On Tuesday, July 24, the Saint Ignatius soccer team gathered as one to begin a memorable journey to Jamaica.
The Wildcats met in the evening outside the second-floor veranda of one of the villas the team occupied in Montego Bay. Head Coach Mike McLaughlin '85 discussed expectations for the trip and the schedule for the trip before turning over the floor to Doris Parchment, one of the trip's organizers. As "Ms. P" explained, the boys needed to remember one phrase during the trip: "Irie, mon!"
"Irie, mon" is a Jamaican phrase meaning "good," or "no problem." And without a doubt, every aspect of the trip was "irie."
Thirty Saint Ignatius student-athletes, thanks to the financial contributions of their parents, made the 1,600-mile journey to Jamaica for a trip combining soccer, service, and fun. Accompanied by 11 adults, the Wildcats traveled to Montego Bay for an 8-day, 7-night trip to the Caribbean island.
Envisioned by Jamaican native Devan Anderson, father of DeVar Anderson '21, the trip would unite several aspects to deliver meaningful and lasting experiences for the 30 Ignatians. Devan Anderson (Director of the Samba Soccer Club and Head Men's Soccer Coach at Cuyahoga Community College) collaborated with McLaughlin and Parchment to plan the trip.
With various moving parts, along with bad weather on the first day, the original itinerary did not reflect the final plans. However, the Wildcats learned patience and how to adjust on the fly in a more relaxed culture. And more importantly, the boys walked away with a deeper understanding of the Third World island nation.
"It was a tremendous trip," McLaughlin said. "When you set up trips like this, you hope that you can check certain boxes, and I feel like we checked all the boxes. It exceeded what we expected."
On the first full day on Wednesday, the team traveled to Negril Beach. Following a day of beach soccer, a trip on a bottomless boat, and cliff jumping at Rick's Café, the Wildcats got to business on Thursday.
The Wildcats played Cornwall College, one of the best "schoolboy" or high school, teams in the country. The younger boys, or "JV" team, played to a 1-1 tie before the Wildcats' older, or "varsity" squad rolled to a 4-0 win over Cornwall. The result stunned many locals, who showed surprise when the Wildcats spoke of the big win later in the trip.
Friday marked the most physically challenging day of the trip. Due to the postponement of the first game, originally slated for Wednesday, the Wildcats had to play a total of 4 games on Friday. Each team would play twice, with a few "swing" players participating in both games.
The day of soccer began a little after noon, with the younger Cats facing the youthful squad from Ruseas High School, a nationally renowned program in Jamaica. Ruseas won the Jamaican "Country Boys" championship last season, earning the distinction of the best team outside of Kingston.
The Wildcats struck first in the contest, with Aiden Kernell's free kick finding the head of Ian Sugar. The sophomore's header started things out on a positive note for the Cats.
However, Ruseas started applying the pressure. The hosts forced Saint Ignatius goalkeeper Liam Sowell to work hard to deflect chances and keep the ball out of the net. But Ruseas finally broke through with five minutes left, tying the contest at one. The score would end at 1-1, placing the younger boys at 0-0-2.
The battle of the big boys began with a fierce battle between the skilled and technical Ruseas squad and the athletic and disciplined Saint Ignatius side. Ruseas broke through with the first score of the game, snatching a 1-0 lead to place the onus on the Wildcats.
The men of McLaughlin responded in kind. The Wildcats worked hard, forcing Ruseas into its own end. The hard work paid off later in the half, as Bryce Horton charged on a breakaway into the box, ready to score one of his characteristically athletic and pretty goals. Instead, a Ruseas back tripped Horton, leading to a Saint Ignatius PK. Senior Kyle Healy wasted little time in placing the ball into the back of the net, as the ball bounced off the keeper's hands and into the left side of the net.
The score remained tied at 1 at half between one of Jamaica's best schoolboy teams and one of America's top high school programs. In the second half, the Americans took charge.
The Wildcats earned some chances on offense, threatening to break through at any moment. For the first 20 minutes of the half, the squad worked hard to break down the door. With 10 minutes remaining, the Wildcats did just that.
The Soccer Cats worked down the field and earned a cornerkick on the far side of the field. Healy placed the ball masterfully into the box, where Horton's head met the ball and careened it into the back of the net.
"It was a set piece. In the World Cup this summer, about 70 percent of the goals were scored on set pieces," said McLaughlin after the game. "It's good to see the seniors making the difference we hope they would make. Every year, you win or lose with your seniors. Your seniors take you where you need to go, and I'm excited for them. It's a small group of guys, but it's one who can make a difference on and off the field."
