Southern Virginia University Women's Soccer
Coach Ryan Foster

Win Streak Ends.
We welcomed University of Mary Washington earlier in the week. They are a good program. 12-wins, and getting national recognition. I knew it was going to be a challenging game, and I felt we had prepared the team well. The game started off, and the plan we had mapped out was working really well. We were frustrating UMW, and taking the opportunities when we had them. Emily Lakin let fly with a great free kick, and if we'd been crashing the goal a little bit sooner, I think we'd have a goal after the keeper could only parry it away.
Unfortunately, a couple of breakdowns allowed the visitors to get a 2-0 lead. I'm proud of the fact that we didn't wilt under the pressure. Lora Palmer had a great opportunity that was saved by the keeper, and then we got a corner kick with about 10-minutes left. Alicia Blackham zeroed in on the corner and sent a great lofting ball to the back post. Alina Grawrock was there and nodded the ball pas the keeper. I'll admit to surprise because the header wasn't that powerful, and I assumed the keeper would be sprinting at it. Either way it rolled in for a goal and only a 2-1 deficit. (P.S. I thought the ball had gone outside the goal, and was going to be a goal kick. At least I thought that for a second.)
It was Senior Day, and at halftime we were able to recognize two great players. Amber Key Winsor, has been a rock for us in the midfield. She has a nickname, "Filthy" because her ball skills are incredible. She can move a ball past a player in the blink of an eye, and it's like the ball is glued to her foot. She has a wicked shot, and she works until she has nothing left in the tank. We are going to miss her. Ivy Kuroki asked to play this last season. She'd played a long time ago, but had focused on basketball and then tennis. We gave her a shot, and she has done fantastic this year! She is such a true athlete, and she has picked up so much, and has worked so hard for us. I'm glad she played this last year. She also played phenomenal in the game against UMW. Great movement, and smart passing.
The second half started, and we weren't ready. They got two quick goals to go up 4-1. Lora never stopped, and got us another goal, but we surrendered the final goal to lose 5-2. This will be a conference game next year. We have a lot to work on, and yet they are little things we have to fix. There wasn't a tremendous gap between us. UMW did the little things right, and we didn't. I'm optimistic about our future in the conference, but I know we'll still have a lot of man hours to put in to get better.
Finally, my team is hilarious. The team photo above should prove it. I love 'em all, and I'm going to miss those who move on. Bluefield is our last game this next week. Hope to see you there.

Trinity Win
We had a mid-day game this past Saturday. The game was in D.C. so it meant an early departure from SVU. Trinity has a beautiful campus. We got there with plenty of time, and the team was able to have a good warm-up.
Once the whistle blew, it looked like we were still in the vans. We weren't as crisp and pro-active as I wanted us to be. Our first goal came from us attacking, and sending the ball into the box. It clipped off a Trinity defender, and in for an own-goal.
Lora Palmer quickly tallied two more. Her first came from about 18-yards out, as she had dribbled through the defense and let fly with a looping shot that evaded the keeper's reach. The second goal came from some great work from Victoria Slade, as she attacked down the right, and slotted across a ball that found Lora. It was a little fortuitous, as the ball went through about three or four people from both teams, and Lora seemed a little surprised that the ball was there, but she had no problem taking a one-timer, and slipping it past the stranded goalkeeper.
Laura Schow has been a tireless worker all season. She has done everything she can to help us be successful, so when we got a PK late in the first half, I knew she needed to be the one to get it. She took it comfortably, and got her first goal of the season. 4-0 at half-time.
Bryndel Kindred-Lytle got the fifth early on in the second half. Jade Sorensen provided the through ball for Bryndel to hit far post.
Meghan Blackham has also been another tireless worker, and it was great to see her weave through the defense, and get a shot off that eluded the keeper. It was a good move to get her first goal of the year.
Alina Grawrock, finally poked home a good one-on-one with the keeper to get her second of the year. Having been off-side at least 2-3 times prior to that, I was wondering if she'd ever be in position to get a goal. She just likes to hover on the back line, and sometimes forgets that they have moved up. Oh well.
Lora was not done for the day, as she attacked the Trinity defense late in the half. She made a great move across the end-line, and then slotted a picture perfect ball across, for Melissa Bledsoe to latch onto for a tap-in goal, and our last of the game.
Another 8-0 win, and we have scored more goals this season then last year and the previous year combined! Kenzie Lundquist started in goal, and then when things were comfortable, we put Autum Bronson in. Finally our third string, and emergency backup keeper, Ivy Kuroki got in the game. All three of them maybe touched the ball a combined three times, and basically stood in goal with little to do. Sometimes that's what you do as a keeper. But they can't complain about getting scored on, or even shot on!

