A number of things...

...on the eve of Districts:

1.) I forgot to remind you guys today at practice, but we still have our last team dinner this Sunday, Oct. 15 at 6 PM (at the Immink's...check your map). Hope you can make it. Remember your food responsibilities if you come!

2.) We will meet in my room on Monday at 4 PM for a brief team meeting and PROVIDED food/beverages before boarding the bus at 445 for Zeeland East. Come to my room dressed and ready to go.

3.) We'll "dress up" in school and wear BLACK t-shirts for warm-ups. Gold looks too much like East, right?!

4.) Be ready to discuss the seniors, as well how each and every one of us is going to contribute to a winning effort this coming week in my room on Monday.

5.) Our overall 4th place finish in the league after our 4-2 loss to Wyo. Park in the 3rd place game is still something to be proud of, boys. We are 9-9-1 overall currently...on the cusp of double-digit wins.

6.) HEAL/TAKE IT EASY this weekend, everyone! We need everybody next week!

7.) Let's simply get it done on Monday. It's time to rise up and meet a tall challenge, like we did the LAST time we played East!

Unity loss...and what's next

Guys, a 5-0 loss is never something to celebrate...not at this stage of our soccer program's growth and progress. With that said, in retrospect, I did see some good things last night in the game. For example, I didn't see anyone backing down or looking intimidated by the #1 team in the state, and I thought battles were fought all over the field. THOSE are things to celebrate. That said, we've GOT to play FASTER, we've GOT to play even HARDER FROM THE OUTSET, and we've GOT to be playing our BEST at this late point of the season. After all, it's MONEY TIME for ALL TEAMS!

Is this team "PERFORMING" or "STORMING" right now? Let's go.

Updates:

**We play AT Wyo. Park tomorrow (wed.) at 5 PM (JV) and 645 (Varsity) in the tournament 3rd place match.

**It's the last game of the season for the JV team...be ready to support them and cheer them on!

**The bus leaves at 330.

**There is NO TEAM MEETING in my room beforehand (we'll talk and eat snacks on the bus).

**We'll be wearing black shirts again.

**The weather is calling for rain and low 60's/high 50's...come prepared.

Monday Changes

On Monday at Unity, our JV game will be played at 530 with the Varsity to follow.

The bus will now leave at 415 PM that day, and the Varsity team will meet in my room at 345 PM.

1-0 Double OT win vs. Rogers

Guys, way to stick it out last night vs. Rogers. It was kind of a "blah" game for both teams, but it's great to see us continue to confidently press in the latter stages of games with COMPOSURE. Always remember what "winning plays" consist of...hustle, effort, scrapiness...THAT'S what ultimately got us the win. Job well done.

Now, it's time again for a tough Unity squad on Monday. We need to go into this game with the "nothing to lose" mentality. In other words, RELAX...but PLAY HARD at the same time, if that makes sense. The pressure is NOT on us...have fun with it!

Updates for the Unity game:

**Game times on Monday = 530 PM (JV) and 715 (Varsity)

**Game is AT Unity.

**The bus leaves at 415 that day.

**We will meet in my room at 345 that day for drinks/beverages/talk.

**We'll wear black jerseys/warm-ups to school that day.

District Game (first round)

Our first round district game will be at Zeeland vs. Zeeland East on Monday, Oct. 18 (6 P.M.). A win will match us up with the winner of Byron Center and Middleville to be played at Unity's field on Wednesday (5 P.M....semifinal). The district championship will be played on Friday (7 P.M.) at Unity's field as well.

More details to come...

0-0 Wayland tie

Guys, we've GOT to do something about our slow starts to games...especially with important, tougher conference and district games coming up in the near future. Thoughts?

That said, the second half today was much better than the first...more building...more varied chances...smarter, harder play...etc. Let's capture that type of play for the full 80 minutes!

Rogers is next....REMATCH. Be ready.

Next Week...

Here's the lineup for next week, guys:

**Monday: Home game vs. Wayland...Parent Night (we'll line up at the BEGINNING of our 20 minute game field warm-up with parents to be announced and have pictures taken)...dress up for school...black shirts for warm-ups. WE'LL MEET IN MY ROOM AT 315 PM FOR SNACKS, BEVERAGES, AND A TALK.

**Tuesday: practice from 3-515 PM...gold shirts

**Wednesday: Game AT Rogers (first round of conference tournament)...VARSITY WILL PLAY FIRST AT 4 PM...bus leaves right after school. If we win, we'll most likely play AT Unity on Monday in the second round. If we lose, we'll play at home that day most likely vs. Byron Center.

