It's not that he doesn't get frustrated. He's been known to get angry on the field--quite often with himself.
"When Andy Dale kicks the ball with his left foot, everybody goes AHHHHHH, it's a miracle," Dale says. "I like to pretend that it's because my right foot is so good, not that my left is so bad."
Dale, a Seattle native, finds it amusing that he's the only player from his successful youth program to continue soccer at the college level. He's kept playing because "it's fun." He "had a great time" listening to the crowd cheer during Harvard's 5-4 overtime victory over Princeton.
But he certainly didn't show it on his face. When a Tiger forward broke away and started to race downfield, Getman yelled from the bench: "What do you think of that, Andy?"
Dale didn't look up. He didn't blink. He simply turned, and neatly took the ball away. Even then he didn't smile.
Dale's intensity leaves its mark. He limps away from almost every game--muscles sore, energy drained.
That's when it's time for ritual number two. A James Taylor tape finds its way into Dale's walkman.
And a smile shows up on his face.