I would like to welcome you all to Sycamore Snippets: Summer Edition. It's pretty much the same as the original but hotter, more laid back, and slightly sun burnt. We figured since the majority of our team is spending all or most of the summer together here in Terre Haute we should capture the highlights to share with all of you, but as with a typical summer, every moment here has pretty much been a highlight so you will have to bear with me.
A group of us have been roaming around Terre Haute for a few weeks now. I say roaming but I actually mean "cruising the streets on our bikes reciting the lyrics to Queen's "Bicycle Race" in our bike gang formation." We may sound intimidating but once Taylor Hancock's Barbie bike basket and pink horn come into the picture we lose some of our street cred.
Most of you are probably thinking, "So all you guys do is just ride around on bikes singing all day?" Oh contraire my friends. Most of us girls have jobs, internships, or volunteer hours, and Katie has passed at least five levels on Call of Duty. We have been busy. Erika has been able to hook us up with coaching jobs for the local youth club teams in the evenings. I think we all have to admit that four hours of coaching U4, U6, and U8 kids is quite the experience, and Justin has only made a few little kids cry so I would consider it a success.
We began our workouts in the mornings a few weeks ago, led by our new weights coach Matt Seliger. He has not made it easy on us but it's obvious he is going to have us in game shape in no time. We split about equal time in the weight room lifting and at the stadium running so we will be ready for anything.
This last weekend was probably the best one yet as ISU hosted the Indiana Special Olympics here on campus and a lot of us were able to be a part of it. We, including, Erika, and her husband Josh, as well as a ton of other athletes staying for the summer, were able to be part of the high five tunnel greeting the 2,500 athletes for the opening ceremony. I think all of us will agree that being able to be part of that, seeing all of their smiling faces, is an experience that most of us will never forget. A few of us were also able to attend the events the next day and see everyone so proud of themselves, whether they had a gold medal or an 8th place ribbon. I know the summer is just beginning but I think this event will be at the top of all of our memories come fall.
As I write this the thunder outside is booming once again. We have been pelted by storm after storm after storm like most of the country has. High winds and rain last week knocked out the power in most apartments for the night leaving us scrambling for flashlights and candles.
Despite how insanely busy I make our lives seem we have had plenty of time to hang out, go to movies, get burnt to a crisp laying by the pool (I am currently in the peeling stage), go for bike rides, make homemade ice cream, nap, make a video of ourselves investigating paranormal activities (yes, really), and more. And as more girls trickle in though the weeks to come I can promise there is only more fun to be had! So just remember... "Bicycle races are coming your way, so forget all your duties oh yeah! Fit bottomed girls they'll be riding today, so look out for those beauties oh yeah! On your marks, get set, go!"
~Morgan~
April 21
A lot of us didn't think we would live to see it, but... THE SPRING SEASON IS OFFICIALLY OVER!!!! Overall, I think we could write it off as a solid four months of soccer. It was tough at the beginning, great at the middle, and realllllly tough at the end, but we survived!
Our last two weekends of games were filled with thunderstorms, long van/bus rides, and less than positive results. Our games at Xavier were delayed because of pretty epic rain and thunderstorms on the way there and throughout our first game. It was filled with sloppy play and we ended up on the wrong side of the score board. Our second game against Xavier was a little drier, but not much cleaner as we let in a goal after having tied it up and lost 2-1. We headed home sopping wet and not thrilled.
Our journey to Miami of Ohio the following weekend began on the epic Sycamore buses that we all love so much. For those of you who aren't familiar with the Sycamore buses, they are like mini coach buses with no TV's, no bathroom and some bad memories. The bathroom would have come in handy on the trip there as a few of the girls were a little over hydrated. Luckily us girls are pretty inventive and found a way to solve the problem... please don't ask me to explain how. On the way to Oxford we stopped at Erika's mom's house for our pregame lunch. We had sub sandwiches, fruit (including some amazing pineapple), veggies (with some amazing dip), chips and pretzels, and jelly beans for dessert.
Despite the amazing pregame fuel, we again were less than impressive on the field, putting ourselves down 1-0 at the half. We came out hard after the break but couldn't put one in before they added another one. We ended 2-0. The moods post-game were lifted as we stopped for dinner at the coveted Chipotle. It's hard to be upset when you are chowing down on a burrito as big as your head.
The spring didn't end on that note though, as this last week was filled with individual meetings and fitness testing (hence the earlier allusion to the end of the season being realllllllllllly tough). Both Monday and Wednesday consisted of back to back fitness tests. But again, everyone survived and we wrapped up today with our end-of-the-year meeting.
Some of us were sad when we thought the season was over, but then we remembered that most of us are staying in the Haute this summer to live, work and train, so ITS NEVER OVER! We get to hang out and get ripped alllll summer long! We have some rooms up for grab if anyone wants to take a vacation to the nationally recognized "largest city in America without a Target store!"
