Sport is a fickle environment. With every game comes expectation, and with every game comes the prediction of a result. There will always be a favorite, there will always be a better individual or team. Win and they will love you, lose and they will forget you. But sport would not be what it is if the outcome was known, if the best team always won. Sport is the spectacle it is because on any given day any individual or team has the ability to cause an upset.
Our latest game saw us come up against the #3 team in the nation. A conference game against Lindsey Wilson. An NAIA powerhouse boasting two national championships, numerous All-American accolades, and a team that has not failed to attend the national championships for the past 9 years. Respect must be shown off the field, but on the field medals and championships count for nothing.
A week free of games prior meant that we had an opportunity to redouble our efforts. With seven practices including two 6am’s we gave everything we had in preparation for the game. The entire team dug deep and it was clear to see that the entire team was ready for the challenge ahead of them.
As the game kicked off we began by moving the ball well without much pressure from Lindsey Wilson. They allowed us time and space and we looked very comfortable for the opening 25 minutes. On around 25 minutes Lindsey began to apply some real pressure and we began to panic a bit and make some mistakes in our own half. This is when Lindsey came into their element and began moving the ball around with quality and class. It is a sign of a top team that they always find a way to score, and pull off the result, even when things don’t seem to be going their way. For the remaining 20 minutes of the first half was dominated by Lindsey, combining economically in and around out box and scoring 5 times before the break.
The half time team talk centered around our positives. We had dominated possession against the #3 team in the nation for 25 minutes and caused several problems. The focus was to carry out our games plan, and we felt some slight tweaks in the game style would allow us opportunities to get back in the game.
What happened next was something that we have known as a team was coming for a long time. It was a vindication to all the work that we have put in throughout the season. Over the course of the season we have given many teams a footballing lesson and come away with little to show for it. The second half against Lindsey Wilson we dominated. We dominated every ball, every pass, every tackle, and we applied a pressure that Lindsey Wilson just are not used to in conference play. The performance was magnificent, and by far the greatest performance I have seen in my 6+ years as a Patriot.
As we moved the ball around in the second half we played with a fire and a passion that has not been truly present in previous games. Whilst our performances have been good we have not had that passion and desire to continue to dominate our opposition for such long periods. Midway through the second half we were rewarded with a goal from Ana Derrico. Although the final credit must go to Ana for putting the ball in the net, the whole team must be praised for their sheer excellence from start to finish in the second half.
Although this was the only goal we scored, meaning the game ended 5-1 in Lindsey Wilson’s favor, what we had just witnessed was truly spectacular. To look at the positives, there are very few teams who win a half of soccer against Lindsey Wilson, and it really showed us what we can accomplish if we focus fully on the task at hand. The players had worked their socks off and proved to the the best team in the conference that although we may not be where we want to be right now, we are well on our way.
It is our ability to believe that will get us to where we want to be. As we continue through this season and look towards our next game we must understand that all the talent in the world means nothing without the right attitude, and the belief that that talent can truly make a difference. Below is a short story about the power of belief:
Sharon Woods, the first North American woman to climb Mount Everest, learned some things about psychological and emotional obstacles after making her successful climb. She said, “I discovered it wasn’t a matter of physical strength, but a matter of psychological strength. The conquest lay within my own mind to penetrate those barriers of self-imposed limitations and get through to that good stuff- the stuff called potential, 90% of which we rarely use.”
No comments:
Post a Comment