CAPTAIN'S JOURNAL

Once the season begins in early August and through the completion of the post season you will be able to get a weekly report from one of our captains.  This will give you a different perspective and better understanding of the day to day challenges during the season from a player's point of view.  We will try to get these reports on the web by 12:00 Noon each Monday whenever
 possible. 

           2006 Season         

#13

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#12

 Regular Season Over… It is All Ahead of us Now…

 

First and foremost, thanks to all the Winthrop Soccer fans who have supported us this year.  This year has undoubtedly been one of the best years in terms of attendance and support.  We appreciate everyone who came out this year.  And a special thanks, all the parents who came out (and those who couldn’t make it) to see their senior sons play in their last home game on Sunday. 

In the past week we continued on the roller coaster ride we have been on the since the Clemson game.  On Wednesday, we lost to big rival Coastal.  Although many who saw the game would agree we had the majority of possession, Coastal had the majority of the heart.  This Coastal game reminded me of the two games we played against Coastal in the 2002 season.  Only this time around the roles were reversed.  In 2002, Coastal came into both games as one of the top teams in the country and playing very good soccer.  We came into those games big underdogs.  It was the fight in those dogs that ultimately won those games for Winthrop.  Last Wednesday, it was Winthrop coming into the game as the favorite, and Coastal the underdog.  And just like in 2002, the underdog won the fight.  We may have played better soccer, but we did not match their will to win the game.  Ultimately two costly mistakes, led to two goals for Coastal.  Missed chance and missed chance resulted in a single goal for us.  Unfortunately the winning goal came of the head of one our own players, but realistically we should have never been the position to lose the game in overtime.  After this loss it is hard for me to think of us as the favorite in the tournament.  To my recollection we haven’t beaten Coastal since the 2002 Championship, and until we do they have to be the favorite. 

Sunday was senior day, and chance for the seniors to play one last time in front of the home crowd.  While the style of play may not have been what fans have come to know as a Winthrop style, it was still effective.  Just as Coastal and the last 10 teams before them, Flagler sat in with 11 players behind the ball.  On Sunday, instead on running blindly at a brick wall, WE HELD POSSESSION.  The time of possession must have been over 80% in our favor.  Flagler had very little possession in our half, and even fewer scoring chances.  Some had said the effort wasn’t there.  And compared to the Clemson game, it wasn’t.  But for my money, I felt we played a much smarter game, and controlled the flow from start to finish.  Come tournament time, we will need to play this possession style and couple it with an effort that will run our competition of the field.  Otherwise, we will open ourselves up for an early exit.  Just as education is the equalizer of all men, the conference tournament is the equalizer of all teams.  Everything up to this point is out the window, and all that matters is the next 90 minutes. 

We have finished the regular season with a record of 12-3-3.  We finished 4^th nationally in scoring.  Kenga leads the nation in assists.  Saidi is fourth nationally in points per game.  Revivo is among national leaders in two categories.  We finished number one in conference, and enter the tournament with the number one seed.  On paper we are a hands down favorite.  But just as education is the equalizer of all men, the conference tournament is the equalizer of all teams.  Everything up to this point is out the window, and all that matters is the next 90 minutes.  For seniors, the next 90 minutes may be your last… 

Team Captains – Will Nova and Dustin Bybee

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#11

Rollercoaster of Performance    

Over the last three games there has been a roller coaster of performances. Clemson, who most would say it was the game of the year, proved that we can compete with anyone. We dominated the game and again just came out unlucky. We had two lapses of concentration on the field and Clemson took full advantages of them by burying the ball in the back of the net. We out shot them and out played them.  As their head coach said, Winthrop is one of the best teams going forward that we have played all year. Winthrop is a force to be reckoned with and we proved it that Wednesday night. By no means are the boys satisfied with that result because we know who the better team was that night and with as many posts as we hit and the number of close chances we had we should have won that game. Assuming we play up to our potential and are able to win the conference tournament we might meet up with them again, but before concentrating on that we have a lot of work to do.