Now that soccer is over it's officially our signal that finals are around the corner and our butts will be hitting the books. Wish us luck!
~Morgan~
April 8
So there was so much awesomeness going on this past weekend here in Terre Haute that I figured I had to find some way to organize it all, so here it is: The "Indiana State Women's Soccer Timeline of Awesome" for the Locks of Love weekend.
- Friday night (circa 5:00 pm-Midnight) - Many of the families and friends of our players made their way into Terre Haute with unbridled excitement for the weekend to come.
- Saturday 8:00 AM: Several ISU players and coaches woke up and brushed out their luscious locks for the last time.
- 10:20 AM: We took our home field against the Big Ten power house Purdue.
- 11:30 AM: We left our home field VICTORIOUS, 1-0, against the Big Ten power house Purdue!
- Noon: The team grabbed our packed lunches from the great and favorite Pie Company as Katie, Taylor and Erika (all about to chop off their hair that evening) were interviewed by a My Wabash Valley reporter about the event. Here's a link to the story if you missed it: http://mywabashvalley.com/fulltext/?nxd_id=179626&shr=addthis
- 3:40 pm: We took the field against St. Louis University, another highly regarded program.
- 5:00 PM: We left the field with a hard fought 0-0 draw.
- 5:30 PM: The girls lined up, some with smiles, some with tears to get their hair cut for the Locks of Love organization. Coach True, Assistant Coach Jen Whipple, Katie, Ali Ardi, Tay Hancock, Casey Allbright, and others closed their eyes and prayed to the hair gods.
- 5:32 PM: A few gasps and screams left the salon room.
- 5:38 PM: The reassuring words "uh...It's not that short... maybe" were repeated over and over.
- 5:40-9:00 PM: The new hair cuts were styled, restyled, restyled again, and restyled one last time.
- 9:01: Erika let out a sigh of relief that the day was over, with a ton of success. Everyone had a great time, we played some great soccer, and we raised money and donated hair to a great cause. Thanks to everyone behind the scenes as well who helped with the set up and tear down or donated to the cause, including Kelly, Sarah, and CC who helped out all day to keep things running smoothly!
- 9:30: The girls, their fresh new looks, and the parents hit the town and celebrated the great day.
- Sunday 10:30am: The team and our family's dressed up and made our way to MCL for our 2nd annual Spring Soccer Banquet Brunch. We celebrated a bunch of awards from the season and honored our lone senior Casey Clark. This included a dance off, the handing out of missing awards, and viewing an EPIC video reliving the season and Casey's career made by our own Tia Perry. If anyone would like a copy of that video email Erika, or tell your girls to tell Tia and she can hook you up. If you weren't able to see it, I will just tell you that I don't throw the word "epic" around for just anything.
- Sunday noonish and afternoon: The families and friends headed their separate ways home after an incredible weekend for Indiana State Women's Soccer.
So that is it, my friends. Now, let it be known that this is not an all inclusive list, so if you want more, keep your calendars clear and your ears open for other events coming up this fall and next spring because, despite my awesome timeline making abilities, nothing beats actually being here!
Our spring isn't over as we have two more weekends of competition. We test ourselves again with two games in Cincy this Saturday, so its double-ly worth the trip!
~Morgan~
March 31
Well anyone that attended the "Spring Fling" tournament last Saturday at St. Francis probably would argue with the "Spring" part of that title. It seemed like a second winter had moved though the state just in time for kick off, but we had a lot of fans bundle up and come on out for a good cause. The game ended in a 1-1 draw after a goal by Tay Hancock put us ahead early the second half but Bowling Green was able to tie it up with just a few minutes to go. The event offered more than just soccer as the tickets for the games raised money for Erin's House, a charity that provides support for children and families who have suffered the loss of a loved one. In addition to the ticket money, many donated items were entered into a silent auction, including a particular penguin painting (not a painting OF penguins, but a painting painted BY penguins) that the announcer at our game seemed to think was a real prize as he spent most of the first half of our game discussing the painting over the PA system.
The game was a good chance for us to break into our outdoor spring season and work all of the kinks out before our big home event this coming weekend. Our "Locks of Love" event on Saturday will bring in a whole host of different teams and several girls from all the programs will be donating their hair for the Locks of Love organization. Many of the girls and staff members on our team are volunteering up their precious locks for the cause. Donations are welcome from anyone who has ten inches of hair and a little bravery. (Our team boasts a few people with the 10 inches but lacking the bravery... *Cough*Jess and Courtney *Cough*) Anyway, our games are lined up for 10:20 vs. Purdue and 3:40 vs. SLU and the scissors start clipping at 2:40!
I hope to see everyone there with their new do's!
