Kickin' it with Katie

New York, New York, It's a Wonderful Town

2010-09-16T14:03:00.000-07:00

It’s been two weeks and two tournaments later, and we’re off to our first two conference games in Jacksonville, Fl. But that’s getting a little ahead of ourselves.

After the devastating loss to Miami, we were looking to get back onto our feet in our fourth annual Embassy Suites Classic Kick-Off Classic. This year we hosted Kent State, Arkansas and Miami.

Friday night under the lights we scored first against Kent State. I headed the ball over KSU defenders to Jenci running in behind who out-ran and out-muscled the final defender to chip the Golden Flashes keeper. The 1-0 score held until the 77^th minute when a KSU forward blasted the ball into the back of the net. Flashbacks of prior games this season were seen by our coaching staff and players, and rightly so. Two minutes later, the Golden Flashes scored again—this time a bent ball from 20 yards out.

So with another loss under our belts we again looked to the next game to halt our sliding streak. This time, however, was not going to be as easy as Kent State should have been. We played a big-time SEC team,Arkansas. If we brought out A-game, they weren’t going to be able to beat us. And, it was about time we won at home!

We started the first half with a stellar shot by Olivia that caused Arkansas to come up with a big save in the first minute of the game. We were ready. The battle continued through the first half ending with the shot ratio at 8-6 in favor of us. The second half we brought the same high energy again getting the first shot on goal in the 48^th minute by Jenci. Combat continued with each team shooting the ball very well and causing the keepers to make some great saves.The game of soccer is 90 (sometimes more) minutes long, and it takes every single one to earn a winning result. This statement is proven by our game against Arkansas. Lindsey earned a corner for us in the 89^th minute. With every player on the field, including Steph, in the Arkansas box, Kat crossed the ball. The Arkansas keeper went to grab the ball mid-air, but faltered and tipped it behind her to Michelle who “headed” it into the goal. And by headed, I mean the replays show a hand may have been involved. Nonetheless, we won! A last-minute goal put us ahead to even out the whole tournament. Miami ended up placing first on goal differential. Jenci, KC and Olivia earned spots on the all-tournament team.

Coming off a big win, we were stoked to fly to New York for our two games at West Point. We flew into Newark, NJ with the New York City skyline within view as we landed. It was amazing. We carbed up that night at Olive Garden eating soup or salad (and some of us

beat the system by eating both—we’re that cool), breadsticks and some form of pasta.

Friday morning we ate breakfast at the Ramada and then went out to the parking lot for a jog and some juggling games. Jim had us split up into three different teams and challenged us to work through some kind of juggling pattern. Even though it was mostly for fun, there was always a race to win—we aren’t competitive or anything. Balls bounced around the parking lot, and when coaches weren’t looking, there could have possibly been some unethical goings on going on.

Not that it much mattered, but we had fun and were hoping the energy would carry over to our game that night against Vermont for our first game in the Black Knights Classic.

We didn’t have four separate mini vans this trip, but a large tour bus provided by West Point. Our bus driver, Ken, was super knowledgeable about the post, and was able to give us a very detailed tour around West Point before our game. Erin, our new assistant coach, attempted to relay his information over the microphone. For the most part she did well, only messing a couple words up here and there. It happens.

The mountains surrounding West Point were absolutely gorgeous. We were taking pictures of the campus and post from the bus. We saw where the cadets are housed, chapels, their football stadium, rugby center, practice fields, former professor housing, and Mario. Yeup, we saw Mario from our bus as we drove around. He greeted us at the locker rooms to say hello and good luck.

We changed quickly in the locker room and headed to the field full of energy. We wanted to increase our win streak to two (woo…) against the Catamounts. Vermont put us under pressure in the first few minutes of the game. Steph came up big stopping a couple great shots. Then we started to get rolling after Olivia put one on frame creating our first chance of the game. The first goal came in the 17^th minute. Jenci passed the ball to Caytlan who

dribbled and cut passed three players before bending the ball into the right side of the net just beyond the keeper’s reach.

We went into half-time up 1-0, and with a few pointers from Jim, Jess and Erin, we started the second half. Both teams battled for the first few minutes, neither getting a shot off. It wasn’t until Critter, from the back, took the ball up the left side of the field. Getting to the endline,

and with nowhere to go but back, she dropped the ball to Jenci who sailed it into the back of the net far-post. The 2-0 score held strong.

