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Nevada Soccer Turning It Around

It’s been an inauspicious beginning to Nevada’s ‘07 soccer season. For the first time in three years the Pack has lost three games in a row. The offense has yet to get untracked, the midfield has yet to come up with the right chemistry, the defense looks shaky at times and the quality of play in goal has yet to live up to the preseason hype. You might be saying to yourself, “Jeez…the soccer team is in trouble.” Worry not Pack fans, the season is still young. But there are a few things that need to be worked on if Nevada is to turn around the season.

The 2006 soccer team was led by a blistering, physical defense. That has yet to manifest itself in 2007. While it is true that Nevada lost some quality athletes in the back from last year, the returners have got to find a way to slow down attacks, put pressure on opposing forwards and keep the pressure off of freshman goalkeeper Marie Cove. That task lands squarely on the shoulders of senior captain Jessica Wilcox. Every game Wilcox will need to keep up her level of play while getting ultimate efforts from her fellow defenders - most notably juniors Trisha Gibbons and Patrice Godwin, as well as sophomore Devin Noe. If the defense can tighten the screws a bit, things will turn around in a hurry.

Last year, three games into the season, Nevada had tossed three shutouts. Leading the way was goalkeeper Caitlin Holmes. Having replaced the departed Holmes between the pipes, Cove hasn’t really struggled but she has yet to have the type of game that is expected of her at this level. Through three games, the freshman keeper has a 1.67 GAA and a .545 save percentage. Those numbers won’t strike fear in opposing offenses and while it’s unlikely Cove will match Holmes’ numbers from last year (0.53 GAA and .885 save percentage), she’ll need to step up her game to give the offense a chance to make some plays.

In ‘06 the midfield was led by slick-passing Aivi Luik (who has since graduated) and high-flying Miranda Montejo. The quality play in the middle of the pitch made for seamless transitions from defense to offense and allowed Nevada the opportunity for quick scoring opportunities. That hasn’t been the case so far this year. While the Pack certainly has the talent and the experience in the middle with senior Kenishia Warren, junior Jessica Thompson and a pair of captains — senior Blaine Dugan and Montejo, a junior…they’ll have to find the chemistry between them to keep the flow of the game going in a positive direction for Nevada.

Up front the Pack is as dangerous as ever, they just haven’t found their groove yet. Last year through three games the Pack had notched seven goals. This year through three games the Pack has scored only twice. Sharpshooting juniors Karen Zmirak and Samantha Miller need the opportunity to take more shots more often if Nevada is going to turn the season around. Through three games, the pair has 14 shots and one goal between them. Those numbers have got to get better. When they do, so will the Wolf Pack’s chances of playing into the postseason.

It’s a tall order for Nevada to fill but if there is any team on campus with the resilience, the skill and the “Nevada-tude” to overcome unimaginable adversity, this is the team that can do it.

By PJ Connolly

WHERE ARE THEY NOW - All You Can Eat

Message to the folks who run Reno buffet restaurants: Tony Moll wants to thank you for his rise to the top.

You remember Tony. He was a frequent visitor a couple years ago. If not for you, he wouldn’t have gained the 45 pounds he needed to make the switch from tight end to offensive tackle.

That transformation occurred between his junior and senior years at the University of Nevada. Moll packed on the weight to better serve the Wolf Pack, but it better served himself. His performance at tackle proved so impressive that he landed with the Green Bay Packers.

Not bad for a guy who had no plans for an NFL career.

“In Reno there are great buffets,” Moll says. “I was trying to stick around the other linemen when they went out to eat. I knew if I could eat like them four times a day I could gain the weight.

“At times I got sick of eating and I had to force myself. Before I went to bed every night I would eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.”
Moll had a very adult reason for eating that kids’ favorite. Simply, the Wolf Pack needed a tackle and he was the logical choice.

He had received no attention from NFL scouts as a tight end. In fact, he only caught 11 passes during his college career, though four went for touchdowns. Moll never fathomed that his move to tackle would precipitate interest. But by the end of his senior year at UNR, he was receiving queries from agents and scheduling workouts for NFL teams.

Talk about a pleasant surprise.

“It wasn’t a goal of mine to play in the NFL,” Moll says. “The degree came first. I would have liked to play tight end in the NFL, but that wasn’t going to happen. I had to work hard in the spring so I could take every snap in every game during the season. I took physical reps and mental reps, which helped me learn.

“During the summer before my senior year, some people talked about me playing in the NFL, but my name wasn’t mentioned anywhere on the watch lists. No agent contacted me until early April. I didn’t go to the combine or get selected to play in any of the senior bowls. My goal was just to complete my college education. Everything started to fall in my lap about a month-and-a-half before the draft.”

Yes, everything. Not only did the Packers select him in the fifth round in 2006, but Moll was the surprise of the camp. He earned a starting job at right guard, a position with which he was unfamiliar. Moll started five games at tackle and five at
guard last season.

“That was a huge confidence builder, having had only one year of playing experience at tackle,” Moll says. “Now all of a sudden I was going against the pros. I came in wide-eyed and didn’t know what to make of anything. One coach told me, ‘Play tough and don’t show fear.’

