By Marc Thaler
Staff Writer

Melissa Warner, a former member of the Hawks girls soccer program at Hopkinton High School, soars to knock down an opponent's pass during NHTI's Yankee Small College Conference championship-game win against Hesser College at the start of the month. Warner, who played sweeper for the Hawks, and does the same for the Capitals, was named YSCC tournament MVP for her superior play. (Marc Thaler Photo)

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It's difficult to imagine any athlete, at any level of play, vocalizing such a thought. The comment seemingly contradicts what it means to be a true competitor.

“Even losing felt awesome,” Niccole Rennie said. “I'd think I'd be so upset. But you really couldn't ask for anything more.”

More bizarre than the comment itself was that several of Rennie's teammates expressed similar sentiments.

Then again, when a college soccer team comes within 45 minutes of winning a national championship, the declaration begins to make sense.

“We came so close to winning it all (in a 2-1 final against Southern Virginia University) that we could literally feel the energy of being a national champion,” New Hampshire Technical Institute head coach Steve Ambra said. “And that was just a touch of that sense of energy. If that's just a touch, I want to experience all of it.”

At the doorstep of delivering a national title

It's quite possible Ambra and his team, with several local athletes, could have the opportunity to finish No. 1 next year. The women's program continued its stretch of sensational soccer, piecing together a fourth straight powerful campaign in 2005. Since several players are scheduled to return in '06, all signs indicate a fifth straight stellar season awaits.

Including '05, NHTI has won four consecutive Yankee Small College Conference championships. The Tech also earned invitations to three straight United States Collegiate Athletic Association national invitation tournaments.

Two years ago, this small local school with its large pool of talent finished sixth in the country. Last year, Ambra's club placed third overall.

Following this year's postseason performance in Terre Haute, Ind., the bar can't be raised too much higher.

“We were the No. 1 two-year college playing against four-year schools,” Ambra said. “Playing an ambitious (regular-season) schedule made us a better overall team than in the past. We had to face top national players, not just top national teams. So we had to play like a national team in order to be successful.”

The Tech's local flavor

While the women's program continues to make a national name for itself, six members of the'05 edition are local products. Rennie, Brianne Healey, Jackie Markey, Angela Snow, Melissa Warner and Nicole Whitcomb are all area athletes.

Having a half-dozen local players making contributions to a near-championship season, Snow said, speaks to the amount of soccer talent in the community.

“We all came from schools where soccer is well developed,” said Snow, who played for Goffstown High. “From Class L to Class S, there are some great programs throughout the state.”

Healey played for Manchester West, which recently claimed its 15th Class L crown. Playing in that program taught Healey the meaning of teamwork.

“You can have 20 talented players,” she said, “but if you don't work well as a team, that talent goes to waste.”

Likewise, Warner was part of Hopkinton High's back-to-back title seasons in '03 and'04. She said the experience of playing for the Hawks made the transition to college soccer much easier.

“I was more confident (entering the NHTI program) than I otherwise would've been,” said Warner, MVP of the YSCC tourney in late October. “Facing teams you've never seen before, you don't know what to expect.”

While Healey and Warner were products of powerful soccer programs, Snow played for a GHS squad that struggled. However, the former Grizzly said her high school soccer experience was equally valuable in preparing her for college success.

“Learning to deal with losses – Goffstown had just jumped up to Class L – showed me the games weren't about winning,” Snow said. “They were about teamwork, fighting for games.”

Capitals' secret to success

Placing more importance on teamwork than wins and losses is a mindset shared by every player and coach, not just Snow.

NHTI started the season with an 8-0 loss to Springfield Technical Community College. The team lost five of its first seven matches, beginning'05 with a 2-5 mark.

Panic, however, didn't overtake this team. And that's far from a coincidence.

When Ambra and NHTI assistant coach Linda Otten recruit athletes, they're looking for a common characteristic – not an individual's won-loss statistic – that translates into success.

That intangible is a passion for playing soccer.

“Everyone on this team gets along so well because they have heart,” said Healey, who returned to the field for the first time in three years after an anterior cruciate ligament injury. “These girls are just fun to watch. I've never gotten that before.”

Since the '05 squad was a sisterhood, solving those early season problems took priority over posting more goals than opponents.

As a result, NHTI posted victories in 10 straight matches from Sept. 21 through Oct. 20. And despite dropping the national title game, it's easy to see why the Tech's last game proved to be its biggest win.

“We try to make each game the best game possible,” Ambra said. “If we're going to lose, we want our opponent to know they had to play the best they can to beat us.”