~Morgan~
March 4
I am happy to say writing this is my last official order of business before I head home for spring break! It seems like just last week I was heading back here after Christmas thinking that spring break was a lifetime away. This first part of the spring season has flown by, and I don't think it has any intention of slowing down.
Last weekend was our first chance to see how we stacked up against some competition at the indoor tournament at IU. We came out .500 with an impressive stand against a great IU team, even with many of our players being ill and having short numbers. It was a great way to show everybody, including ourselves, how much our hard work has paid off.
This week we maxed out in weights on power clean, bench press and squat. I think a lot of the girls were both surprised and impressed with the huge numbers people were putting up. Tay Hancock added 60 pounds to her squat from last year and Jess Rosenberg killed all of her numbers from her career so far, just to highlight a few. Our freshmen set quite a standard for themselves hoisting a lot of weight and setting the platform for them to build off of.
So now it's time we take a week off and relax, and by that I mean continue to train on our own because the week after spring break is never easy! We only have two weeks to prepare for our first outdoor game of the spring against BGSU at Ft. Wayne. Tickets to the tournament can be purchased with the money going to charity, so get in touch with our players if you're interested in being there! It should be a great game.
Happy Spring!!!
~Morgan~
February 11
We have all heard the saying "neither wind, nor rain, nor sleet, nor snow...etc." Well, we as a soccer team have fought through all of these conditions for both trainings and games, but not even we could withstand the raging ice storm that hit us here in Terre Haute last week. After two days of freezing rain the entire city was sheeted in two inches of ice that shut down the town, the campus, and even our training sessions for a day. When I say sheeted in ice I mean that there was some guy ice skating around our track... They don't call it Terredise for nothing! I think by the end of it there were a total of three or four people on the team who hadn't slipped and fallen at some point, some people with harder falls than others. A friend described walking on the ice as "feeling like a newborn deer just learning to walk for the first time." Campus was closed for a second consecutive day but we trekked it into the weight room for a workout, and then were treated to lunch at Beef 'O' Brady's, mainly because the power was out at the apartment complexes. But we survived and a lot of the ice has been cleared (we all walk gingerly just in case.)
We are continuing on our track toward selfless service as we have a few different community service projects happening this week. Yesterday we packed up food at the local food bank, which we will distribute to members of the community on Saturday morning. Then, we will take off from there to go watch a few of our teammates jump into a pool of freezing water taking part in the Polar Plunge. We have raised nearly $500 for Special Olympics through our efforts. They make the leap at around 10:30 Saturday by the Hulman Center for anyone who wants to spectate.
I would also like to announce that the Indiana State Women's Soccer team has won the 2010-2011 Sycamore Cup! All year long each athletic team competes against each other to try to win the coveted trophy. The competition is based on team GPA, attendance at athletic events and participation in other events. We have been pretty focused on this win for a while, and we now have the rights to call ourselves champs!
The days are moving along and the weeks are winding down to our first competition; it's safe to say that we cannot wait! February 26th, Indiana University, BE THERE!
~Morgan~
Editor's Note: The guy skating around the track was ISU Media Relations Student Assistant Blaine Kinsey.
January 24
I think a common misconception about spring is that people assume that it's the rain that causes the flowers to grow. Let me set everyone straight on this one. It isn't the rain. All the moister that the world needs in spring comes from the blood, sweat and tears of the Indiana State women's soccer team. We have only officially been in season for a week, but we have had plenty of sweat, a fair share of tears, and even blood seep from our players during trainings. We've had some vomit as well, just to round out the list.
Since last Monday we have done A LOT of conditioning and fitness. We have done fitness in circuits, fitness in ladders, fitness in short spurts, fitness in long drags, fitness with a ball, fitness without a ball, fitness lifting weight, fitness pulling weight, fitness pushing weight, fitness wearing weight, and so on and so forth. Just to paint a picture of our lives I will quote Katie Geyman's Facebook status "Sooo...we are at fitness and before we begin coaches tell us that we are not allowed to throw up on the turf, they then move the garbage cans to the side where we will be (so we can throw up in them).... this would be a perfect example of what you do not want your coaches to do right before they tell you the fitness for the day." Case and point.
The concern for the turn is derived from the fact that we have been lucky to have a few different venues to train at so far. We do our weights in the morning in our weight room, we do our small technical training at the Coaches Corner turf facility, and we do our big play at the new Annex turffed facility. Although some girls have a hard time keeping straight when we are supposed to be where, we're actually really lucky to have so many options.