Saturday, as most people recall, was September 11^th. We were privileged enough to travel into NYC on the anniversary of the infamous attack. As we traveled into the city, Ken again told interesting facts about different landmarks that could be useful if any of us found the Cash Cab. I think the whole team had aspirations of finding the game-show cab. It would have been awesome if any of us had found it. We didn’t have a place to go, but if we saw Ben Bailey, we could have come up with some place.

We split up into small groups to walk around Times Square. Some people shopped on the street, some in stores and others people watched. Lindsey, Caytlan, Michelle and I came across the Naked Cowboy and decided

it was well worth the dollar to take pictures with him. He is definitely an interesting character and makes the most of his craft.

After the hour was up, we met back up at the bus to find some food and the Ground Zero Museum. Fresh New York style pizza was calling our names. We walked the streets of what looked to be an artsy section of NYC, just off the path of Broadway and Fashion Ave, to find a small Brick Oven pizzeria.

The three guys working didn’t seem at all overwhelmed when the party of 24 filled up the tiny shop. They took orders and rolled out the slices like it was their job (ok…so bad simile).

The Ground Zero Museum was hidden among the buildings off of 6^th street. It used to have a sign, but it was stolen. There was just a black door hiding the unknown as we stood on the sidewalk. We walked inside up a flight a stairs and through another door to be given headsets and a “tourmate.” There were around a hundred pictures covering the room’s walls. Each picture had a story behind it, and the photographer Gary Marlon Suson told each of those stories. We walked around pressing numbers on our tourmate and listened to his voice tell us his view of 9/11 through the images he found important enough to take.

In 2001, the oldest of our team was in 7^th grade, the youngest in 4^th. Most teachers were told to turn off the televisions after one or both of the towers had been hit. What most of us remember from that day is parents taking us out of school, adults crying and most television channels filled with coverage of George Bush speaking. The inside looks of Ground Zero through a man (the only man allowed a camera) who had a first-hand experience to the now historical site were surreal.

Suson actually happened to be in the museum due to the fact that it was September 11^th. After we finished at viewing all the pictures and listening to his stories, he talked to us a bit about his experiences allowing us to ask some intimate questions. He then played a trivia game testing our comprehension of the information we heard the previous couple of hours. Several players answered all of his questions correctly earning bracelets, still shots and a poster.

We left the museum and headed to Ground Zero and Battery Park. We saw the beginnings of the new Freedom Tower, stopped to take pictures of the Statue of Liberty, and then, as the sun started to set, we began to board our bus. A couple of us who were straggling behind looked up and saw two beams of light shooting into the sky. We attempted to take pictures of the lights, but as the sun set, it became impossible. There are only a couple circling around our team when there was still a bit of sun.

We left NYC with a newoutlook on a major historical event. And quite possibly a once-in-a-lifetime experience for most of us who traveled. The weekend could have ended that night and I think we would have all been satisfied with the trip; however, we had one more game to go before flying home. Sunday morning we played Marist. Our first morning game in probably the last four years, and it showed. The whistle blew and before the first minute past, a Red Fox took a corner and we bumped into the goal for them. We spent the next 89 minutes working to come back and tie the game, but it didn’t happen. We out-shot Marist 20-11 in the game, but could not find the back of the net at all.

We left New York 3-4 after arriving 2-3, and now we’re 0-0 heading into conference. What’s up Jacksonville? We’re to take two Ws and leave.

Until next time--Go Eagles!

September 2nd

2010-09-02T20:09:00.000-07:00

For the first blog of the new season, there is a lot of ground to cover.

My teammates and I arrived to FGCU at the beginning of August for everyone's favorite time of the year: pre-season! Okay, so I am possibly being a bit facetious. And as long as the three-a-days were, the week and a half before our first game seemed to fly by.

We bused to Florida Atlantic University to play a scrimmage match against the east-coast Owls. Instead of playing a formal game, both coaching staffs decided it would be best for teaching purposes to play four 20-minute quarters. We didn't care how they wanted to label it, we were there to win. And we did. With a shaky start and first-time-on-a-full-field jitters plaguing us a tad, we cranked out a 2-1 victory scoring all three goals of the game. (If we could refrain from scoring on ourselves again this season, we'll be good to go.)

A few more practices and a few more Artichoke meals later, the U17 Mexican National Team came to town on its college tour to prepare for the U17 World Cup. Before we played, both the US National Anthem and the Mexican National Anthem played. This was a legitimate international game--there were vuvuzelas blaring and a die-hard Mexican fan trumpeting and everything. The only things missing were FGCU fans in Eagle apparel to rival the sea of green Mexican jerseys. In front of a little over 1000 fans, we won 4-1.

