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In the Face of Adversity
September 18, 2007
By. Jessica R. Chisley, Asst. Coach
Disbelief. One of many emotions felt by everyone after Saturday night's loss to Wittenberg. For the third time, we watched our players give everything they had and walk away on the losing end of a 1-0 score. Finding the words to console, or, even encourage the players, is tough. We could see on their faces the immense disappointment, hurt, frustration, anger, and dejection. In those moments, it is easy to come undone at the seams - pointing the finger of blame at the person beside you and allowing anger to take over. Yet, at that moment, with players searching for a positive in a very unhappy situation, Coach Hoffman found the perfect words.
As players stretched, took off sweaty socks and shin guards, and stared into space trying to contemplate what had happened - he began with one simple phrase: Stand up ladies . Looking at each other, a few players slowly rose to their feet while others took a moment to snap out of deep thought. Then, a voice, let's go ladies, bring it in! More players began standing and looked to Coach Hoffman for what would come next. In their eyes, you could see the hurt and a few tears – something that is absolutely heart-wrenching for a coach. Coach Hoffman looked around the circle and spoke once again: Bring it in ladies, come on - get tight . As the girls squeezed closer together, he put his arms on the shoulders of the players next to him and finally began: Ladies, you know I love each and every one of you. This stinks! It absolutely stinks! This is the third time we've been on the losing end of one of these games…but we're going to be okay, we'll get through this. ” With that said, Jay put his hand in and we all followed-suit, stacking our hands one on another. Then, in one unified voice, we exclaimed: heart !
Though one hopes to avoid games like Saturday night's, we must keep in mind that good things always come from them. Frosty Westering [most noted for his tenure as head football coach at Pacific Lutheran University from 1973 – 2002] helped put this into perspective when he once said: How a man plays the game shows something of his character; how he loses shows all of it . The character our players showed at Wittenberg is something we can be proud of. They did not knit-pick at each error or even complain about missed opportunities. Instead, they looked ahead, wondering what they needed to do and how they could help each other get over the hump. That is a promising sign and a very important factor if we hope to become a great team.
Concluding the match, the family of sophomore goalkeeper, Rosie McAuley, invited the entire team and their parents into their home for a post game meal. The mood of the evening was light, the food was good and plentiful, and by the close to the evening the tensions of the afternoon had melted away. As we loaded the bus to head home, we realized how truly special this program is. For Jay and I, as coaches, moments like that serve as reminders of how fortunate we are to be surrounded by such wonderful players and parents in an extraordinary environment such as Centre College. In the midst of competition, long seasons, wins, losses, and the daily stresses of life, it is sometimes easy to take for granted the unique opportunity we have here. Furthermore, at the end of the day, month, season, or year it will not be mere wins or losses we remember, but the special moments that defined the season.
In the week leading up to the match with Wittenberg, we had a few memorable moments. Tuesday, we learned we had earned a No. 5 ranking in the Great Lakes Region, which was just the boost the players needed headed into Wednesday's game against Asbury College, Ky. We would end up defeating Asbury 4-nil in a true team effort. Sophomore - Marina Hoe had a stand-out performance – scoring two goals and assisting on another. Also scoring on the evening were junior – Erin Menard and freshman – Brittany Garr. Earning their first assists of the season were junior – Ashley Ivey and sophomore – Katherine MacMurray.
The Colonels next match-up will be Wednesday, September 19th, against local-rival Transylvania University, Ky. Kick-off is set for 7:00 pm at the Centre Soccer Complex. We will round out the week on the road, when we begin Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) play. Thursday we travel to Conway, Arkansas and will play Friday evening against the Warriors of Hendrix College. Game time is scheduled for 6:00 pm CST. Concluding the match, we will load the bus and head to Rhodes College in Memphis, Tenn for a Sunday afternoon game. Play begins at noon, with the Men's team playing immediately after. As always take care and until next time…
THINK CENTRE!
This week in women's soccer archives:
Tuesday Sept 11, 2007
Tuesday Sept 4, 2007
Tuesday April 24, 2007
Tuesday Jan 16, 2007
Tuesday Oct 31, 2006
Tuesday Oct 24, 2006
Tuesday Oct 17, 2006
Tuesday Oct 11, 2006
Tuesday Oct 3, 2006
Tuesday Sept 26, 2006
Tuesday Sept 19, 2006
Tuesday Sept 12, 2006
Tuesday Sept. 5, 2006
Monday Aug. 28, 2006
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