As well as training, since the season ended last fall we have been busy with our community service projects. Before Christmas break we went to the Shriner's Kids Christmas Party. We played with the kids, served food, and showed off some mad face painting skills. We even got to see SANTA!!! That pretty much made it worth it right there. Since we got back from break we have lined up a couple of events. On MLK Day we took advantage of our time off of classes and went to a local youth charity center and helped clean up the kitchen and play rooms and helped to tear down from a fundraising boxing event that they had in their gymnasium. If anyone needs a full size boxing ring disassembled, we are now pretty much pros. We also have a couple different events coming up. One that we are super excited about is the Polar Plunge to raise money for Special Olympics. One member from each class on our team is going to jump into a pool of freezing water behind the Hulman Center in February. We are still looking for donations so if you are interested in adding to the cause go to http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/indianastate-womenssoccer/Polar-Plunge-2011-Terre-Haute
So we are one week in with a heck of a lot more to go. It's a good thing we all love this sport and this team! We are pushing on, looking forward to our first tournament in mid-February. Don't worry, it's indoors!
Welcome to our Spring Season, and please donate a few dollars to cause!!!!
~Morgan~
October 29
Earlier in the season when we were leaving for Wright State, a friend of mine asked me where Wright State was. She was a tad disappointed when I said I had absolutely no idea. I explained to her that most of the time we just get on the bus, sleep until it stops, and then get out. We're lucky if we know what state we're in. This attitude has been our approach this week. We had absolutely no idea where we would be heading this weekend or who we would be playing. Our game plan was just to prepare ourselves to climb on that bus, get off at whatever field we stop at, and win. We didn't care where it was or who it was against; we had no control over that. We did have control over our preparation of our own team, and I think that led us to a really good week of training.
In all the craziness in the past few weeks playing about 10 games in 10 days (actually 4 games in 10 days but seriously it felt like we were playing every day), I haven't had a chance to keep current with all of our goings ons. Most importantly, I haven't talked about our classic Halloween Party hosted by our trainer Candy and her twin sister, Carrie (I like to call her cotton... get it? Cotton - Candy.. apparently I'm the only one who finds that funny). First of all, all of us girls were dressed as a variety of different things... The Spice Girls and security, Shrek and Donkey, a hunter, Mother Nature and her gift, a Packer fan, Adam, Eve & the Snake (that was mine and my roommates), Where's Waldo, Rock stars, Hippies, a Nerd, a Whoopie Cushion, a pig and the Joker. It was SOUP-er Friday so each coach supplied a soup or chili. I didn't have a chance to taste them all, but I think the overall winner was Erika's husband's contribution (he's selling the secret recipe for 50 bucks if you want it). We drank cider, roasted marshmallows, went on a hayride, and ate pie. We now refer to Candy's house simply as Heaven.
One of the best parts of the night was the team bonding activity. Erika supplied us with a plethora of random craft supplies and split us into teams. We were to make one costume per group and present them for judging in front of Justin, Danny, and Mike Calawerts (one of our most loyal fans and ISU staff members). We should have taken a picture of the pile of randomness that Erika gave us, because after seeing what we had to work with there is no way anyone could have expected us to come up with as cool of ideas as we did. The winning group was Kylie Greischar dressed as Lady Gaga with back up dancers, a groupie, and security. Second was The Tale of the Haunted ISU Soccer player. Others were a Ninja Turtle, a kissing booth, and a psychic reading. I have to admit, I was really impressed with our team's creativity. We all left with our stomach sore from both being stuffed to the brim and from laughing until we couldn't breathe. Pictures are up on various Facebooks, and hopefully we will be putting them on the Soccer Facebook soon.
Last night we enjoyed our first official viewing party. The team met at 7th and Elm, where the Creighton Illinois State game was hooked up to their TVs. We also had Danny Pfrank with a couple of laptops in front of him with the other two conference games stats up. We sat, ate, and watched as our fate was decided. Every time a goal was scored Danny recalculated our position and told us where we were going. Well, eventually the madness ended and we landed on Illinois State at Illinois State. We all got up, left the restaurant and began to pack.
We leave today for the first game of our new season. The conference tournament is 50% skill and 50% will to win, and I think we've got the upper hand in both! Put your Sycamore gear on and get ready to cheer!
~Morgan~
Photos from the Soccer Halloween Party:
October 19
Well it was another roller coaster ride of the weekend for us, but again, we won the game that was most important. It felt like déjà vu on Friday night in our game versus SIUE. We are getting pretty sick of dominating possession and opportunities for an entire game and still coming out on the losing end. To quote the great Katie Lynn Geyman, "playing better doesn't get us a tally in the win column." "We should have won" is a phrase we have all gotten sick of uttering, so at halftime of our game vs. Northern Iowa on Sunday we knew we needed to get a goal so we could change the phrase to "We did win." We came out in the second half and looked like a team that was determined to win, and guess what... "we did win." That gives us two straight wins in the conference, and gives us some momentum to ride going into our final two conference games.
Friday night we also celebrated the career of our one and only senior Casey Clark. All of us donned "Clark" warm up tops and had the locker room decorated to the tee. Unfortunately we couldn't get her a win to go along with her other senior gifts, but I think the win on Sunday counted for something. After Friday's game we had a deluxe tailgate in her honor.