Now with that said we traveled to Birmingham Southern and had one of the worst performances of the year.  As a team we were not prepared. Whether it was the long trip down there, fatigue, but whatever the reason we did not show up to play like we did against Clemson. The first 45 min. were especially bad, just like almost every team we have played they just packed it in. They are able to get 11 men behind the ball at all times, and for the first time this year we were held to 0 shots in the first half. As a team we have to realize that everybody knows our ability to score and the dangers we posses. We have to come out hard and go right down their throats from the whistle, but luckily we picked it up in the second half a finished two great chances to win the game 2-0.

            Radford has always been a tough place to play, and this year did not prove otherwise. Radford came out strong and put a lot of pressure on us from the beginning. We started slow again and it took us awhile to get into our element. We created some great chances in the first half including a pk, and some other great shots from within the six yard box, but again we were just unable to capitalize on them. They struck first and scored their goal in the 58^th minute. Again, this goal was given to them because of a mental error by our team. We pushed hard and created what seemed like a million chances and somehow, somewhere their keeper would fly out of no where and get a finger on it. We eventually evened the score when Otto headed home a ball from Kenga’s corner kick. The rest of the game and into overtime was a battle but neither team was able to finish it off so the game ended in a 1-1 tie.

            Not that we are content with tying but in this case it’s what we needed to clench the conference regular season championship. We have one more conference game against our biggest rivalry – Coastal. Things have never set well between the two teams and it’s always a battle, but this year might be a little payback. We lost to them last year in overtime of the conference final. We have definitely not forgotten that and it should show on Wednesday’s game.

            The bottom line is, not every game is against Clemson and we are not going to have 1800 + screaming amazing fans there every game, but if we play with the heart, passion, intensity and team unity we showed on that Oct. 11^th evening then there is potential to go very far this year, and accomplish more than ever in Winthrop Soccer history.

 Team Captains – Dustin Bybee, Will Nova

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#10

 Good Results in Conference, But Good Enough?

 First, I would like to say sorry about the lateness of this report, but school duties came first this week.  Last week was good for two things: (1) We got two wins to put us in the driver's seat for conference standings, and (2) It put us one week closer to the Conference Tournament (What I like to call the “Most Wonderful Time of the Year”)… 

Both games last week saw us dominate the flow of play but fail to put the game out of reach.  VMI and UNC Asheville tested our grit and our patience.  Playing either of these teams down the road in the tournament will be a challenge.   We know we must do a better job of breaking teams done.  I feel like a broken record each week, but fortunately we are making progress and still winning. 

Everything we have done so far goes out the window without a good run and the end of the year.  Currently we are 10-1-2, second in the nation in scoring, lead the conference in almost every category (offensive and defensive), and to add to that we have Saidi leading the world in scoring, Revivo close behind, Kenga leading the nation in assists, and Mitrovich back in the top 25 for goals-against-average.  All indications look as though we are having a helluva year… And thus far, we are.  And we know it.  But what is even more important is… IT ISN'T ENOUGH!!!  We are hungrier than ever.  We know what lies ahead and we are ready to fight for it. 

The disappointment of the past two years are in the back of everyone’s minds.  The heartache of last year’s Conference tournament run is not lost on anyone.  The frustration of last year’s overtime loss to Clemson is still burning inside of all of us.  In the next 3-4 weeks we will find out what these player’s, these coaches, and this program is made of.  And it all starts Wednesday night with Clemson.  We have a very unique opportunity to play such a highly touted team in front of a home crowd.  Let’s hope… no, let’s pray… no, let’s demand we don’t waste it.  Behind the enchantment and hoopla of tonight’s game sits two teams poised to play the beautiful game.  Lets not forget that this game will be won just as any other game is won, with passion and skill (and in that order).  We have seen the skill this year in every game.  The passion has been there when we needed it also.  We need it tonight and for the rest of the season.

We hope to seen a huge crowd there Wednesday night.  We know we will.  Thanks in advance for you screaming, hollering, and chanting.  EAGLES on three, 1, 2, 3…

Team Captains – Will Nova and Dustin Bybee

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#9

Tough Week, One Win One Tie

Last week was a very tough week. Coming off an uplifting win against Liberty, we had a mid-week game vs. High Point.  And High Point came in to town ready to play.  Any less of a team would have rolled over, but this is conference play.  Every game can go either way.  High Point came in and took it to us right off the bat.  Luckily, by the end of the game we where able to pull out a victory, even if it was by a narrow margin.  

