoen anchor a Bear’s defense that has allowed opponents only six goals in 15 games, and the team is currently 11-3-1 on the season and is ranked 15th in the nation.

With 10 shutouts so far this season, the Washington University men’s soccer team has a defense whose talent is hard to ignore. With a .40 goals against average, the Bears have outscored their opponents 28-6 in their first 14 games and have jumped out to an 11-1-3 record. Anchored by senior captain Alex Neumann and fellow seniors Harry Beddo and Randall Schoen, the Red and Green defense welcomed freshman Nik Patel to its back line this year. Student Life sat down with Neumann, Beddo and Patel to talk about the 2010 season.

Student Life: So, what goes into making a successful defense?

Nik Patel: I think defensive members are usually strong leaders of the team.…I’ve gotten a lot of help from [the seniors], learning my position, how to get into the Bears style of play. I feel that we’re constantly making improvements, and we want to continue to improve all the way to the tournament.

SL: You mentioned the “Bears’ style of play.” What does that entail?

NP: We like to play the ball a lot. We work on it all the time at practice, and coach [Joe Clarke] likes to build from the back. He doesn’t like the standard, just as soon as our defense gets the ball to send it straight up field. We tend to look for passes, give-and-gos and especially wingbacks—he likes to get them into play, have them bring the ball up and start attacks. I think it’s been working out really well so far in the season.

SL: What do you think when you look at the stats this year?

Alex Neumann: I think it’s pretty good. It can always be better, obviously. That’s kind of what we’re striving for. Every day in practice [we ask], “What can we do to get better and allow zero goals in every game?” Getting back to the fundamentals, at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how many shutouts you have if you’re not winning games, advancing in the tournament, doing well in the conference. Getting defensive plaudits is great, but I’d rather our team do well than our defense do well.

SL: Alex, Harry and Randy have been playing together for four years. What kind of dynamic does that create?

Harry Beddo: When I was a freshman, the center backs were here for four years, and it just seems like, on this team, the center backs are always the more experienced players. That’s what Joe always tries to put in his main focus, starting at defense and working from there. So our freshman year when we came, me, Randy and Neumann learned to play together. It’s also important, you need freshman on the team like Nik to keep the team going in the future.

AN: It’s also helped that Randy, Harry and I have been roommates for the past three years. I think that probably helps a little bit with our chemistry.

SL: What is the toughest offense you’ve faced this year, and why?

HB: I guess Rochester was the hardest just because of the field they play on and the style they play…They could chuck the ball into the box from 30 yards near the goal every time. They would just crash and crash again until the ball either went out for a goal kick or into the goal.

AN: I would agree with that, and then I think from a playing perspective, probably the hardest to deal with was Wheaton. They made a lot of good runs that we had a bit of difficulty tracking, and they also had some really talented, physical forwards.

SL: Do you approach each offense separately, or do you try to go in with the same game plan every time?

AN: There’s a little of both. There are obviously parts of our games that we think we’re really good at that we don’t change and we try to keep and take advantage of. For example, earlier Nik was talking about working the ball out of the back and really helping to build our attacks. That’s something that we don’t really change. But every offense has something new about it, and they all have their own intricacies. We spend a lot of time in the days leading up to a game trying to mimic the other team’s attacks so that we can practice and know how to defend them when it comes to game time.

SL: How does a back line work with a goalie or, in your case, goalies, to execute a good defensive strategy?

NP: I think that [Andrew] Serio being a senior and Jonathan [Jebson] being a freshman, they communicate a lot with each other to know what each of them want out of the defense. Serio likes to take leadership out of the back, letting us know where we have men, where he wants us to be positioned. I think he’s also helping [Jebson] out a lot and slowly, but surely, Jono [Jebson] will soon start helping lead us out of the back, too.

SL: Is there anything you learned playing defense as a kid that still holds true today?

HB: One thing I learned on my club team was that when the ball is up in the offense, that’s the time to start organizing the defense. That’s what Joe has stressed here, too: just continually talking at all times and never taking a break.

AN: I didn’t start playing defense until pretty late in my career, so I always used to do this move called “the disco inferno,” where when a guy got by you, you would just stick your other leg out behind your front leg, and when I got to actually playing defense, especially here, I realized that was not a good move. I guess what I did learn when I was younger was that it’s always important, even when it looks like you’ve already given up a goal, to never quit on a play. I think a lot of times here, it’s looked like an attacker is about to score a goal for sure, and then one of us will run back and make a clear tackle off the ball or goal line and save a goal.

