Over and Out

Well Phase 3 didn't last long...lost a tough one to Randolph at home 2-1 in regulation.  We had a record crowd with over 2000 fans and it was a great atmosphere to play in.  I played really well for the last part of the first half and nearly scored to tie the game up 1-1.  Unfortunately it wasn't meant to be.  We went down 2-0 at the start of the second half and it was an uphill battle from there where we managed to get one goal but no more than that.  It was very frustrating to watch the second half unfold from the bench...however I can't change coach's decisions - they are simply out of my hands.  Hats off to Randolph for winning their first ever NCAA game in their first ever tournament appearance (in any sport, for men or women).  Now that they're in the Sweet 16 (after winning their second game last night) with powerhouses Messiah, Trinity, and Salisbury knocked out, who knows how this year's tournament will end.

A word of thanks to all who have supported me this entire year.  To those who came to the games, sent me emails, texts, words of encouragement and said prayers- you know who you are and I can't thank you enough.  It was definitely a challenging season and although it's sad for it to end the way it did, I can't say that I'm not excited to start moving on to some different things.

Big Texas Rodeo

So much to write about and little time to do it!

In short, we had a very successful weekend in San Antonio this past weekend. After a rough flight on Thursday morning, we landed in San Antonio and trained in preparation for our games on Friday and Saturday.

Friday afternoon we faced Southwestern. We also faced temperatures we had not seen for weeks now after a seemingly permanent rain had settled in Newport News (which I might add is still here!). Our first half as a team was a very poor showing, where we went down 1-0. It is not my policy to talk negatively of others' play, but our starting center mids were not having an up-to-par game by any means. I stepped in with just under 20 minutes to go in the half and played solidly against a very physical team. In the second half, I stepped in after we had tied it 1-1 off a PK for about 5-10 minutes to give our starters a breather so they could finish the game. Also played well and happy we pulled off a 2-1 win.

Two good things came from playing so poorly on Friday: the team was motivated to work even harder against #6 Trinity, and Trinity's coaches saw a sub-par CNU squad. Trinity is a beautiful school with a great stadium and lights so it was fun to play in a big game similar to the atmosphere we have at home. It was an intense game, and we struggled in the first 15 minutes to find our rhythm. I came in with 10 to go in the half and played well again. We went into half tied 0-0. Then early in the 2nd half Winston found the far post off a through ball from our outside mid to put us up 1-0. I came in for another 8 minutes or so afterwards and played solid again. I was able to win a ball off their outside midfielder, take it up the line and cross it to our forward at the top of the box. He beat the keeper but was tripped from behind. The keeper was red-carded and we finished the game up one man. It was an exciting game and we are very happy to hold our #1 ranking for another week.

Now back to the grind of school work and practice this week. It never gets any easier, and we hit the road again on Wednesday to face a tough Mary Washington team.

On another note, keeping the family of my former team mate Zac Tigner in my prayers as I have learned of his passing this past weekend. He was a phenomenal athlete and it is a shame to see something like this happen.

Rainy Mid Week

Our game today against VA Wesleyan was cancelled due to the extreme amounts of rain we have been receiving over the last few days.

This worked out nicely for the team as we will be leaving early tomorrow morning for our games in San Antonio, TX this weekend against Southwestern (on Friday) and #6 Trinity (on Saturday).

This afternoon consisted of a light scrimmage session on the turf for about an hour.

Unfortunately I will most likely be away from the computer for the next couple of days but will provide updated game information by early next week. In the meantime, check our webpage for the latest game info.