Aug. 25, 2011
Greetings Pony Fans!
Welcome to the OFFICIAL blog of the SMU Women's Soccer team! Whether it is a reflection of the past weekend's games, or a review of our dance parties at our team dinners, this blog will provide a behind the scenes look at the 2011 season. Myself, and two of my teammates will be providing this insight to the team every Thursday during the season.
My name is Kaitlyn Eidson and I am a senior History major. I like to say I major in soccer, but I am currently working in the Education program to become a History teacher. I play center back, along with my fellow captain, Katherine Cox. I hail from the Deep South of Katy, Texas; just West of Houston. As much as I love H-Town, the best decision I have made in my life so far is coming to SMU to play soccer and get my degree. I have fallen in love with SMU and everything it has to offer. I think I speak for my teammates as well that we are so fortunate to be at a school like SMU. Very few schools in the country offer a top tier soccer program along with a top tier education. I bleed SMU red and blue, and I will be naming my first dog Peruna. I could talk about soccer and SMU forever, so I take on this task with great pride of showing the adventures of SMU Women's Soccer.
This summer was extraordinary for our team. For the goals that we have as a group, the work started well before our first game on August 19. Each returning player sacrificed her "off-time" to run, lift, and play as a team all summer. Thanks to the preparation of Athletes' Performance, we were able to reach our peak level of strength, speed and fitness. Our hard work paid off as we went into our preseason camp in Frisco. We were very fortunate to train at the gorgeous Pizza Hut Park for the first phase of our camp. The girls came in fit and happy. The talent level of this year's team became immediately apparent in the first training session. The offense was dynamic and confident, while the defense was organized and solid. The coaching staff prepared us tactically, technically and mentally. More importantly, we were becoming a family off the field. The freshmen were shy and reserved the first couple of days, but by the end of the week the team camaraderie was at an unprecedented level. As we returned to campus to wrap up two-a-days, the morale was high and the team was healthy. We had a week left of training leading up to the exhibition game vs. Oklahoma State. After countless days of two-a-days in this refreshing Dallas weather, the girls were ready to compete outside of our own team.
For a preseason exhibition game, the team looked wonderful against OSU. We possessed the ball around the field, and created quality chances. The first 20-ish minutes, the game was going as planned until one of our vets went down when Taylor Robinson suffered a torn ACL. After the incident, we returned to the field shook up and timid. Unfortunately, OSU was able to capitalize on our mistake and go up 1-0. After we mourned our fallen soldier at half, we were able to bounce back when we came out for the 2nd half. We equalized the game at 1-1 after a terrific finish from Kenzie Scovill. The game ended at 1-1, and we were pumped to get a result against a very good OSU team.
Going into the regular season, the team was confident after the exhibition game. As much as I love soccer, I hate games that end up like the Arkansas game. We played so wonderfully against the Razorbacks. We dominated possession, shots, shots on goal, scoring chances, and our individual battles. Of course, the only important stat we did not dominate was the score. We were very disappointed after the game. Despite going down 2-0 in the first half, I believed until the final whistle blew that we would at least make it to OT. Unfortunately, the soccer gods were not on our side. But we took it as a learning opportunity to get better and grow together as a group.
After such a heartbreaking loss, the team was looking forward to getting back on the field against Stephen F Austin. As great as we played against Arkansas and lost, we played that poorly against SFA and won. This is one cruel reality of the game of soccer. No matter what, a win is a win and we were very happy to get the W. The goal that Amelia Ambrose scored with 2 minutes after the game was world class. Mallory Baum's first half goal was gorgeous as well. She ripped it from about 25 yards out and hit side netting perfectly. Although we did not play up to the standard of our team, individual brilliance propelled the team to the win.
This weekend's games feature some regional opponents, UTSA and Oklahoma. We are excited to play two NCAA tournament teams from last season.
My teammates and I have very high hopes for the program this year. After being so close to reaching the tournament last season, we are hungrier than ever to achieve our goals. We welcome our fans with open arms to share this season's adventures together. The support of our fans makes the experience of playing college soccer unforgettable. I love my team and I love my school. It is my goal to share the things that make SMU Women's Soccer so special. So welcome! And as always, PONY UP!