Emory, one of Wash. U.’s biggest rivals, forced the Bears to defend early. The Eagles began the game with three corner kicks in short succession.

“We had a little bit of a scare in the beginning,” sophomore midfielder Brian Wright said. “We played well and defended, got everything out. We weathered the storm in the beginning and then started to pick it up.”

The Red and Green had several threatening chances to score as the first half closed but was not able to capitalize on any opportunities. Sophomore forward Zachary Query led the Bears with six shots.

“We knew they’re a very fast team, a very physical team, so our style of play is we like to knock the ball, play it in the middle and look for our playmakers in the middle and distribute well,” freshman defender Nik Patel said. “Technically, I didn’t feel they were as strong as us—so technically, we wanted to take advantage of them…we started building momentum, but we just couldn’t find that one, quick put-away.”

Patel, along with senior captain Alex Neumann and fellow seniors Harry Beddo and Randall Schoen, compose a back line that has made the Bears difficult to attack. In combination with their goalies, senior Andrew Serio and freshman Jonathan Jebson, the Bears defense has allowed just three goals in 10 games this season.

“Randy, Harry and Alex are the backbone of our team defensively,” head coach Joe Clarke said. “They’re experienced, and they bring the other guys along.”

In the second half, the Red and Green threatened on a free kick from senior midfielder Cody Costakis.

“[The play was one] we’ve been practicing where Cody can either serve [the ball] or play it to Nik,” Wright said. “Nik played a great ball over the top to Zach [Query] which was unfortunate—it just went wide. We’ve been working on those plays a lot.”

In contrast to the Bears, whose game strategy focused on passing and movement, the Eagles’ strength relied on long throw-ins and set pieces.

“They are really good in the air, especially their center midfielders and their center backs—they were really good at knocking everything back down and coming right back at us,” Wright said. “Their size is definitely a big threat on free kicks, corner kicks and the long throw-in. The is probably the most dangerous part of their game.”

After two scoreless halves, the teams continued for two overtime periods. While each team had offensive opportunities, neither could achieve the final touch for the win.

“We had periods where we were putting a lot of pressure on them, and they had periods where they were putting a lot of pressure on us—certainly in the latter part of the game,” Clarke said. “Both teams had some really good chances. I think it was a great effort by our team against a top team.”

The Bears continue play on Wednesday in a non-conference game against Westminster College in Fulton, Mo. at 7 p.m. They continue conference play on Sunday in a match-up against No. 2 Carnegie Mellon University (8-1-0).

Members of the Conlon Crazies get excited at the semifinal match between Washington University and Lynchburg College on Friday afternoon. Twenty-three fans made the approximately 15-hour bus journey to San Antonio to support the Lady Bears, who eventually went on to lose to Messiah College in the title game. (Matt Mitgang | Student Life)

SAN ANTONIO—Twenty-three students might not sound like a lot compared to Washington University’s undergraduate population of more than 6,000, but they made their presence felt at the NCAA Division III Women’s Soccer National Championship game in San Antonio.

During 210 minutes of play and a penalty shootout, the group of fans, led by the Conlon Crazies, sang and cheered in support of the Lady Bears. The Conlon Crazies, named after head coach Jim Conlon, made their mark this postseason with appearances at every game. “We felt like it was worth it,” said junior Alex Neumann, a leader of the Crazies. “We wanted to see Wash. U. win a national championship.”

The spirit of the students carried over to the group’s chaperones and won praise from Wash. U. parents. “They put in a lot of work to get here,” said Joseph Ackerman, a chaperone. “I’m here with some crazy kids.” Ackerman even dressed as a bear. Prior to both games, the fans grilled burgers and hot dogs while painting their bodies.

Neumann, junior Andrew Serio and sophomore Kevin Privalle created more than 20 ditties with small cheers for specific players. Wash. U. parents joined in on some of the cheers.

Many fans on the bus considered “Glory, Glory Wustl FC” their theme song, though a particular favorite was the song created in honor of senior back Libby Held.