**Thursday: practice from 3-515 PM

**Friday: NO PRACTICE...Homecoming Parade.

It's another big week, guys, and we don't have too many of them left! Let's keep playing hard...

Proud...

...is what we should be for our overall effort tonight vs. H.C., fellas. Again, I despise "moral victories"...to me, a win is a win and a loss is a loss...and I personally LOVE to win. But THIS occasion, i'll allow for one, because as I mentioned after the game, tonight was probably the best effort of the season all around. And perhaps Coach Ayres was right in saying it was the best we've seen at Hamilton in a long time...possibly ever.

The 3-0 final score certainly wasn't indicative of the competitiveness of the game. I think we'd all agree on that.

Positives to take away from tonight's game and to carry into the near future:

1.) TEAM play
2.) PHYSICAL/FEARLESS play
3.) FAST play
4.) SMART play
5.) VARIED play

Way to go, guys. Now, let's actually WIN one of these! :)

Tough OT loss to Rogers...

Gentlemen, there should be absolutely NO shame in your overall effort today. The first half was its oen sub-par entity, but the second half and OT were MUCH better. And again to the shooters and goalie in the shootout, my hat's off to you for taking on the pressure AND DOING YOUR VERY BEST!! We all support you fully.

Now it's a HUGE game at H.C. on Wednesday...a gigantic challenge...but one that we CAN HANDLE. It's up to all of us collectively how we proceed from here.

Let's get back to work, guys, and keep pushing!

Next Week...

What an important week we've got coming up, gentlemen. Let's make something POSITIVE happen and truly PERFORM--each and every one of us!!

Reminders/Updates:

**Monday: game vs. Wyoming Rogers...we'll wear anything Hamilton soccer-related for school, wear gold shirts for warm-ups, and meet in my room at 3:15 for snacks/drinks/talk...A.K. and Zach, be ready as ball boys that day.

**Tuesday: practice from 3-515 PM...team dinner at Connor's at 6:30 PM...see handout for details.

**Wednesday: game at Holland Christian...bus leaves at 4 PM.

**Thursday/Friday: practice from 3-515 PM.

NOTE: PARENT NIGHT IS ON MONDAY, OCT. 4 FOR OUR GAME AT HOME VS. WAYLAND AT 5:30-ISH PM. I HOPE ALL PARENTS CAN MAKE IT!

Rest up and get re-focused this weekend, guys, and let's prepare for success!

2-1 Wyo. Park Loss...

Overall, guys, it just wasn't a good effort last night in a crucial conference game. Increased expectations HAVE to lead to increased focus, intensity, and performance. We simply cannot just "stay the same" as players and as a team. But, hey, there's a lot of season left to be played, and it's best we keep a healthy perspective on this.

We NEED to get back into gear, and it starts with IMPROVEMENT in PRACTICE. Let's get going, everyone!

PS. Our first "grade check" will happen either today or tomorrow. Make sure your classes are your FIRST priority, everyone.

Updates/Reminders...

...for tomorrow's game vs. Wyo. Park:

**We'll wear white jerseys in school.

**We'll meet in my room at 315 PM for snacks/beverages/talk...spread the word since it was not mentioned at the end of practice today.

**Connor and Schreur, be ready for ball boy duty.

**I'm looking for a volunteer to videotape the first half the JV game PLEASE! Let me know.

Let's take care of business (again) tomorrow vs. a dangerous Park team!

3-2 Byron Center WIN

Guys, way to step up today (especially in the second half) to win a game in a semi-adverse situation...job well done. We certainly "took care of business", although it certainly wasn't always pretty.

Either way, you all deserve a CONGRATS for already meeting an important team goal with many games still remaining!

Let's keep this thing going...

Next Week...

Gentlemen, next week is KEY in terms of "handling business" and making sure we are IMPROVING every single day. Let's keep this positive roll going!

Reminders/Updates:

1.) We will dress up for school on Monday.

2.) The bus leaves directly after school for Byron Center on Monday...hustle to get on!

3.) We'll wear black warm-up shirts and full warm-ups if necessary.

4.) Tuesday/Thursday/Friday = practice from 3-515 PM

5.) Wednesday is a home game vs. Wyo. Park...ball boys (Connor,Schreur), be ready!

Have a good weekend, everyone! Take care of yourselves...mentally and physically. And by the way, if you haven't noticed, we have the chance on Monday to meet one of our team goals...let's do it!

Zeeland East thoughts...

Gentlemen, what a great job by EVERYONE tonight. And I mean EVERYONE. I know not everyone actually played game minutes, but tonight was a total team effort. In other words, players on the field played their hearts out, and the guys on the bench "supported their hearts out", if that makes sense. I loved the focus all-around. It was just a great sight to witness: a quality soccer game that was won by the better, more deserving team on the night. If we all don't gain a huge handful of confidence from this one, I don't know what will...

