@CanesFutbol Captain's Corner: Sept. 3, 2015
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The captains of the University of Miami soccer team for the 2015 season are writing a blog for HurricaneSports.com this year called Captain’s Corner.
With the first home weekend of the season in the books, junior midfielder/defender Gianna Dal Pozzo shared her introductory post Thursday. Dal Pozzo, from Naperville, Ill., details the two matches at Cobb Stadium and lends some insight into the Hurricanes’ preparation for their upcoming road matches . . .
Hey there, Canes fans! This weekend we had two home games. On Thursday night we played the University of Florida. The stands were packed and the atmosphere was electric! There were more fans there than I’d seen at any home game in my three years here.
At the end of the first half it was 0-0. Our team did what the coaches asked of us, just hadn’t finished our scoring chances. Despite playing well and scoring first, we came up short, falling 4-2. It was disappointing and frustrating but the team and coaches had hope knowing we could play with the No. 14-ranked team in the country.
Sunday afternoon we played University of Central Florida. The first half we played poorly and went down 3-0. We dug ourselves into a hole that wasn’t going to be easy to get out of. After a weather delay—which was actually short compared to what we’re used to this season—the second half was underway. A completely different side of our team showed up. We worked so hard collectively and scored three goals to tie the game. Then we went into overtime and no one scored, so that meant double overtime. Unfortunately, UCF managed to score and ended the game.
The results of the games may not have worked out in our favor, but we learned a lot about our team. We know we’re capable of playing at a high level and now we just need to be able to compete like that for a full 90 minutes.
Monday the team had off from organized team activities. This provides a great opportunity for players to focus on individual needs. Starters and those who played a lot during the games utilize this time to focus on recovery in the training room by means of ice bath and stretching. For those who didn’t play over the weekend, these off days are crucial for them to work on their skill and conditioning. Every girl needs to be at her best in order for the team to improve as the season continues.
Tuesday is what we like to call “Tough Tuesday.” We had a hard practice, ran some fitness, and then lifted with our strength coach afterwards. After Tuesday we start to taper off the rest of the week so we are fresh for the upcoming game. Wednesday’s practice was less taxing on our bodies. Coaches started telling us tendencies of FAU. Afterwards we watched film from the UCF game. We analyzed not only what we need to improve on, but also what we did well, so we can keep doing that for the next game.
Friday we play away at FAU and Sunday at Jacksonville. We are looking for two wins! Look for our blog next week to see the results. Thank you for the support!