A Big Win
We welcomed Milligan on 10/17. We played them last year, and let's just say the result was less than we desired. We knew we were in for a challenge, and we also knew that we'd have to adjust our approach based on what Milligan did with the ball.
The game started, and we were executing the plan to perfection. Our midfield was doing a great job of clogging the middle. Meghan Blackham has been an unsung hero this season. She has had a very straightforward role in sitting in front of the back line and breaking up attacks. She has done awesome this year doing that, and this game was no different. She disrupted, and forced Milligan to go different ways for most of the afternoon.
Our first goal came 14 minutes in, and it was pretty. The ball was cleared, and Bryndel Lytle did a great job of getting to it, and holding it up. Laura Schow came past fro Bryndel to lay it off, and Schow moved into space down the left hand side. A pass to Jade Sorensen followed, and Jade beat two defenders, and the on-rushing goalie to get us on the board. It was a beautiful build-up, and a goal we deserved.
Lora Palmer continued her scoring form, as she went on a 50-yard run, cutback across two defenders, and then sent a lofting shot far post over the keeper. "Wheels" was terrorizing the Milligan defense all day, and she could have had a few more. We went in to half, with a 2-0 lead, and I was really happy with the performance.
We should have kept playing. The halftime gave Milligan a chance to regroup, and us a chance to go away from what had been successful. the second half didn't go as planned. Milligin upped the tempo, and we didn't respond. We moved away from our game plan, and had some tense moments at the end. Milligan got a goal in the second, and that was it for scoring. It was a good thing to get a win against them, and I'm happy overall with the performance. I just wish my team didn't like to make things so exciting at the end! Trinity up next.

Scoring Quickly Again
I've noticed that when my team decides to score, we can do it quickly. Like 55 seconds into the game fast! That's what we did against West Virginia Tech. Right after kick off, we pressured high, and forced a corner. After Victoria Slade sent a ball back into the box from the corner, Lora Palmer (is anyone surprised by that?) snuck in and volleyed a ball past the keeper and the poor defender who never saw her coming. 1-0. Easily the fastest goal we've scored this year, and maybe in my time here as a coach.
That was simply an indicator of how the game would goal. We had Jade Sorensen and Bryndel Lytle up top accompanying Lora, and the trio were like a pack of sharks after prey. They were criss-crossing and changing things up, and there movement off the ball was outstanding. Bryndel scored about 6 minutes later, as Amber Key-Winsor sent a through ball that was to perfection. The vision Amber had was awesome, and she had definitely brought her A-game. Bryndel sprinted on to the ball, and drove a low ball past the keeper. 2-0
Jade got on the board next, and her goal was the prettiest of the day. Bryndel got the ball from Amber, and moved into mid-field where she sent a ball through a defender's legs (lucky, but I'll take it!) to Lora. Lora then drove down, and saw Jade sprinting into space. Another quality through ball, and Jade had a one-on-one goal for a 3-0 lead. All within 16-minutes of the first half.
The second half was like the first except without as many goals. We did a great job defensively, with a shout out to Laura Schow who keeps providing great defense, and a tremendous weapon on offense going forward.
Emily Lakin got a ball in the 70th minute for Lora, and rammed home our fourth to give us our margin of victory. Another shout out to Ivy Kuroki. She joined us this year after playing tennis and basketball, and she has worked hard, and has learned a ton. She did great in the middle holding up the ball, and moving our offense around for shots. We had a few nervy moments at the end in the back, but held strong and recorded another shutout.
A 3-game win streak, as pieces are starting to fall in place here at the end of the season. Milligan next.