“Then they put me in at guard and all of a sudden I’m learning that position. I was trying to have as much fun as possible.”

Having fun is made much easier on the Packers. All one has to do is watch future Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre.

“He’s amazing,” Moll says emphatically. “You can just see the determination in his eyes that he’s going to do whatever it takes for us to score. He can pick defenses apart. It’s so funny because he actually tells us in the huddle what’s going to happen. He’s yelling out what blitz is coming.”

Yes, Tony Moll is sharing a huddle with Brett Favre.

Thanks, Reno buffet owners. Without you, it wouldn’t have been possible.

By: Marty Gitlin

HEAD-TO-HEAD: UNR vs. UNLV

The annual battle for the Fremont Cannon travels up north this year. The Wolf Pack have won the last two meetings between the teams, but UNLV is stronger and the cannon will be painted red this year.

The first reason is the amount of offensive weapons UNLV has. Last year, Rocky Hinds was hindered by a knee injury which made him one-dimensional, something that a spread-option offense should never be. This year, redshirt freshman Travis Dixon is leading the Rebels, and his ability to elude pass rushers and legs means Nevada will need to plan for a dual-threat quarterback. Also, big, bruising, junior tailback Frank Summers means that Pack can’t just stuff six men in the box and expect to stop the Rebel vertical offense. When combined with the best receiving core in the Mountain West Conference, with includes junior Casey Flair, senior Aaron Straiten and sophomore Ryan Wolfe, the Rebels’ offense is dangerous.

The second reason is confidence. UNLV kept pace with the then-ranked No. 5 team in the nation, Wisconsin, until the fourth quarter. They were just a quarter away from a massive upset. Regardless of their belief in moral victories or not, the Rebels have confidence that they can compete and win at any level. The Rebels honestly believe that they should have defeated the Badgers on that night.

The last reason is revenge. The last two meetings between the two teams, Nevada has embarrassed UNLV and head coach Mike Sanford. This year, the Rebels look to turn the tables on the Pack, paint the cannon red and smack the UNLV flag on Mackay Stadium.

By Paul Delos Santos, Sports Editor, Rebel Yell

A Tribute to Bill Ireland (Coach I)

Even if you are a relative newcomer to following University of Nevada Athletics you already know the intense rivalry that exists between UofN and the University of Nevada Las Vegas. Many football encounters between the two have resulted in classic brawls and the intensity between them on the basketball court is legendary.The general consensus is that the two schools, their players and their fans can never find any common ground. That notion was put to rest (at least temporarily) in August of this year when a memorial service for the late coach and athletic director Bill Ireland was held on campus in the Lawlor Events Center. The standing room only crowd of more than six hundred would have been a significant tribute to Ireland if he had served his career time at Nevada. Such was not the case. Although “Coach I” as he was best known graduated from the Reno campus he garnered his most fame for his long career at UNLV.

Ireland was hired as the first head football coach at the Southern University after several years tenure as a coach at tiny Fernley High School and a brief stint as an assistant coach at UofN under head coach Dick Trachok.

Following a successful career as pigskin mentor at UNLV, Ireland was elevated to Athletic Director at a time when the southern campus’ athletic fortunes were on the rise nationally. Ireland did his part in Vegas’ climb to the spotlight by hiring famous basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian.

Ireland was a crackerjack baseball player while at Nevada and he had strong roots in rural areas of the Silver State having started out in his hometown of McGill.

As a tribute to his coaching expertise when he took over as the very first football coach at UNLV (then known as Nevada Southern) he guided his neophyte charges to an 8 1 season. Known as an innovative coach and a rather quiet motivator “Coach I” had a knack for getting his players “up” for a contest. In the event his team ended up on the short end of the score in some games he was quick to place the blame for the loss upon himself - a rarity in the coaching ranks at all levels today.

As Irish as his name implied, he had a great sense of humor and was at his best when cracking jokes with his fellow “jock” buddies or around the dining table with his large brood of offspring.

Not too long after his appointment at UNLV he became aware of the intense sports rivalry that was building between the two Nevada schools. He correctly reasoned that some sort of winners’ trophy such as the famous “Little Brown Jug” should be created to be awarded the winner of the annual football contest between Nevada and UNLV.

Never one to think small, he came up with the idea of the Fremont Cannon. The Trophy which is painted all blue or all red depending on the winner is certainly one of the most substantial of any on the collegiate gridiron scene. The full scale replica is in fine working condition and fires noisily whenever the home team scores.

Despite the fact that he spent his athletic career on the campus in Southern Nevada, it was appropriate that his Memorial was held in Reno since he opted to set up his home here upon his retirement.

Equally impressive was the fact that the eulogists at his service came from both ends of the state, as did almost an equal amount of the mourners. Actually, there was little in the way of mourning inasmuch as most of the speeches dealt humorously with the high points of his life and reflected his own penchant for laughter and a good time.

The spirit of camaraderie between North and South was further evidenced when one of the attendees suggested that a nice tribute to “Coach I’s” memory might be to dedicate this year’s edition of the Nevada UNLV football game to his name. The proposer reasoned that such a move might tone things down for the contest. A nearby wag noted “What? And take all the fun out of the game!”