Griz Update with Alyssa Nystrom
September 1, 2010
Everyday this season has brought us closer to our ultimate goal...winning the Big Sky Championship. We have pushed ourselves through countless double days and tiresome conditioning, and I really feel we have grown as a team. This year we have gained a lot of young and talented freshmen but it wasn't till recently that we saw their presence on the field. They have really started to show their leadership and demand older players to play with intensity. The constant battle to earn starting positions has made training sessions as competitive as our conference games. Throughout the past several weeks we have been focusing on defensive shape and being able to counter attack. Defensively we are becoming tighter as a unit, and each person has improved on her ball winning skills. The ability to go into a tackle and come up with the ball, has been an incredible asset to this team. As far as attacking is concerned we have been working at switching the point of attack and being able to finish balls in the box. After tearing my ACL and being on the sidelines for the past year, I have had the unlucky experience of knowing how much work it takes to come off the bench and try to compete again for a position on the team. Unfortunately this year we have had many injuries but each individual has competed, and I for one am impressed with the endless passion on our team to keep pushing on when things don't always go our way, whether thats an injury or loosing a game.
Although we lost the game to Iowa, it was a building block for the Gonzaga game. We realized that during the entire Iowa game our midfield had been stretched to thin and therefore we adjusted for our next match. During the game against Gonzaga we really came out with the attitude of wanting to win and it showed. Within the first 7 minutes of the game we capitalized on a switch and put the ball in the back of the net. Our energy was high and it was a battle for goals as the game continued on, although it ended with a disheartening loss of 3-2.We took the lead twice throughout the match and it was terribly disappointing when Gonzaga slipped that third ball in. We are still a very young team and we are all still learning to work with one another. As the season progresses on I predict that we will earn ourselves more goal scoring opportunities and fix any defensive errors at the back. We are an incredibly hard working team and I have always lived by the quote "that hard work beats talent, when talent doesn't work hard".
Although we lost the game to Iowa, it was a building block for the Gonzaga game. We realized that during the entire Iowa game our midfield had been stretched to thin and therefore we adjusted for our next match. During the game against Gonzaga we really came out with the attitude of wanting to win and it showed. Within the first 7 minutes of the game we capitalized on a switch and put the ball in the back of the net. Our energy was high and it was a battle for goals as the game continued on, although it ended with a disheartening loss of 3-2.We took the lead twice throughout the match and it was terribly disappointing when Gonzaga slipped that third ball in. We are still a very young team and we are all still learning to work with one another. As the season progresses on I predict that we will earn ourselves more goal scoring opportunities and fix any defensive errors at the back. We are an incredibly hard working team and I have always lived by the quote "that hard work beats talent, when talent doesn't work hard".Posted by Peter Underwood. Posted In : Player Reports
"Preseason is a challenging, yet exciting time of Griz
Soccer. It brings competitiveness, new friendships, and tired legs. Although
most significant are the feelings of excitement and anticipation to jump into
the new season that is lingering before us. It is great to have everyone back,
uniting and determined to accomplish common goals and start the season strong.
The preseason exhibition match against Carroll College has had a location change. The match will now kick off at 2:00pm on the campus of Carroll College in Helena, MT. The contest will be the only public exhibition match of the 2010 season. The Griz travel to New Mexico the following week to take on both New Mexico and New Mexico State before returning home to host a tournament involving Gonzaga, Iowa State, and Nevada. With 30 players on the roster, there will be plenty of competition for a ...
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