I remember receiving my first of the infamous Wabash recruitment postcards. Curious as to what the school was all about, I decided to investigate. I was soon informed that this small liberal arts school in Crawfordsville, IN. was an all-male institution. I remember saying right then and there that I would never even consider this option.

However, Wabash had superior curriculum ratings, so I eventually attended the Honors Scholar Weekend. This was when I first met Coach Roberto Giannini. When I listened to his accent for the first time, I could not understand some of the things that were coming out of his mouth. I got used to it after awhile and learned much of his background and ideas. I can remember him telling the team, “Give me your brain and I can teach you, give me your muscles and I can train you, but give me your heart and I can coach you.”

This is when it all clicked. I thought he had a true mind for the game and would be able to take Wabash soccer to the next level. Upon my return home, senior year at Loveland High School was almost over and I still did not know which college was right for me. I reflected on my visit with Coach Giannini and knew that I wanted to be a part of his soccer program. This was one of my reasons for attending Wabash College.

I truly believe that the men of the 2006 soccer program are privileged to be the first team of “the new era” under Coach Roberto Giannini. Not only did every player receive a brand new wardrobe, we received a Coach that will do great things for Wabash soccer from here on out.

The whole team has placed their trust within him, in hopes of building us as better players. During one of the classroom sessions, everyone shared their happiest and saddest moments to the rest of the team. This was a moving experience hearing my teammate’s stories. Witnessing their emotional reactions was much worse. It is amazing how fast we were able to open our hearts to each other. The stories instilled a trust within each and every one of us that we still share to this day. This marked the beginning of “the new era” because we were comfortable and honest with everyone else.

After falling to DePauw, and every other team but Haverford for that matter, the team still has faith in each other to continue striving for that sense of glory that is soon to come. I think this is an amazing feature about Wabash College that people fail to consider. “Wabash always fights, intelligently,” as Coach would say.

I also believe that the scores and statistics do not truly reflect the progress we have made as a team. Day one revealed many flaws we shared as a team that would have to be fixed. After hours and hours of sweating under the sun, it was evident that the team made a lot of progress within just a few weeks. We would not have been able to achieve this status without Coaches Giannini and Oleck, so let it be known that we do appreciate the countless hours dedicated to our improvement. Let us put our season so far into perspective, imagine what we are able to do with such a short amount of time. Now think about what possibilities lay ahead of us. After all, we are only getting better.

I think any current or prospective player should consider my story because at Wabash, it is not just a bunch of guys and a soccer ball. Every Wabash player will have the determination to achieve greatness from here on out. And for the upper classmen, take pride in being the leaders of the team because it all starts with you. As time will soon tell, this is where we will find the success of creating a new conference “superpower.”

David Rosborough '10