@CanesFutbol Captain's Corner: Sept. 10, 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.
Thursday, defender Shannon McCarthy checks in for the first time since the preseason. The redshirt junior delves into the team’s two matches last week, including a victory at Jacksonville, and its preparation for Friday’s affair against FGCU . . .
Hello again, Canes fans! I am so lucky to be blogging with Erin, Gianna and Natalie. They are strong leaders and good teammates. All three of them have great insight to share here.
Last weekend was a bit emotional. A loss to FAU on Friday night helped serve as a wakeup call for the team. There are always things to learn from after a game no matter what the result is. Debriefing after the game helped us to get our minds right. We all knew we had to be sharp in training the next morning and start with high energy in the game against Jacksonville on Sunday. I am proud of this team for doing exactly that.
Sunday was a different story than Friday. Mother Nature struck again and caused a weather delay just 23 seconds into the game! That did not change the team’s energy level one bit. We were eager to get back on the field and stayed positive during the delay. Some of the girls showed off their dance moves during the delay! This kept the mood light and upbeat.
Once we took the field again we scored quickly. Our team gains an immense amount of confidence after scoring first and early in the game. The energy stayed high and we continued to generate scoring chances throughout the first half. We went into halftime up 1-0. The scoring opportunities did not stop coming in the second half. We scored our second goal early in the second half. When the final whistle blew, we had generated greater than 30 scoring chances. From that staggering number we know we have to work on being composed in front of the goal and finishing our chances with confidence.
After having Monday off, we took the field again on Tuesday. Training on Tuesday is all about competing: 2v2, 3v3 and 4v4 games. Coach ends training on Tuesday with some sort of fitness workout. The team heads into the weight room after training and fitness. The weight lifting program is important to maintain strength and prevent injuries during the season.
Wednesday and Thursday are more focused on our tactical approach heading into Friday’s game against FGCU. Coach Monroe also goes over film from our previous game and shows us film on the opponent. Our focus is what we need to do to defeat FGCU. Some players have individual film sessions with coach where she shows specific clips from the previous game. In addition to individual film, some players will do an extra training session with coach to fine-tune skills before Friday’s game.
We are looking for winning results this weekend! Be sure to read next week to hear from Erin again! Thanks for reading, and go Canes!
