GW Athletics Vault: 2004 Men's Soccer
3/15/2021 4:00:00 PM | Men's Soccer
Feb. 9, 2021 marked the 200th anniversary of the U.S. Congress' establishment of The George Washington University's charter. GW Athletics is proud to be part of the university's bicentennial celebration, honoring the historic milestone with a variety of initiatives meant to highlight the best of the Buff and Blue, including these regular features looking into the GW Athletics Vault. To learn more about the #GW200 festivities, visit the university bicentennial page.
Down but not out, the 2004 GW men's soccer squad climbed back from an early-season hole to complete a remarkable championship run and prove its mettle on the national stage.
The Buff and Blue sat at 1-8-3 in mid-October, leaving themselves in need of a big finish to even secure a place in the field for the A-10 Championship they were set to host for the first time on the Mount Vernon Campus.
"Up until then it was really tough," goalkeeper Derek Biss remembered. "It was hard going to practice and everything because losing's not fun, but one motivator we had throughout the whole time was we were actually going to host the A-10 Championship. We were just like 'It's going to be very embarrassing if we're hosting the A-10 Tournament, and we're not even involved in it.'"
Just in time, GW, under Head Coach George Lidster, discovered a winning formula, relying on a hard-nosed defense and an opportunistic offense to frustrate its opponents, ultimately closing the regular season with six consecutive victories.
"We just kind of ground it out, to be honest," said Ben Mortimer, an All-Conference and All-Region defender. "We were competitive, and I think teams knew at a certain point that playing against us was going to be a horrible experience for them, and we enjoyed that. It was fun for us to be able to be a team that nobody looked forward to playing."
GW managed to carry that momentum over to the A-10 Championship.
Playing on home turf, the Colonials downed Rhode Island, 1-0, and then battled top-seeded Duquesne through an epic rain storm before emerging victorious on penalty kicks with Biss stopping two shots and Mortimer converting the game-winning kick.
In the final, GW left no doubt, defeating Temple, 2-0, in front of a boisterous crowd of more than 800 fans to secure the program's second conference title in three seasons.
"GW hadn't won the A-10 Tournament up to that point and we had done it two in three years and it was something that we all took a really great amount of pride in," said Biss, who was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. "Having it be on Mount Vernon, taking the photos there in the familiar surroundings and just being able to enjoy it was something really special for everybody."
GW's spirited run continued at the NCAA Tournament with an opening-round upset at North Carolina. GW took the lead in the second minute on Frank Ambrosio's header off a service from Trevor Martin and held on for the program's first victory at the national tournament in 25 years.
"That was a good draw for us," Mortimer said. "In their conference, I don't think they saw many teams like us, and we knew the way we played was going to be awkward for them.
"I think they thought probably that they were just going to be able to blow us away with some of the quality they had, but they realized pretty soon in that we were staunch defensively and we were up for it."
Improbably, GW closed its season among the last 32 teams standing nationally, capping a historic season remembered for both its disastrous start and storybook finish.
"Nobody expected us to do that, and then when we kept winning, everybody was expecting us to fail," said Craig Jones, then a young volunteer assistant and now in his ninth season leading the program. "That group, they were the odd couple. Nobody expected it, and I think that pulled them together even closer, to be honest. Towards the end, it was such a good ride, such a good run. It was just a phenomenal experience."
Down but not out, the 2004 GW men's soccer squad climbed back from an early-season hole to complete a remarkable championship run and prove its mettle on the national stage.
The Buff and Blue sat at 1-8-3 in mid-October, leaving themselves in need of a big finish to even secure a place in the field for the A-10 Championship they were set to host for the first time on the Mount Vernon Campus.
"Up until then it was really tough," goalkeeper Derek Biss remembered. "It was hard going to practice and everything because losing's not fun, but one motivator we had throughout the whole time was we were actually going to host the A-10 Championship. We were just like 'It's going to be very embarrassing if we're hosting the A-10 Tournament, and we're not even involved in it.'"
Just in time, GW, under Head Coach George Lidster, discovered a winning formula, relying on a hard-nosed defense and an opportunistic offense to frustrate its opponents, ultimately closing the regular season with six consecutive victories.
"We just kind of ground it out, to be honest," said Ben Mortimer, an All-Conference and All-Region defender. "We were competitive, and I think teams knew at a certain point that playing against us was going to be a horrible experience for them, and we enjoyed that. It was fun for us to be able to be a team that nobody looked forward to playing."
GW managed to carry that momentum over to the A-10 Championship.
Playing on home turf, the Colonials downed Rhode Island, 1-0, and then battled top-seeded Duquesne through an epic rain storm before emerging victorious on penalty kicks with Biss stopping two shots and Mortimer converting the game-winning kick.
In the final, GW left no doubt, defeating Temple, 2-0, in front of a boisterous crowd of more than 800 fans to secure the program's second conference title in three seasons.
"GW hadn't won the A-10 Tournament up to that point and we had done it two in three years and it was something that we all took a really great amount of pride in," said Biss, who was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. "Having it be on Mount Vernon, taking the photos there in the familiar surroundings and just being able to enjoy it was something really special for everybody."
GW's spirited run continued at the NCAA Tournament with an opening-round upset at North Carolina. GW took the lead in the second minute on Frank Ambrosio's header off a service from Trevor Martin and held on for the program's first victory at the national tournament in 25 years.
"That was a good draw for us," Mortimer said. "In their conference, I don't think they saw many teams like us, and we knew the way we played was going to be awkward for them.
"I think they thought probably that they were just going to be able to blow us away with some of the quality they had, but they realized pretty soon in that we were staunch defensively and we were up for it."
Improbably, GW closed its season among the last 32 teams standing nationally, capping a historic season remembered for both its disastrous start and storybook finish.
"Nobody expected us to do that, and then when we kept winning, everybody was expecting us to fail," said Craig Jones, then a young volunteer assistant and now in his ninth season leading the program. "That group, they were the odd couple. Nobody expected it, and I think that pulled them together even closer, to be honest. Towards the end, it was such a good ride, such a good run. It was just a phenomenal experience."
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