Saturday was a day that I don't think any of the girls will forget. After our early morning practice and team chat we downed some Panera Bagels (I think that's the part the Autumn will never forget as she ate 3 or 4 of them) and headed to the Pre-Nationals Cross Country Event. That was the first time that most of us had been to the critically acclaimed Cross Country Course here in Terre Haute, and I think it was the first cross country meet that many of the girls had been to. If you are an avid Sycamore Snippet reader you already know how the goings on of a cross country meet can affect someone, but I think it caught most of the girls off guard as they watched people collapse across the finish line, and be scooped out of the way, vomiting, and tossed into a pile of other puking, deliriously exhausted girls. We watched in awe as the man with the megaphone kept monotonally chanting "keep moving, there are runners coming in behind you, keep moving, there are runners com... someone grab Ohio State, she's going down. Keep moving, keep mov... someone grab Minnesota, there are runners coming in behind you..." I think the most commonly uttered phrase from our group was "why?.... Why do they do this?" But, to be honest, I think it really inspired all of the girls, and in the 85th minute on Sunday when our legs were burning I guarantee most of us were picturing that runner that was limping, completely cramped and throwing up, through the finish line, and we knew that we could push through it too.
We had a light walk through today, trying to recover quickly for our game Wednesday night in Evansville. A few days after that we head to Illinois State for our final game of the regular season. Our goals are now within reach, and we're on the final stretch towards the promise land (aka the conference tournament).
GO SYCS!
~Morgan~
October 15
This week was spent recovering from the crazy rollercoaster ride of last weekend. That weekend was filled with highs, lows, and corkscrew spins that seemed impossible to control. Our win versus Drake on Friday was a huge lift. We had a great crowd, all clad in pink, who I think was expecting a draw as we entered the second overtime. But in epic ISU fashion, Ali Gaspo found the back of the net, and then found herself on the bottom of a dog pile of screaming girls. It was great to get on the board for conference play, and great to win in the spirit of a great cause.
After a quick practice we left early Saturday morning for Wright State. After we checked into our hotel we took off to Erika's aunt and uncle's house for a great pasta dinner. Around Erika we called it a pasta dinner, but when she wasn't within ear shot we called it a creampuff, chocolate covered strawberry, peanut butter pie, and dinner roll feast. Then we got back onto the bus to be serenaded by a variety of scary stories as we headed to a Haunted House. Now I've been to haunted houses in the past, but this may have been one of the best ones a lot of us had ever been too. A few of the girls weren't up for the scare-fest so Justin stayed back with them... well, to tell you the truth we think Justin begged a few girls to stay back so he wouldn't have to go in (he's not big on Halloween). We went through in groups of 5 or 6 and wandered our way through a maze of scary rooms, trails through the woods and an uncountable number of freaky people. I think all the girls' favorite part was the spinning room (this is where the uncontrollable corkscrew spin comes in). This platform surrounded by a techni-colored spinning cylinder made even us coordinated athletes feel like we couldn't put one foot in front of the other. Summary of the event: it was awesome.
After a great, fruit filled brunch at First Watch we headed over to the field. This is where the low of the roller coaster ride came in. I'm not sure if we were still paralyzed in fear from the night before, or if the 110 minutes from Friday night was wearing on us, but we simply didn't show up to play. After they scored in the first half, we were able to tie it up in the second. But when they scored off a free kick a little while later it was official, we had lost a game that absolutely should have been in the win column for us. It was demoralizing. Everyone was so mad that we almost couldn't enjoy the post game tailgate and ice cream put on by Shelby Troyer's parents... I say almost because I think us girls enjoy food in the face of almost any tragedy, and when you add in some ice cream it's a no brainer.
We head back at it today with our last non-conference game against SIUE, which is also our senior night for our lone senior, Casey Clark. Then Sunday we have a huge conference battle against UNI that has serious conference tournament implications. I think it would be great to send Casey off her home field for possibly the last time after a winning weekend.
I hope to see you guys all there to celebrate Casey's career!
~Morgan~
October 6
When I was in fifth grade I went to a high school cross country race to watch my pen pal, a senior in high school at the time, run her race. I was really impressed with how fast she was as she pushed through the first 3990 meters in first place, setting the pace and the tone. I remember standing near the finish line to watch her come down the final sprint in first... instead I saw her legs go limp from exhaustion and she collapsed with 10 meters to go. As girls flew past her, she crawled, crying and beat, over the finish line in 12th place.
Needless to say, I never joined cross country, but fast forward 10 years to a different sport, a different team, and a different state, and we felt that same pain. After battling 89 minutes and 54 seconds against Missouri State for every loose ball, every ball in the air, every tackle, and dominating the second half, we collapsed steps from the finish line and gave up the winning goal with just six seconds remaining. Six seconds... that's less time than it took for you to read that last sentence (granted it was kind of a run-on). And unfortunately we had six hours on the bus ride home to think about those six seconds.
