Unsung hero Knapp sets the table for soccer's offense

Being an outside midfielder is arguably the most difficult position on the soccer field.

A midfielder is required to play both offense and defense, have more endurance than anyone one on the field and oftentimes is robbed of all scoring glory.

None of that, however, seems to faze junior halfback Brian Knapp.

"The credit doesn't bother me too much," Knapp said. "It is more about when you're busting real hard to get the little stuff done. When you get them the ball and then they don't score you have to go back and start busting again."

Knapp, who has been one of the keys to the soccer team's surprising success this season, knows that playing with standouts like Lee Catchpole and Andrea Clarke sometimes takes the focus off him and his position. But that doesn't mean he isn't still responsible for many of the little things that often get overlooked.

"I just try and get them the ball," Knapp said, referring to his team's forwards. "The defense tries to filter the ball through Greg (Galemore) and I in the middle."

The blue-collar midfielder, known as BK to his teammates, has been an integral part of the potent 20th-ranked Bulls' offense. This season the Bulls have scored a total of 33 goals while tallying an impressive 10-2 record. In addition to his five assists, Knapp has also scored three goals of his own, all of which have come as game winners for the Bulls.

Now in his third season with the Bulls, Knapp has been a part of a monumental transformation in UB soccer. In the 2003 season, Knapp's freshmen year, the team's record was a mere 1-12 overall. That year the team only mustered a total of eight goals and finished last in the Mid-American Conference. The Bulls currently sit at number two in the MAC and just missed tying 2003's goal total in one game, when they netted seven goals in a shutout victory over Centenar.

"The biggest difference is we score," Knapp said. "We lost a lot of close games that year because we couldn't score."

Knapp said a large part of the team's success is a result of the players' ability to mesh.

"Last year it was good, this year it's even better," Knapp said about the team's chemistry.

The team's unity can be attributed to a number of things. The comic high jinx of junior Dave Chojnowski keeps the Bulls laughing, while senior captain Mbawana Johnson's inspirational speeches keep the team motivated and humble.

"He's a standout. He's got us rolling all the time," Knapp said about Chojnowski. "He's always saying something. He says if he ever scores a goal he is going to show coach love because no one ever shows coach love."

This year's team is also more physical than past UB squads. The Bulls have earned 19 yellow cards as a team, four of which can be attributed to freshman Dan Gwyther. The team's aggressive nature, coupled with their skills, has also been a key part of the Bulls' success.

"I think we have more yellow cards than any other team in the MAC," Knapp said. "We use our bodies well and we are strategically aggressive. Sometimes the refs don't agree with it."

After losing a close conference game to a tough Akron team last Friday, Knapp said the Bulls are going to come out strong against MAC rivals Bowling Green.

"They were probably the best team I have ever played against," Knapp said about the number-two ranked Akron Zips. "We want to get back on top in the MAC. Bowling Green is a tough team. They have only won two games but they beat Ohio State and Ohio barely lost to Akron."

The Bulls will take on the Falcons on Friday night at 7 p.m. in UB Stadium.