In past games, this team has showed only short glimpses - 10 minutes or so - of how well they could play when playing to their potential. We hadn't played a good full 90 all season. This weekend was a different story. Those short glimpses turned into long stretches and I would say we played some of our best soccer of the year. We're finding our stride, and we're discovering what makes our team "tick".
On Saturday, we faced up against Nippissing. The boys were determined to have a strong showing against the Lakers with Alumni watching from the sidelines. They put in a solid team effort, both in attack and in defense, and came out victorious 4-0. On Sunday, we played against Laurentian. It was an opportunity for us to separate ourselves from the middle of the pack in the standings as we were tied in points with the Voyageurs. Although we didn't come out as strong from the start, our back 6 were organized and kept the score-line 0-0 through the first 20 minutes. Eventually, we were able to break the deadlock and go into the half with a 2-0 lead. We scored another in the 2nd half to make it 3-0 but conceded a consolation goal late in the game. The final score was 3-1.
My thoughts...
I was pleased with the team I saw this weekend. The guys put in the work that is required to win games at this level, and we're making progress day by day. This past weekend could be a turning point for this team, as they now see the way we are able to play when we're firing on all cylinders. While it's great to achieve 6 points this weekend, there is no time to celebrate. We're back to work on Tuesday and play Carleton on Wednesday at 3:15 p.m. at Richardson Stadium. As I said in an earlier blog, the season is short but the process is long. We need to build on the positives and fine tune some of the negatives.
Before I sign off, I'd like to thank the alumni who were able to make it down this past weekend to our alumni game and dinner. Our young boys now understand what it means to be a part of Queen's Men's Soccer, and for that, I thank you. Quick shout-out to Steven Irish and Brent Lukowski :)
Until next time...
Chris
