Monday:

Gentlemen, a few items:

*We will be a bit short-handed up front for the game (and most likely beyond) what with Pando's dislocated shoulder in the football game last night. It's time for some guys to step in and step up (including the new guys). Turn a new leaf!

*We will "dress up" in school.

*We will meet in my room at 3:30 P.M. for a quick snack and meeting.

*Ball boys for the J.V. game are A.K., Julio, and Polet.

*Check the weather tomorrow, but right now it's calling for chance of rain and low 50's...dress accordingly.

*Yet again, it's a NEW BEGINNING on Monday and a chance to prove that our previous B.C. win was no fluke!

*Have a good weekend and enjoy what little sun we have!

2nd round Conference Game:

Monday, Oct. 12...#6 seed Hamilton vs. #7 seed Byron Center...at Hamilton...JV at 4 P.M./Varsity at 5:30-ish.

Zeeland East thoughts...

Guys, yet again, it was another hard-fought effort on your part. That characteristic has never been doubted in your play. Now, what continues to bite us is our inability to make plays in clutch situations...on offense, on defense, and in the net. We need to change that quickly...a new beginning once again...before this season ends! No regrets, guys.

It's time for a Byron Center rematch!

This Wednesday vs. Z.E.

The game is at Zeeland East...J.V. will start at 5:00 P.M....varsity follows at 6:45 P.M....bus will leave at 3:45 P.M....stay tuned for food details for that game.

Go State!

Go State!

Theme and Quotation of the upcoming week:

Guys, tomorrow (Monday) truly marks a NEW BEGINNING for us as a team; that is, 'tis the (post) season! It's time to forget about all of the mistakes--physical and mental--of the recent and more distant past, re-energize ourselves, and look ahead at the great potential for team and individual success. As far as we should be concerned, our team record right now is 0-0...clean slate. Now, let's do our best (in practice, warm-ups, and games) to re-invent ourselves in a way and truly make every effort to play to our potential!

In honor of this theme ("new beginning"), here is a quotation from then-prominent author Anais Nin that you should respond to with thoughtful words by this Wednesday at 7:30 A.M.

"Life is a process of becoming, a combination of states we have to go through. Where people fail is that they wish to elect a state and remain in it. This is a kind of death."

Wayland

Gentlemen, we all need to take a bit of the blame for yesterday's defeat--offense, defense, and coaches. It simply wasn't a good enough effort to win, especially in the mental department. We need to eliminate the sloppiness out of the back and start finishing more of our chances.

Let's put this behind us, and look ahead positively to our "new" season...time for post-season success!

"Soccer Cleats" WINNER

Congrats to Hunter Townsend for being the most CLUTCH PERFORMER in matches this week. It's certainly a well-deserved honor.

Now, we need every single player on the team to step up in his own way (i.e. remember the soccer guides from our team meeting the other day!) for our remaining regular season game vs. Wayland on Saturday and then into our post-season matches.

Team Dinner...

...and the Swartz's on Tuesday, Oct. 6 at 7 P.M.:

Sophomores: beverages
Juniors: bread, fruit, veggies
Seniors (plus Cam and Zach): main course

Districts

This just in:

1st round of Districts: Home on Tuesday, Oct. 20 vs. Zeeland West at 5 P.M.

The winner moves on to play the winner of the Byron Center vs. Zeeland East match in the lower half of the bracket. The other side of the bracket includes Middleville vs. Wayland and Holland Christian vs. Unity Christian.

More details to come....

Rogers

Gentlemen, it certainly was a tale of two halves today vs. Rogers. The first half was forgettable in every sense of the word. The second half? An inspiring, character-driven, gritty effort....but we need that from the start every time!

Regardless, way to bounce back from a dose of adversity, guys, and end the conference regular season on a high note.

Time for Wayland!

TIME CHANGE FOR SATURDAY:

Each game (JV and Varsity) has been moved up an hour for Saturday's game at Wayland. The bus now leaves promptly at 7:45 A.M. that morning. Be on time!

Team meeting tomorrow:

Be there by 3:00 P.M. and PLEASE BRING YOUR SOCCER GUIDE FROM EARLIER IN THE SEASON.

Wyoming Park

Gentlemen, let's be honest and admit that it was a sloppy (and not just because of the rain and wind) effort all around tonight in an important, performance-necessary game. Simply put, it's GOT to be better...and the good thing is, we have two quick chances to do just that on Wed. and Sat.

Let's get back to work!

Weather Forecast

The weather for Monday calls for rain, wind, and mid-50's temperatures. Dress accordingly for the game!

Theme and Quotation of the upcoming week:

This week (Sept. 28-Oct. 3) is a HUGE ONE, guys: our last two regular season conference games and a big Saturday non-conference game vs. a team that ended our season this past year in Districts. Simply put, each and every one of us needs to STEP UP to the plate and help us continue this positive momentum that we have going at this point of the season.

Therefore, the theme for this week is PERFORMANCE. In other words, there are no more excuses at this point of the season, and we all simply have to suck it up and PERFORM IN THE CLUTCH. Recall the 4 stages of the team process: forming, storming, norming, and performing. At this point of the season, we need to be (and i'd argue we have been lately) in the final stage; that is, it's time to PERFORM WHEN IT COUNTS THE MOST! The question remains: who will step up in crunch time? Ok, enough sports cliches...

Here is a quotation I want you to respond to by Wednesday morning regarding PERFORMANCE. It's a German Proverb (wise words)...oh, those Germans are so smart, aren't they Frau Stieper? Here goes:

"To aim is not enough; you must hit!"

New Photo

Check out the recently added official TEAM PHOTO from the beginning of the season by clicking the link below and to the left. Some interesting faces in there....

"Soccer Cleats" WINNER

Congratulations to GK Josh Brigham for being voted by his teammates as the player who has recently exhibited the most PHYSICAL TOUGHNESS and FEARLESSNESS on the playing field.

We ALL made strides in that department this past week, fellas, and that's what led to team success!

Bus times for next week:

**Monday, Sept. 28 (at Wyo. Park): 3:45 P.M.

**Wednesday, Sept. 30 (at Wyo. Rogers): 4:15 P.M. (no J.V.)

**Saturday, Oct. 3 (at Wayland): 8:45 A.M. (as of now)...AND NO RETURN BUS.

Please remember away game food items! Check the list...and don't be confused by the "Rogers" repeat on the list that was given to you. The second "Rogers" should read "Wayland".

Byron Center aftermath:

Gentlemen, a JOB WELL DONE is in order for tonight's win. I thought we really gutted out a great effort tonight, even with the sloppy play at times. You and I both know though that soccer is often won in the trenches; that is, scrappy, tough play minus the pure skill can often win games. That's what we got a lot of today, and it led to success.

It feels good to win! Enjoy this and let's move on to bigger and better things coming up shortly!