Where Does All the Time Go?!?

So much to do and so little time!!!! Wow, it crept up on us didn't it people? One minute your enjoying the sweet, worry-less life of summer and the next, well your heart gets ripped out in an agonizing loss...not real pleasant.

It is indeed here, the Roller Coaster Ride a.k.a. "College Soccer Season!" And already, we've been up and down the first few twists and turns (I think I got sick a time or two already from the the twists and turns, I have motion sickness I must admit...no fun it was as a youth, nor as an adult... matter of fact, first time my lovely wife flew on a plane with me she witnessed it first hand... first the sweats start, then he goes quiet - that's when you know it's all over, Doug goes quiet...).

Valuable lessons learned already in the first couple of weeks. College athletics are funny this way, and more so, this game (soccer) can be so frustrating. Play good enough and lose, play well and tie, play really well and still lose. It is a game so much about opportunity and what you do with it in those moments - just like life! Soccer mimics the rhythms of life, sometimes you are up even though you shouldn't be and sometimes you are down, even though you shouldn't be...

I have been impressed through the first month with our ability to keep possession of the ball. The simplicity of passes we choose and the orchestration of movement off the ball at times are simply put, lovely...ballet like if I might add. But as I told our guys, the game is still about scoring - always will be. So 278 successful passes in the first half against Sacred Heart, 150+ of them in their half and down 1-0 at the half!!! Umm, now you know why I have a receding hair line...(used to be a forehead, now it is looking more like a five!!!).

Forward play and possession are fantastic, but you must get shots on frame to score (I have seen some poor officiating in my life, but I am yet to see an official call a goal on a ball that went wide of frame...that being said, I wouldn't be surprised it one did call it - I'm still bitter about the yellow card I drew on Sunday against Stonybrook...my first yellow card as a college coach! Hard to believe I am sure for most, seeing as how I drew a few of those in my day as a player...but honestly, first card as a coach...not saying I haven't deserved one or two to this point, but nonetheless I've been card-less, until Sunday that is...as long as we throw out the one red card I received as a youth coach in North Carolina while I was coaching none other than Junior centerback for the Dragons, Robert Liberatore, on his U-15 club team - I got sent off while we were up 4-0 late in the second half because I told the ref he was a clown, I mean come on the big red shoes and nose were a dead give-a-way...Rob will at least attest to that - upon which he showed me red because "he took offense to that comment.")

Early on I enlightened the guys to an unfamiliar stat - most games that are won (not tied), are won by teams that score first. Funny thing is that most think it is roughly 70%. Well in my time at Drexel, 85.7% is the number....staggering! Currently this year, the stat is ringing true (FDU wins on 1st goal scored, Seton Hall scores first gets draw - that's a half when figuring, Sacred Heard, and win v. Stony Brook all true!)...the team that scores first this season has won 87.5% of the time!

You either embrace the stats or you attempt to smash them. That's where we are at...an earlier kick-off this evening is planned up in the Lehigh Valley as there is some weather to tend to. Looks like a 6 pm start at Lehigh...as it is an early start, we too hope for an early goal for the Dragons and the stats hold true (if not, somethings getting smashed!!!)!

Hope to see you at the game, if not you can watch it on their website tonight for free Lehigh vs. Drexel

Have a great day!

Regards,
Doug