Sept. 20, 2007

By Mike Sheridan Villanova Media Relations

It was August of 2004 and the Villanova men's soccer team was preparing for a campaign that would ultimately conclude with the `Cats hosting the first BIG EAST Tournament home game in program history. But all of that seemed very far away as head coach Larry Sullivan and his staff surveyed what was becoming an increasingly deep roster in that humid month.

Much of that newfound depth was owed to an impressive list of incoming freshmen numbering 11. Among them were eventual four year starters Matt Sleece and Danny DeMasters, both of whom would make a significant impact as rookies. Also in the class was goalkeeper Jason Friel, who would go on to become a three year starter, along with the likes of Mike Del Guercio, Chris Quinn, Neil McNulty and Billy Whiteside. Each would become regulars at different points of their college careers.

In that same pool of candidates was a versatile and relatively anonymous athlete named Farris Fakhoury.

Fakhoury did not carry some of the credentials his peers did. Although he enjoyed a quality career at St. Joseph Regional High School in New Jersey and had played well on the club circuit, his was not a name on the radar of most major soccer schools in the recruiting process. Villanova head coach Larry Sullivan liked Fakhoury, though, and was impressed that he had earned entry into the university on his own academic merits. So the Parlin, N.J., product was given the chance to make the roster in the dog days of summer.

The odds were against him. The coaching staff wondered about the durability of a slender 18-year old in the physical world of the BIG EAST. Fakhoury gave a good account of himself but never quite managed to rise above a sea of fresh, talented faces.

"I just overlooked him," says Sullivan. "We were kind of loaded with good young players and Farris didn't really stand out. So I cut him and he was mad about it."

The business of paring a roster down to a manageable size is seldom easy. In his 17 years, Sullivan has experienced a wide range of reactions.

"Some kids will tell you they'll see you in the spring to try again and then you never hear from them," Sullivan says. "I was pretty sure I would be seeing Farris again."

Fakhoury viewed the rejection as merely a temporary setback.

"I was definitely determined to come back," he says, "because I felt I deserved to be there."

Just three years later, Fakhoury has more than proven his case. Today he is a fixture in the starting lineup of a Wildcat team that brings a five game winning streak with it into the start of BIG EAST play on Sept. 21. After two seasons of bouncing from position to position as needed, he has found a home on a defensive back wall that has allowed only three goals in the `Cats first six games.

"We did have a big class of incoming freshmen that year so I am sure it was tough for Coach (Sullivan)," Fakhoury says. "But I just knew from being out there that I belonged on the field. I wanted to come back and prove it, not only to Coach and my family, but myself. I just loved playing and I couldn't walk away from it that easily."

As his erstwhile teammates enjoyed an exciting campaign, Fakhoury funneled his energy into keeping his dream alive. There was no time for self-pity.

"I kept annoying Coach all during that fall," he says with a smile. "I kept emailing him and showing up at all the games to let him know that I was really interested in this. I trained all on my own in the fall and then, when I got out there in the first game of the spring, I felt confident that I was where I was supposed to be."

"He was just so determined," recalls Sullivan. "You could tell he really wanted to make the team and the more you watched him, the more you appreciated him. He is consistent and very competitive."

Fakhoury's love for the game was nurtured in large part by his parents, Amel and Nyal, who dutifully delivered him to games as he began to focus on the sport in junior high.

"Up until then I was like every other kid, playing all the sports," he says, "But then I began to concentrate on soccer."

The results were promising. By the time he was a senior at St. Joseph Regional High School, he was a second team all-state pick. In addition, he was a regular on the club circuit playing for the New Jersey Knight Nomads. Yet there wasn't great interest in him among programs affiliated with elite soccer conferences like the BIG EAST.

The Fakhoury family's Villanova connection actually began with Farris' older brother Elias, who graduated from the university in 2005. The school's academic reputation was important as was the chance to play his way on to a BIG EAST squad. By his second year on campus, that goal had been achieved.

"We knew Farris was a good student and a great person," Sullivan says. "He is a pleasure to be around and has a great attitude that rubs off on the people around him. And his determination to be a good player helped him to improve."

Upon making the team Fakhoury did not merely blend into the background. By the close of 2005, he was a regular who appeared in 14 games, including six starting assignments. The coaching staff used him in the midfield, at forward, and on defense, sometimes in several places during a single game. His versatility and willingness to adapt to an ever-evolving role were especially helpful.

In 2006, he continued in that role, though he usually began the game as a starter. He managed to contribute three goals in 17 games, including a key score in a 2-1 BIG EAST win at DePaul.

"The thing I like about Farris," he says, "is that you can trust him to make the right play."

In the season's penultimate game, there was a revelation that has paid major dividends in 2007. Playing at St. John's, Fakhoury started on the right side of the defense and flourished there.

"That night we really saw how well he fit there," Sullivan states. "And that's something that stuck with me as we started thinking about this season."

Fakhoury has become a staple in that spot, one of the fixtures on a wall that includes central backs Sleece, Chris Christian and left side pillar Miles Harrison.

"It definitely helps me to prepare knowing pretty much where I am going to be playing," he says. "We're very organized back there this year and we get great help from our midfielders and forwards. The whole team is really in synch. We all get along and respect each other."

Last week, Fakhoury demonstrated that his offensive flair hasn't abandoned him either. He twice fed long balls over the opposing defense that resulted in goals, the first in a 4-0 win over Saint Joseph's and the second in a 3-0 victory at Drexel.

"I have told him that if the ground is clogged up, we have to go to the air force," says Sullivan.

Part of what Sullivan sees now in Fakhoury is maturity.

"Farris is like a lot of today's players in that he is always striving to play perfect soccer," notes Sullivan. "We've talked about letting your mistakes go and he is much more comfortable doing that now than he was in the past."

"It's taken me some time but I think I finally appreciate that it doesn't have to be perfect," Fakhoury says. "Everyone is going to make little mistakes. You have to accept that and not let them get you down so that they lead to bigger mistakes. It's something Coach has been talking to me about for a couple of years."

Of course, without that kind of intensity, Fakhoury might not be where he is today. Sullivan will gladly accept that transaction.

"He's intense because he cares so much," says Sullivan.

Fakhoury is on track to graduate this spring with a Psychology degree. Yet it's not yet assured that his Villanova soccer career will conclude at the end of this season.

"I might be back," he says. "I didn't play my freshman year so I have another year of eligibility."

The specter of August 2004 isn't likely to fade anytime soon in the Farris Fakhoury story.