Adversity Biggest Gain!

The trip to Baylor for the 3 matches yesterday, proved to be exactly what we needed -- dealing with adversity on the road. As young as we are this has been the key all spring. I hate to sound Woodenesque, but we've said all along that it's the journey this spring, not the results.

Our number one priority this weekend was to settle some defensive questions and who fit in where in a 4-4-2. I was very pleased with our two center backs, Katie Taylor & Cheryl Martin. Cheryl as a true freshman and Katie, even younger as a red shirt freshman, proved they will be dynamic duo when they get more comfortable with each other and have the chance to gel a bit more. I also thought our outside backs, Sara Schneider and Julia Slater, got much more confident as the the day went on. In the second match they both really started to look to get forward out of the back and be an option, as well as got comfortable stepping high defensively.

In the midfield, Nikki Wilbur and Chelsea Cody both did a good job. Chelsea was hampered a bit by a strained muscle, which allowed Michelle Nguyen a good chance to step in and do a solid job in the second and third games. The nicest surprise of the day was Caroline Starns on the outside. Both her and Jenna Hayes proved to be very dangerous and showed they have the pace to stretch out a defensive line.

Up top, I didn't think we did a very good job of finding our strikers feet early enough to be successful. Anna Paulson had a great work rate and Lizzy Karoly scored a great goal to finish up the day. This is definitely an area where we need to use the dynamic players we've got in Lizzy, Kaylie Garcia and Jackie Torda. The intramural field certainly didn't help these technical players, as it was very hard and bumpy and small but again, that's the adversity I wanted us to have to deal with.

Our young players have to learn how to deal with poor conditions, bad officials (that certainly was not the case this weekend), bad weather, hostile atmospheres and tough travel conditions. So, overall it was certainly a weekend that I think accomplished our two top priorities -- dealing with adversity and our defensive shape. Now we can build on playing quicker and getting our offensive rhythm back in tune!

Unknown Waters Await!

Looking forward to matches tomorrow down at Baylor. We'll play three 50 minute matches, 1 each against Houston Baptist, Baylor and Trinity. All three opponents are ones we have not seen since my time here at TCU. For us that's great, as we've wanted all spring for our girls to have to deal with being on the road and adversity. Having to make tactical adjustments according to the games on the fly is another huge piece of the growth of the team.

Houston Baptist is a very strong program that will be moving up to Division 1 on both the men's and women's soccer side (it will be great to have another D1 men's soccer program in Texas). Baylor is going through an adjustment with a new coach this spring. Trinity is a very well coached DIII program that has been to the NCAA quarterfinals 2 of that past 3 years.

Next fall we play 12 of our games at home, so getting used to being on the road this spring is huge! Looking forward to three great games and GO FROGS!

Feel The Rhythym!

OK, so I have to admit I got sucked into American Idol last night and their fundraising show for various charities across the world. Outside of being a huge U2 fan, so the part with Bono really got me, the other part I really enjoyed was Gloria Estafan. Not that I'm a huge fan, but I do think her song "The Rythym is Gonna Get You" (I don't know the actual title), has a lot to do with soccer.

If you watched any of the champions league games, over the past 2 days, you could see how there seems to be a beat to everything they do. The flow of the game is just amazing. It's no wonder Brazil is such a power and why drums have always been an intrical part of any great soccer atmosphere.

I've never built a team around great atheltes, I've always built it around great soccer players, and our current group here at TCU is no different. We've got a very talented group of midfielders that have the ability to dictate the rythym of the game, and when it's on it something very special to watch. Between Chelsea Cody, Lizzie Batten, Kaylie Garcia and Michelle Nguyen we've got a unique group with an uncanny ability to feel the rhythym!

Water Balloons Away!!!

The girls worked their tails off for an hour and half today so we finished up with a great purple versus white game - capture the flag with water balloons! If they hit someone with a water balloon they went to prison. Was a blast and for 15 minutes it was great seeing the different strategy's come out. I think each team went through all 200 balloons and was surprised there was not mutiny and attack on the coaches!

In the end, the Purple Team won, pulling them to within 4 points of the white team!

Random Notes From Texas Tech Match

I'ts been a couple of days since my last post as there's been a lot going on. First and formost, I want to make sure that everyone keeps Coach Mark Plakorus and his family in their thoughts and prayers. Mark is the most dedicated, hard working indvidual I have ever come in contact with and we're extremely lucky to have him as a part of our program. I not only consider him my partner in coaching here at TCU, but one of my best friends in the world and we only hope his parent's health improves.

For the game versus Texas Tech just some random notes:
-I thought we established we have a width game in Jenna Hayes that can be very dangerous. Everytime she got the ball wide to her feet and went at players something great happened.
-I was excited that Kaylie Garcia got 90 minutes in for the first time, and she scored a goal late in the game! This is a huge stepping stone for her.
-Lizzy Karoly once again was a handful. I don't think we got her the ball enough, but she did a great job when she did get it.
-I felt we did a decent job of keeping posession and was happy that our backs looked to get forward on the switch.
-I loved the fact we scored a brilliant goal off a corner. It's something we've worked on so it was great to see the result.

We started 8 freshman, so with the system being a little complex that we're asking them to play, I was pleased with some of the results. This week we'll tweak a few things to allow the girls to play with a bit more confidence and relax a bit more on the field. I think we get that and we'll be in great shape!

Meet A New Horned Frog: Katie Runyon

Katie Runyon is the first Horned Frog to hail from the state of Illinois. Katie is from Quincy, IL where she is a three-time all-conference performer at Quincy Senior High School. She is the first Blue Devil to receive a scholarship in soccer. Runyon will don the Purple and White after leading Quincy in scoring and being named to the all-sectional squad in 2007. She has helped Quincy post back-to-back conference championships and a regional championship runner-up during her time as a Blue Devil. Overall Katie has earned four letters in soccer and one in tennis during her time at Quincy High School. Katie plays club ball for Missouri Premier and led them to a runner-up finish in the state championship in 2007. Katie, like fellow 2008 class member Alex Matthews, was a player who caught our eye at the Dan Abdalla Soccer Academy this past summer and made an impact on our staff. She is a competitive speedy flank player who will be a great addition to the Horned Frogs. We feel she is going to get much better in the college game and has the intangibles that we definitely want in our program. Welcome to TCU Katie!!!!

Meet A New Horned Frog: Lindsay Holmes

Lindsay is the second member of our 2008 Class that hails from our homestate of Texas. A native of Dallas, Lindsay plays club soccer for Texas Spirit ’90, one of the top teams in North Texas and USYSA Region III. She was a teammate of current Horned Frog Julia Slater on Spirit. Lindsay is a defender and has been captain of the team the past four seasons while leading them to a birth in the Region III Premier League. Lindsay is a player who combines great athleticism with very good skill, allowing her to be an impact in attack once she wins the ball. She is also a very intelligent player who is extremely composed under pressure. Lindsay comes to TCU following a standout career at Plano West Senior High School. She was a second-team all-district selection as a sophomore and junior while leading Plano West to the 2007 UIL Class 5A State Championship her junior season. We are excited to welcome Lindsay to TCU as we feel she is a great player who has a lot of potential to keep getting better and will be able to help us in a variety of spots. Her ability defensively and coming forward will enable her to be very explosive attacking from the flanks in the midfield or the backline. Welcome to TCU Lindsay!!!! We are looking forward to your arrival on campus.