Finally it was time to start the season! Pre-season was finally over, spirits were up, it was time to play our first regular season game, and we were ready to go. The Barry University Buccaneers arrived by bus, ironically, on Friday August 20th around five o'clock for a seven o'clock kick-off. It's a good thing they got here on time because we were lightning delayed all night.

Yeup…the game got canceled. Anti-climactic right?

Not all was lost, however. Julia, Anna, Lindsey Haw and I invented a little game that night called Hallway Cricket. There are written rules and recorded records posted in the locker room right now. Most of the team participated in the new rain-delay activity, whether it was through batting or fielding. A good time was had by all who played.

Six days later, and almost a full week of school under our belts, Florida International University came to town for our semi-annual meeting. Here was our chance to earn our first win of the season, until…lightning delay! Our kick-off time went from seven o'clock to just past nine. It was a tale of two halves, and then two more halves. We dominated the first forty-five minutes in possession and shots outshooting the Golden Panthers 6-3. In the second half however, the navy and gold posted up five shots compared to our measly one. None of them found the net, and we found ourselves in familiar territory--overtime. I'm not really sure what our OT record is, but I'm pretty sure it's not good, and it's only getting worse. In the final OT half, we put a shot just wide left upper 90. Then came the counter attack from FIU's speedy forward. She scored the golden goal. (Maybe a little pun was intended--golden goal::golden panther? No? Ok fine.)

Only a few days later, we played the perfect team to boost the morale around the locker room. The Delaware State Hornets traveled down for a quick stint to play us and FIU. Five different girls netted six shots to put on a clinic against the Red and Black giving the home fans who stuck around (3 lightning delays) a flurry of goals to cheer for.

At .500 we bused over to Coral Gables to play the U. After beating the Hurricanes 2-0 in the spring, we were looking for a similar result, and they were looking for revenge. In the first half, both teams had a couple solid efforts on goal that either went just wide or were saved by the keepers. At half-time, we talked about continuing to put pressure on the 'Canes in the second half, but that's all we did was talk about it. In the 59th minute, Miami scored, and then they scored twice in the 62nd minute. We had completely fallen apart within a four minute span. Late in the half, we missed a penalty kick and then scored one to make the scoreline appear like we had showed up.

Well, even though it is a dismal start to the season, Jim keeps reminding us that we started even worse last year to finish one point shy of the regular season title.

So at 1-2, here's looking forward to no more losing, better playing and winning conference. Our annual Embassy Suites Kick-Off Classic starts tomorrow. We play Kent State at 7:00 p.m. and Arkansas at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday. Come out to watch!

Until next time--Go Eagles!

October 23--Second to last one!

2009-10-23T11:38:00.001-07:00

Hey Eagle Fans!

It’s the second to last weekend of our season, and our last travel trip. We flew to Nashville, TN last weekend to play Belmont University and Lipscomb University. We arrived to chillier weather than we were used to here in the Fort, but it was very well received by most of the girls. Back in our mini vans, we drove from the airport to the Radisson. After we settled into our rooms, it was time for a light jog and stretch around the hotel. As always, we ate dinner at Olive Garden, and as always, it was fantastic. What’s not to love really—the breadsticks, salad and several different ways of eating pasta, marinara sauce and cheese?

Friday morning we ate breakfast in the hotel. They served up a great spread of pancakes, sausage, eggs, cereal, biscuits, fruit and some other great items to indulge in. Soon after breakfast, we travelled to Belmont for a very, very light training. We weren’t allowed on the field because it had been raining heavily recently and it was completely torn up. So, instead of playing our fun circle drill, we warmed up in a grassy spot next to some dorms. Ruby Tuesday hosted us for our pregame meal. While we waited for our food, Amber and Bri pointed out that the Walgreens sign showed the temperature that we would be playing the game in later that evening. The sign read 42 degrees, a fantastic change from the upper 90s.

Everyone bundled up in their Under Amour, sweats and rain gear to stay warm outside while we warmed up before the game. Slowly the layers started to come off, but the puddles on the field made sure our feet were nice and cold. The game started like many others, with us passing well and getting some shots off. Unfortunately, like other games, the goals were not being scored. We led the shot count once again, but couldn’t finish our opportunities; however, Belmont took advantage of their single digit shot count and netted two goals to win the game. It wasn’t exactly how we wanted to start the weekend off. Dinner after the game was provided by the Suchkos and was amazing as always. Mrs. Suchko made club and pizza stromboli’s, pasta salad, fruit salad, gobs, rice crispie treats, dirt cups, balls of heaven, and M&M cookies. Everything was fantastic and we very much appreciated all her hard work. Thank you both again!

