5-0 Loss to Unity

Boys,

Time to get tougher....mostly physically...against every and all of our remaining opponents. I thought today we were mostly pups as opposed to sharks when it came to physical battles...especially on dead balls/set plays. We will get better with this! It's the difference between winning and losing in a lot of cases. Concerted effort on all our parts from here on out!

See you tomorrow for another chance to get better in practice. Wear black.

Take care!

1-0 OT Loss to Z.West

Gents,

Hang in there. All in the learning process, right? Next time (IF there is a next time), we stay composed in OT, continue to play our possession game, bury chances on net, and go home happy(ier).

See you tomorrow for 3-5 practice and the team dinner to follow at the Robinson household (52 W. 18th st. in Holland)! 

Take care and keep collective heads up.

Upcoming Week

Hi, boys soccer fam!

Hope all is well and that this very autumn-like weekend is treating you well. Go Green tonight...(MSU "green", that is)! :)

Please see below for the lineup for our first conference week of the season...an important one:

**Monday: home game vs. Z.West (minus Caden due to band performance...good luck, Caden!)...WEAR WHITE JERSEYS TO SCHOOL...meet in my classroom by 3 PM...Christian = meal/vid...SETH/DYLAN = BALL BOYS...gray practice t's for warm-ups.
**Tuesday: 3-5 PM practice...wear black...TEAM DINNER @ ROBINSON'S (530-645 PM).
**Wednesday: home game vs. Unity Christian...Ray = meal/vid...Jared/Ross = ball boys...meet in my room by 3 PM...what to wear in school = TBD...gray practice t's for the game.
**Thursday: 3-5 PM practice...wear black.
**Friday: 3-430 PM practice (with 7th/8th grade teams)...wear gray.

Note: Congratulations to Andrew Caswell for having been voted by his peers this past Friday as an alternate team captain for the coming week. He joins Ryan VanOss as the other alternate. Well done!!

Stay tuned for a separate email re: scouting report for Z.West (repeat of practice on Friday)! Boys, please remember the post-practice talk about Monday games and being mature/on point during the weekend in those cases.

Take care, all!

3-0 Win vs. Fennville

Boys,

Well done today in taking care of business vs. visiting regional rival Fennville. Loved that multiple players got in on the offensive action. Loved that the defense (with GK) cleaned house with a shutout. Loved that we continue our daily progress to bigger and better things.

And we keep moving forward! And forward! And forward!

See you tomorrow for 3 to 430 practice. Wear black. Take care!

5-0 Win at Hopkins

Gents,

As I mentioned after the game today, I'm impressed with your mental toughness in dealing with the first day of school (and all the stress that comes with that) and the weather issues while taking care of business vs. Hopkins.

I really thought that offensively, we looked like a cohesive unit overall today. And to come out defensively with a shutout--playing mostly safe and smart out of the back--is always a good thing.

Nice job...and let's keep building!

See you tomorrow for an important pre-game practice...wear black. :)

Upcoming Week

Happy holiday weekend, all! Hope it's an all-around great one for you and yours.

Please see below regarding the upcoming weekly schedule..."Back to School Week!"

**Monday (Labor Day): required practice 5-6:45 PM...wear black.
**Tuesday (first day of school!): varsity-only game @ Hopkins (4:30 PM)...meet in my room by 2:45 for team meal/meeting...bus leaves at 3:15...Riley = food/beverage...wear gray practice t's. What to wear in school = TBD.
**Wednesday: practice 3-5 PM...wear black.
**Thursday: home game vs. Fennville...meet in my room by 3 PM...Jack/Logan H. = ball boys...Dylan = food/beverage/vid....wear gray. What to wear in school = TBD.
**Friday: practice 3-5 PM...wear black

**Looking ahead to NEXT Tuesday: Varsity team dinner hosted by the Robinsons at 5:30 P.M. after practice that day! Just bring your hungry, thirsty selves, and we've got the rest!

Note: Congrats to Seth Hukill for having been voted by his peers this past Friday as "mentally tough". He will be our alternate captain this week. Well deserved!

That's it for now, guys! Please keep in mind: starting on Tuesday, you are true STUDENT-athletes. Take care of the classroom from the outset as that is always your first priority!

4-2 Loss at Wayland

Gents,

As always, keep your collective heads up! This is all a learning process, and trust that we ARE getting better...despite what the scoreboard says at times.

As mentioned after the game: training/practice is EQUALLY important to actual games/matches, so get ready to get better tomorrow in 10-noon practice (wear gray) and get as HEALTHY as possible! We need all hands on deck!

