[dropcap]S[/dropcap]aturday afternoon’s showdown between the New Rochelle and Mamaroneck soccer teams had all the makings of a great game. Two top-flight teams, league rivals, squaring off under the lights in front of a huge crowd; it was going to be a heck of a contest, no matter what.
And then the rain started falling.
I don’t know what it is about inclement weather, but it seems to me that the quickest way to turn a good matchup into an instant classic is by adding the elements into the mix. The Patriots/Raiders “Tuck Rule” game in 2001 was an otherwise terrific contest that was only enhanced because Mother Nature decided to dump a truckload of snow on Foxboro’s field. Even this weekend’s college football matchup between North Carolina State and Notre Dame, a sloppy 10-3 ballgame, was made imminently more watchable because of the effects of Hurricane Matthew, which essentially turned the gridiron into a turf-bottomed wading pool.
As the rain pounded down on Memorial Field on Saturday, I couldn’t help but feel that it was having the same effect on the matchup between the Huguenots and the Tigers.
Don’t get me wrong; this was going to be a good game regardless. Mamaroneck came into Saturday’s game was one of the top teams in Class AA with New Rochelle sitting not too far behind them. The players on both teams, having played against each other for years, had built up a healthy, heated rivalry, and there were no shortage of physical challenges—and resulting yellow cards—to keep the fans entertained.
But the rain simply took it to another level.
Despite the fact that the teams weren’t playing on a natural surface—most schools have turf fields nowadays—the effect of the deluge was undeniable. Players diving for balls ended up hydroplaning, looking like the former Orioles’ catcher Rick Dempsey during a rain delay.
And while the rain may have made both teams look a little less crisp than usual, players on both sides embraced the chance to play on a wet and slippery pitch.
“I was looking at the weather all day,” Mamaroneck midfielder Connor LeBlanc after the game said. “I was looking forward to the rain the entire time.”
I think the weather even has an effect on the fans, who begin to form a kind of bond because they are willing to brave the elements in order to cheer on their team. Heck, I was just taking pictures on Saturday, and even I wanted to drop my camera, shed my raincoat, and dive headfirst along the 50-yard line.
Of course, as I got back into my car after the game, my jeans about 10 pounds heavier due to the absorbed moisture, I’m kind of glad I didn’t.
We’ve only got a few more weeks left in this fall season, only a few more weeks to witness a good rain—or snow—game, and I’m honestly hoping we get hit with another game day storm.
It just makes the on-field action more exciting, and I think that’s something we can all get behind.
