Flames Engulf V-Hawks

Victory! The Flames put on a big show today in their opening game defeating the Viterbo V-Hawks 4-1. Melissa King led all scorers with 2 goals and one assist. As a matter of fact, King broke the game wide open in the 3rd minute with an unassisted goal smashed to the far post with her left foot. King didn't stop there. Nine minutes later she added her second goal with off an assist by Tiffany Reis who made a monster run forward from the back line. Melissa headed Tiff's cross, it bounced off the keeper, back to Melissa and she knocked it in. The first half ended with the score 2-0. CSM had 16 shots to the V-Hawks 2 at the end of the first period.

The Flames came out blazing again 15 minutes into the second half. Melissa King made her way down the right side and crossed it to Ashley Turco who headed it past the keeper's outstretch had to put CSM up 3-0. The Flames added a 4th when Katie Archibald beat her player on the left and dribbled deep in the box, she passed the ball across the goal mouth where it hit the far post and bounced right to Sara Berens who slotted it in.

Rita Rabb was able to score for Viterbo 8 minutes later on a long distance shot that just barely beat keeper Jackie Swanger's right hand.

Goalkeepers Mollie Jones and Jackie Swanger split time between the posts, Mollie beginning in goal the first half and Jackie finishing the game in the second. Jones had 2 saves and Swanger had 3. CSM finished with 29 shots to Viterbo's 7.

All in all, an excellent way to begin the season. The team is looking forward to the next game at Briar Cliff on Tuesday (By the way--that game time was changed to 6 PM.)

I told the players after the game that this game should make them hungry for more, hungry to keep improving and fighting to get ourselves to the next level. Speaking of hunger, I think I'll go get something to eat. Make a comment below!

Nebraska Volleyball Lesson

My wife and I watched Nebraska's volleyball team lose to a very good Penn State team last night. Penn State hadn't dropped a set all year but Nebraska took the 3rd and 4th set from them and had them down 10-8 in the fifth. Then Penn State rattled off a bunch of points in a row and just like that, Nebraska was toast. As Nebraska was winning its two sets, my wife was jumping around the room, living and dying with every point. At one point she looked over at me and said, "How can you just sit there?"

How can I just sit there? I was practicing.

Huh? What?

Let me explain...I tell my soccer teams that even off the field they should practice handling pressure situations. They should put themselves in a pressure-packed situation on purpose and rehearse being able to deal with the high anxiety of a big event. That is what I was attempting to do. Believe me, my heart was beating fast as Nebraska was coming back, but I was attempting to remain calm and trying to think what I would say to the Nebrasksa team at the next time out. Ya...I know that is kinda out there..but that is what I did.

My Packers Cannot Stop Anyone

In addition to being the coach of the awesomely cool CSM Flames, I also am a fan of the Green Bay Packers professional football team. I had high hopes this year for the Pack because, last year--they were within one game of the Super Bowl. I had hoped this year they would take the next step. Not happening.

With 3 games left in the season, the Packers are 5-8 and probably won't make the playoffs. They still have a slight chance (there is alway hope) but it is not a great chance. What went wrong? Defense, defense, defense. The defensive side of the team cannot stop anybody--a team that is 9-3 or a team that is 5-7. Doesn't matter, the Pack doesn't discriminate against who it can't stop. Injuries have effected their play but that is not the whole story. The coaches say it is a matter of execution. The players are not executing the game plan. What happens? In pressure situations, sometimes players brains don't work as well as they do in practice situations. Two things will help, repetitions during a pressure situation as well as training your mind to deal with pressure. I tell our team that you can do 2 things with pressure, you can feel it or you can apply it. (I got that from Jon Gruden, Tampa Bay Bucs football coach.) I take it a step further and tell the team if you are "feeling" pressure, then you should "apply" pressure to the other team and then you won't feel it so much.

The lack of success the Packers are experiencing just goes to show you how important defense is to a team. When people say that defense wins championships--they know what they are talking about it. I just wish the Green Bay Packers could play defense this year. When I coach, I really try to get the players to make a total commitment to defense. That is one road to success.

End of the Line

One of our mottos for this year was "start fast, finish strong." We gave a good attempt to do that this season and to do the same in every game. Sometimes we did and sometimes we did not. Playing Park at Park for the second time in a week in our conference semi-final did not finish the way we wanted and we fell 1-3. We definately started fast in the second half but we did not finish strong.

Park opened up the scoring in the first half. A ball was sent into the box which we unfortunately headed almost straight up in the air and Park pounced on it. The first half ended with us down 0-1.