Saturday we ate breakfast in the hotel again and then travelled to Lipscomb University for training. I bet you were wondering why a story of us getting lost hadn’t come up yet. Well, that’s because we didn’t until Saturday. I think that may be a record for us. When we get lost though, we do it up big. We were literally on the street where the practice field was, but thought we were lost, so we veered off and somehow found the game field where the Lipsomb men’s coach told us how to get to the practice field. After training we went back to the hotel to shower and get ready to hit up the Opryland Mall. We ate at Dave and Busters before we split up to go shopping. After circling the mall, Kirsi, Ashley, Jeannel and I walked across the street to go see the Grand Old Opry. We didn’t take a tour, but we did go into the gift shop, so I’m pretty sure we can all now say we’ve been there. The team reconvened around four to go to the movie theatre to see Law Abiding Citizen. I was fortunate enough to sit next to Jim during the film which was great because at one point a little gunshot sounded and he jumped about three feet in the air. It was very entertaining!

Sunday equaled redeem day. We desperately needed a win to stay somewhere near the top of the ASUN standings and Lipscomb was definitely the team we needed to play. They were second to last and the only team they had beaten was a team that hasn’t won a game all year. We were not about to be their second victory. The whistle blew and we came out pressing hard, looking for our first goal early. Seeing as us having a wicked high shot count was the theme of the season, it continued through this game also. The shot count was 24-6 with us putting away two goals by Amber and Gina to their one goal. Yes we won, but compared to other teams, our goals per shot percentage is far to low.

This coming weekend is our last two games of the season because we can’t go to the tournament. I don’t think we’ll be crowned regular season champions this year, but if we can get the six points we need, we could place second. Its senior weekend and we’re definitely looking to give them a heck of a send off. Come out and support us Friday night at 7:00 when we face the ETSU Bucs and Sunday afternoon at 1:00 when we play USC Upstate.

Until next time—Go Eagles!

Weekend of the 9th and 11th

2009-10-23T09:15:00.000-07:00

Hey Eagle Fans!

The weekend we played Jacksonville and UNF was a very crucial time for us in the point’s standings. The loss to Campbell put us in a very unfortunate situation, but we were ready to fight back against two very good teams from the northern part of the state.
Friday night, October 9th, the Jacksonville University Dolphins stepped out onto the field ready for a battle. And, that’s exactly what they got in return. We were back at home, needing a very important win not only for ourselves, but for all of the parents who came down for our third annual Parents’ Weekend. Per usual, we moved the ball around very well, forcing the Dolphins to chase. The first half ended at a 0-0 tie. With eighteen minutes left in the second half Lindsay Haw found the back of the net to put us up 1-0. Unfortunately, JU scored the equalizer. The half finished with the same score line, which again meant overtime. We played another scoreless twenty minutes, only earning one point instead of our much needed three.

With the game over, it was time for the potluck dinner set up wonderfully by Mrs. McCall and Mrs. Petracco. We had such an array of food brought by many of the parents, from tacos to meatball subs to Chick Fil A chicken fingers and nuggets. There was also a chocolate fountain, which I believe was being used to dip cookies, marshmallows, and assorted fruits before dinner had been served. It was great! When it comes to food, our team never says no. Jim spoke for a little bit, introducing our new Athletic Director and then we moved on to introducing ourselves and our families. All in all, the family dinner was once again a success. Thank you again to all the parents who were involved. We really appreciate it!

Because we only got one point on Friday night, we desperately needed to earn all three Sunday afternoon against the University of North Florida. It was very hot; we dressed in white and them in navy blue. It was the perfect set up for us to run them into the ground. We controlled the ball most of the game. Every once in a great while, the Ospreys passed the midfield line, but because of our team defense in UNF’s half, it didn’t happen very much. The shot count ratio that game was 18-4 and the corner kick ratio very much in a favor as well, 10-1. Despite our best efforts, nobody could find the back of the net. An again after 110 minutes of play, we tied 0-0 to a team that we definitely should have beaten.

With two ties on the weekend, we dropped in the Atlantic Sun standings. A trip to Nashville would be next, where we definitely will need to pick up a crucial six points.

Until next time—Go Eagles!

October 6, 2009

2009-10-06T22:13:00.000-07:00

Hey Eagle Fans!

