Workouts Underway!

It's been a while since the blog's been updated, so there's a bit of catching up to do!  Here we are in February, and the women's team has just begun it's offseason workout schedule.  We keep the workouts open to other students as well, so sometimes we'll get players' friends or other athletes stop in to work out with us.  We're just a few days into it, but so far everyone's done very well with the workouts.  Some of the lifting exercises were new so we do have a few sore bodies, but I'm very pleased so far with the efforts. 

Since the end of the season the team also elected captains for next year.  Juniors Rachel Boeck and Jessica Cannova, as well as first-year Brooke Drobney were selected by the team and the coaches to lead the squad this offseason and into the fall.  This gives us a great balance of leadership, with our veteran players as well as our youngest class being represented.  Jess Cannova is currently enjoying the start of her study abroad in Rome, Italy by attending last weekend's Lazio match.  This semester should be an incredible experience for her and hopefully we'll be able to share some of her stories with you once she returns.  The captains and several other players are doing a great job in organizing team get-togethers, workouts, and offseason tournaments.  I feel really good about the leadership on this team going forward. 

Finally, it's a busy month on the recruiting front!  We have lots of visitors coming this month, and the team has been great with the time they have given our prospects when they come to campus.  Most recruits will be receiving their financial aid packages soon, and then we'll start seeing the pace of things speed up quite a bit as they begin to make final decisions. 

Look for more posts in a few weeks!

Seeing Progress

While a loss never feels good, the other coaches and I agree that we are moving in the right direction.  After a disappointing loss mid-week to Midland Lutheran where we really lost the plot in the second half, we headed to Minnesota for two tough games against Augsburg and Hamline.  Before we left, I had a good talk with our upperclassmen about staying tough throughout the game, especially if we get down a goal.  We talked about our expectations and revisited our goals as a team for the year.  And though this weekend's results were not what we wanted, I am proud that the players answered that challenge.  Down 2-0 at half in both games this weekend, the women held tough and did not back down.  Instead they marched forward and pulled a goal back each day, keeping the match tight and refusing to crumble. 

Now we have a week off before our Iowa Conference opener against Cornell.  The season is effectively starting fresh, as conference games are what we really want to thrive on.  We're planning on training hard and being very well-prepared for Cornell so we can get our conference campaign off to a good start.  As the toughness and chemistry keep improving, I expect us to take the next step and get on track this weekend.

Tough Opening Weekend

Injuries certainly took their toll this weekend as the Beavers women's soccer team suffered two tough losses at Carthage College's "Battle at the Border" tournament.  Saturday's loss to Carthage was the first time the team has been able to get 11 players on the field in competition, due to injury and weather.  Unfortunately it showed as we really didn't look to be on the same page that morning.  Goalkeepers Amber Barnes and Shannon Farrier each made several great saves while splitting time.

After a few tactical adjustments before Sunday's match though, we came out very strong and dominated Concordia University for much of the first half.  All that was left was for us to put away the great chances we were creating, but unfortunately we didn't come through.  Toward the end of the half the injuries and fatigue began to creep back into our game and we gave up some late first half goals.  We got another solid performance in goal from Amber, but we simply gave them too many quality chances down the stretch.

While this weekend's results were not what we hoped for, there were still a lot of positives to take away.  The team is getting a better understanding of one another on the field, we had long stretches of positive, attacking soccer, and we have seen the level that this team is capable of playing at.  As injuries heal, fitness improves, and chemistry comes together, I expect those stretches of great play to keep getting longer and yield more results. 

Coach B

Welcome!

Welcome to the official weblog of the Buena Vista University women's soccer team!  Thanks to our incredible sports information staff, we now have a place where you can go to get updates on the team, match reports, and other information about BVU women's soccer! 

I was thrilled to be named the new head women's soccer coach last month, after two great seasons working as the assistant coach for both the women's and the men's team.  I am extremely excited for next season, as we are returning a solid core of upperclassmen and we hope to bring in a strong group of new arrivals as well.  Our team appears poised to have a great 2007 campaign.  Everyone is working very hard in the offseason to make next season the best in the program's history! 

During the season I will update this blog as often as I can, so that you will be able to get an inside look at BVU women's soccer!

-Hunter Balmer, Head Women's Coach