Southern Virginia University Women's Soccer
Coach Ryan Foster

Marymount
A mid-week game in D.C. Our second in as many weeks. We left early, and made a trip to Arlington National Cemetery, (see previous post), and enjoyed that experience. Then we fought D.C. traffic (for two miles!) and found the field we were to play at. Almost by luck, maybe by divine guidance. P.S. I hate traffic, and D.C. traffic is exasperating and incomprehensible! Oh well.
Warm-up went well, and we got in to the game. A little slow in starting, (a trait I'd like to remedy quickly, or else!) but worked ourselves in to the game. On a side note, the referee was doing his best to be assertive. In this he made Kenzie have to wear a penny because her black keeper jersey might blend in to the night, and he might not see her! I wish I was making this up.
The game progressed well, and Jade and Gabby had some great combinations towards the end of the first half, and we had chances on goal. Nothing went in though. I really believe that this was our best game of the season, and we had quality passing, defense and offensive opportunities. It just didn't click, and we gave up a goal late in the second half. A great response from our team saw us get late chances to score, but nothing materialized, and we had to make the long ride home with a loss, 1-0.
I'm encouraged though by the performance, and I think we have things to build on to help us get better in this season. Another positive is that this game will be a staple for years to come, as Marymount is in the Capital Athletic Conference, and we'll have chances to beat them in the future.
Up next, Hood College on 9-22-12.

Arlington National Cemetery
I've tried in the past few seasons to add to the away games with trips. We went to the Washington D.C. Temple when we played WAU, and this past Wednesday we had a very special opportunity to go to Arlington National Cemetery.
I am very grateful with the reverence and respect that our team showed as we walked this hallowed land. To see them take in what those memorials meant, and to appreciate what that means for them and our country was a special thing for me. It was impressive to see veterans attending, and to see our players acknowledge and offer their thanks and respects for what these brave men and women have sacrificed for us.
I think part of being in a team is having moments like this that go beyond the field. I know it's an experience that I won't soon forget, and I'm hopeful this is the same for our team.

Equal Distribution
We stayed in the win column in a big way on 9/17. William Peace College visited us on a rainy afternoon. For anyone hoping to watch the game, sorry, the rain prevented any video! Stupid precipitation.
Any way, our game got started a little late, and we apparently weren't ready anyway. Really slow in the first few minutes, and we were making some dumb mistakes. Lucky for us Peace wasn't taking advantage, and we slowly worked ourselves into the game. Once we got going, it was over!
Lora Palmer, aka. "Wheels" is starting to like the back of the net. Our first goal for the game came after she beat the defender, and then hit a far post shot past the stranded keeper. Winning goal, and it would be all we needed, but the team decided to play greedy for the game.
Emily Lakin got on the board for the first time in her college career, as she got past the high Peace line after a precise slip ball from Amber Key-Winsor, and broke free for a one-on-one against the keeper. 2-0, and we were just getting started. Wheels, tallied again for the second game in a row in getting two goals.
I have to admit the fourth goal was special. My little sister is on the team, and it was great to see her get a goal, although she did almost everything to not get it. A heavy touch got the ball too close to the keeper, but Alina slid it through her legs then ran on for the easy tap in.
Amber got number five after we were awarded a penalty.
Things were going really well, and our back line had this "You're Not Going to Score" look and attitude on the field. It's nice to see the team have that mentality.
We tacked on a flurry of goals right at the end. Gabby poked home a goal after a corner kick scrum, and then Jade Sorensen slotted home a ball from a breakaway. Both were great examples of being in the right place at the right time, and doing the simple things to score.
Noelle Misewicz, "Mort" as we like to call her, finished off the scoring with less than 20 seconds left.
All around it was a great game, and we kept momentum going. Our keepers had practically nothing to do, and that's the way it should be. 8-0, and we look good heading into a 9/19 game against Marymount. Haven't had a lot of success yet against them, but I think my team is starting to gel in the right way. Should be a good game, and I think we can get a W.

The next game you can watch.
Big news for our fans. Our sports information department has worked really hard this off-season, and now have the tools in place so that we can stream our games over the internet. In the past we have had radio provided, but this will be the next step, and will allow us to have people watch the games. We get asked a lot if we video tape the games, and now I can answer yes.
A big thank you to our sports information staff as well as our university staff who have made this possible.
The following link will take you to the site where you can watch our next game Sept. 17 when we welcome Peace College. This will be our second home game of the year, and hopefully we can keep the momentum for our recent big win. Hope you enjoy the broadcast.