This past weekend we traveled to Ga. Southern.  Everything in this game promised to make it a very entertaining game.  Both teams have winning records…  Both teams ranked in their respective regions...  New soccer complex… beautiful weather…  Unfortunately, neither team played up to the standard on Saturday.  However, as always there are excuses.   The new field was narrow and hard and made for difficult ball control.  And the game was played in the early afternoon, which always dulls the college game.  But just like other excuses, these stink too.  The majority of the game was a stalemate, going back and forth without a lot of scoring chances created.  Towards the end of the game more chances were created on both ends due to fatigue.  We used two and half subs to Ga. Southern’s eight.  

Truth is, we were the better team.  We have better players in every position.  Faster, stronger, bigger and better.  But apparently, not smarter, or at least not on Saturday.  Georgia Southern played a system that we have seen many times already this year, and undoubtedly we will see many more times.  The best way to stop a speeding car is with a road block.  We, the “speeding car”, have had lots of success running at teams and scoring lots of goals.  Ga. Southern, the “road block”, clogged their defensive third, playing a 4-5-1 or 5-4-1 or some variation for most of the game and effectively stopped our penetration.  Just like High Point, App. State, and Jacksonville, Ga Southern did a good job of stopping our forward movement by sitting in and relying on counter-attacks, which is how they scored with 3 minutes left to play.  Obviously this is no longer a secret for opposing teams.  We must learn how to break teams down in more than one way.  The fear is that we have become too predictable in our play.  One characteristic of a great team is adaptability.  A good team can win by doing one good thing over and over.  A great team can win over and over again by doing the right things.  If we can adapt to each game, the Liberty outcome can be repeated in many game. 

Adapting to the game shouldn’t be too difficult.  We have a lot of talented players, 23 to be exact, all who have played in and been successful in numerous styles of play.  We have the players for a run and gun style and the players for a Dutch-style possession game.  Either way, our adaptability will prove to be the key to rest of the season, especially in conference play.  This week will be a great test to our adaptability.  UNC Asheville is a very well coached side. And they are coming off a big conference win over the weekend.  VMI is always the hardest working team we play all year, and this year will be no different.  Hopefully we can get good results and be on the right track as we head into the gauntlet of out-of-conference #2 ranked Clemson, and in-conference road games at Birmingham Southern, at Radford, and at Coastal.   

Thanks to all the fans who showed up in Rock Hill this past Wednesday and Statesboro on Saturday.  You have no idea how much we appreciate your support. 

Team Captains – Will Nova and Dustin Bybee

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#8

Gaff Caught Smiling… We must’ve done something right…

A game like that is what college soccer is all about.  In the past five years, I have to say that beating Liberty 8-1 is the greatest single-game accomplishment, second only to the conference championship in 2002 and just ahead of beating Radford 7-6 that same year, scoring all 7 in the second half.  Us captains are the only ones who have been around long enough to remember the other two games, so for all intensive purposes this game should mark the biggest win for everyone else on the team.  Many of the players may be too young to realize just how big a win that was.  You can ask any former players from the years before 2004, and they will tell you that there single biggest regret was not beating Liberty in their four or five years. What’s more encouraging, this was a good Liberty team.  They came into the game at 2-1 and first in the conference standings.  They have two of the top players in college soccer. And they were coming off a big home win against Coastal.  While we don’t feel we saw the best game Liberty had to offer, we still feel as though we controlled the game from the start.   

The key to this win had to be the finishing.  In previous games we handicapped ourselves by not putting teams away early.  Four goals by halftime took care that.  We scored the eight goals on something like 13 shots, that is just a good night.  We got big production from our points leaders, 8 points from Saidi (4 goals), 4 from both Kenga and Vivo (goal and 2 assists each), and 2 points from Freshman Skonicki (2 assists).  You really can’t ask for much more out of those guys.  We also got big minutes and big finishes from the reserves in the second half.  Harbin and Ted Bartels put the cap on a very entertaining night with their goals.   