We looked to this weekend as another stepping stone into reaching our ultimate goal of winning the conference. After having two amazing days off—a wonderful reward for beating Mercer and Kennesaw, we went back to work, preparing for the next two conference games.

Saturday afternoon we played the Campbell Camels. They had played Stetson University Wednesday night and had driven four hours pondering on their 2-0 loss. When the whistle blew, we appeared to come out a tad flat, but still possessed the ball the entire half. According to the box score we the shot count was 2-1 in favor of us at halftime. In the second half we came out with a bit more energy, but still couldn’t find the back of the net, even though we had ample opportunities to do so. The only time the Camels crossed midfield, they found the back of the net. 1-0 in the last two minutes of the game. Our entire team was in disbelief as the scoreboard horn blew.

Sunday morning practice was very solemn as the loss the night before was still stinging. Training wasn’t the usual circle drill, heading and a bit of shooting. We scrimmaged each other reminding ourselves how we should have played the night before and how we needed to play against Stetson the next evening. It was tough, but seemed to be necessary. We left the field for the afternoon to pack and hang out before leaving that evening for the four hour drive to Deland, Florida. After a very quick stop to pick up our dinner at Subway, we were once again driving on north on 75 to I-4.

After training Monday morning at Stetson, we ate at one of our pregame regulars, Olive Garden. Their bread sticks and salad are great! It’s just what we needed to rebound from Saturday’s catastrophe. Our fourth conference game started at 6 o’clock on the dot. We played in a new formation and it worked very well. Ten minutes into the game Amber shot the ball which took a deflection off a Stetson defender, lofting into the back of the net. The score stayed at 1-0 at halftime giving us a reason to stay on our toes in the second half. Quick off the bat again we scored eleven minutes into the second half. Lindsay shot and once again took a funny bounce off another Stetson defender and found the back of the net. In another eleven minutes, Stetson scored a legit goal, making the score line 2-1 in favor of the visitors. When the final whistle blew, we had earned our third conference victory.

We went 1-1 on the weekend—not exactly what we had set out to do, but because of other teams who slipped up, we are still second place in the Atlantic Sun Conference, looking forward to playing Jacksonville University and University of North Florida this weekend at home. Friday against JU is definitely going to be a hard fought battle. In our short team history we have not beaten JU ever and this weekend we would like to change that. Come on out and support us at 5:00 on Friday and 11:30 on Sunday!

Until next time—Go Eagles!

Better Late Than Never--September 30th

2009-10-06T21:13:00.000-07:00

Hey Eagle Fans!

On the road again, just can’t wait to be on the road again…okay, I took that a little too far. Thursday morning, September 24, we boarded the bus bright and early at eight in the morning to drive to Macon, Georgia. As always we started the trip with a movie. Ghosts of Girlfriends Past was shown. I couldn’t tell you how it was, however, because I fell asleep before the opening scene and awoke after the credits rolled. After several hours, we bombarded a Publix in Ocala to pick up subs for lunch. Back on the bus most everyone listened to their iPods, started weekend homework, or slept some more. Finally around dinner time we arrived to the La Quinta, dropped our belongings into our rooms and walked up a very large hill to Outback. Talk about getting a workout after a wicked long bus ride.

Friday morning we ate breakfast around 8:30 and travelled to Mercer for a light training soon after. We played our lucky circle game, did some shooting and worked on heading because yet again, we were going to play giants in both games. McAllister’s hosted us for lunch, which was a fantastic pregame meal. Pumped and ready to go, we took off to Mercer University for our first conference game. It was definitely time to start the season off with a major win. Because Mercer and Kennesaw played each other previously, Mercer was already 0-1 in conference also seeking their first win. That night was a game of heart and which team had more.

As soon as the whistle blew, we took control of the game. We were working as a fine tuned machine, passing well, making the correct runs and executing our plan perfectly. After stringing a few passes together Olivia received the ball, took a couple of touches and sailed a shot into the back of the net, hitting the fingertips of the keeper’s outstretched hands. Six minutes later the Bears’ right midfielder raced down the end line, crossed the ball and Critter put it in the back of the net. Rookie mistake. Just kidding! Our energy was still high going into halftime and by the time the second half started it was so easy to see how much we wanted to win. In the 63rd minute, Amber scored our second goal of the night which also happened to be our winning goal. We celebrated big on their field—our win and of course Critter’s first college goal!

