@CanesFutbol Captain's Corner: Aug. 18, 2016
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – For the second year in a row, the captains of the University of Miami soccer team will be writing a blog for HurricaneSports.com throughout the season called Captain’s Corner.
Defender Shannon McCarthy put together her second entry of the year Thursday, a day before the Hurricanes play their first regular season match. The redshirt senior looks back at Miami’s success in exhibition play and looks forward to the official start of the new campaign . . .
Greetings, Canes fans! I am happy to say we have won both of our exhibition games! We are entering the regular season 2-0, scoring total of 11 goals and conceding only one. However, we are far from our true potential, so there is still work that needs to be done.
The University of Central Florida gave us a great game last Thursday. We found ourselves down a goal early in the first half, but we never gave up. Scoring two unanswered goals in the second half to close out the game was extraordinary. The Knights are a strong team and the in-state rivalry we have formed is undeniable. I am so proud of the girls for how hard we battled, especially our new players. We gave a tremendous effort and walked off the field victorious.
The following day was far less intense. We went to Universal Studios! I could not think of a better way to celebrate a great team victory. There were lots of smiles, laughs and screams from our team that day as we tried to ride every roller coaster we could. After a fun day at the amusement park, it was time to get back to work on the field.
Sunday’s opponent was FC Surge, on our home field. All of our players gave great minutes on Sunday and the end result was a 9-0 victory. Two different players scored hat tricks that game—both were freshmen! Scoring lots of goals is an incredible confidence booster with the regular season looming on the horizon. We are anxious to get started.
Our first two regular season games are on the road with the University of North Florida on Friday and Stetson University on Sunday. After the long bus ride to Orlando to take on UCF last week, I am confident in the team’s ability to travel well. Team training sessions, individual meetings, team meetings, weight lifting and yoga filled our days leading up to the weekend.
I’ve been asked a few times if I’ve started to get sentimental now that my last college season is underway. My answer is the same; I’ve taken each game, training session and each moment one at a time. I cannot go any faster or slower than God’s plan for me so I keep my trust in Him with each specific moment. With a greater perspective, I like to say I have not gotten sentimental but that I feel extremely grateful for the gifts and opportunities God has entrusted me with. Yes, it is bizarre at times to think “Wow, this is the last time I’ll be doing this in a Miami uniform.” But, in that moment, I can’t help but be thankful for everything and everyone that got me there.
Stay tuned to hear from Gianna [Dal Pozzo]! As always, go Canes!
