Women's Soccer Continues to Build Program
Jacob Hamilton
MU’s women’s soccer team is brimming with new talent, excited for the season, and poised to have a successful run this year both in and off the field. Although there were a fair number of seniors who graduated last year, the team has recruited a number of promising first years to make up for the loss, giving the team depth as well as a substantial amount of room to grow over the course of this and future seasons.
As for the present, so far the team seeks improvement. From games to practices their overall goal is to take it day by day and make progress toward their ultimate goal: to use the new influx of talent, as well as pre-existing skills and experience, to prove themselves a winning team.
They plan to achieve that progress in a few ways. For one, the team is invested in building bonds of trust and camaraderie among the members. Sophomore striker Bridget Nash puts it best. “I’m looking forward to the relationships built with my teammates and all the memories we make,” she said. “When it comes down to it, in the future we won’t remember the numbers and stats but you will remember the rush of the adrenaline when you rush the field after your first win in a whole season drought or the laughs on the way to Kentucky for the long Transy road trip.”
Further stressing the importance of building relationships among the members of the team, it seems to be the consensus that there is a direct correlation between the overall team chemistry and how well they perform together as a unit.
According to numerous team members, it improves their group coordination, passing, communication on the field and their ability to strike and drive as a concentrated force. All of these culminate to form a very effective playing style that is formed due largely in part to the excellent team chemistry. Said chemistry, even at such an early stage of the fall season, seems to be as good as ever and bodes very well for the future success of the team both in the field as well as off.
Another method that they are using to improve is focusing on key strategies. They’re working on keeping the ball on the ground, making safe and reasonable passes, communicating with teammates, and keeping each other accountable off of the field as well.
In addition to the general team goals, the teammates also happen to have their own personal goals as well. “Personally I have been striving to be a defensive asset and to understand my position as best as possible,” said returning defensive player Becca Colbert. “As a team we have been working on both defending and attacking as a unit to move the ball more effectively.”
This shows that the players striving to achieve their personal individual goals and succeed themselves will, in turn, lend to the overall goals of the team. So far this season the women have a record of 0-2, having lost to Ohio Wesleyan (Sept. 4) and Albion College (Sept. 8).
The season, however, is far from over and the women have plenty of games left to improve on that record, the next of which will be Sept. 14 at Indiana-Kokomo.