September 20, 2004

Freshman Kelly Pankuch

We are still encountering many firsts and still searching for our first win but we are improving daily. One of the many first we encountered was taking an hour and a half to get to Strongsville Foltz Field. I am not mentioning any names but lets just say that we had to ask the visiting team to push back the kickoff time 15 minutes.

Just this past weekend we left CSU for New York and played Canisius and St. Bonaventure. We definately made out for another exciting trip. With this team it does not matter where you are at or what you are doing but someone is always makinga weird comment (my sweatpants) or making a fool of themselves.The Canisius game was a little rough and Amber (Rasmussen) ended up going up for a header at the same time as one of the Canisius girls and they head butted. That left us without Amber for the rest of the game and Sunday's game.

We got up Saturday and headed to Jennie's (Wieand)house and hadsome pizza and wings. After leaving Jennie's we went and did what girls do best and went shopping at the mall. We then headed to the hotel in Olean for Sundays game against St. Bonaventure. During the ride, the bathroom proved to be a feat to overcome as Heather struggled to get out of it. I cannot imagine why she had problems when all she had to do was pull the doortowards her. It isn't rocket science. After Sundays game against St. Bonaventure we headed home.

Our second bus trip is over and let's just say that this time we did remember to bring the balls. Good Job Girls. Thank you to all the parents that came and supported us on the road.It was much appreciated. This weekend we are in Indiana against IPFW and Valparaiso. Keep it up ladies and lets put one on the win side this weekend. We just have to believe in ourselves and know that we can do it.

Just remember "How Bad Do You Want It".

September 7, 2004

Assistant Coach Lauren Geiger

We all knew that this season we would encounter many firsts, ups and downs, and hard knocks; this week included our fair share of all of these! After losing defender Rachel Johnson early in the week to a leg injury, we spent some practice time moving players around in order to make adjustments. However, when we lost another defender, Maggie Pugliese, to a concussion in training Thursday afternoon we were caught off guard. But stuff happens, and you deal with it. So we packed up a delirious Maggie and the rest of the Vikings and headed south for Huntington, West Virginia and Marshall University.

This first road trip was filled with a variety of exciting new experiences for our team. For some, this was their first trip on a charter bus; these individuals were a little perplexed with the functioning of the bus bathroom. Let's just say that bus movement and small quarters makes this a challenging task for a few certain individuals! So after a long bus ride, a couple of movies, and a stop at the West Virginia Welcome Center, Rod the Bus Driver safely delivered us to the hotel for a good night's rest. The next morning the team headed to Marshall to check out the game field and to have a walk-through session. As soon as we got off the bus, the coaching staff noticed something was wrong; one key item was missing from the field. When questioned, the looks on the players' faces told us our answer: All of the soccer balls had been left in Cleveland. After a quick discussion about responsibility, we preceded with an altered walk-through with yours truly acting as the ball. Let me tell you that this was a tiring task! The life of a soccer ball is not an easy one!

Since the game was an evening match-up and we had to check out of the hotel, we spent some down time eating lunch and shopping. While the players were checking out the latest clothing selections, the coaching staff headed over to Best Buy to look at video equipment. We have all been so busy that no one had had time to purchase a camera and accessories to tape our games with. Since we had the time and the right store, Derrek decided to go for it. The girls were a bit confused when they boarded the bus and saw a 25' TV taking up the previously empty seat.

The Marshall game showed a lot of improvement from the previous matches. Jenni Wieand proved to be an offensive threat and the entire team showed that they could possess the ball. However, with three of our four anticipated starting defenders out with injuries, mistakes were made and Marshall was able to capitalize. While the outcome was not what we wished for, we showed improvement and battled to the end. I would also like to point out that Ivana Milovic had one of the best tackles that I have ever seen...unfortunately the ball she tackled was already out of play. Lastly, I would like to draw attention to the fact that not only did Derrek do the gopher dance from Caddyshack, he did it in a public restaurant. I swear we cannot take the man anywhere.

Sunday's game versus Duquesne was an entirely different story. The team that stepped onto the field for this game was a completely different squad than we had ever seen. Our defense was solid and played well together. Allie Zajaros had an outstanding performance in the net for us. We also created some promising offensive buildups. The game day staff remembered the air horn and Stormy the Hot Dog Eating Terrier finally got a hot dog from her owners (Author's Note: Mom and Dad, I don't think a hot dog is the most nutritious choice for the puppy, even if it was kosher. I'm thinking Alpo might be more appropriate). Despite a disputable call by the center referee, which allowed Duquesne to score, we played the best we have to date. We walked away knowing that we left everything we had on the field.

I'm very proud of each and every member of this team. They have shown that they will battle until the last whistle, "bang rough," and never give up. Keep it up Vikes! Next up, University of South Alabama on Friday.

September 1, 2004

Head coach Derrek Falor

Whew! Now that games have officially been played I feel like our training sessions will improve. After getting outplayed in both losses to Kent State and Toledo, I'm pretty sure that we will be more focused on details in training. On the van ride home for the Toledo game most of the players were saying things like, "now I know why you make us do..."

The Kent State game was a great experience in defending an opponent that played very direct. They played a lot of long balls either at our defense or behind our restraining line which really highlighted the need for us to improve on winning air balls. That will prove to be an interesting challenge for a relatively short team. The other outstanding point to note is that we definitely proved that we can be aggressive! In fact, if one were to look at the box score one would see that we matched Kent's number of goals with our number of yellow cards! Not really a great job at focusing our physical play really but at least we didn't back down and played hard until the final whistle.

