When it seems as though there is no way to catch a break, we must find a way to just keep going. We had a rough game Wednesday against St. Kate’s…not because we were outplayed, but rather because we didn’t do what we needed to do to show up to play. We were not mentally prepared for the day and played without much urgency or passion.
The captains were part of a movement in a new direction to get the team more invested in mental preparation, and it paid off for the two games on the weekend.
A much more inspired team showed up to play, Saturday, for our second conference game of the year against Oshkosh and we found ourselves on the losing end of a 1-0 battle. It was an incredibly well-played game with a lot of speed playing both directions and it took a lot out of us.
We then had to board a bus for a 41/2 hour trip to Dubuque, IA on Sunday for the second game of the weekend. We continued to play well into the second game of the weekend, and dominated possession, shot attempts and overall play. It started to take its toll on us going into the second half and many of the players who had seen a lot of minutes on Saturday were starting to feel the effects of fatigue and injury. We had a 2-0 lead going in to the last 8 minutes of the game and we were unable to shore up where we needed to in order to hold the lead. We painfully watched one player, an inspired senior from Dubuque, chip away at our lead and ultimately take the win for their team.
It is hard to get back on a bus for a long ride home when a win was so imminent, but it is what we have to do. It is hard to continue to work toward bigger goals that will move the program to where we, the coaches, ultimately see it going, but it is what we have to do. It is hard to forget about record, to move beyond losses and to see the positives of all that has happened in the last couple of games, but that is what we have to do. We are starting to gel, to see the opportunities, to play better team defense, to trust one another and to play for one another. The focus is coming and the play is improving all over the field. It is hard to keep working, but that is what we have to do, and that is what we will do.
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Stout it out!
UW-Stout Soccer
Stout it out!
About This Blog
- Coach Frank
- Thanks for visiting the Stout Soccer coach's blog. We hope that this blog will give you an extra dimension to what Stout soccer is all about. You can read the stats and watch the games, but what is it that really makes up the character of the women who put on the Stout gear every fall? Hopefully this behind the scenes look will give you a different perspective about the team and some impression of what matters to me as a coach.