I know we have one more district game on the schedule (vs Tates Creek), but with the postseason seeds just about set, I would like to share my thoughts on the past 3 game stretch. The boys have really come together since Bowling Green and both Coach Robinson and I have noticed a much tighter knit group since the Labor Day trip. I don't think it is any coincidence that we have seen our best soccer since then. The boys have been on quite a roll since returning to Lexington area opponents and more than anything we are seeing them play for each other. That is the main identity that defines a true team, playing for your teammate more than playing for youself. #weoverme We believe (as do the boys) that our performances over the past few weeks have been a direct reflection of the team bonding from Bowling Green. Of course we haven't been without struggles, but we are seeing the boys fight through those struggles together with great team effort. The vibe around the group has been great and I give major credit to all of our boys for buying in, and especially to our various forms of leadership who have brought everyone together.

I know most will point to the Lexington Catholic and Dunbar games as two shining performances. I would agree, especially with the Lexington Catholic game. I think we saw just about the best version of this team in that game. It was an amazing performance and one of my favorite games I have been a part of during my entire coaching career. The effort, focus, and commitment across the board was awesome. And we had some fantastic goals as well! The Dunbar game went just about like I expected as I thought it would be very even with a bit of contrasting playing styles. I figured one goal would probably decide the game. It was a very important result and I was really proud of the commitment the boys showed to each other in that game. Every player was completely bought in and totally committed to the game plan and their teammates. While these two games were great, and extremely important in regards to district seeding, I don't want to overlook the performance against Bryan Station. Station has gone on a nice run since we played them with 5 straight wins and sit atop their district. I was worried about that game due to the history with Bryan Station and coming off a draining weekend with 4 really tough games at the Purples Classic. I think that was the first big step in taking another leap forward as a team as the boys really showed up for that game with a determined focus. We haven't really looked back since!

With the LCA win (which was a big struggle!) and Dunbar's defeat of Tates Creek we wrapped up the #1 seed in the district for the postseason. That means we will play the winner of LCA/Tates Creek in district semifinals. Tonight we celebrate our awesome class of 11 seniors, and then we have 3 games to get us ready for the postseason. We still have plenty of progress we can make from being more efficient in front of goal and out wide, to a more consistent effort in our defensive team shape, to playing a highly disciplined game at a more consistent level. I feel like many of the boys have settled into roles they understand and now it is a matter of fine tuning those roles and doing things at a high level on a very consistent basis. The LCA game showed us that we can still resort to bad habits and we aren't where we want to be just yet, but we know we can get there!