The goal invigorated the Wildcats in the final moments, holding off the highly touted and physically intimidating Ruseas squad. It was an inspired all-around effort by the men of Ohio City.
"You come to places like this so you can play in an environment where you're uncomfortable and there are things you're not used to. The heat, the playing surface, and even the style are things we're not used to," said McLaughlin. "The kids on these teams are so technical and good with the ball. That's something we don't often see in American soccer. I'm really pleased."
The team's development, even during the course of the game, impressed McLaughlin.
"If you watched the World Cup this summer, the best teams are the ones that can control the ball and keep possession of the ball, but also be dominant physically," said the 8-time champion coach. "That's our hope -- that everybody is comfortable with the ball, especially in tight situations and under pressure, that our guys can battle to keep the ball and combine with each other. If we can do that, we'll have a chance to reach our goal of winning the state championship."
In the third game on Friday, the younger Cats matched up with the young men of Herbert Morrison High School. The hosts started with a flash, beating the Wildcats on a breakaway goal in the seventh minute.
Tired from the sun and heat, the Wildcats battled hard but Herbert Morrison showed no signs of slowing down. A through ball and a miscommunication led to the second goal of the evening for Herbert Morrison. The hosts continued to apply pressure throughout the first half.
A fiery halftime speech from McLaughlin, including the line, "You can do anything for 30 minutes. Let's go and play soccer," inspired the young Wildcats. A wonderful Wildcats lead pass set up a marvelous goal by forward Ben Stepnowski midway through the stanza. The junior continued to provide fire on offense, nearly scoring his second of the contest just a minute after tallying his first. Following his shot off the post, Stepnowski attracted more attention from the defense, opening the field for the Wildcats.
The Soccer Cats continued to dominate possession and hem Herbert Morrison into its own zone. A near miss on a PK with five minutes nearly tied it, but the Wildcats did not let the miss deflate their efforts. Ryan Roberts placed a ball top shelf into the back of the net on a beautiful goal that stunned the opponents with just a couple minutes left. The goal felt inevitable after 30 minutes of pressing by the hungry Wildcats. The contest concluded in a 2-2 tie.
The final game of the day featured the best of the Cats vs. the best of Herbert Morrison. The Wildcats pieced together a squad from the best available players from both the younger and older teams, as many players were dealing with fatigue and minor injuries. Even still, the Wildcats persevered.
For the whole of the game, the Wildcats dominated possession. Herbert Morrison occasionally passed midfield, but when they did, the Wildcats' back line stepped up and deflected the pressure away from the net. Even when a shot came close, keeper Peter Van Euwen gobbled up the ball and rocketed it far away from the net.
The Wildcats placed the ball in the box and fired it at the net on multiple occasions, but to no avail on the scoreboard. The Wildcats held the ball but could not find twine, but certainly worked hard enough to earn one.
The contest ended officially in a tie but unofficially in penalty kicks, as the teams enjoyed some fun before taking pictures and exchanging pleasantries. The men of Saint Ignatius and Herbert Morrison truly had fun competing and talking with each other.
Though the contest ended in a tie, McLaughlin counted it as a moral victory for the Cats.
"We had the ball most of the game. We created all of the chances, they had no real chances on our goal," said McLaughlin. "We had several really good chances we just couldn't put away. Playing in 80+ degree heat for our second game of the day, we're trying to build a team for November. There were a lot of positive things today. There is a maturity about this team. This is a team that wants to do something this season. You can see that in the way they played in the second team."
As a whole, the four games provided a challenge for the Wildcats but McLaughlin was pleased at how well his team performed.
"It was a great day," McLaughlin said. "Lots of friendships developed and we got to play against some wonderful teams and meet great coaches. Our kids got to hang out with their kids and that's why we're here."
The Wildcats continued to develop relationships and friendships on Saturday, as the team hosted a free clinic for young, local soccer players.
Attracting over 25 youngsters, the clinic combined skills drills, teaching from Coach McLaughlin, scrimmages, and a game of Lightning. The Saint Ignatius student-athletes played in games alongside their Jamaican counterparts, laughing and enjoying the game together.
At the end of the camp, the Wildcats and young Jamaican soccer players took a group picture and then talked with each other afterwards. They took pictures together, exchanged phone numbers, and had great conversations. As McLaughlin said, interactions like these are a key reason the Wildcats traveled to Jamaica.
Early on Sunday, the Wildcats headed into downtown Montego Bay for Mass. The team attended Blessed Sacrament Cathedral, where the diocese recently celebrated its Jubilee Year after 50 years of service to the Montego Bay community.