Big Win
We made a relatively short trip up I-81 to play at Patrick Henry. When we got there we realized that our game play would have to adjust. A very small field, and it was soggy. I brought my "army" (as someone has referred to it this season), and saw that we would easily win the numbers game. PHC had 12! I've been there before so I know how hard that is.
Play started, and we overwhelmed them quickly. Lora Palmer continued her scoring streak as she got the first goal again! Amber Key-Winsor continued a great senior year as she added our second. We were up early and the way the game was going, I was able to get lots of people in.
Marva Warndahl got her first goal of the year. She claims it was intentional, but I have my doubts. A 30-40 yard "shot" found it's way past the keeper and the defender. Miscommunication meant we had a 3-0 lead. It was still the first half!
Jade Sorensen added another goal soon after. She is having a strong second season, and her scoring form is on right now. Granted, the goal was kind of a "miracle" as the shot (not one of her best shots, mind you) squeezed past (literally) the keeper and the post.
Bryndel Kindred-Lytle has had a strong season. She keeps working hard, and yet doesn't always have anything to show for it. She got her goal after Jade's and it was a quality shot that was dipping and swerving past the PHC keeper.
The stats show Jade got the next goal, but she was simply the closest player to the ball after Alina Grawrock sent a low driven ball in. The ball ricocheted off a PHC defender for the goal.
Noelle Misewicz added to her strong freshman season as she poked in a ball near the end of the first half. 7-0 and we were feeling good.
The big lead meant I could play everybody, and we started with a new lineup for the second half. Kenzie Lundquist did nothing for us in the first half. That's not a criticism, it's a fact. She didn't toch the ball, and teammates tell me she was taking "baby" steps around the goal because of her boredom. With no flowers on the field she had nothing to pick, and so she paced instead. With that in mind we pulled her off, and let her play forward. Guess what!? She scored! We can't say she did nothing for the whole game.
After that we did our best to help PHC get new goals. We hit the cross bar or post several times, Alina and Jackie Barlow were the biggest culprits in the denting spree. Having seen enough of Jackie's demolition job, we decided to put her in goal. A risk I know, but Autum Bronson had done almost as little as Kenzie had. Although she did touch the ball.
All in all, it was a win. We played everybody, and lots of people scored. Again. But I am happy with how we performed, and that we played hard without resorting to disrespect or a selfish need to run up a score. Two wins in a row, and now we face a stern homecoming game against West Virginia Tech.

It's the Great Pumpkin, SVU!

So we played a game at Patrick Henry yesterday. More on that later. For now, we drove by a pumpkin stand. With it being October, I am told these are popular types of gourds to purchase. I'm not sure why!? Anyway, driving to the game the girls saw this and felt that it was a moral imperative to stop by after the game.
On our way back, I obliged, and this photo was taken of a great pumpkin. Linus would be proud! The photo has Jade and Harmony in it. I think the two of them could fit inside it. It was reportedly over 1300 pounds! Lots of pie from that one! More on the game to come.

Getting Back To Winning Ways
I had forgotten what it felt like to win! I think it's always a rough when your team plays well, but you lose. We were feeling that after a losing streak where we were the better team in some games, but couldn't get the W. We welcomed Chowan to our field to see if we could regroup. I was worried after a long week, and this would be our third game in five days. Needless to say there were some tired people. We shuffled the lineup, and went into the game needing to win.
We couldn't have asked for a better start. 1:30 in, and Amber Key-Winsor let fly with one of her patented long-distance bombs! These shots aren't floaters, and they have pace and accuracy. She found right over the keeper, and I thought we were well on our way to a big win.
Except... I think the team thought we were done after the first goal. We kind of stopped playing for the next 43 minutes. We weren't as crisp, or aggressive as we needed to be. We let Chowan take advantage of it. A free kick goal got past Kenzie Lundquist, and we found ourselves tied against a team we shouldn't have been tied with. (On a side note, how does a referee give a hand ball call against a girl who is falling over!? Oh well.)
A 1-1 halftime was not what I wanted, and I made sure to let the team know it. They must have listened. Jade Sorensen came out on fire in the second half, and after a brilliant pass from Emily Lakin, she turned and rifled a shot past the Chowan keeper for a lead we wouldn't give up. It's interesting because we go on these feeding frenzies for goals. A few minutes later, and Amber sent a pass through, and set it on a platter for Jade to poke past the onrushing keeper. 3-1.
Lora Palmer likes to score. I think it's clearly evident, as she poked home another shot within the first ten minutes of the second half, and we had our margin of victory. 4-1. A little rough to start, but we finished strong, and got the W.
The picture is awesome too. Kenzie and Gabby Santos coach a little 6-year old team. They invited their team to the game, and were able to walk out with them for lineups. Then the Eagles played at halftime. It was great to do this for that team, and it's a great pay-off for our players giving back to the community. On to Patrick Henry next.

