From the moment Dylan Sheehan '09 stepped onto Brown's varsity soccer field, he had something to prove.
A native of Nova Scotia, Sheehan had gained valuable experience in his two seasons as captain of the Canadian U-18 National Team prior to enrolling at Brown. Although the level of play in high school leagues in Canada is not as high as it is in America, Sheehan's time in the national development program had given him an idea of what collegiate soccer would be like.
"Only a select few (Canadian) players can make that transition," he said
One of those Canadians is current teammate Matt Brittner '08, who was also a major factor in Sheehan's decision to come to Providence. Brittner helped recruit Sheehan and worked with him at one of the Bears' summer recruiting camps. Thanks to Brittner's encouragement and to his training regimen with the national team, Sheehan entered the 2005 season knowing he could compete for playing time but also with the realization that he would have to be in peak form to do so.
But before Sheehan could show what he was capable of, he suffered an injury that nearly ended his rookie season before it even began. In the first week of pre-season practice, Sheehan fractured his hip bone in what Head Coach Mike Noonan called a "freak accident."
In the middle of a fitness test on the track, another player obstructed Sheehan's vision, leading him to run into a hurdle at full speed. Not only did Sheehan pull himself up to run the remaining two-thirds of the race despite the "excruciating pain" he was in, but he also finished the event under the required time.
"Only a handful of players each year are able to make it under the cut-off time, which tells you how tough Dylan really is," Noonan said.
Unable to play in all but one game in the 2005 season as a result of his injury, Sheehan did the only thing he could to do to contribute: he supported his teammates from the sidelines en route to their Ivy League championship and NCAA tournament berth. The ever-enthusiastic forward tried to be optimistic, but his teammates and coaches could tell that not playing was extremely difficult for him.
"I tried to be as positive as possible," Sheehan said. "But really, I was miserable. I could hardly even walk, let alone play."
"We could tell that he was frustrated because he couldn't do the things he was accustomed to doing," Noonan said.
According to Noonan, the injury "really hindered what (Sheehan) tries to do on the field" and stifled his trademark aggressiveness. But Sheehan worked twice as hard in the offseason, continuing with his intensive rehabilitation and playing in a men's league back home in Nova Scotia over the summer to build his game back up for this season.
Just as he was beginning to progress, however, Sheehan encountered another barrier on his road to recovery. In one of his league's exhibition games in late July, he tore all the ligaments in his ankle after an opposing player slide-tackled him.
"It's just been one thing after another," he said.
Sheehan found himself in familiar territory this summer, sidelined again for all of preseason with his latest injury and without the ability to showcase his talent. But after nursing himself back to health a second time, Sheehan has finally seen his persistence pay off and has exceeded his own expectations for this year.
In addition to earning his minutes on the field, he has become an instrumental force for the Bears' offense and an inspirational leader for the team in its drive for a postseason berth.
In the Bears' highly anticipated Ivy League opener against Dartmouth, with whom Brown shared the Ivy title last season, Sheehan scored the lone goal for Brown, forging a 1-1 tie.
Then, against formidable Boston College of the Atlantic Coast Conference, he netted the eventual game-winner for the Bears in the 60th minute, propelling them to a 2-1 victory in the key non-conference match-up. Sheehan continued his tear, scoring the tying goal against Princeton with 9:40 left on the clock in a 2-1 Bruno win. His clutch performances in those matches earned him Ivy League Player of the Week honors for the week of Oct. 9.
As his whirlwind season is coming to a close, Sheehan feels that he barely had the time to fathom his vast personal success.
"At this point I can't have individual goals, I'm just trying to help the team as a whole," Sheehan said. "I just tried to make the best of the opportunities I had."
Sheehan's turnaround has not come as a surprise to the coaching staff.
"We knew he would come through," Noonan said. "With his maturity, confidence and poise, he's got the best character of anyone I've coached here. He was determined to make his mark and he did."
With his increased contributions to the team this season, Sheehan's role on the team has also evolved.
"Last year, as a freshman, I was pretty unsure of my place on the team, but this year I've been able to step into more of a leadership position," Sheehan said.
With his fellow Nova Scotian and friend Brittner out for the season with a knee injury, Sheehan was further motivated to succeed as the Bears' lone Canadian.
"I want to represent for all the Canadians out there," Sheehan said, laughing.
"His teammates look up to him," Noonan said. "They have seen his struggles and seen his determination. So when he speaks, they listen."
Teammate T.J. Thompson '10 agreed. This season the first-year forward found himself in a similar situation to Sheehan's last year - fighting for playing time and grappling to find his role on the team. But motivated by Sheehan's experiences, Thompson was able to work his way into the lineup.
"He's a great example of what can happen when you work hard and keep at it," Thompson said.
Playing the same position as Sheehan, Thompson said the two constantly challenge one another at practice.
"He pushes me to do better and better every day," Thompson said. "He's one of the hardest-working players out there."
Sheehan and his teammates hope all of their hard work will pay off in Friday night's contest against Yale, which will be televised nationally on the Fox Soccer Channel. Though Brown is currently in third place in the Ivy League with a record of 10-3-3, a win against the Bulldogs could secure them a spot in the NCAA tournament.
"Any team with more than 10 wins in the season has a good chance of making it in," Sheehan said "This game is pivotal in keeping our season going."
With all that Sheehan has proved this season, Noonan said he has no doubt Sheehan will overcome the pressure to perform on Friday and into the postseason.
"Big games bring out the best in superb players," he said.
