It has been a positive season so far, on so many levels, and after barreling through our conference games we are now in a holding pattern. Last week was our most demanding of the season so far, and I am continually impressed by the focus and drive of the members of this team.
We played an incredibly hard-fought battle against UW-Eau Claire (ranked #22 in the country) on Wednesday. We held them scoreless for the first 70 minutes of the game. After they scored, we nearly put in the equalizer had it not been for the athleticism of their goalie. They snuck in a second goal with 20 seconds left in the game and we were drained of everything we had brought to the field that day.
There was no rest for the weary and we had to muster up the same level of intensity and focus for our Saturday roadtrip to Whitewater for another epic battle. This time we put ourselves on the board first, but we were unable to hold on to the lead in the second half and lost the match 2-1.
Unbelievably, the women on this team were able to get themselves up again for our match against MIAC powerhouse St. Benedict's for our Senior Day game on Sunday. It was a back and forth game in playmaking and in scoring. We put ourselves up 1-0 and they battled back to take a 2-1 lead into halftime. We tied it up and then in the final 17 minutes of the game they stayed after a ball banging around in the box and after all the bodies had landed, the ball was in the back of the net. We lost the game 3-2, but it was a victory in spirit.
It took an incredible amount of energy for the team to stay up for game after game after game, and there truly was not a let down of the sort that would indicate a loss of focus. Practices this week have been similar and we look to recapture our home-field winnning record when we take on St. Mary's and Hamline in two non-conference games.
We could potentially be hosting the first round of the WIAC playoffs, but after all the hurrying to get through the conference play first, we have to wait to see what happens with Oshkosh and La Crosse.
The games and training for the next week and a half will be challenging as we attempt to hone the focus that has been so positive and keep progressing forward in everything we do. I am confident that the momentum that we have started is going to be hard to stop.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Soul Food
The way to a soccer teams’ heart is through their stomachs. The parents and families of this team are well aware of what makes the experience complete, and because of that there have been very few games when there were no treats to be passed around. We’ve enjoyed the hospitality and generosity of so many of the parents who have supplied pizza, ice cream, cookies, brownies and other treats after our games. We’ve had memorable experiences at the houses of several of the players and our family potluck meal was another fun day. Life is often remembered most favorably when there is food involved.
It has been fun to watch the team progress from separated groups of diners to the unified way they devour food now. It mirrors the progression of how much better they are playing as a unit right now. The more they have had a chance to eat together, the better they get to know each other and the more that translates out on to the field.
What I remember most from my college days were the meals and treats along the way. I remember great restaurants and meals at the houses of my teammates. It has always been that way for me. It’s funny that I remember my “lucky pancakes” on the Saturday mornings before my youth soccer games, but I could hardly recall much about the actual games.
The post-game treats we’ve enjoyed this season are indeed a representation of how “lucky” we really are. The women on this team are lucky to have the parents they do. They are lucky to be supported by the people around them, and I am lucky to be in the right place at the right time to sneak a few sweet treats along the way.
If food for the soul can be found in Tupperware, the Stout Women’s soccer team should have some of the happiest souls around.
It has been fun to watch the team progress from separated groups of diners to the unified way they devour food now. It mirrors the progression of how much better they are playing as a unit right now. The more they have had a chance to eat together, the better they get to know each other and the more that translates out on to the field.
What I remember most from my college days were the meals and treats along the way. I remember great restaurants and meals at the houses of my teammates. It has always been that way for me. It’s funny that I remember my “lucky pancakes” on the Saturday mornings before my youth soccer games, but I could hardly recall much about the actual games.
The post-game treats we’ve enjoyed this season are indeed a representation of how “lucky” we really are. The women on this team are lucky to have the parents they do. They are lucky to be supported by the people around them, and I am lucky to be in the right place at the right time to sneak a few sweet treats along the way.
If food for the soul can be found in Tupperware, the Stout Women’s soccer team should have some of the happiest souls around.
Friday, October 3, 2008
There is, in fact, crying in soccer
One of my favorite films of all time has to be "A League of Their Own". Tom Hanks plays a disenchanted baseball coach in charge of coaching a women's professional baseball team in the middle of WWII during a time period when Major League baseball has stopped competing. He has his own troubles with alcohol and has few, if any, expectations of the athleticism of the women who play for him. He, of course, is quickly turned toward enthusiasm for the potential of the women on his team and it is a feel-good movie about exceeding expectations.
A great, and memorable line from the movie happens when he has just yelled at one of the women and she stands in front of him on the verge of tears. He struggles to keep control of his own emotions as he points fervently at her saying, "There is no crying in baseball...there is no crying in baseball."
I think it is a turning point for him as it is evident that he truly does care about what he is doing, enough to express emotion the only way that he knows how...even if that meant yelling at his players. He was a yeller.
I am not a yeller. I generally do not express much of the emotions that I feel on a regular basis during practices and games, but I discovered this week, that when the emotions are overwhelming, it is a tearful expression that grips me.
As a player, I could simply run off frustration, work harder when the chips were down or tackle harder on 50/50's. I have been challenged with a new way to express very real emotions about the games we prepare for and the practices we endure. I wouldn't say that I am weepy, but I guess I have embraced the cathartic release that tears can have.
We had a tough game this week. Not because we played so hard and were outmatched, but rather because we were not willing to leave what we had on the field. I was frustrated and instead of yelling, or throwing chairs or pouting, I guess...I cried.
I've seen tears from players I've played with and coached over the years. The players on both sides of huge games are quick to shed tears...some out of joy and others out of utter despair. Others cried because they were seniors and they knew it was the last game. It is an expression of a full commitment of everything that a player has that leads to such an emotional outburst.
Hanks eventually accepts the differences between some of the things that the women on his team do that no man would ever feel compelled to do. Tears are never really accepted, but he softens his approach to accommodate the needs of his team.
I hope that crying does not become a regular occurance for me or the women on this team...but I do think that there is a place for it. Sometimes, when you care enough about something, you cannot help but to shed a few tears.
A great, and memorable line from the movie happens when he has just yelled at one of the women and she stands in front of him on the verge of tears. He struggles to keep control of his own emotions as he points fervently at her saying, "There is no crying in baseball...there is no crying in baseball."
I think it is a turning point for him as it is evident that he truly does care about what he is doing, enough to express emotion the only way that he knows how...even if that meant yelling at his players. He was a yeller.
I am not a yeller. I generally do not express much of the emotions that I feel on a regular basis during practices and games, but I discovered this week, that when the emotions are overwhelming, it is a tearful expression that grips me.
As a player, I could simply run off frustration, work harder when the chips were down or tackle harder on 50/50's. I have been challenged with a new way to express very real emotions about the games we prepare for and the practices we endure. I wouldn't say that I am weepy, but I guess I have embraced the cathartic release that tears can have.
We had a tough game this week. Not because we played so hard and were outmatched, but rather because we were not willing to leave what we had on the field. I was frustrated and instead of yelling, or throwing chairs or pouting, I guess...I cried.
I've seen tears from players I've played with and coached over the years. The players on both sides of huge games are quick to shed tears...some out of joy and others out of utter despair. Others cried because they were seniors and they knew it was the last game. It is an expression of a full commitment of everything that a player has that leads to such an emotional outburst.
Hanks eventually accepts the differences between some of the things that the women on his team do that no man would ever feel compelled to do. Tears are never really accepted, but he softens his approach to accommodate the needs of his team.
I hope that crying does not become a regular occurance for me or the women on this team...but I do think that there is a place for it. Sometimes, when you care enough about something, you cannot help but to shed a few tears.
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