Post Game

After a busy morning with recruits it took my mind off the game a little and gave me an opportunity not to get too stressed out. With my pre game talk planned out the night before and a brief scouting report already with the players it was a quick recap before the game and then naming the starting line up and getting on with it.

I thought that we played well enough last game to start with the same line up. Collectively as a team we had done well and without the individual mistakes that had cost us last week i thought we could get a result playing the same formation.

After 15 minutes it was obvious that what we had planned was not having the desired effect so a quick change and we started to get a grip on the game. Our goal came from a free kick that we had previously had no success from but we finally had that quality service and despite no one getting a touch it curled into the far corner of the goal.

At half time we knew there was going to be a time in the second half that we would come under pressure and had to dig in and find a way to win the game. It seemed we had found the second goal and a slight cushion only for the keeper to deny Abaie with a great goal line clearance from his header that seemed certain for the goal. Not long afterwards it was Rudolphs turn to to go through 1v1 only to have 3 chances to put it away but failing to do so. At this point I was starting to think it would be one of those days where we would rue our missed chances but I knew Rudolph would have one more chance. When the chance finally came he did not make the same mistake second time around and after a through ball by Abaie and rounding the keeper he finished into the open net to the delight of the crowd, players and staff. With about 7 minutes on the clock there was still some nervous minutes ahead but we were able to get through with the win and clean sheet.

Magic Moment of the Day
Farrell first collegiate clean sheet and Rudolph getting the all important 2nd goal.

Normal Practice Day

Practice Day (with NO Administrative meeting)

6.30-7am Wake up Depending on Cerys and Dylan
7-8am Hang out watching Dora the Explorer and getting a head start on my emails.
8am-8.30am Either Drop Cerys off at Daycare or Drive straight to office (today was straight in) the drive usually involves a phone call or 2 and listening to satellite radio footy shows.
8.30am-9am Check office phone messages review daily agenda, 10 minutes my time
9am-9.30am Review Practice plan for the day with Staff
9.45am-11.45am Practice
Noon-1pm Academic Meetings with players
1-1.30pm Lunch at Mount Vernon
130pm-4pm Office work (return emails/calls/planning/paperwork)
4.15pm Leave for Foggy Bottom Main athletic office
4.45pm Leave for Home

Tomorrow we play Rhode Island who are above us in the conference by one point and have only played 3 games opposed to our 4.  Its a big game for both teams as we find ourselves at the wrong end of the A10 table so we will both be fighting for that win and 3 points.

Magic Moment of The Day
Coach Pasquinelli in Goal keeping them out

Wednesday Wobbles

With the weekend coming up being our last two home games it is important that this weeks preparation and practice  are spot on.  The players already know the importance of the games this weekend so it was good to see the effort in practice yesterday (tuesday) but disappointing today as some players sulked around and their body language was not what we expect from a GW player.  That being said, we got through the session today and managed to come through without any new injuries despite Rudolph pulling up yesterday due to some hamstring tightness we hope he will be okay for the weekend.

Our Goalkeepers seem to be having the worse luck right now with JP out with sickness and Almodovar leg and finger injuries.  Farrell and Lopez will have another chance this weekend to make the #1 position their own as we have seen the mantle pass along this season for various reasons.

I expected some tiredness this week and last as many players have a very busy academic schedule and knowing how things work I'm sure their time management has seen them cram late night sessions and extra work in over these past 2 weeks to get things done.  Maybe as part of the pre game schedule this week I should designate nap time to make sure everyone gets the rest they need.  An idea I got reading about the Northwestern football team.

Tomorrow is the final session of the week before Fridays game so I will give you my post practice thoughts and pre game preview.

Magic Moment of the Day
Higgins goal off a cross from Hinners

Short Post Game Blog

I have to commend the players on a much improved performance.  A last minute goal is a tough way to lose any game in any sport so I know the disappointment the players will be feeling.  A change in formation to try and get more offense seemed to work especially in the second half but we didn't take the chances we had.  It felt like our goal came at the 8th attempt after coming off the crossbar and finally getting in to go in.  It was a good goal and came after we had just conceded to a set play so the timing and response was perfect.  Unfortunately we would concede to another set play late in the game to cost us dearly.

Its on to next weekend where luckily we are at home again for two crucial encounters against Rhode Island Friday and UMass on Sunday.  There was certainly a lot more positives to take from the game today and I hope the players will feel the same after the disappointment of today starts to wear away.  