There isn’t much to criticize, aside from a lapse in the early going which resulted in Liberty’s lone goal we played well all over the pitch.  The new-look defense stepped up to the occasion to make up for the absences of Bybee and Gilk.  Ben Kieffner is quickly showing that he is more than capable back there, which is very promising as it looks like injuries may play a big role in the remainder of the season.  Otto slipped into the back line and played like he has been there his whole life.  Henry and Ollie were stalwart as always, keeping Liberty’s big guns off target all night. Big props must also go out to Big Andy, Killebrew, and Cusick for their part in keeping a clean sheet in the second half.  This was the best performance from Stephen all year, he completely dictated the flow of the game while he was in.   And enough can’t be said about the 1-2 punch of Vivo and Saidi up top.  Before the game we told the boys we needed a big effort from everyone that stepped on the field, and we got it. 

Heading in to next week, we are looking to keep this pace going against High Point on Wednesday and then in a non-conference match up with Georgia Southern at week’s end.  It is always a spirited match up when we play High Point, and we are looking forward to playing well in front of the home crowd for one more game during this home stand.  The result against Georgia Southern last year wasn’t indicative of the caliber team they are, so we anticipate a hard fought match there as well.  The good ole Georgia heat always brings another variable to the equation.   

Thanks to all the Eagle faithful for another big attendance number this weekend.  We would also like to give a special thanks to all the youth soccer teams that attended the game.  We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did.  See you Wednesday… 

Team Captains – Will Nova and Dustin Bybee

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#7

CAPTAIN'S REPORT (Tie And A Win Gets Us Ranked) 

I want to start out by thanking all of our fans who came out to support us this weekend. In the five years I have been here this has definitely been the most consistent and active crowds we have had. I also want to apologize for the delay in the report this week. I know we have many fans that enjoy this column and like hearing what the boys have to say.  

Despite the energy of the crowd we did not have our best showings this weekend. We did indeed play with heart and determination, but lacked on the concentration end. There were many mistakes on both ends of the field this weekend. Friday’s game proved to be the first “break” in the defense. Three goals against is absolutely unacceptable, but the fact we rallied back to tie the game after being down shows the determination of the team to work for each other.  

Our concentration level seemed to pick in the first half of Saturday’s game, but then went out the door with about 25 minutes left in the game. Our hard work and determination got us through the game with a 2 to 1 victory. There were some players who really stepped up for us this weekend. I especially wanted to commend Ben Kieffner who I thought played exceptionally well on Friday and Saturday.

With that in the past, the only thing we should be concentrating on is this weekend’s battle with Liberty. With them beating coastal it leaves everything wide open. This is our first conference game and our most important game of the season so far. Defensively we should be thinking one thing – CLEAN SHEET, we have to get back to the shutouts, and offensively we have to finish every chance we create. If they give us an inch we have to take a mile. The season really starts now… no more excuses, the should of, could of, and would of means nothing now. Bottom line is we just have to get it done. This will be a physical and mental battle to remember. I am confident that we will have the support of our fans to help us “welcome” Liberty to our Eagle Field.  We are happy to finally be ranked at this point in the season.  I think the App. St. loss made our climb more difficult and longer. 

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#6

CAPTAIN'S REPORT  (One Step Back, Two Steps Forward)

This past weekend at the Adidas Gamecock Classic was a tale of two games.  The first was possibly the worst performance in our tenure at Winthrop (and I do mean “tenure” because we have been here that long).  Five words come to mind; Heart, Passion, Commitment, Determination, and Will.  We had none of these. Aside from a brief period in the second half in which we were able to pick out a goal, we lacked almost everything to pull out a win against Alabama A&M.  Thankfully the soccer gods decided it wasn’t our day to go down in complete embarrassment.  We were very lucky to pull out a win against a feisty and crafty Alabama A&M team.  We didn’t get what we needed from a good majority of our starters on Friday.  But if there was one positive, it was we played collected defense.  Mitro, Gilk , and Henry are quickly becoming experienced veterans of the Eagle defense.  Alongside seniors Bybee and Denaldo, the defense is setting the tone for the season and playing at a very high level.

