Ladies and gentlemen, Mike O'Connell is back!

Following surgery and months of excruciating rehab after tearing the ACL in his right leg in a game last fall, the Bowie native and Archbishop Spalding High School graduate rejoined his York College of Pennsylvania teammates in an August scrimmage against Millersville University for his first competitive action in nearly a year. His first "real" action of the year, the regular season opener against Susquehanna University, served as the preface to an outstanding season. The forward has nine goals, a far cry from a season ago, when being forced to watch the Spartans play, rather than play for them, proved just as painful as the injury itself.

The process of working his way back to good health began almost immediately after the injury occurred - with ice and surgery followed by rehab, of which he still does a scaled-down version.

In a stroke of bad luck for York, O'Connell wasn't the only Spartan to miss significant time in 2008. Two other players also went down with torn ACLs, making O'Connell's return, and the debut of a healthier '09 team, a very welcome development.

"It was a great feeling," O'Connell said of his first game back, "and I was so happy to be back. Everybody wanted redemption. We lost on (penalty kicks) last season, which we obviously weren't happy about. And I feel like I wanted it most ... I'd say (my teammates were excited to have me back). I knew I could give them a few extra goals."

Thanks in no small part to

O'Connell, the Spartans find themselves in good position to make a run at this season's Capital Athletic Conference Championship, which began last weekend sans York, because they earned a first-round bye. The team features not only O'Connell's veteran experience and leadership, but also the presence of 12 juniors and seniors and a complement of underclassmen that have all had a hand in the team's 13-1-4 regular season record, which included an unblemished CAC mark.

Despite the team having "a lot more depth" than it had last year, O'Connell asserts that the team has not made the most of its talent, but it has notched some impressive victories over top opponents.

"Our motto is, 'Keep getting better each game,' " O'Connell said. "Even though we have a pretty good record, we have yet to play a full 90-minute game. We need to pick it up. But we've had a tough schedule. Six teams we've played have been ranked in the top 25, and No. 1 Messiah (College) was undefeated (when we played them) and we beat them."

With their 3-0 win over Hood College a week ago, the Spartans finished the regular season in second place in the conference. As many coaches of talented, rising teams are apt to do, York skipper Mark Ludwig stressed that the team not look too far ahead. When it comes to contemplating potential postseason match-ups, all that's left for York to do is salivate over a potential showdown with an arch rival in the conference championship game, a dangerous approach for any team to take.

"We have four ties, so we can't look ahead," O'Connell said. "If we have one more (tie), it could ruin our season. The important thing right now is to focus on short-term goals and make sure we're making the most of our opportunities."

Nicknamed "El Nino" by his teammates because he wears the same No. 9 as Spanish soccer player Fernando Torres, who plays for Liverpool in the Premier League, O'Connell realizes the importance of his team playing its best soccer at the end of the season. Considering how much he went through just to prepare for the season, O'Connell is sure to do all he can to make sure the story of the 2009 season has a much happier ending than last year's - for everyone involved.

"Last year we peaked in the middle of the season," he said. "This year we haven't played up to our potential and we are still getting good results. I think if we do start playing up to our potential, we can be one of the most dangerous teams in the country."