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Clear Roads Ahead
September 24, 2008
In the team's locker room is a yellow-brick road which leads to the Emerald City – where a SCAC Championship and NCAA tournament appearance is waiting. The road represents the path they must take and is paved with their personal goals as well as the opponents they will face along the way. The sparkling green entranceway which stands at the end of the road – serves as a constant reminder of what this group is striving to achieve this season.
Early on, it was simply a smooth yellow-brick road. Yet, over the past few weeks, we have encountered a few bumps and stumbling blocks along the way. Last Monday we hit a wall, both emotionally and competitively speaking, when we fell to Thomas More College 2-0. The game tested our character, not only as individuals, but also as a program. Unfortunately, it was a test we failed. In perhaps, one of the most physical matches of the season – we slowly crumbled and lost sight of the little things that make us dangerous on the field. What's worse is when things turned ugly – we turned away from each other when we should have pulled tighter together. After the game, we were all at a loss and couldn't figure out what had gone wrong. In the locker room that night, Coach Hoffman addressed the team in one of the most emotional speeches this group has perhaps ever heard. He did not yell or scream, throw a tantrum, or even start pointing the finger of blame. Instead, his tone was very calm and reassuring. At this point, his exact words escape memory. However, the feelings they evoked still remain.
Since that night, we have seen a much different Centre team. Tuesday we gave the ladies the day off from practicing. Yet, they decided a day off was not what they needed and took it upon themselves to organize a practice on their own. By Wednesday, we had rolled up our sleeves and started digging deep. Thursday, the ladies were met with a few additions to the locker room. On the yellow-brick road, lay a few rocks and a detour sign. Perhaps the most significant addition was a sign placed in front of Oglethorpe University that reads: clear roads ahead. By Friday, game day, there was one more addition to the locker room.
Signs were hanging everywhere! On those signs was written a most unusual word – Quizendort. Surely you've heard of quizendort. If not, you're not alone. Everyone was puzzled by this word and weren't quite sure what to think of it. Is that a word, they asked. Surely my teachers hadn't forgotten to teach this to me somewhere along the way. It was actually quite humorous watching them as they tried to figure out its meaning. That night, in the locker room, Coach Hoffman finally revealed its meaning – or respective meanings. Quizendort \kwiz-in-d?rt\ is actually a made up word which has various meanings. The word itself, Quizendort, simply means: enough is enough . However, it can also mean: to conquer, defeat, or overcome. In this case, the preterite of quizendort would be: Centre quizendorted Oglethorpe Friday night. The final meaning of Quizendort pertains to familiy, honor, and integrity.
So, with a clean slate in front of us and a new word for the team's vocabulary, the ladies set out to Quizendort Oglethorpe and Sewanee. With all joking aside, the weekend turned out great! The ladies competed with poise and confidence and as a result, claimed two conference wins. For those who do not know about conference play in the SCAC, every game is challenging. Loosely speaking, the more games you win, the better your chances of receiving an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. As a result, every game is important in-conference. So, for us to begin with two wins in our opening weekend is very good.
After our games with Oglethorpe and Sewanee, one of our freshmen shared a fantastic quote that strongly related to our team. It said this: History has demonstrated that the most notable winners usually encountered heartbreaking obstacles before they triumphed. They won because they refused to become discouraged by their defeats 1. Looking back at the early part of our season, this certainly applies. Yet again, as Coach Hoffman eluded to Monday night, the bottom line is this – Centre Women's Soccer is a very special and unique program. Regardless of what happens or goes on around us, we stick together and encourage each other to remain strong in the face of defeat.
With that said, we would like to make one last note on the week. This past weekend was Family Weekend at Centre. Once again, we would like to extend a big thank you to all families and friends who visited with us. We certainly hope you enjoyed the many activities held on campus.
Next match-ups for Centre
This weekend we take to the road for perhaps one of the neatest games of the season. We will take-on Capital University at the training facility of the major league soccer franchise – the Columbus Crew. The game will be played on Saturday, September 27 th at 3:00 pm. The address to the complex is: 4153 Alum Creek Dr., Obetz, OH 43207. With that said, we hope to see you there! So, until next time...
1 Bertie C. Forbes
This week in women's soccer archives:
Tuesday Sept 16, 2008
Tuesday Sept 9, 2008
Tuesday Sept 2, 2008
Tuesday Nov 7, 2007
Tuesday Oct 30, 2007
Tuesday Oct 23, 2007
Tuesday Oct 14, 2007
Tuesday Oct 9, 2007
Tuesday Oct 1, 2007
Tuesday Sept 25, 2007
Tuesday Sept 18, 2007
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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