With our first preseason scrimmage right around the corner I'd like to share some thoughts and observations about all 3 teams, including initial thoughts after Bluegrass State Games.
JV RED
Matt has been very positive about the work that the JV Red boys are putting into training. Of course with this group there will be ups and downs as there are every year. Many of the boys are learning how to train at a more competitive level, and typically this group is very young, so patience is imperative. But Matt has really been impressed with their improvement over the past 2 weeks. When I watched them in BGSG, I saw a group that needed a lot of teaching, but also one that had the potential to get much better very quickly. We have a lot of players who are new to competitive soccer and it was obvious there was a bit of confusion during the first weekend of games. That's normal, and somewhat expected, and I know the boys will just continue to get better throughout the season. During my time around them at training, I see a hard working group who wants to improve. I am excited about the growth that team will make this season!
JV NAVY
The JV Navy boys had a very comfortable weekend at BGSG as they were not challenged much during their 3 games, even with being shorthanded. It is a group filled with talent, great attitudes, and a hard working spirit. I look forward to this group getting challenged a bit more in upcoming games to see how they handle pressure and adversity. At times during BGSG they overwhelmed their opponents with a sheer physical advantage. Brian and Adam put some restrictions on them in the second half of the St. Henry game and it was interesting to see some struggles. That was a great coaching lesson as the boys will not always be able to succeed with the route 1 approach. As competition stiffens, the boys will need to discover other solutions through ball movement and playing out of pressure. I know Brian and Adam have already seen improvement with many of the boys and we are excited about what they will accomplish this fall.
VARSITY
It was an interesting weekend in BGSG for the varsity group. We were a little shorthanded in some defensive positions so we had to shuffle guys around all weekend. We played two tough opponents the first two games in Henderson County (always a favorite out of Western KY) and Ballard (typically one of the top teams in Louisville). I was just happy to find a third game after our scheduled opponent (Elizabethtown) decided to leave very early in the weather delay. Graves County was gracious enough to separate from their "B Division" game against Thomas Nelson so both us and Dunbar could get a third game in.
While we possessed pretty well all weekend long, obviously there was a struggle to put the ball in the goal as we had 0 goals for on the weekend. We created good (some very good) chances in all three games and that is always the first step, but I thought we made things too complicated in front of goal and in the attacking third. Cleaning up some of our offensive decision making was a point of emphasis going into training last week, and will continue to be as we go forward. However, in most all other areas the coaching staff came away pretty pleased overall, especially with such limited training.
This team is pretty new all over the field, with limited returning experience, so just about every role is up for grabs. There are still a lot of questions to be answered and it will definitely be a fun challenge to figure out how the pieces best fit together. We are really focusing on developing some chemistry within the group as we have a lot of players new to the varsity experience so team chemistry may be a little less natural than in years past. I like our potential to both defend and keep the ball at a high level, but we will really need a few guys to embrace a goal scoring role. We have a lot of work to do, but the boys have been hungry to improve. Except for one day this week, they have been bringing good attitudes and energy to training. We still need to get the whole group on the same page when it comes to training habits and standards, especially mental focus. We have seen that be inconsistent with a handful of the guys, and it becomes obvious in performances. Diego and I have been preaching making simple decisions all week as when we keep it simple, we do very good stuff, but when we complicate things, that gets us in trouble. We have stressed patience with this group since day 1 as it may take us some time to figure out the best version of ourselves, but the boys are fun to coach and I know they will do whatever they can to get there. Looking around the high school landscape there are a lot of "new teams" so I am excited about the opportunity we have this season. I am confident that in the end we will be right in the thick of things!
It's been a very positive preseason so far. The boys are working hard and the coaching staff has enjoyed their progress. All three teams will need some time to get where we hope we can get to, but it will be a fun process to get there. We are looking forward to our scrimmages next week and another fun season!
