@CanesFutbol Captain's Corner: Sept. 7, 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.
In this week’s edition, senior forward Gracie Lachowecki checks in with a guest entry, filling in for Gianna Dal Pozzo and Shannon McCarthy. A 2015 Second Team All-ACC selection from Evansville, Ind., Lachowecki provides some significant insight Wednesday on the Hurricanes’ two wins over the weekend . . .
Hey, Canes fans! I always love reading what Shannon and Gianna have to say on Captain’s Corner each week and I am excited to have the opportunity to share some of my thoughts with you all.
This past Friday night we played Miami University from Ohio in what I like to call the “Battle of the Miamis.” On the line were bragging rights as to who is the “real” Miami, and your Hurricanes came out on top with a 1-0 win!
We may not have played our best soccer on Friday night, but we got the result we needed and there were a lot of positives to take away from the game. Dejah Cason scored her first collegiate goal off a great cross from Krissy Fisher early in the first half, which later turned out to be the game winner! With just minutes left in the game, Dani Savage—living up to her last name—made an unreal play to preserve our lead. She definitely deserved to be on SportsCenter! It was UNBELIEVABLE. Phallon [Tullis-Joyce] ran over and was hugging Dani to congratulate her; that’s how big of a play it was!
Saturday morning, we started the day off by watching some film on our Sunday opponent, FAU, so we could start wrapping our brains around the way they tend to play. Then we had a recovery session where we jogged, ice bathed and did treatment on any injuries in order to feel refreshed for the big game the next day.
Sunday afternoon games are always hot. It is definitely an advantage for us when we play teams from up north because they are not used to the south Florida heat. However, we knew FAU would be accustomed to the heat and that our teams would be pretty evenly matched, just like previous years. The past two years FAU has come out on top, but we were prepared to defend our home field and not let them travel back to Boca Raton with a win.
The first half was very competitive and both teams had opportunities to score. At halftime, we knew we didn’t have to make any huge adjustments. All we needed to do was win balls out of the air and give up fewer set piece opportunities for FAU. The level of energy we came out with in the second half was something I have never experienced. Between our pressure on the field and the cheering come from our bench, FAU didn’t know what hit it. Gianna Dal Pozzo won like 60 headers in the midfield (okay, that may be an exaggeration, but it was a lot!) which really set the tone for the rest of the game.
We scored 10 minutes into the second half and our defense did a fantastic job ensuring that FAU did not get an equalizer. After the game, we had a team meal with everyone’s friends and families who were in town. It was nice to meet all of the new families and celebrate another win!
So far this week, we are getting prepared for another weekend of home games against FGCU and FIU. We hope to see you all there!
Stay tuned to hear from another Captain’s Corner guest next week!