One positive about the Missouri State game is that our fans nearly outnumbered the home crowd as Kylie Greischar filled up the pass list with her fans. We think there were a bunch of random people that she paid to come watch, but she claims they were her dedicated family and friends. Just kidding Ky... we believe you. Either way, we had quite the support group as many other families also made the trip.
This was also our first big road trip of the year, which was an adventure in itself. We had all day Friday to waste away before our night game, so we ate a great brunch at Cracker Barrel and then perused around the local mall. Many of the girls (and staff) found some treasures at Forever 21 and Casey Allbright fell in love with a Coach clutch. To her mom's relief and the sales lady's dismay I convinced her to hold off on the purchase. Many other girls bought "I LOVE BOOBIES" bracelets in support of breast cancer, gearing up Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October. Personally, my only purchase was from the gumball machines (your welcome Mom and Dad). Overall we had a good bonding experience as nothing brings girls together like shopping.
The loss at Missouri State now puts us a 0-2 in conference, which is not exactly where we want to be but it's not the end of the road. Like my Grandpa says, if you and your friends are being chased by a bear, you don't have to be the fastest one in the group; you just can't be the slowest. We don't need to go undefeated to reach the tournament; right now our goal is to get a few wins and get into the tournament, and then we can set our eyes on the top.
This Friday's game against Drake is our Pack it Pink game to raise breast cancer awareness. Not only do we get to wear sweet pink jerseys but we get to do it for a good cause. In addition, I know this game means a lot to us returners as Drake knocked us out of the tournament last year to end our season. We've been waiting a year for another crack at them.
I hope to see you all in Pink on Friday!
~Morgan~
Cross country statistics source: Kate Erickson
September 22
Well, they say all good things must come to an end, even something as good as our record reaching winning streak. With our performance against IUPUI on Friday we knew that our streak was in jeopardy. Yes we won, 1-0, but the game was a bloody mess (figuratively speaking). We struggled through and held our lead, which was earned on a penalty kick, which showed some grit, but we never played good, clean, ISU soccer. This was again the case with Bowling Green on Sunday. Despite Gaspo's goal scoring efforts, we couldn't hold them off defensively, giving up three goals. As our win streak came to an end Justin pointed out the importance behind the game. He said that he didn't care that we lost, that the win streak didn't matter. They weren't disappointed in the result but in the way we came to that result. We all agreed.
After a good days rest on Monday we hit the practice field on Tuesday with a purpose. Yesterday's practice was probably the most difficult one we have faced all season, but the girls stepped up to the task and put in everything they had. Yes our winning streak is over, but we aren't going to let our winning streak be followed by a losing streak. I think that loss was just the thing we needed to put a chip on our shoulder and renew our work ethics that had gotten us those wins in the first place.
This weekend is a huge weekend for us as we open up conference play, at home, against Creighton. Everything we have done for the last 10 months, since our loss in the tournament last year, has been in preparation for this game, and the conference game last year. Creighton, who has always been a powerhouse in the MVC, will offer us a great measuring stick as far as where we sit among conference teams.
Come check out our rebound game against Valpo on Friday, and watch the live stream online of our Creighton game on Sunday!
~Morgan~
September 15
With another two wins this weekend (one in typical ISU double overtime style) I thought it was time to sit back and evaluate our season so far. In my accounting classes I have learned that there are two ways to judge the success of a company: you can either compare your performance this year to years past, or compare your performance to the performance of other companies in your market. Well, since Indiana State is known for its experiential learning methods, I decided to use this approach to judge the success of our team. With five wins we have already reached our win total from both of the last two seasons, and keep in mind we are just seven games in... that suggests success. Also, with our record of 5-2 we lead all other teams in the Missouri Valley Conference based on their win-loss records to date... again, success! Now what's better than being successful? How about being able to share this success with our families, friends and local pets. I think we've hit the jackpot.
This weekend Memorial Stadium played host to several guests. Friday night was our Bark in the Park event where spectators brought their dogs to sit in the stands with them, and we collected donations for the local animal shelters. I think Erika's dog Jasmine stole the show with her little decorated bandana, although the Lahay's dog Briar was loyally perched behind UMKC's bench ready to pounce if need be (and if you've seen Briar you know that he's a pretty intimidating figure). We had a good overall turn out in the crowd as every whistle blow on the field was echoed by multiple barks from the stands.
Many parents also filled the stadium this weekend for our annual Parents and Alumni weekend event. Saturday was the second annual Parents weekend golf outing in which many of the parents, both golfers and not, participated. Erika's team won for the second year in a row, which I find interesting considering she's the one who tallies up all the score cards.... But I think the overall winner was KO who continued to golf with her partner, Coach Hooks, even after he dumped her out of the golf cart with a sharp left turn. We also had a dinner together and the parents had extra hangout time at 7th and Elm at night (sans daughters). Overall it was great to get to meet all the parents this weekend, it felt like we had a big ISU Soccer family.
