It is customary for each Buckeye men's soccer senior to give a speech at the annual awards banquet. This is the text of senior Joe Moore's address to the team, staff and parents who were present last Saturday. Moore kept a blog throughout the season - Tell Me Moore - on OhioStateBuckeyes.com

To my friends, family and fellow Buckeyes,
Tonight I have the privilege of speaking about years here at OSU.  Without hesitation I would say my time here has been host to the best years of my life and this is largely due to the Men's Soccer program.  I would like to begin by thanking everyone involved with the program.  First, Aaron Estes who continually made sure that my academics were in order even when my focus was on the field rather than in the classroom. I would like to thank Alissa Clendenen for her constant work writing and making sure our fans were updated.

Although much of their work goes unnoticed I would like to thank Erin Sauter, Harry Malles and all of our game-day operations people. I would like to thank our entire medical staff from Dr. Borchers to our day-to-day athletic training students Melissa and Marissa.  A special thanks to Jenn Novak who inherited me with a pretty terrible foot injury.  Late in the season I finished the Michigan game with a pretty bad leg contusion.  As the week went on Jenn was treating me up to four times a day and by God's grace had me back for the Big Ten Tournament. Thank you Jenn. 

Last but not least I would like to thank our Coaching staff.  Brandon, Danny and Taly you were great additions to the coaching staff this year and I would like to thank you for your hard work. Frank and John are the ones who brought me in and made me a Buckeye. They have led this program through some of its greatest years and I have enjoyed and cherished being a part of it. Thank you. 

This year was different for me than previous years. The first and probably most recognizable reason was that I actually played.  I am sure that the first game I started parents were flipping through the program wondering who the new kid was.  The beginning of the season proved to be tough for us as a team.  Losing and tying games that we shouldn't have.  Something happened about a third of the way through the season. Something changed, and we began to play as a team.  Out of many we became one and our focused efforts brought success.  We went from a team that was having a rebuilding year to Big Ten Champions.

Years from now when history looks back on the 2009 Buckeyes they will see a team that beat Indiana twice at Indiana, beat Michigan for the Big Ten Championship and secured the highest NCAA tournament seed in school history. 

What they won't see is our Halloween costume roadtrip, they won't see Frank passing out Mamba's during scoring drills, they won't see us constantly picking on Doug, they won't see us stopping for ice cream on the way home from Indiana, they won't see a group of 27 guys who showed up day in and day out committed to winning, they won't see the fights on the practice field or the hugs after a win and they won't see how a team of individuals banded together to beat the odds and win a championship.

I would argue that it is what they won't see that made this team great.

In conclusion, I would like thank my fiancée Alison for supporting me. I would like to thank my parents for giving me every opportunity in the world.  For loving me well and sacrificing that my dreams might come true.  Finally, I would like to thank my teammates.  This season was unbelievable.  This year I have learned something that no Finance or business class could have ever taught me and that is the depth of friendship. 

I will leave you with this a timeless quote, "the seasons pass, the years will roll.  Time and change will surely show, how firm thy friendship Ohio".

Thank you and God Bless.

As always, it's another great day to be a Buckeye.