Lynchburg Win

Yesterday was a much needed win and confidence booster for us...we traveled up to Lynchburg (the 2010 DIII NCAA runner-up) who is always a tough opponent.  I played a solid game and set up our first goal to put us up 1-0 at half.  They came down and scored immediately in the second half but we battled back and won a PK with about 5 minutes left to play.  I played very well both halves and I am happy to be seeing consistent minutes.  That was a big regional win for us...the long trip back was tough (getting back at 1:30 am is never fun) but now we look onward to the weekend.

Weekend Results

We came off of a decent weekend on the road against two key conference opponents: tie against Greensboro and win over Ferrum.  Individually I had a solid showing this weekend, playing lots of minutes and contributing to the intensity on the field.  I was very thankful to have family members and friends at both games this weekend...as one of the coaches told me, I am very lucky to have such great support.  It's easy to forget, and I never want to take it for granted...so a huge THANK YOU to those who read this...you know who you are.  Aside from some drama amongst the team and coaches regarding logistics/fairness issues, I feel we took a step in the right direction in terms of finding a winning habit.  Greensboro has a strong team this year and may very well be one of the best in the conference...time will tell.  We got back to campus very late last night and had today off from training.  Back to the grind tomorrow then on the road Wednesday to face Lynchburg - always a tough opponent.

Lynchburg Scrimmage

First scrimmage at Lynchburg last night. 1-1 tie, very bad first 15 minutes of individual play, rallied for a better second 15 minutes. More disappointed that the hammy got very sore after one sprint, and is still very sore today. Praying for a miracle healing, but it may not happen until November. Going to have to adjust my style of play....

Thursday Practice

Morning run on Noland, 13 minute time limit call by coach. Went out with first group, did not feel like running with the second group. First quarter mile in I was already tired, knew I'd have to dig deep to finish well. Made it my goal to just stay in contact with the group and not get dropped. Did well to do that, turn around at 6:10, finished at 12:30. Dece.

Hammy still very sore, looking forward to ending morning runs to give it a chance to heal. Rehab at lunch then afternoon practice. Pre-game practice, went through pre-game warm up, then worked on long-balls, shooting drills, and ended with a large full field 8v8 game followed by abs. Still sore, but got through the practice ok. Looking forward to sleeping in in the morning and our evening scrimmage against Lynchburg.

Day 1 Practice

First regular practice today and back to classes at CNU.

Kicked off the day with another Noland trail run, 13 minute time limit called by Coach. Decided to run with the elite group today, tired of pacing with the slower group. Went out feeling great, started in mid pack but then slowly worked my way up. Hit mile 1 at 5:55, feeling good, pulled up to the front with freshman Caleb and Captain Cliff. However they amped to a new level with 1/4 mile to go and simply didn't have the kick to go with them. Good run though, came in at 12:17, a personal best for this pre season. Good to be back up front running with the big boys.

Then afternoon practice, disappointed Coach did not move me up with the starters for part of the session, however I worked hard and had a great showing in the scrimmages. Ended with sprints, and have the Man. U. sprint test in the morning. Nervous, but remaining optimistic. Looking forward to our first scrimmage against Lynchburg on Friday.