After a real ass-chewing from Gaff and Dan, the boys collected themselves for a spirited training session on Saturday.  The team showed that they had a lot of fight left.  The reserves are bringing the level of practice up and pushing the starters for positions and field time.  David Harbin pushed himself all week, and played with a lot of energy on Friday, ultimately earning him a spot in the starting 11 against Temple. 

The difference between the Alabama A&M and Temple games was night and day.  It seemed as if we were a completely different team on Sunday against Temple.  Warm-up was crisp and uplifting and game was more of the same.  The heart was there. The passion and commitment was all over the field. And the determination and will resulted in two goals and shutout to boot.  This was the first time this year that players left everything on the field.  Bybee even left his breakfast out there... Temple was a solid team, but they were possibly affected by the heat and playing against the high energy pace we brought to the stadium on Sunday.  Gaffer was also able to get some valuable minutes from guys off the bench. Possibly not soon enough though, as Sean received two yellow cards, removing him from the remainder of that game and Friday’s match vs. Jacksonville.  Ollie also picked up an ankle injury and may be out for a few days.

Looking at the big picture, it is good to look at the win column and see 5 checks in 6 road matches.  It is also very comforting to note that the two winning goals from the weekend came from the backline, Henry and Bybee respectively.  Congratulations to both as each scored their first collegiate goal.  We are very excited and somewhat relieved to be playing in front of the home crowd this weekend.  The past three weekends of traveling has taken a toll on some of the boys.  Congrats to Mitro, Bybee, Henry, and Otto on their selections to the All-Tournament Team, and an extra congrats to Mitro for being named Defensive MVP for the tournament.  All attention is now on winning this weekend on our home turf.  We look forward to seeing big Eagle crowds, and giving them a two great games to watch.

Big thanks to all the Eagle-faithful who followed us to Columbia this weekend.

Captains- Will Nova and Dustin Bybee

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#5

CAPTAIN'S JOURNAL (Streak Snapped… Lets See What We Are Made Of…)

This past weekend may prove to be a defining moment in our 2006 season. There are two paths we can take from here.  One, we can let this very disappointing loss consume us and leave the remaining games up to fate.  Or two, we can learn from our mistakes, get heads on straight and take this season by the horns.  No matter how poorly we played in the final game of the Broyhill Classic in Boone, there is no way we should have lost that game.  The amount of talent we had on the field and on the bench should (no must) be able to come through with a victory in games like these.  Don’t misunderstand; Appalachian State is very good team, much improved from last year, and currently playing a high level of soccer.  But we must do better than a 1-0 loss, off of a free-kick.  After 14 goals in the first three games of the season, we must learn how to finish off this type of higher level competition.  Not a single player in our locker room is satisfied with a 1-0 loss.  We must demand better from ourselves.   

Appalachian State for all intensive purposes was our first real test on the season.  We failed, period.  Now it is time to focus on the next test, Alabama A&M.  As Gaff says, “The first loss is the hardest to take.”  It was hard.  This team isn’t very different from the team that went undefeated in the spring.  So for a lot of us, this is our first loss since the conference championship last November.  It is important for us to rebound from this and take care of business next weekend.  Playing in these early season tournaments provides us with great experience that is used to prepare for the conference tournament.  Just like these tournaments, in the conference tournament we will play games either on back-to-back days or on one days rest.  When playing in this type of atmosphere, everyone must be switched on for two full games.  Fitness plays a large role in this.  Every player must be fit enough to play 90 minutes and then turnaround and do it again with little rest in between.  We have prepared ourselves well up to this point, but we must think that this loss proves we aren’t where we need to be.  Luckily, it is still very early on in the season.  We have plenty of time to get this straight.  And there seems to be no better time than next weekend to start straightening out.

Not all was bad this weekend. The Sunday game vs. App State had good moments.  In the first half we created many chances.  While App State played in a difficult formation, we seemed to be able to break them down and get many chances from our wing play.  The defense played well most of the game, not allowing too many good looks for the opposing strikers.  Our inability to capitalize on our chances early ended up hurting us in the end.  We know the goals will return for us, we just need to keep working for them.  Friday afternoon’s game was a hard fought match on a tough playing surface.  The team showed great effort and composure in the second half to put Wofford away.  Congrats to Saidi, Vivo, and Gilk on there all-tournament selections.