With a big win under our belt we awoke Saturday morning to donuts provided by Mrs. Haemmelmann. Thank you again! Soon after breakfast and a short jog and stretch around the hotel, we boarded the bus again to journey to Kennesaw. Quiznos provided us with a quick lunch while the Georgia rain fell. Between showers we quickly drove to the field to get in a light training. We did the usual, trying not to wreck the already wet and partially muddy field. A few hours later we ate at Olive Garden to carb up for an even more important game the following afternoon. I swear, all we do on these trips is eat. I’m not complaining though! That night Mrs. Ciesielczyk set up an ice cream social for us during our pregame meeting. It was amazing, thanks again! Later, Jim did his random room checks, but Such and I didn’t hear about that until the following morning. Apparently he forgot about us. Thanks Jim. We were in the only room on the first floor of the hotel, and thankfully we weren’t on the side that had been flooded.

The same buzz from the Friday night lights carried over to the Sunday afternoon sunshine at Kennesaw State University. The warm up music KSU played seemed to pump up our girls more than theirs. If anybody looked over towards our bench before the game, they would have seen some girls just dancing. The energy was unbelievable and none of us could wait until the game started. Again we dominated, passing around the KSU defense, creating opportunities right off the bat. In the 34th minute, Amber put her second goal of the weekend passed the keeper from inside the penalty box. The scoreboard at halftime read 1-0, and even though KSU had one or two good chances in the second half, that’s what it read when the final whistle blew. We were 2-0 in conference, beating the top two teams! Jim threw a set of keys at the end of the game he was so excited.

Because of the two amazing wins, the bus ride all the way home didn’t seem too long. Well, maybe it did, but it would have been longer had we not gotten the results we earned. We arrived back at school early Monday morning around 3 o’clock in the morning, and yes, everyone went to classes the next day, even those at 8 am. It was a great start to the final portion of our season and we are very much looking forward to the next weekend and staying atop of the pack.

Until next time—Go Eagles!

September 24, 2009

2009-09-24T16:28:00.000-07:00

Hey Eagle Fans!
After a couple weekends of very successful home stands, we were back on the road again. This time to play in a tournament hosted by our conference foes University of North Florida. The other two teams ready to compete were Mississippi State University and the Citadel. We left last Thursday around 2:30pm for what seemed like the longest bus ride this season. That could be because it was up until this point, but that’s no conciliation. The trip was cut in half by dinner at Outback Steakhouse, which obviously made it a bit more bearable. Thanks Jim!

Friday: Game Day #1! We woke up early in the morning to go for a jog in office parking lots next to the Hampton Inn. Mario set up our warm up in the parking spots and partially across the road. Everyone was getting well stretched and relieving the lactic acid from the long ride when a FedEx truck came racing around the corner of the building. Headlines for the paper in the morning almost read: FGCU Women’s Soccer Team Injured—Aren’t as fast as FedEx. Since our game was at 2 in the afternoon, we ate an early pregame meal at Jason’s Deli, and as the team finished eating, we watched the coaching staff indulge in the complimentary ice cream. Lucky them! The Citadel was our first opponent on North Florida beach field. Yea, there was hardly any grass to be found, and many of us have sliding scrapes on our knees to prove it. Being a military school, we knew Citadel was going to be fit and ready for a hard fought battle. When the whistle blew it seemed as though we weren’t ready to play at all. Nothing we did worked and passes were rarely strung together. Because of our own incompetence, Citadel scored first, slapping us in the face as to say get going. Within the next 5-7 minutes we rallied back and netted a couple of our own thanks to Jess and Stacey. The final result was 2-1, bringing our win streak to 5.

And on the sixth day, they rest. Yea right! We got up early again Saturday morning already dressed to train, ate the hotel breakfast and left to practice at UNF. The good old circle drill was back, along with line passing, shooting for the forwards and heading for everyone else. We ate lunch at Moe’s and then headed over to the outside shopping mall right near the school. Everyone split up, walking in and out of many of the stores, once in a while bumping into each other. After being in the hot sun, most everybody was looking forward to going to the movie theatre to see Love Happens. It was a very cute chick flick, causing about half the team to cry. Right after, we walked across the strip mall to the ever popular pizza joint, Mellow Mushroom. We drove back to the hotel stuffed full of fantastic pizza. During the evening some people did homework, while others hung out or slept. The coaches called a meeting circa 8:30 to talk about our next opponents from the SEC, Mississippi State.