Second half we came out strong and were able to tie when Daniela Padilla dribbled half the length of the field and scored, beating 4 players in the process. I distinctly recall telling Daniela at halftime that she could dribble around their whole team if she wanted, and so she did. Park fought back bravely and we were able to make some key blocks and saves. Jackie Swanger got her fingertips to a great shot and knocked the ball wide enough to hit the post and rebound to the feet of Padilla. Daniela cleared it but it was intercepted and put right back into the box to an unmarked Park player who buried it. That goal shattered our hopes and we were unable to reply.

I told the players after the game that it has been such an honor and privilege for me to coach them this year. I know there were some frustrating times but there were also some great moments and I will remember those forever. One of the best things about this team was how well they got along on and off the field. They truly were family. I wish our record would have reflected our effort and our togetherness but it didn't. I thought we were a better team that what was reflected in our final record (7-9-1.) I look forward to next year, though. Our team was very young this season and took some time to figure out how hard and how smart they have to play. Next year--we don't have to go through those kinds of growing pains and there is no doubt we will achieve excellence. The future looks bright--the only one whose eligibility is up is senior player Daniela Padilla.

We will all miss "Dee" for sure. She had a great career at CSM and we wish her nothing but the best as she finishes up her nursing degree.

Watch out for the Flames next year!

CSM Signs Fort Collins, Colorado Soccer Player

I am very pleased to announce the signing of our first recruit for the 2009 soccer season, Raeleigh Withey. Raeleigh is a keeper that has had great success with her club team, ODP team as well as her Rocky Mountain High School soccer team in Colorado. Raeleigh's high school team made it all the way to the 5A state semi-final in May.

Raeleigh had a great visit with us in August. During her visit, she was able to practice with us, making a memorable save where she had to change direction in mid-air. She was even able to play forward on the field for awhile (Raeleigh is very fast!) The rest of her trip she attended a team dinner with us and spent the night in the dorms.

I personally like Raeleigh's commitment to excellence and her outstanding effort and hustle. She will bring a great attitude and work ethic to CSM and will definately contribute to the success of the Flames. Welcome to the Flames Family!

Deja Vu All Over Again

Our next game is against Park at Park's Julien field located at the corner of Highway 9 and East 6th Street in Parkville, Missouri, Saturday, November 1 at high noon. It will be a forshadowing of things to come. And maybe you could say it is a bit eerie (see how I work in the subtle Halloween reference here on Oct. 31st?)

The next weekend (Nov. 7-8) is the MCAC Conference Tournament and we are playing Park in the first round of the tourney at Park. It will be deja vu all over again since we will be playing them two weekends in a row (almost like the movies Halloween I and the sequel, Halloween II.) Deja vu, of course is the feeling that you have been somewhere before (maybe we should call it deja boo? :) The winner of the conference tourney moves on to the National Tournament.

Make no bones about it, playing Park two weekends in a row will be a monster challenge for us. But as I told the players, if we can go up to South Dakota and play a D-I team in winds howling like a werewolf at 50 miles an hour and beat them--we can do anything. Nothing is scary anymore, we have banished all our ghosts back to the shadows of the graveyard. I believe next 2 weekends will be all treats for us and no tricks.

See you there.

Perseverence Paying Off Perfectly

A great weekend for the College of Saint Mary Flames. We defeated conference rival York 2-0 and the University of South Dakota 1-0. The York game was moved to Ralston High School's artificial surface after our game field endured a weeks worth of rain. Versus York, we played a complete game with both goals coming in the second half within minutes of each other. The first goal was created and finished by Daniela "D" Padilla and the second was finished by Melissa King from a cross by Daniela. That was Daniela's last regular season home game for the Flames--she is our lone senior. Molly "Mojo" Jones recorded her first solo collegiate shut out.

On Sunday we drove through gale force winds on the way to Vermillion, South Dakota to play the NCAA division one 'Yotes on their field in front of the Dakota Dome (see pic.) The trainer at USD told me that the winds were howling at 40 miles per hour with gusts up to 50 mph. In the locker room inside the Dakota Dome before the game I addressed their concerns about the wind. I basically said, yes--it is ridiculous that we have to play in these conditions but we don't have any control over the weather. However, we do have control over how we react to the weather. I told them not to freak out about it but play smart and remember there are advantages and disadvantages to having the wind at your back and in your face. They must have really taken it to heart cuz we went out there and won 1-0!

The local paper wrote about the game and even quoted me in the story. We didn't make the silly mistakes that we have made too often this season. We capitalized on our opportunities and remained mentally strong when experiencing adversity. Jessica Alexander had a great goal--she got the ball up into the wind and it was very difficult for the keeper to deal with. That is great for Jessica--she had been shooting some awesome shots in practice and it was good to see her get one on Sunday. Against the wind in the second half, we came out the first 5 minutes and played a little keep away with the 'Yotes in their half. I think they weren't expecting that and they became a bit disheartened. USD was able to get off 23 shots for the game, but nothing that Jackie Swanger and the defense couldn't handle. Jackie recorded her first solo collegiate shut out also.

