Dear All,

Firstly I would like to thank you for your words of encouragement and support over the past few months, itâ?Ts great to know we are part of such a big club. Since we have just started back at winter training I wanted to give you a brief synopsis of the Fall 2004 season, our plans for the spring, and schedule for the forthcoming Fall Season.

One particularly encouraging aspect of the season was the number of the boys attending practice. We averaged between 30-40 boys each training session and on match days always fielded two full squads.  On a couple of occasions we had enough numbers to field 3 sides and luckily both Amherst and Harvard could accommodate us for C-side games. This would seem to bode well for the future. Of the 48 boys who have represented the club this season, only 5 are seniors. A further five new lads have shown up for training this past week  (and may be I will become eligible if my Graduate application goes well!)

As no doubt any of you who read the weekly match reports will know, from a results perspective BU had a tough season. Although able to compete with even the strongest teams for long periods, the team often lacked the mental toughness to go the full 80 minutes. It is something both my assistant Andy MacLean and I will be particularly concentrating on in the forthcoming months.

Obviously we also have plenty of work to do in the gym and on the practice field. Although winless, the A-side can be proud of several performances, leading both Uconn and Harvard at half-time worthy of special mention. The B-side consisted of only 3 non-rookies in the entire squad. The team however always displayed great character and notched up terrific wins against U Mass, UNH and Brown.

Finishing bottom of Division 1 meant that BU was automatically relegated to Division 2.

Unlike past seasons, the relegation was not open to an appeal, and the Division 2 winners were willing to move up. Obviously this came as a big disappointment to everyone involved with the club but I believe there is much cause to feel positive about the outcome. As you are probably aware, BU has been struggling in Division 1 for a number of years now and losing games can become ingrained. Division 2 represents an opportunity for us to compete against teams perhaps of a more similar level. However, we are under no illusions as to the quality of the Division and expect to meet tough opposition. Middlebury are always very strong and Coast Guard was easily one of the most impressive teams I saw last year and could comfortably compete in Division 1.