Magic Moment of the Day
Team Defending in response to Friday

Saturdays quick note

Back to practice early this morning and 30 minutes of video review was not the best way to get the day going after being up late watching the game again last night.  On the field we definitely had some tired legs but I liked the fact that even the guys who played a full 90 minutes wanted to do a little extra today to get ready for tomorrow.  A little warm up and stretching and then we were into a small sided game to get the players some sharpness for tomorrow.

Tomorrow we play Fordham who had a good result Friday night away from home tying with Charlotte 0-0.  At least the past 3 seasons they have been one of the best teams in the Conference and finished Co Regular Season Champions with us all last year with a 7-2 conference record.  It will be another battle and as a team we have to get going early and compete individually and as a group all oll over the field.  Kick off is at 1pm at Mount Vernon Campus.

After practice it was long day recruiting for me locally for some VA State Cup games.  Some entertaining games with all the passion that is associated with Cup Knockout tournaments.  Good chatting with some coaches I know and haven’t seen for a while but by the end of the day I was looking forward to going home.

Magic Moment of the Day

Walking through the door at the end of a long day

Post Game - At least Wales won

Not a good day at the office.  Probably one of the most disappointing losses of my entire time here at GW.  Unfortunately we were once again unable to start the same back four in consecutive games and knowing yesterday we would be missing Sousa and with Shaban already out we were rocked when we lost Sandland to a freak injury before the game and JP in warm up.  The versatile Holleran moved position again and found himself at left back and Farrell made his college debut in goal.  Despite the scoreline and conceding 4 goals Farrell can still hold his head high as I thought he was one of few positives to come out of the game.  That says it all with our GK conceding 4 goals and playing great and highlights some of the shambolic team defending that cost us goals today.

With us back on the field Sunday it gives us little time to prepare and for us it more like repair as we try and get guys fit.  Like most games I try and get the positives out of losses but today the honest fact is we did not work hard enough and too many players went missing when we needed them most.  Again it was a case of creating chances but not scoring in the second half and giving goals away from areas we had spoken about before the game.

For Coach Farrell of LaSalle whom I happen to like and have for many years it was his 200th career win so again congratulations on achieving that milestone.  We had a good chat afterwards and I like the way he put the 200 wins in perspective "it just shows that you've been doing this a long time"  Probably made it even more special as his son a freshman scored the opening goal for him.

The small bit of good news for me today was that Wales beat Scotland 2-1 in a world cup qualifier and despite having a long shot to actually qualify its a win that stopped a 4 game losing streak.

Magic Moment of the Day
Wales 2 - Scotland 1

Clash of the Tartans and Pre Game

With todays practice focusing on sharpness and final preparations for the game tomorrow we started the day in the locker room talking over some formation and general tendencies of how we think LaSalle will line up.  Gotta be careful how much you rely on scouting reports as college teams can change their line ups from game to game.  Still, I think there is always information you can use and share with the players so after 20 mins we were out on the field.

After a warm up and some light ball work we were ready to get into a 6v6 tournament.  With the teams selected by injured players Scott and Shaban the teams were announced and each team was given a Head Coach consisting of Abdul Shaban Wenger, Alejandro Almodovar Di Matteo, and Matty Scott Pardew.  The guys were certainly sharp and began with a great strike and goal from Abaie after just 7 seconds on the clock.  That certainly set the tempo for the games ahead and the players responded with a great 45 minutes of soccer.  Almodovar Di Matteo came out on top after his team went 4-0 followed by Pardew and Wenger who struggled to get his team going.

Tomorrow we play Lasalle 3pm at Mount Vernon.  Having played only one game in the A10 so far LaSalle find themselves on the same number of points as us after they overcame Fordham in OT last Friday.  They will have had 2 extra days of rest and with an overall record of 7-2-2 they have shown so far that they are a tough team to beat and very capable of getting results.  Its a rematch of last years A10 semi final game which went into overtime and don't expect anything different this time around as I feel its going to be a very close encounter.  As always for our home games you can follow the live stats online or watch the live stream online if you cannot get to the Vern.

Have to mention its a great day for soccer tomorrow with World Cup qualifiers taking place in all continents and most importantly the highly anticipated Clash of the Tartans Wales v Scotland played in Cardiff.  Both teams are struggling for form so don't expect a classic here but the result could see the end of either managers reign, end either teams hope of qualification and let one nation have the bragging rights until they meet again later in qualifying.  Go On The Welsh!!!

Magic Moment of the Day
Irizarry nutmegs, classic