Now although the accounting methods above point out that we are operating at a successful level, our team isn't going to just pack it in and coast through the next couple of quarters. We've got the pedal to the floor and were not slowing down until we win conference. From what I have learned in my business classes, I want to share some advice with you all: buy stock in us, because we are small program that is staring down the road that leads to big places.
~Morgan~
September 10
We have many nicknames on our team this year... "J", "G-Po", "Whitty", "Prick City", "Little Nugget", and so on (obviously some nicknames are better than others). Everyone wants a nickname, and it's cool to be given one but it's a whole nother thing to earn one.
A lot of people on our team call Casey Clark "CC" (phonetically "see-see"), and many think that the two C's stand for her first and last name, but well, they are mistaken, because after this past weekend's win it officially stands for "Clutch Casey." After her last minute score in double overtime (to add to her earlier goal) she earned herself a game winning nickname. Few have done this and CC has put herself among an elite group, joining none other than, the legend, Katlin "KFO" Owens who earned her nickname with the game tying and game winning goals against Northern Iowa last year. The Hall of Nickname Fame will soon be erected.
All the buzz this week has been on the much anticipated parents weekend. Nearly all of the girls have family coming in this weekend for various activities and bonding time. More importantly, a lot of the girls have their puppies coming this weekend for Friday's Bark in the Park game (sadly my Charlie girl will not able to make the trip). Overall this weekend should be great, but it will be even greater if we can come out of it with two wins.
Fall weather is just around the corner, and the sore throats and stuffy noses in our team huddles are a testament to that ("uvualitis" as Dr. Justin has diagnosed it). I think Erika might start stashing cold medicine and Vitamin C pills around our locker room.
3-2 sounds good, but 5-2 sounds even better! Bring yourselves and your dogs to cheer us on!
~Morgan~
August 30
To an athlete there is only one thing better than a win, and that is a winning streak. My career at ISU has had a few of these in the past, but this streak means more to this team. This streak proves that the winds of change are blowing and two in a row is nowhere near our limit.
We had a lot of great things going on in our game at Butler. First, we got to ride in the minivan's to the game (which is pretty much a win to begin with), we had a great PK save at the beginning of the game from a Miss Emily Lahay (you may have heard of her...), we had a great assist and goal in the second half to put us ahead, and we had strong play all over the field to keep the shutout and hold onto the win. But, the best thing about our game Friday was the post game meal at Taylor Hancock's house. Many of the girls were able to experience their first Walking Taco and I don't think their lives will ever be the same again. We also had a couple guests from the media department come along, which is the secret behind all the sweet videos on our Facebook page. If you haven't seen those, make sure you go check them out, especially the interview of Ali Gaspo who absolutely loves public speaking and would like for you to watch her video over and over and over again.
The confidence gained from our win vs. Butler was apparent during our game Sunday as we dominated IPFW in nearly every aspect of the game, "and I'm speaking as a completely objective third party observer with absolutely no personal interest in the matter" (that quote courtesy of Justin's favorite movie "She's The Man"). But I think the stats tell the story as we scored two goals and kept them from having even a shot on frame. Once again, the highlight was the post game meal as the parent's cookout offered us more food than we could have asked for, and some to take home as Gaspo walked off with her plate full of brownies that are supposedly for "our whole apartment" (I have yet to see those brownies).
Today is our day off for treatments, reflection and, unfortunately, homework. Someday, people will realize that in the life of a student athlete there is no such thing as a day off. But that's probably a good thing because if we had a day off, we would have no idea what to do with it.
Last weekend, after some discouraging games, my friend told me "Well... it can only go up from here," which was very true. But now, after a much better weekend and two wins, I think all of us are still saying to ourselves "Well, it's still gotta' go up from here." We have set the bar, now we have the fun task of raising it!
~Morgan~
August 24
We're one weekend into our season and were still looking for our first win. Both games were tough, one goal loses that could have gone either way. Friday's game vs. Western Michigan was a tale of two halves as they scored 3 goals in the first 45 minutes, and despite the improved play in the second we couldn't dig ourselves out of the hole we dug. Sunday was an even tougher loss as we battled for 90 minutes through tough fouls, dirty plays, and some rough calls. Any loss is hard, but it's even harder to swallow a loss that you know was, to an extent, out of your hands.
Both games boasted a pretty impressive ISU crowd. At our home game the parents tailgated before the game, and then reopened the cookout for us girls after the game. There is nothing better after 90 minutes of hard play than burgers and brownies. Even our game at Ball State had an impressive fan base for us as many of our parents, family and friends made the trip to cheer us on.