Sunday: Game Day #2! Our game against MSU was at 11:30 am, so we got up just as early as the mornings before and ate breakfast with the enemy in the hotel lobby. We arrived back at UNF pumped and ready to go. Finally, after a few games, we were playing a team that would legitimately get us ready for our first two conference games. From the start of the game we moved the ball around MSU and recorded shots on goal before they crossed half field. Throughout the first half we dominated in the shot count and frustrated their forwards to the point that they had to come off the field, which, according to Mario, almost never happens. We were playing so well and went into half time with such a high. Unfortunately it didn’t last very long when the second half started. Within the first couple minutes MSU had a free kick about 30-40 yards out. They sent the ball in deep and their forward, who was on the end line, scored the goal of her life. With virtually no angle, she sent the ball high and it bounced off the bottom of the crossbar and hit the inside of the far post. Like I said—goal of her life. Just as in the first half, we dominated possession and shot count. And in the last few minutes we seemed to have tied the game. Kat took a free kick, passing the ball to me. I crossed it into Lindsay, who first timed it far post. Unlike the MSU goal, the ball bounced back into the six yard box and Amber nailed it home. But as everyone was celebrating, they failed to realize the linesmen had raised his flag for off sides. Story of our lives. It was a tough loss to swallow. We worked so hard to win that game and lost it because of a little bit of misfortune.

Oh well. The first half of the season is over and now it’s on to our first pair of conference games this weekend in Georgia. These are the games that really start to matter if we want to do well in the future and continue playing strong teams like MSU. We’re going to play Mercer and Kennesaw State, both of whom are two of the best teams in our conference.

Until next time—Go Eagles!

September 10, 2009

2009-09-09T22:49:00.000-07:00

Hey Eagle Soccer Fans!

It’s time to find out, if you haven’t already heard, if a little bit of home cooking was all we needed to score some goals and earn some wins. This last weekend was the Embassy Suites Kick-Off Classic, which included ARMY, Tennessee-Martin, Stetson and FGCU. We were favored to win the tournament—according to me anyway—but why not? It’s our field, our tournament, and our Southwest Florida heat (got to love that sun!).

We arrived to the locker room about two hours before kick-off pumped and ready to go. KC, Lindsay and Kelli set up some intense Powerade/Water games in the T.V. room to hydrate for our home opener. This team bonding tactic almost backfired when girls started trading partners due to the high levels of competitiveness. About an hour before the start time, Jim came in to talk to us. We thought it was going to be our usual pregame speech; however, he told us there was a bit of lightning and the ARMY-Stetson game had been stalled until it was safe to play again. This of course delayed our game and some of the girls became a tad hungry. If you were really quiet, you could hear stomachs rumbling throughout the back room. Jim brought us some energy bars and we were again good to go.

The game may have started late, but hopefully that wasn’t a sign as to what was to come. We definitely did not want to come out flat during our first home game of the season. Right from the whistle we controlled the ball well, passing in and out of the back, working through TM’s low pressure system. Most of the possession belonged to us and we were not looking to give it up. The half ended at 0-0, but with the shots on goal statistic in our favor. Okay, time to finally put one in the back of the net. The second half was much of the same. We held the ball, passed around very well, and increased the shot count. Towards the end of the second half, KC turned to me, telling me there were six minutes left. My smart aleck reply was, “No, twenty six.” I pessimistically added the two ten minute over times in and we had a fun little laugh in the back. But, with one minute left in regulation, the ball rolled out to the top of the box, and after a quick little conversation between Olivia and Kat as to who was going to shoot, Kat sailed the ball into the back of the net! That was it—our first goal and in dramatic fashion.

After being reminded after the game that we earned a shutout, Jim delivered on his clean sheet deal and brought donuts to our Saturday morning practice. Training was very light, just enough to get us moving around. We played a little bit of possession, then juggling skill boxes and used the rest of practice for a much needed stretching session, which also involved some eating as well. The rest of Saturday was ours to spend with family who were in town, shopping, doing homework, or whatever else we wanted to do without expending too much energy.

Tailgaters were set up for Sunday’s game ready to cheer us on to what they hoped would be another victory. The food smelled amazing, teasing us as we walked passed to the locker room. Our pregame in the back room had a couple of the same antics as before the Friday night game. Remember the “heat comment” from the first paragraph? Well, Sunday’s 1:30pm game is definitely where it came into play. We thought it was wicked hot when we stepped onto the field dressed in white, but thankful that we weren’t West Point dressed in all black. It was time to make them chase, and chase they did. Our goal that day, besides winning, was to wear them out giving us ample amounts of opportunities to score. That first goal of the day came from newcomer Dani who scored off a header a few yards out. The half ended 1-0, but we were hungry for more, and it showed. Amber scored within the first two minutes of the second half, knocking the ball in also from a few yards out after a scramble in the box. We controlled much of the possession throughout the second half weakening a strong ARMY side, running them into the ground. The last goal of the match came within the last minute of the game by freshmen forward Jess, juking a couple girls before going one on one with the keeper, thus proving that this year we are out to score goals in the last third of games instead of being scored on.