Slightly different than an American service, the Mass ran about two hours. But the cheery singing and a spirited homily from the celebrant, Rt. Rev. Msgr Eremodo Muavesi, captivated the Cats. Two members of the team even carried the gifts up to the altar. And at the end of the Mass, the team posed for a picture with Rt. Rev. Msgr Eremodo Muavesi, who wished the Wildcats well in the remainder of their travels.
Following a quick trip home for lunch, the Wildcats headed into the mountains. The team piled onto two buses bound for Frome Technical High School, located in central Jamaica on the western end. Picturesque mountains and a small neighborhood surrounded the field, in the heart of sugar cane country.
Hot, humid weather awaited the Wildcats off the bus, as did a field with long grass, which would affect the play. The Wildcats focused on hitting the ball harder and keeping possession to start the game. The squad played hard and fought for loose balls, as Horton made a few impressive plays despite physical pressure by Frome. Upon Horton's exit from the game, Frome's coach, Aaron Lawrence, came over to tell Horton how impressed he was at his play. Lawrence, a former goalkeeper on the Jamaican national team, even inquired if Horton hailed from Jamaica. Lawrence currently coaches the U15 Jamaican national squad.
The Cats continued to battle, firing shot after shot on the Frome net. However, the Frome keeper showed off his acrobatic athleticism and deflected away several promising chances by the Wildcats over the course of the 30-minute half. Try as the Cats might, the older boys could not find the back of the net, leaving the game tied at 0 heading into the second stanza.
The next half featured younger players from both teams, though Frome left several of its top players in for the first five minutes of the half. Even still, the Wildcats hung tough and survived, batting away several scoring chances. Around the halfway point of the period, however, Frome found openings and exploited them, using strong forward play to score on a pair of stunning breakaways.
The 2-0 deficit did not stop the Wildcats from attacking, but a thunderstorm stopped the game early, sending players to the bus before rain overtook the field. But before the storms raged, the Wildcats did manage to donate a number of soccer balls and give away T-shirts to both local kids and to the players on Frome's team, as the Cats did after every game during the trip, delighting many a youngster.
"From a soccer perspective, I was pleased that we were really challenged," McLaughlin said. "Every area of the world plays a different style of soccer. We were exposed to a really interesting Caribbean style of soccer, which is skill-based. It was nice to play on difficult fields with hot weather. It was good to see them respond and have to deal with traveling."
On the way back to Montego Bay, the Wildcats paid particular attention to the homes and villages alongside the roads in the mountains. The team received a deeper understanding of the way rural Jamaicans live, often without amenities such as cars or big homes. The team's bus drivers, Douman and Henry, both pointed out local plants, towns, and landmarks along the way, serving as both drivers and guides.
"When you set up these trips, you have a desire to do service. For these trips, the service is the immersion is part of it, where you get to be with other people of other cultures," said McLaughlin. "We spent a lot of time interacting with other people, they got to meet people on the field, on the streets, and in all of the things that we did. By design, there were a lot of opportunities for our boys to come into relationships with people."
On Monday, the Wildcats enjoyed a chance to see Ocho Rios and the Dunn's River Falls. Each member of the team climbed the falls at least once, with some reaching the top four times. The Cats also enjoyed time on the beach and in the surrounding shops, picking out gifts for family and friends back home.
The day concluded with a trip to the Luminous Lagoon, one of only three places in the world where salt water meets fresh water to create a luminous effect when you touch the water. It was one of the coolest things the Wildcats saw during the journey.
The trip came to an end on Tuesday, with the team enjoying one more day of wonderful home-cooked meals by Andre and Chef Ron and wonderful views of the Caribbean Sea. The Wildcats arrived back in Cleveland in the evening, completing a wonderful trip.
"We were able to meet people different from us," McLaughlin said. "A lot of people think of Jamaica as a resort island. Sure, there are resorts there. But we spent our time interacting and seeing ordinary life in Jamaica. It gave our boys a new perspective on things, which is what we were hoping for."
The players on the trip certainly gained plenty from the experience, too.
"Overall, I thought it was a great trip," said senior captain Henry Curtis. "It was nice to see to see how Jamaicans live and experience their culture and the things they do every day. Jamaicans are very friendly people, they're really outgoing. They like to bring you in and teach you how they live life."
Fellow captain Kyle Healy echoed the sentiment, reflecting on the way the Wildcats had a chance to experience Jamaica in an authentic way.
"There are a lot more poor areas, it's not all resorts," Healy said. "People who are trying to find a way to make a living. But they all work hard, and it's a loving, great community. Being immersed in the different culture was great. It was a great experience overall."