Thursday night, during our pregame dinner, we had our annual preseason talent show where players and their buddies, as well as the coaches, performed a skit or talent for the team. This year once again proved that we may have the overall most talented team on the face of the earth. We had dance off's, rap battles, card tricks, sandwich making (which required more talent than one would think), pick up lines, freaky appendage and bodily tricks, lion taming, and more. Next year we are thinking of recording our show and sending it in to America's Got Talent. The 1 million dollar grand prize, that we are obviously a shoe-in for, would be a nice addition to our budget.
If we referred to the first week of preseason as "Hell Week" then I guess we could call this week "Heck Week," as we officially start our collegiate year with our first classes tomorrow. If girls thought three practices a day was draining, I can't wait to hear how they feel after a three hour long lecture. Overall I think most of us are excited to get rolling with our classes and get back into the rhythm of college life.
We pick up again Friday against another in-state rival, Butler, and then we round out the weekend against IPFW on Sunday. It would be a lot easier to get up for class next Monday if we had a couple of wins under our belt!!
Thanks for all the support at our games, and keep it coming!
~Morgan~
August 19
It's been a crazy couple of days here in Terre Haute. Everyone is trying to get their lives in check for school to start and also prepare for our first game tomorrow. Because of all of this craziness I haven't had a chance to post and my Grandpa hinted at me that it was about time for a new snippet, so here you go Grandpa.
A lot has happened since my last post. We went to Morehead for our exhibition game and lost 2-1 but again the game was another step in the right direction for our team. Some consider us lucky for making it out of Morehead alive as crazy storms and tornado warnings surrounded our hotel the night before the game. The storm didn't bother most of us, until it knocked out the cable in our rooms. Then we had a problem.
On the ride home Erika informed us that the next day we would have our first official day off, only having to report for meetings and treatment. Normally, in a soccer player's life there are certain phrases you come to dread, like "On the end line", "Last one... if it's good", "Girls, we will do this as long as it takes" and so on, but the phrase "Tomorrow you will have the day off" is one that we will never get tired of hearing. Most of us took that day to rest and recuperate and take care of some loose odds and ends around campus.
Yesterday, everyone staying in the temporary preseason housing was able to move into their new homes for the year. A lot of parents made the trip to help their girls get settled and bring the rest of their stuff. Despite the trouble of getting everything out of one room and into another I think all the girls are glad to be able to settle into their new place and get everything arranged for the year. Now the contest of whose room looks the best will begin, I feel like there will be some stiff competition...
This weekend we have our first two games: Home vs. Western Michigan on Friday and Sunday at Ball State. We also have a couple recruits for the upcoming years making visits to campus so there will be a lot of running around for meetings and tours but I know the game tomorrow is at the forefront of everyone's thoughts.
All our work for the last 16 days will show in just over twenty four hours, and I think we are all ready for it to show as a win. Hope to see many of you at the game tomorrow. I promise we will give you something to cheer about!
~Morgan~
August 12
So we are officially on day number... um, well, I actually have lost count of the days at this point but I would guess we are about on day 34, or somewhere around there. We have been hitting the trainings hard every day trying to get all the kinks worked out before our official game. Part of working those kinks out was our exhibition game against Illinois. Although we lost 4-1 overall (3-0 in the first 30 minute period, 1-1 in the second, and 0-0 in the final period), we really had a chance to look at our play and see the holes in our shape that we need to fill. We had some strong support for our game though. Our athletic director, Ron Prettyman, rode along with us and withstood the heat to cheer us on. We also had our past player Libby Knight and manager Kelly Shulman as well as several parents, one of which drove 12 hours just for the game, filling the stands.
We spent the next day recovering and focusing on team building activities. One activity in particular involved blind folded partners having to make animal noises to find each other in a crowd. Not only did it teach communication skills but it also gave us the opportunity to hear some pretty unique animal noises. We also had sessions with Becky and Jason, our sports psychologists to debrief from the game.
At dinner we were able to share interesting information about our team buddies. Each upperclassmen is paired with an underclassmen to be buddies for all drills and dinners and meetings for a few days. At dinner we have to stand up and introduce our buddies to our team and give some interesting information. We have discovered some pretty deep dark secrets about each other and have had plenty of laughs because of it. Even the coaches buddied up and shared a few secrets about each other that could come in handy as ammunition later. "Coach, if you make us run sprints were going to tell everyone about the time that you......" We will be saving that for a rainy day!
After over 100 degree weather again this week we are pretty spent, but we have a lot to look forward to: our blue/white game in Sullivan, our game vs. Morehead State this weekend and eventually our first game next Friday against Western Michigan.
Make sure you guys go to our new online store and get some of our sweet new gear!!! There is a link on the Facebook page. A cut of the proceeds go straight back to our program so it's a win-win!!
~Morgan~