We took two on the weekend and won the tournament improving our record of 0-2-1 back to .500 at 2-2-1. Again we host a couple of teams this weekend and are looking to be successful in both games. We play Palm Beach Atlantic on Friday night at 7pm and Austin Peay on Sunday morning at 11:30am. Come on out and cheer on your favorite women’s soccer team!

Until next time—Go Eagles!

Local News Articles from News-Press.com

2009-09-07T15:01:00.000-07:00

Eagles Top Tennessee-Martin

http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200990905010

Eagle Women Top ARMY

http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009909070332

September 4, 2009

2009-09-03T22:41:00.000-07:00

Hey Eagle Soccer Fans!

We’re back, and you know you missed us! Summer is over, classes are back in session, and a new season has begun. We reported to preseason camp August 9th and haven’t stopped since, except for the occasional thunderstorm that rolled through in the evenings, uncharacteristically giving the team a couple nights off. Ironically enough, lightning caused the ending of our only preseason game against Rollins College. The plan was to play 3 thirty minute thirds; however, ten minutes into the last third, lightning flashed across the sky and the ref blew the whistle, calling the game. With that familiar sound, preseason ended and the real work began.

The first week of school also brought the first game of the season against a very good University of Central Florida side on Friday, August 21. During our pregame meal at Olive Garden that afternoon, lightning struck again. Go figure, right? We walked out of the restaurant and stood under the overhang waiting for the bus to come around, counting the seconds between lightning appearances and deafening sounds of thunder. The storm was directly over us, although Gina and KC might have begged to differ. As soon as the bus came around the corner, we filed on and drove the fifteen minutes to school to wait out the storm. Eventually both teams were able to begin warming up in UCF’s field house, every once in a while attempting to walk out onto the field. One time we even got to jog halfway across the field before the sirens signaled another thirty minute wait. After a two hour delay, the game finally began. The first half was pretty even ending 0-0. Even though UCF had the shots on goal advantage, our defending and goalkeeping were stellar. The second half was a battle—I think a sniper was seen in the stands (can’t be sure though). Unfortunately, UCF broke through our brick wall with twenty minutes left in the half and again with about five. Ok, so our first game of the season didn’t go as planned.

Well, neither did the second. Four days later, August 25, we bused down to Coral Gables to play the University of Miami. We started strong, passing the ball well, being more physical than I believe we have in a while. Unluckily, they capitalized on our mistake and Miami was up 1-0 with ten minutes to go in the half. The score changed again eighteen minutes into the second half, when Miami scored again on another header. And seven minutes later they scored again. 3-0 would be the final score. To our credit, we never stopped fighting, just couldn’t find the back of the net.

So you’re probably thinking: Two games on the road, they have to have a home game next, right? Nope. We traveled back to the city of Miami to play Florida International University on August 30. We have played them four times over the past two years and have won each time. We were not about to start losing now. Right from the first whistle we knocked the ball around, creating chances on goal. Opportunity after opportunity just seem to miss by inches. Lindsay, Caytlan, Ashley, Bri, just to name a few, were just a bit unlucky in the box, causing FIU players to sigh in relief. The first half ended, tied at zero, as did the second. And then, overtime came. We were pumped to go and knew we needed a win. Golden goal. The first team to score wins. Well, we didn’t lose. The two ten minute OT halves ended, with the scoreboard still showing goose eggs for both teams. Sorry to get your hopes up.

There is a recurring theme in these games that we would like to change at tonight’s game against Tennessee-Martin. Finally it’s our season opener and our ever popular annual Embassy Suites Kick-Off Classic. Come out! The whistle blows at 7:00pm sharp. Anyway, back to this reoccurring theme—0s in the score column on the box scores. This is no good. I think we are just waiting to get home to give our fans some phenomenal goals to talk about at the water cooler after the long weekend. Yea yea, that’s it! The stage is set: Lady Eagles are looking for not only their first win, but let’s get that first goal too! The TM game is not the only one this weekend. Come out again on Sunday at 1:30pm to watch us play Army to finish opening weekend.

Until next time—Go Eagles!