We beat a good opponent at their place under extreme conditions and we did it not by being lucky, but by playing good, solid soccer. I am very proud. All we need to do is build on it, step by step.

Taking Steps

We made some progress today but didn't do quite enough on a 0-1 loss to cross-town rival the Bellevue University Bruins. Bellevue scored about 20 minutes in after a couple mistakes by the team left the ball sitting in the box and the Bruins were able to get a good shot off and put the ball in the back of the net. We had a bit of a lull the last 10 minutes of the first half and were back on our heals for awhile. We had 3 shots to Bellevue's 10 during the first half.

The second half we came out strong and had much more possession. The team got a definate lift from the sideline's enthusiasm and spirit. We fed off of that for a lot of the second half. We increased our shot total to 11 and let Bellevue have 8.

Our problem was when we got into the offensive third we weren't able to get that final killer pass or cross to get a good opportunity at the goal. We did have a free kick just outside the box but the kick went straight into the wall. Unable to capitalize on our possession, we failed to tie and the game ended 0-1.

We have been doing well in practice and just need to take that energy and enthusiasm, skill and smarts to the game. We played better and at times, out played Bellevue, but didn't quite do enough. I thought our team played very well on the defensive side of the ball for the most part and really didn't give BU any clear cut chances in the second half.

I believe we are a team about to catch fire. We had some sparks today. I saw improvement. We just need to stay positive, persevere and good things will happen. I believe that eventually our team will find its groove and shine. It has been quite a climb to get there, but we are almost there. Count on it.

Perseverence!

Tomorrow we play Bellevue University at 1 PM at our place. It is an important game for us (although they all are important, aren't they?) We have been a team that is inconsistent and that has hurt us at times and other times it hasn't. The only way to approach inconsistency is to keep working hard and persevere. We have had a great week of practice and I am looking forward to the challenge on Saturday.

How will we perform? What is my prediction? I predict that we will step up our performance and have moments of brilliance. I believe we are a team about to catch fire. (Get it--fire! We are the Flames. Fire and Flames, sometimes I just can't help myself.)

One exciting thing that happened recently at practice is I was able to purchase a big yellow wagon to cart our stuff from the Lied Center out the field. We can now pile up the big water jug, the cone bag, the penny bag and the soccer balls right on the wagon and wheel it out to the field. The players were very excited to use the wagon instead of hauling all the heavy stuff on their backs. It is the small things that make us happy.

We are in Pain

Can you give me another AAARRGH! We are trying to find a way to excel for 90 minutes and we are not there yet. Close enough to touch, but not there yet. We are inches away. Case in point: Central Christian College 3, CSM 1. We had 90% possession and 38 shots yet could not finish. We let CCC off the hook early by scoring but being in an offide position. The goal got called back. Moments later, CCC scored against the run of play. We fought back in the second half and got a goal back, but the thing that has been dogging us all season reared its ugly head. What is it you ask? We tend to let down when goals are scored. Happened again. Then we were fighting back and not paying attention, made 2 mistakes in a row and they finished again.

This place we are living in reminds me of that scene in "Any Given Sunday" when Coach Al Pacino give his famous speech. (Watch out, cuss words involved.)

What do we do? There are no instant solutions for sale at Home Depot (I know, I looked.) We just climb back in, inch by inch, step by step, degree by degree until we are there. And we will get there, we will. I believe we will rise again.

All Day Long I Sit by the River, Selling River Water

OK. Here it is. CSM lost to Rogers State University, 1-4. With the score tied 0-0 at halftime, RSU put 4 on us included 2 goals in the 70th minute within seconds of each other and the last goal with 12 seconds to go in the game. We scored off of a phenomenal free kick by Kaela Croushorn.

Our second half performance prompted me to prepare and give a long speech after the team had warmed down and taken off their equipment. A lot of things went through my mind about what to say. We have been talking a lot to the team about their performance and I really didn't know if more talking would have effect. But, I talked anyway. I sat down in the stands of RSU's Soldier field soccer stadium after the game and prepared my speech. I wrote down a lot of ideas. I was hoping to inspire the team to greatness.

My basic message was this team has untapped strength that we need to use. I challenged the players to dig deep and find it in themselves. I even told a story about how my daugher Alex was born.

We have had some moments of brillance this year, without a doubt. Our problem is that we mix in the gruesome with the great. We have peaks, but our valleys are too low and too often. Our team has all the tools they need for success--they almost don't need us coaches. They just have to step forward and take it instead of looking for someone else to sell it to them. Lately, our mentality is getting in the way. As a team, it looks like we are all just waiting for something bad to happen instead of playing to play great. I challenged the team to change the way they think and to begin believing. That is the first step. Time to rise.

Next game at home versus Central Christian College at 3 PM this Wednesday, October 6th.