There were times during the Kent game that I thought our possession game showed signs of life in that at one 10 minute stretch in the second half we actually executed 3 successful take-overs! I have personally never coached a team that to my recollection has completed three take overs in any one game, let alone in 10 minutes.

Over all I have to say that our inaugural match was a great event. A fantastic crowd over 600, a pep band, some very loud shirtless frat guys with interestingly painted chests, and one very hungry white terrier named Stormy who was on the prowl for any hot dog she could find. Note to the game day staff; make sure to bring extra hot dogs so we can feed the hungry dog. The last thing we need is a ravenous Stormy racing onto the field during a break-a-way against Duquesne.

Oh yeah, and I have to say that for the good of the cause, a bicycle horn is not really the best way to notify the refs about a substitute. Very funny, but not very effective. (NOTE FROM SID: This has been addressed and we have a real air horn now).

As for the Toledo game, I think we made some improvements on defensive recovery runs. Not much else to say about that game other than the field was very wet and soggy, the grass was way too long, and, well, we still lost. Oh well, on to this week as we get ready for Marshall and Duquesne. See you out there!

August 23, 2004

Jessica Larsen, co- captain #13

Now that we have spent two whole weeks preparing to play "games," real college like games, we try to mentally prepare as well going into our first college scrimmage as a team.

We spent Thursday, Friday, and Saturday tweaking and correcting some last minute plays and moves, then Saturday night we all gathered at my co-captains house for an anti-stress barbecue. We all bonded. laughed, and planned for an early night in and a good nights rest. Whether we dreamed of perfectly placed goals, amazing tackles, or if we even slept at all, we all woke up and were at the PE building to catch our van ride to Mercyhurst, P.A. on Sunday morning.

When we arrived, changed and got on the field, many of the girls realized the difference that play would be on Mercyhurst's short length turf field in comparison to the Cleveland grass that we were getting used to. After play started we tried to put everything that we have learned and worked on into use. However, everything we worked on was not enough to fight off the nervousness that was felt by many of the CSU girls. Our lack of experience in this sort of high intensity play was a factor as well.

The game sadly ended in defeat, but we did not walk away empty handed. We gained a game, which means a realization of what we need to work on and what we can expect from games to come. We also walked away with a goal scored by Jenni Wieand, one of freshman. Way to go Jenni!! I am sure that with this game under our belts we can work on the things we need to and hopefully give Kent a run for their money this Friday.

Jessica Larsen, Co-Captain #13

August 19, 2004

Katie Burke, Co-Captain #8

Week 2 of preseason...we are all a little bruised, a little sore, and there are a few injuries here and there, but nothing we can't work through.

Our time is being spent securing our defending and getting our offense to score some goals. Lets just say, ALL of our time is being spent on this! As a unit, we are doing better and better everyday. We are learning each others strengths and weaknesses and playing together as a whole.

One of our team challenges this week was for the entire team to have one foot inside a hula hoop, that was lying on the ground, with the other foot held off the ground. Seems easy enough...NEGATIVE! The challenge part of this was that we had to hold Abbie (Kakias) and her bum leg in the air. It took us a few tries and a few suggestions, but we did it! and we didn't drop Abbie!

Besides for some hot afternoon practices and being a bit tired, our preparations for the season are going well. We are all very anxious to start competeing and getting points on the board.

Keep up the hard work CSU!

August 13, 2004

Jessica Larsen, co- captain #13

Today was a new beginning... a nervous one but nothing that the new CSU women's soccer team cannot handle.

We came out bright and early on Thursday morning and for the first time we looked like a team. All of us dressed in the nothing less than stunning yellow shorts and matching gray T-shirts.

I guess we can say that a new team will learn lessons hard and do anything in their power to work for a common goal, and in this case showing Cleveland that we are here to stay. With that being said, the morning was a bit rough with the all but looked forward to, fitness testing.

Lesson One, do the issued fitness packet to the T over the summer. Do it, like it, and be happy later when you are not hunched over the sideline after running sprints praying for a sudden burst of oxygen to be pumped into the room.

But all in all, the day, in my opinion, went well. After the sprints, sit ups, push ups -- oh yeah, more sprints -- and then doing what we do best, playing soccer. The team is learning to stand by each other, push each other, and give each other the best words of wisdom "Don't worry, it'll get better." You can see though, that even on the faces and in the attitudes of the upcoming freshman, that this team can finally say that family is not just the people who raised you.

August 10, 2004

Katie Burke, Co-Captain #8

The time has finally come for the CSU Women's Soccer to begin. After almost 2 years of planning, major recruiting over the past year, practicing with the on campus players, and summer break, we are all ready to get started!

Over the summer, we (the team) were given a workout packet to get us in shape. No one knows who completed it and who did not. Today, as the freshman all moved in and their parents met with coach to find out they might not get all the dirty details, the nerves of everyone were setting in. Questions began to fly about what the fitness tests are like? What happens if we don't pass? And on and on.

Today was the easy day...we had our compliance meeting for NCAA and pretty much signed our lives away. After that, we spent 25 minutes looking into the sun taking team pictures, we look good!

It was great to see the entire team dressed in our new home uniforms for pictures because it really showed that we are now a team.

The afternoon ended with our first official team meeting. We went through all the basic info we need for the season, rules, and the schedule. To end the meeting, everyone paired up and told their most embarrasing soccer moment. Its good to know that on our team we have everything from getting beat up on the field to scoring in your own goal!

After a long day, we were all pretty tired and anxious to play and "Get the ball rolling!" We are now on the journey to winning a championship!

We are on the field for practice for the first time as a team starting at 9 a.m. on Thursday and we are all looking forward to it.

I will let you know how things work out.