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University of Massachusets Athletics
Brothers Still Playing Together
September 07, 2006 | Men's Soccer
Sept. 7, 2006
Brothers still playing together Siblings on same field in Amherst
By Mike Lipka, Globe Correspondent | September 3, 2006
With no students yet on campus and a sporadic rain falling on Boston University's Nickerson Field, there wasn't much of a turnout backing the home team at last Sunday's soccer game against UMass-Amherst.
There was, however, a sizable contingent huddled beneath umbrellas wearing Stoneham blue. They didn't so much care about the Minutemen, and they certainly weren't Terrier fans; they were there in support of Team DeSantis.
Mike DeSantis, a sophomore, and Mark DeSantis, a freshman, have taken their brother act to Amherst after combining for three state titles at Stoneham. And, as great as it is for their former coach, Jim Carino, to see them playing Division I college soccer, it's painful, too.
``I hate watching them in a different uniform," Carino said. ``I wish I could put them back in blue."
He can't, but those in blue did their best to support the pair at Nickerson.
The loudest roar of the day occurred when Mike ripped a shot from about 30 yards out that was headed for the top corner until BU goalie Zach Riffett made a dive and punched it away. UMass eventually tied BU, 1-1.
For the brothers, this season is just the latest chapter in a full life as teammates. Mark was barely a toddler when he figures his brother ``just started kicking balls at me." By the time he was 7 years old, they were playing organized soccer together. Through youth, club, and high school soccer, they were always on the same team.
It didn't take them long to develop an on-field chemistry that's still there today.
``They know exactly what each other is going to do in any given situation," Carino said. ``They're like two best friends out there."
It's the same way off the field. Carino said the DeSantises have always been close, and Mark said ``best friends" would be accurate. But that's not what drew Mark to UMass after his brother's freshman season -- and Mike thought their final game at Stoneham would be their last time on the same field.
``I figured that. But once I realized he could come to UMass, I was like, `Hey. I'll take it,' " Mike said. ``I'll take anything I can get to win. And obviously he's a great kid, so it helps the team a lot."
``I love the school here," Mark said. ``I love the team. All the guys on the team are so fun. I want to be at UMass. "
When asked if it was just an added bonus that his brother went there, Mark laughed. ``I don't know," he said. ``We'll find out."
It certainly will be for UMass. Sam Koch, the coach of the Minutemen, said he began recruiting Mike when the Stoneham star contacted him. It has already paid great dividends; by the spring, Koch said he was the team's best player, and he's played every minute this year at the difficult center-midfield position.
When Koch heard about Mike's younger brother, he went to work, but it was no given that Mark would follow his brother. Mark also had offers from Boston College and St. John's, among other schools.
``Having Mark come is fantastic, but I would have been happy with Mike. Everybody says, `You recruit one, you get the other.' It's not that way," Koch said. ``Was there a scheme to recruit two of them? The scheme was to recruit two good players."
As Koch and Carino pointed out, they are different types of players. Koch described Mike as more of a ``defensive organizer."
Mark, who is a bit more soft-spoken, saves his big statements for the field. Koch called him an ``attacking finisher," which makes sense, considering he had 64 goals and 36 assists in his last two years at Stoneham.
``He's always been the scorer, and I've always had to set him up," Mike said. ``I'm better at defense than offense, and he was always the greatest offensively, so he's kept it that way, I guess."
To earn a spot in the starting lineup for the Minutemen to begin the season, Mark had to do a little extra work this summer. He broke his left wrist playing club soccer, and still was playing with a taped-up hand against BU.
But for the second time in two games, both DeSantises were in the starting lineup against the Terriers, although they had trouble generating much offense against a stifling BU team.
Mike's strike was UMass's best chance in the first half, and when the Minutemen took a brief lead in the second half, BU answered less than a minute later.
``I think to have them both on our team makes us better," Koch said.
Mike Lipka can be reached at mlipka@globe.com.
