On the road again...

We’re on the road again…literally and figuratively. We played Oshkosh at their place yesterday and we’re slotted to go on the road again for a game against Gustavus Wednesday afternoon. The team is also on a new figurative road that is taking us to some new places for this team, and we are all enjoying the scenery.

It has been a positive couple of weeks with equally positive weekends.
We had three shut-out wins at home and that weekend was full of family, and phenomenal weather. It was a truly incredible few days, and as a group we began moving with a positive energy that is going to be hard to slow.

I’ve been busy watching high school games, planning practices, attending shootarounds and watching film. The entire team has been busy with classwork, lifting, practices, study hall and training room expectations. They even went to St. Paul last week to get in training for our off-season fundraising.

I have to admit that when a player and a team are as focused as we are right now, there is not much room for life outside of soccer, but the nature of players who want to compete at this level is that soccer is life anyway.

I am continually impressed by the hearts of the young women who compete on this team, and after having a chance to see the support of their families, I am not at all surprised that they are the way they are.

I received an email early last week from the Oshkosh team that they were going to be wearing pink for yesterday’s match. It was in honor of breast cancer research, and a really worthy cause. I told the team about the gesture, and Ali Sonsteby, a sophomore on the team, suggested that we join the movement and put pink tape on our socks. They did that and added pink prewrap on their heads. It was a great idea that gave a physical demonstration of the heart of this team.

The game itself was an important one, and I am struck by how evenly matched we are on paper and very evidently on the field too. It was a great intense game, and we were energized and continually learning, even into the overtime periods.

We all hope that we’ll have another shot to play Oshkosh later this year, but until then, we are busy prepping for another non-conference game and another very important conference game against UW-La Crosse next Saturday. It has been good to find a new road….now we just have to stay on it.