 

Thanks to all the fans that traveled to Boone this past weekend.  We truly appreciate your continued support and hope to see Eagle fans in full force this coming weekend at the Adidas Gamecock Classic.

 

Team Captains – Will Nova and Dustin Bybee

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#4

CAPTAIN'S JOURNAL (Week One in the Books)

The first weekend of the season was nothing short of a goal-fest.  Right now we are playing very entertaining soccer. 

Offensively, it is hard to find something to critique. “10 goal in two games, and 15 in four”, doesn’t have much of a downside.  The only negative thing to say is, it could have been more, much more.  Revivo ended the weekend with 2 goals and 2 assists, freshman Matt Skonicki finished 3 goals in his first collegiate game, and Saidi scored two goals and added two assists in the a single game.  The forwards are doing there job and doing it well… Otto also added 2 spectacular goals.  The midfield is also doing a good job of controlling the game from start to finish.  We have put ourselves in the situation where it will be difficult to improve upon our current offense streak, but it is the goal of the team to maintain this level and keep it going into conference play.  We are excited to perform well in these next two weekend tournaments and return home to give the Winthrop fans something to more to cheer about.

Defensively, the team looks very sharp and determined to keep ball out of our net.  Mitro and Andy both looked to be in top form to keep the opponents to only one goal over the weekend.  The back four are playing at a very high level right now.  The experience the back four is bringing to the game is going to be a huge part of our continued success.

We do not believe we have peaked, and no one should believe it either.  Hopefully as the season moves along we will be able to improve marginally each game.  We try to build upon each game, cutting down on mental mistakes and improving the team chemistry.  This weekend, we will be put to another test.  Wofford is always a tough, physical match.  We feel we have prepared ourselves to handle games like these.  Practice this week will be very physically demanding, as the competition level will be raised this week.  App. State is also a very good team.  Every year we play them, the game is very entertaining.  And playing them on the final day of their tournament should make this game no different. 

Thanks to all the fans that traveled to Boiling Springs this past weekend and CN 2 Sports.

Team Captains – Will Nova and Dustin Bybee

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#3

CAPTAIN'S JOURNAL  (Preseason Over, Real Stuff Just Beginning)

Over the past three weeks, the team was pushed nearly 50 practice sessions.  These weeks have tested our endurance, our commitment, and our determination.  While it has been one of the toughest pre-seasons in recent years, we believe it will prove to be beneficial.  Every player is in good shape physically, every player is in the right place mentally, and probably what is most important, every player is healthy.  Minus a few sprained ankles and blisters, each player is in perfect health, and should be available for the season’s opening weekend at the JAKO Classic at Gardner-Webb University. 

Looking back at the first two exhibitions vs. Charlotte and Queens, the team feels very optimistic.  While neither performance was by any means perfect, each game showed moments of good, if not great soccer.  We can only hope to build on these moments and put it together for two full games this weekend.  It was encouraging to see younger players like Revivo and Skonicki step up play large roles in the first two exhibitions.  Going forward, we definitely need much more out of our experienced players to be successful.  Over the first two exhibitions we have demonstrated that we are very capable of possessing the ball.  Our trouble has come in our final ball and our off-the-ball runs in the final third.  Even though, we haven’t been executing as we would like offensively it is tough to discount that we have scored 5 goals in two games.  Once we start executing the way we know, it will be fun to watch, not only for fans but for us as players as well. 

Practice has been very competitive this week.  The team looks to be hungry for the first weekend of the season, and perhaps a little payback for last year’s home loss to Gardner-Webb.  Each opponent this weekend serves as a new threat, and anyone would be foolish to think that either  game will be anything less that a battle from start to finish.  North Florida has a big recruiting class and promises to be a very different team from last year.  Gardner-Webb is coming of a very impressive year and a great result against UNC Chapel Hill is an exhibition.  All in all, we look to start his season off on the right foot and headed in the right direction.  We hope to see lots of Eagle fans in Boiling Springs, NC this weekend.  And we would like to add a big THANK YOU to the large number of fans who attended the exhibition match against Queens.  You provided for a great soccer atmosphere and we hope to see you in a few weeks when we return home for the Wingate Inn Classic.

