Turning the Corner...

Someone once said that the character of a person is not shown in how they appear in victory, but how they carry themselves in defeat. Thursday night was a perfect example of this. In the JV game, the 7-0 loss does not show how hard the ladies once again played. Playing again without two starters on defense, the team continued to play hard, with several of the players in new or different positions. Livelsberger did a great job of lining up the defense, and Chelsea White made her return to the team as well. The coaches are always impressed at how far this team has come in so short a time. Keep in mind that you are still in the thick of things with a 3-3-2 record, and there is still a lot of soccer left to be played.


Anyone who left before the start of the Varsity game missed perhaps the finest performance this coach has seen out of this program in my five years of coaching here. For the first time in these five years, SHS did not get slaughter-ruled by Courtland. Every player brought their "A" game from the opening whistle, and while Courtland may have won 6-0, the team did not roll over for the district-leading Cougars. Stephanie Floyd was simply outstanding while defending NC State-bound Kara Blosser, frustrating and terrorizing the district's highest scorer. Stidham played by far her best game in goal, making several athletic and aggressive saves. Katrina, Katie, Cook, Gibson, and Olivia all played great defense, cohesive beyond anything I have seen out of this team. This also includes Kreutzer, who spent the night in the emergency room with a fractured bone in her arm/hand. She was clearly and blatantly fouled by a Courtland player, who shoved Kreutzer to the ground from behind, yet she did not lose her cool. It is also important to note that despite "packing it in" we were able to get several good scoring opportunities in our offensive sets. This is due by the non-stop hustle and energy given by our midfielders and forwards.


Clearly, Spotsy showed that we are not a team that will roll over for anyone, including the first place team in the district. Listening to the comments made after the game can really sum up the effort shown by the team. The prevailing thought from the fans and parents was that the team had improved not only since last season but also from the beginning of the year until now. I have heard that even players on Courtland's team were tired at the end of the game. We gave them a good run, but we cannot be satisfied with merely preventing the slaughter-rule loss. We must continue to play with that swagger and intensity throughout the rest of the season. If we can do that, and stay helathy, I know I wouldn't want to play us in the district tournament.


Last night, I was proud to wear red and white.