Way to go, everybody!

Now, it's time to keep the foot on the pedal...especially now that the conference schedule gets just a bit lighter in the near future (Byron Center and Wyo Park next week). Let's take care of business, fellas. We will NOT settle for mediocrity!

Oh, and by the way...we just matched our overall win total from last season...nice!

Tomorrow:

**we wear black

**practice is from 3-515 on the upper field.

**get to the trainer quickly if you need it!

**practice the next two days needs to be AT GAME PACE and with 100% effort...let's keep pushing to get better every day!

Reminders...

...for tomorrow (Wednesday):

1.) Varsity wears anything Hamilton soccer-related to school...JV = dress up.

2.) Varsity will meet in my room at 330 PM tomorrow for snacks, beverages, and a brief team meeting.

3.) The bus leaves the school at 4 PM...be on time!

4.) JV starts its game at 5 PM and Varsity is slated to follow at 645 PM.

5.) There is a chance of rain/thunderstorms tomorrow evening..."be prepared for rain!"

Let's bounce back tomorrow, everyone, in another important conference game!

UNITY aftermath...

Guys, it's best we let this one go as soon as possible. I honestly thought that overall, the effort was there, but we were simply overwhelmed by the skill and pace of play. Let this be a lesson that we need to a.) play with much more pace IN PRACTICE in order to get better as a team and play with the "faster" teams and b.) take it to every team PHYSICALLY.

We'll see you out for practice tomorrow on the practice field with black t-shirts.

Hudsonville recap and more...

Guys, our game the other night was a good effort, but we didn't seem to be on the same page and lacked a bit of that "gusto" that we had the night before in the win over ZW. We've GOT to recapture that spark for our two important conference games vs. Unity and ZE. Keep in mind our TEAM GOALS and WHAT WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE STANDING FOR AS A TEAM!!

That brings us to our THEME for the upcoming week: TOUGHNESS...and in this case, PHYSICAL TOUGHNESS. I meant what I said yesterday at the end of practice in our talk: the only way we have a chance to knock off Unity (and ZE for that matter) is if we OUT-TOUGH the opponent. In other words, we simply cannot back down to any given "fight" in the course of play....50/50's, sacrificing our bodies, whatever. We've got to be scrappy and simply out-will the opponent to have a chance. And again, that's the thing: THERE'S ALWAYS A CHANCE IN THE GAME OF SOCCER!! BELIEVE! ALL OF US!!

Reminders/Changes for next week:

**School wear on Monday...JV= gold jerseys (remember to wear your WHITE socks for the game) and Varsity = white jerseys.

**Meeting times on Monday...JV= dressed and ready to warm up by 3 PM on the game field (wear gold t-shirts for warm-ups) and VARSITY = MEET IN MY ROOM DIRECTLY AFTER SCHOOL (NO NEED TO BE DRESSED FOR THE GAME) FOR A BRIEF MEETING AND SNACK. We'll wear gold t-shirts for warm-ups as well.

**Tuesday = practice from 3-515 PM. We all wear black.

**Wednesday = game at Zeeland East...bus time TBD.

**Thursday/Friday = practice from 3-515 PM

Let me know if you have any questions, comments, and/or concerns! Have a good, restful weekend, guys. Get ready for a great day on Monday!

PS. I sent a few emails out already this weekend, guys, so check your accounts if you have one just in case. Check on Sunday as well.

Big 4-0 ZW win...

Guys, GREAT job tonight. I was proud of the WHOLE SOCCER PROGRAM really. Everyone, of all ages, put up a true Hawkeye effort, and it was fun to watch.

Conference play is so important and to get off to a 1-0 start is a very encouraging sign. That said, Hudsonville will be a quality opponent tomorrow, so let's remember what got us to success tonight: possession, 50/50's, positioning, and finishing ability!

Way to go, gentlemen...enjoy it tonight and be ready tomorrow.

Reminders:

**The bus leaves at 330 PM tomorrow.

**We'll wear black jerseys to school.

**Wear gold practice shirts to the game just in case it's warm enough.

Updates/Change

**Varsity players will meet tomorrow (Wednesday) in the HS cafeteria after school for the pre-game snacks and beverages. Be sure to clean up after yourselves, guys! And, of course, be respectful and represent the program well.

**JV players, be dressed and ready to go for warm-ups tomorrow (Wednesday) on the game field at 3 PM sharp.

**Ball boys for tomorrow (A.I., Smitty, Luke, and Trevor), be ready!

**Our bus leaves at 330 PM on Thursday for the game at Hudsonville.