Friday almost the weekend

Upon waking this morning my bedroom was still dark and for a moment I thought it was still the middle of the night.  With Dylan running around and a quick look at the clock I knew it was my normal wake up time but the rain and mist outside had brought a dark start to the day.  It reminded me of when I was a kid and hated getting out of bed in the ose dark wet winter mornings in Wales.  Once I got up I was looking forward to getting to practice but bad weather usually brings bad traffic even so the morning commute couldn't bring me down as it's Friday and the weekend is here.  More importantly the weekend means game days and it's a busy weekend at GW. 

Women's soccer has 2 games and on Sunday playing at 3pm after our game at noon the chance to qualify for the A10 tournament.  With 6 games left Volleyball has 2 home games and has its destiny to qualify in their own hands (no pun intended) as they entertain Dayton and Duquesne.  Women's and men's basketball opens their seasons with scrimmages on Saturday and Sunday respectively and last but not least our game v Mason at noon on Sunday as part of a soccer doubleheader.  These are just the home games so good luck to all the teams competing this weekend. 

By the time practice started this morning the heavy rain had stopped and the temperature was nice and cool as we started our warm up.  With the surface slick from the rain it was a great day to ping the ball around and after some possession we did just that in our 11v11 game.  Building on yesterday we wanted the guys to get the ball moving quickly and enjoy the running and supporting each other as we look to improve our fluidity and communication.  It's great to have the numbers for a full 11v11.  This time last season we didn't have enough fit players for a 7v7 so it certainly helps the group as we set up or team for the game this weekend.  My worry for Sunday is still our reluctance to take shots and being decisive in front of goal.  We are getting into good spots and now I want to see players taking decisions on themselves and getting into the stats column and box score.  One more session tomorrow before the game and we'll be making some tough decisions with the starting line up for Sunday after tomorrow and seeing some guys come through a full session.  

Just as important as winning games to me and the program is our performance in the classroom.  I'm pleased to say that senior forward Tyler Ranalli was named to the Capital One Academic All-District first team and now qualifies for the national ballot and possible Academic All American.  My first official recruit to come to GW seems so long ago but kudos to Tyler as he continues his great Fall season.  The article can be read here

http://www.gwsports.com/sports/m-soccer/spec-rel/103113aac.html

Raise high moment of the Day

Team Co-Captain Tyler Ranalli