http://client.stretchintern...#

First Win of the Season!
After a grueling first three games, we got into the win column in a big way. We made a trip to Washington Adventist, and started fast, Bryndel Lytle got us a lead for the first time this season. And it was within the first five minutes as she hit a shot (or was it a cross?) at goal that went over the keeper's hands and off the bottom post and in.
Amber Winsor followed about 15 minutes later as she hit an absolute bomb from 25-30 yards out. The field had a distinctive slope to it, and we were definitely going down hill in the first half. The shot was fairly flat when it started, but the slope of the field allowed it to be higher then when she hit it!
The best goal came with about two minutes left in the half. We had a free kick about 20 yards out, and just like we had practiced it, Schow then Emily ran over the ball with Emily passing it right into the path of Meagen Varney, who slammed a low shot into the far corner. Keeper never saw it, and never moved for it! (Again, the downward slope helped it gain pace.) 3-0 at half
The second half started a little rough as WAU wanted back in the game. We had penalty kick blocked (how!?) but persevered, and Lora Palmer added two goals to cap off a 5-0 win. Both of her goals were a demonstration of hard work, although the first benefited after hitting the bar, and a weird bounce. Lora didn't know if it had gone in.
Overall, a great way to get a first win, and get some much needed confidence. Kudos all around too everyone. Especially when things got chippy at the end. Kenzie and Autum shared the goal, and had to do very little. I like it that way.
Then it was off to Chipotle for dinner after visiting the Washington D.C. temple as a team. I must say that restaurant handled us like champs. We were through the line real quick, and everyone ended up very happy. Including, I presume, the store manager, whose sales likely skyrocketed for the night after our visit. Your welcome.
Peace College up next Monday. At home.

So that's why they're D.I
I have never been shy about scheduling for our program. I figure to be the best program possible, you're going to have to play the best teams there are. That's why we've opened this year with two good DIII teams, and then went down to play at DI Radford on Sept. 7. The speed of play is way up in those games, and our girls definitely are forced to do things faster and better or else.
For me, it really isn't about he results in those games but the performance. If we can accomplish some things, and play to the best of our ability and system then I'm happy. And we were on Friday night. Radford definitely showed why they went to the NCAA tournament last year, and we were always under pressure. But, in the second half we regrouped and played the way I wanted us to.
I feel that we have learned a lot over the opening sequence of the season, and I'm excited about the progress we've made. Heading in to our next game the competition level won't be as high as the previous three opponents, and I expect to see us perform better, and get results on the board. At the leats we got to play in a nice stadium on a nice field.

Facing a Ranked Team.
On Sept. 4 we welcomed the first ranked team ever to Buena Vista as we faced off against 11th ranked Lynchburg. We knew it was going to be a battle, but for some reason we weren't quite ready for it. Lynchburg started fast, and we didn't respond right away.
This season is rapidly turning in Makenzie Lundquist's season. She has been amazing in goal, and if not for her, we'd have suffered more goals in the first half. Kenzie made a fantastic reaction save after a missed PK for Lynchburg.
We gifted too much possession in the first half, and paid the price. Going down at half-time was hard. The challenge was laid down for the ladies heading in to the second half, and I'm happy to say that they responded. Much more physical, much more fight, and we had opportunities for attack. We didn't win, but we held a very good team scoreless in the second half.
It's a good sign because it means we can hang with quality teams. Some improvements here and there, and soon, maybe we'll have opportunities for wins against teams like this.
The scheduling fiend that I am, put one more challenging game on the schedule to start the season. We play a D.I opponent to close out a killer first three games. Sept. 7 we travel to face Radford. A team which won their conference last year, and played Duke in the first round of the NCAA tournament. We will be facing a daunting task, but if we learn from it, it will make us better later in the season.

Pre-Season
We practiced really early this year. So early that we always got to see the sunrise, as long as there wasn't a lot of fog. This was a spontaneous picture I decided to take with the Blue Ridge in the background as the sun started to rise. It's a little dark, but it's still nice to look at.

Heat & Humidity Win
So a first game for the 2012 season is in the books. On Sept. 1 we made the quick trip to Washington & Lee for a showdown with a team we've had on the schedule in some form every year I've been here. I was optimistic we'd make a good showing, but not so much after looking at the weather report. 92 degrees and almost 100% humidity!
Needless to say it took a toll on us. Especially the Mountain West and West Coast girls. Humidity was a new thing for them.
Kenzie was playing lights out in goal (try to score against her on a break away, and you'll likely end up frustrated) but she couldn't stop everything. First half was ugly, and we needed halftime to regroup.
I'm happy to say that we bounced back really well in the second. Our high pressure possession game improved, and we got some shots on goal. We need to tighten up on defense, but we got a quality goal from Lora Palmer, and some great looks from other teammates.
Sadly we dropped the first game 7-1. A rude awakening for us to DIII, but hopefully a positive first step as we learned something from it. Up next, the highest ranked team to ever be hosted by SVU. We get Lynchburg, #15 in DIII at home on Sept. 4. Game time is 4:00. We'll need to show a lot of improvement really quickly. But I like what I've seen despite the early setback. I'm confident we'll make a game of it.

First Scrimmage Tonight.
So we're five days into pre-season, and it has been really exciting to watch the team. We have some great returners, and really strong newcomers. I like the direction that we are heading, and I think we have a promising season ahead of us.
Tonight we'll see what we can do in game like situations. First intra-squad scrimmage. Grey versus Green. We'll see what the ladies can do.