Laura's Going On a Mission.
I meant to write about this a couple of weeks ago, but it got away from me. Sorry. Our university has a code of honor and an environment that is in accordance with the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We have really great girls, who follow this honor code, and add to the environment here. One of the things that happens from time-to-time is that players decide to leave school early and go on a mission for the church.
The player above is named Laura Schow. She is a great girl, and I have felt privileged to know her. Schow, as we all call her, recently got a call to serve a mission. She will be serving in Santiago, Chile! It was fantastic to see a large number of teammates at her house on a Sunday night as she read of where she was going to serve. I'm excited for her, and I think she will do a wonderful job.
We wish her well, and look forward to her return in two years!

Tough Losses
So we went on a streak of three losses. Two of them were really bitter to swallow, as we had the lion's share of possession, but still lost by one goal in each game.
I'm proud of the team in our response to going to down two goals to Ferrum. We bounced back, and had opportunities to tie up the game, but couldn't find the net at critical moments. On a related note, I'm baffled because Noelle Misewicz, who scored our second goal, is the shortest person on the field! Yet, how did she score her goal? With her head! Doesn't make sense.
Our game against Concord was really frustrating. We were clearly the better team, but none of our shots went in. Except the one by Lora Palmer. We had a lead! Corner kick defending has to improve. We got scored on by a good header, but we didn't defend as well as we should have. I really don't want to talk about the second goal. Refereeing was bad, but we just didn't defend like we should have.
The Frostburg St. game we'll just skip over. It's a conference game next year, and we'll definitely need improvement to be competitive in the conference. Plus, the pizza after the game was bad! A loss and bad pizza!? Room for improvement all around!

That scoring feeling!
After a tough loss to Marymount, I was curious to see how we would rebound. We welcomed Hood on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. The team had a great warm-up, and I had a good feeling, but as a coach, you always temper it because the other team could be that much better. Let's see how we do.
We had the kickoff, and from the get-go I loved what I saw! We moved the ball from the front all the way to our back line, and then forward, and got into the attacking third without losing the ball once. The girl's looked comfortable and composed on the ball, and that feeling I had in warm-up stayed. A shout out has to go to our midfield, Meghan Blackham, Amber Winsor and Emily Lakin started, and the trio were finding gaps to get the ball, and distribute. It looked great.
We scored early, and who else, but Lora Palmer. I've seen the goal before too, as she beat the defender on the left side, cut in to goal, and ripped a shot that the keeper could only watch go by. 1-0! What next?
Emily decided she wanted to score. After a scrum from a corner, Emily was on the right side, and lofted an 18-yard looping shot that went past the keeper. 2-0, and we are on a roll.
The scoring touch left us for a while, and made a surprise appearance at the end of the first half. A free kick from about 20-yards out was lined up perfectly by Alicia Blackham. She let it fly, and the swerving shot went up and over the keeper's hands. 3-0.
A challenge went to the girls at half-time to keep up the pressure. They did. We were in Hood's end most of the second half. Our defense was pretty solid, and Autum Bronson had little to do in goal all afternoon. She made two saves from five total shots! She could have had a beach chair back there and a book.
A great thing for the team this year is that we have scored in bunches, and a lot of people have scored this year. 12 different people to be exact! It stayed that way in the second half. Jade Sorensen got her second goal of the year (a great finish might I add) after a cross from Emily. Then Melissa Bledsoe got her first collegiate goal, off an assist from her twin, Melinda! That must have been nice in the Bledsoe household after that.
One of the nicest goals so far happened next, as Jade turned provider and streaked down the wing, before cutting in and placing a perfect cross to Gabby Santos for a tap-in. It was a great team goal.
Finally, we come to the prettiest goals of the season, and the best of the game. Britney Porter, from the defensive end might I add, was up, and beat two defenders, before she let loose a left footed shot. Did I mention this was on the right side? Well it was. The ball spun, outside of the keeper's reach, and nestled into the far left corner low, for our last goal of the game.
It was a great team effort, and I'm proud of how we responded to the loss. Not counting the DI loss, we're 3-3 and have done really well this past week. I think we're moving in the right direction. We'll see where we're at after 9/26 when we face a rival in Ferrum. We've had good success against them, bu the games are always close.