Athlete of the Week: Neill Guilbert

Neill Guilbert, SY '00

"One of the things that I like about Neill is that he has a gunslinger mentality about him. He is a ruthless opportunist," head coach Brian Thompkins said. Both Thompkins and Guilbert noted that the positioning of Fairfield's keeper provided the opportunity for Guilbert's second goal. According to Thompkins, "Neill has shown a talent for recognizing and taking advantage of goal-scoring opportunities. Both goals showed a killer instinct that you like to see in forwards. Once he adjusts to the physical demands of Division I play and develops a pattern of consistency, then I think Neill has the potential to be a very effective Division I player."

Guilbert, who is from Shreveport, La., had nothing but praise for his teammates, explaining that they should get the credit for Saturday night's success. "I think my teammates were surprised to see me score after my performance at practice the day before," when Guilbert's play was less than stellar. "I don't think that he could've hit the ocean from a pier. I told him to get all of his bad shots out now, in practice," Thompkins said about the practice. Guilbert did just that.

While he has already proved himself ready to tackle the collegiate level of competition, he maintains a view of himself as a role player, saying, "I was just trying to do my job for the team." Thompkins expects the forward tandem of Guilbert and Jac Gould, CC '00, to be very effective in the future, jokingly referring to the two as his "G-Force," a play on their last names.

Thompkins employs a very team-oriented style of play, wherein individuals are only successful when the team as a whole is successful. "You are nothing without the other guys in this system," Thompkins explained.

Guilbert is a freshman on a team with a new coach, new talent, and a new attitude. He has high hopes for the season, including winning the Ivy League title. As the team and his skills continue to grow and mesh together, the future looks bright for Guilbert as a Bulldog.

Trying to keep the player's feet on the ground, however, Thompkins kept Guilbert's early-season successes in the proper perspective, noting, "this is the first step of a long journey."

-- Tori Hammond