 Captains- Will Nova and Dustin Bybee

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#2

CAPTAIN'S JOURNAL (Open Field Training August 2-8)

Each year, the team comes back a week early for Open Field Training.  During this week, coaches are not allowed to be present in accordance with NCAA rules.  Open Field Training is run by the captains.  We start off every year with a team meeting the night before Open Field Training.  This year, at the meeting we laid down team rules and expectations for the upcoming season.  These rules will play a big role in our on and off field attitude and activities this season. 

On the first day of Open Field Training, we ran a timed 2-mile.  It was apparent that the majority of the team was fit and had been training all summer.  The 2-mile run began what was a long week of conditioning and fitness.  We alternated going with two and three practices a day.  Every morning session was a fitness or conditioning session, while in evening session we played in a game-like atmosphere.  On days when we did three sessions the middle session was a technical session in heat.  It is important for us to get used to the heat early so we are accustomed to it for the first part of the season.

Overall Open Field Training was successful.  We were able to get through this week with no new injuries.  Players who came in not as fit as expected got the chance to get fit, and those who were already fit improved there overall level.  As we go into preseason, the team looks very sharp and even more determined.  It is obvious that this team has more depth than any team in the past four years.  This will provide for competitive practices throughout the season.  The goal of every player on this team should be to make Gaffer’s job of picking a squad as difficult as possible.  The returning players seem to have picked up right were they left off in the unbeaten spring season, and the new players are fitting in nicely.  The team is working hard to put ourselves in the position to be playing on November 5^th, for the Conference Championship and ultimately for a spot in the 2006 College Cup.  All in all it should be an enjoyable season for Eagle fans. 

Team Captain’s – Will Nova and Dustin Bybee

 

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#1

CAPTAIN'S JOURNAL (Spring Re-Cap And Heading Into Pre-Season)

“Encouraging Spring To Turn Into Results This Fall”

This past spring was very encouraging for our team.  After losing a disappointing Big South Conference Championship game to Coastal and losing some impact players to ending eligibility, the team bounced back to go undefeated in the spring season.   Each game this spring saw a new line up or a new formation.  In each in game, the 11 players on the field rose to the occasion to get the job done.  Only giving up 2 goals all Spring, is a great testament to how far our team defense has come.  Leadership in the back line has always been a key to our success over the past years, dating back to our championship run in 2002.  Next fall will be no different.   Our defense looked as impressive as ever this spring, and the team seems to have an air confidence in defending our goal that will hopefully turn into positive results in the fall.  Everyone is looking forward to making a run at the Conference Championship next fall.  And we all know that run will start with the defense coming back from the long summer as mentally and physically fit as possible.

On the offensive side of the ball it is interesting to point out we have a good mix of experience and youth.  Each player competing for positions in the midfield and up top brings a lot of ability to our team.  We have proven time and time again that we can score and score often.  This spring we were able to put teams away early, with quick goals and solid defending.  This will be a big key to our success in the fall. Our potent attack is very dependent on the level of fitness from our returners as well as the newcomers.  With a summer weight training and fitness training schedule in our hands as we leave for summer, it will be up to the determination of each player to make up his mind on whether he wants to contribute next year.  This team has more camaraderie and chemistry than any team since 2002, and more potential than any team Winthrop has ever seen.  And we will live up to that potential. 

Effective leadership is another thing that must be in place in the fall.  As captains, we understand our responsibility to keep the team on track both on and off the field.  Over the past four years we have seen the best of times and the worst of times in this program.  We believe we know what it takes to lead this program back to the conference championship and beyond.  Furthermore, we are determined to do just that.   And we believe that this team, this fall, will be our stage to return the program to where it deservedly belongs.  It is time for us to forget the “would’ve, could’ve, should’ve” of the past two years and just GET IT DONE this fall.

          Team Captains – Will Nova and Dustin Bybee