Pulled Out in the Nick of Time

CSM defeated the Oklahoma Wesleyan Eagles 2-1 on a goal by Melissa King. King scored off of a corner kick by Daniela Padilla with 17 seconds left in a windy game. We started off scoring in the first half with a goal by King but OWU equalized on a midfield shot about 2 minutes after we scored. The first half finished with the scored tied at 1-1.

The second half was dominated by CSM. OWU barely crossed the midfield stripe yet our shots were saved, shot wide or hit the cross bar. However, CSM won a corner with about 35 seconds to go. Daniela hurried up to get the corner off in time--but she paused right before she was about to kick it. A gust of wind came up and Daniela decided to wait until it died down. It was the right decision, because when she hit the ball--it was perfect. A lofted ball drew the keeper to the near post but it was too high for her. The ball bent to mid goal over the keeper and Melissa was there to finish. The OWU keeper had a very nice half, frustrating us by constantly cutting off our dangerous crosses with her long arms and well timed saves. She just came up 17 seconds short to our delight.

After the game-- we dicovered that after our driver returned from getting gas, he decided to back up into some shade and accidentally got the bus stuck. The parking lot was an uneven pasture and the driver high centered it. Deju vu all over again. Remember a couple weeks ago--we got our van stuck on the way to a game? It happened again. 2 pickups tried to pull it out and actually snapped a tow strap. Along came another pickup and all 3 were eventually successful in getting the bus unstuck. The third pickup got there in the nick of time and our final goal also showed up at the right time to pull out a victory in Bartlesville, OK.

Iowa Western Soccer Player Signs with CSM

On Wednesday afternoon, the CSM soccer office was the site of the signing of Courtney Pearcy, a forward and midfielder from Iowa Western Community College. Courtney is a current sophomore at IWCC and she has been an integral part of the phenomenal success of the IWCC soccer program. IWCC made it to the final game of the National Championship tournament for junior colleges in 2006 and 2007(unfortunately they came in second both years.) At nationals this year, Pearcy scored 2 goals to help IWCC make it to the championship game.

I'm very excited have Courtney as part of the team--I think she will make a great contribution to our fantastic tradition of success at CSM. She went to high school at Lewis Central in Council Bluffs with our current keeper Mandy Saar. As a matter of fact, Courtney's boyfriend (Luke) and Mandy's fiance (Billy) are very good friends.

We have a great start to our 2008 recruit class!

Plattsmouth, Nebraska Soccer Player Signs with CSM

Last week KaSie Bergland put pen to paper and signed with the College of Saint Mary soccer team. KaSie plays both midfield and forward and is known for her blazing speed and great attitude. She signed her letter of intent at her high school (Plattsmouth) in front of her college coach (me) and her high school coach (Colleen Ksiazek) as well as her wonderful parents. Isn't it a phenomenal picture? It was taken with my camera so I can take some of the credit.

Here is an exerpt from the Plattsmouth Newspaper about KaSie:

Bergland signs with College of St. Mary soccer program
By Brent HardinThursday, Dec 13, 2007 - 02:59:44 pm CST

PLATTSMOUTH - Spending one day with College of St. Mary soccer players this fall helped KaSie Bergland decide to spend four more years with the team after high school.

The Plattsmouth High School senior signed a letter of intent Wednesday morning to join College of Saint Mary’s soccer program. Bergland practiced with the squad during a campus visit earlier this fall and she said the positive attitude of her future teammates sealed her decision to attend the Omaha school

"When I went up there everyone was really welcoming and I felt really good about it," Bergland said. "It was a pretty easy decision after that.".

KaSie's mom told me at the signing that KaSie decided to come to CSM right after playing with the team. Way to go team! I remember KaSie working really hard that day and having a good time with the CSM players.

I am looking forward to coaching KaSie in the fall!

Recruiting Nebraska Soccer Players: CSM Soccer Coach Attends Great Workshop

Just got back from California where I attended the "Selling for Coaches" recruiting workshop. Dan Tudor, a recruiting "guru" gave us first-rate information that we can use to help us with our recruiting at the College of Saint Mary. Dan is a very knowledgeable individual and I learned a lot. It was very intense and I took a lot of notes. It will take me awhile to digest. I really believe my workshop experience will help us get a terrific 2008 recruiting class.

It was held at a place called "Coconut Joes" which was an island themed party room. One of the more humorous moments of the worshop was when one of the coaches (Lindsay) asked Dan if we could turn on the disco ball. He did. Dan did not disco dance (thank goodness) but we did finish the workshop "under the lights," so to speak.

A very practical piece given to us was a study Dan did called "Inside the Mind of Your College Prospects; a survey that really gets into the mind of what college recruits want and need. Useful, practical, wow. Fantastic job Dan!

See dantudor.com