“The Libby Held song was the best because we got so into it,” junior David Klein said. “Basically all we want is something with a beat that we can jump around and yell to.”

When the soccer team arrived at the stadium, fans serenaded them with a revised version of “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” Instead of presents, the team called out player’s names, sending the Lady Bears into fits of laughter.

The Office of Residential Life organized the trip, paying for the group’s transportation, game tickets and a hotel room. The students and three chaperones left St. Louis at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 3, on a chartered bus for San Antonio. The Bears entertained themselves with movies, cards and homework as they crossed Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas.

“[The girls’ team] worked so hard the whole game, tackled hard and competed for every ball,” junior David Klein said. “They were an inspiration for us to work to get here.”

Every play elicited strong reactions from the fans. The penalty shootout against Lynchburg College was emotionally draining for all. “I don’t handle PKs well,” junior Stephanie Dresner said. “I honestly think I broke [Andrew] Serio’s arm holding on to it. There’s so much riding on every shot.”

The women’s soccer team greatly appreciated the students’ presence. “We have the best fans,” senior back Paula Davis said. “You can quote me on that.” The fans were allowed to join the team on the field for a short while after the awards ceremony and rushed in with hugs and cheers.

The fan bus continues a recent tradition in Wash. U. athletics. In 2008, three busloads of students traveled to the men’s basketball national championship game in Salem, Va. Trips were also organized for the 2009 basketball Final Fours in Holland, Mich., and Salem, Va.

Despite the runner-up finish, fans expressed no regrets for missing out on classes and events in St. Louis. “Wash. U. is awesome any way you put it,” sophomore Evan Winograd said. “I want to do this again next year.”

Bears midfielder Zach Hendrickson works past a Carnegie Mellon defender. Hendrickson, a sophomore, had one shot on goal in the soccer team’s 2-0 loss to the Tartans. (Nora Jehle | Student Life

“Coming into it we knew this was going to be a big test for us. Carnegie Mellon is a great team,” junior co-captain Alex Neumann said. “They came at us hard, they were aggressive, really from the get-go, and that posed a few problems.”

Carnegie got ahead early; forward Ricky Griffin scored his first goal of the day off a corner kick in the fifth minute and followed up with another score 16 minutes later. The goals added to Griffin’s total of 15 for the season thus far.

“I’m not happy with the goals that we gave them,” head coach Joe Clarke said. “We need to make teams score better goals than we made them score today, but they got them and we really put ourselves in a hole.”

The Bears began to counter following the Tartans’ second goal and finished with 10 shots for the half. Despite several threatening attacks at the goal, Washington University was unable to score.

“We created some chances, and we weren’t able to finish them. Their goalie made a good save or two, and we just didn’t do what we needed to do when we got into great positions,” Clarke said. “We played much better after the first 25 minutes. We’ve just got to continue to improve; that’s all there is to it.”

Neumann said adjustments and advice from Clarke helped the Red and Green respond. After coming into the game, sophomores Patrick McLean and Kevin Privalle combined for six shots, while sophomores Zach Hendrickson and David Kanoff each had one.

“It was a combination of a few things: I think our subs that came in off the bench provided us with a ton of energy, they did a really good job,” Neumann said. “At halftime Coach Clarke gave us a really fiery pep talk and told us that he knew we could beat this team.”

Ultimately the Bears’ improved play could not overcome the early two-goal deficit.

“We’re a very slow starting team,” McLean said. “We always pick it up…But we picked it up too late.”

After allowing two goals in the first half, senior John Smelcer shut down the Tartans with four saves in the second half.

The loss was the first for the team since playing Sept. 22 at Principia. Both the Panthers and Tartans are currently ranked in the nation’s top 25.

“I think Carnegie is very good, and I think we need to be able to beat a team like that,” Clarke said. “We are good enough players to win against a team like that.”

McLean explained that starting games stronger will help the Bears’ chances in future games.

“[We need to] start strong. I’m not sure exactly what we’re lacking; it might just be the warm-up, but we always start weak,” McLean said. “We just need to get pumped up before the game better.”

The Bears face Fontbonne University on Tuesday, Oct. 13, at Francis Field starting at 7 p.m. The team will collect donations for the Sunbeam Foundation, a charity started by Wash. U. soccer alum Jeff LaBoskey that helps raise research funds to help find a cure for childhood bone cancers.