See ya'll soon. Alicia available from 7:30 to 11:30 tomorrow AM!

5-3 Loss vs. Hudsonville

Proud of you, boys!!

But please keep in mind what I mentioned after the game: I fully plan on being MORE proud of you for future results this season, and "moral victories" are NOT in our vocabulary.  But all things considering today, it was a quality result against a quality opponent.

And, of course, we CAN and WILL get better!

See you all tomorrow for 3 to 5 PM practice. Wear gray. Take care!

Upcoming Week

Greetings, everyone! Hope you've been able to enjoy the weekend thus far despite the clouds and rain!!

Please see below regarding our full week's schedule coming up here:

**Monday: practice 10-12...wear gray...online apparel orders DUE by midnight.
**Tuesday: home game vs. Hudsonville (545 PM)...meet in my room by 315 PM...wear black practice t's...Seth/Caden = ball boys...Brady = food/vid.
**Wednesday: practice 3-5 PM (due to teacher in-service meetings all day)...wear gray.
**Thursday: game at Wayland (445 PM)...wear black...bus leaves at 115 PM...meet on the bus by then...Henry = food (on the bus upon arrival to Wayland)/vid...all players required to ride the bus home.
**Friday: practice 10-12...watch MSU beat WMU in football later in the evening. Go Green! :)

Note: In addition to Jack Gilbert being honored as the team's first alternate captain this past week (communication skills), congrats also to Ryan VanOss and Mikah Sengmany being chosen by their peers this past Friday as current alternate captains for consistently displaying physical toughness. Nice job, all around, gentlemen!

That's it for now, all. Have a great, therapeutic remainder of the weekend!

8-0 Win at Saugatuck

Overall, well done today, boys, in taking care of business vs. a lesser opponent (at least in terms of soccer technique/ability). That's a team we SHOULD have taken care of, and after a lull to start the game, we certainly DID in the end. Should be a bit of a confidence booster, yes?!

See you all tomorrow for 9-noon practice. Meet outside and wear gray!

5-1 Loss to Allegan

Hey, guys!

Please keep your collective heads up as we proceed through this early, learning-oriented portion of the season. We ran into a pretty good team today while we're still putting together some positive pieces. We are not a polished product yet but continuing down that path!

Keep the faith.

See you tomorrow for immediate redemption vs. Saugatuck--our first away game of the season.

Take care!

Upcoming Week

Hi, all!

Please see below regarding this upcoming week's lineup-- week #2 of the season:

**Monday: practice 9-noon...meet in my room by 9 AM...wear black.
**Tuesday: home game vs. Allegan...meet in my room by 3:15 PM...wear gray. Riley/Mikah = ball boys...Jared = food/vid.
**Wednesday: game @ Saugatuck (1 PM...no JV)...meet in my room at 11:15 AM...Bryce = food...bus leaves at noon...wear black...must ride the bus home for all away games!
**Thursday: practice 9-noon...wear gray
**Friday: practice 9-noon...wear black

Note: check out hudl game footage when you can...study up on teammate info...review team goals!

Let's keep up this positive start, gentlemen! Looking forward to seeing you all again tomorrow AM.

2-2 Tie vs. Black River

Hey, all!

Positive first effort today vs. Black River in our first contest of the season. Keep your collective heads up! Obviously, a win is better than a tie, but we had a lot of good things happening today on the field. And we keep building!

Check out "game recaps" below and to the left for game highlights/specifics if you so choose.

Stay tuned later this weekend for next week's lineup.

Looking forward to seeing you all again!

Welcome to Hamilton Varsity Boys Soccer!

Greetings, all!

Can't wait to get started now that we're officially a "team" for the 2015 season!

See below for the first official week of the season:

**Monday, Aug. 17: training/meetings from 9-noon (meet on the field at 9)…concussion testing from noon to 1-ish inside the HS. Parent meeting at 6 PM in my classroom.
**Tuesday, Aug. 18: training from 9-noon…wear black training tops.
**Wednesday, Aug. 19: training from 9-noon…wear gray training tops...team pics (home uniforms) directly after practice...required volunteer work from 3 to 6 PM (meet at the HS by 3 PM).
**Thursday, Aug. 20: training from 9-noon…wear black training tops...team dinner @ 6 PM (Johnny Carino's in north Holland...meet there...$15 per person to be paid on the spot)
**Friday, Aug. 21: home game vs. Black River (5:45 PM)…meeting in my classroom at 3:15 PM…wear gray training tops for warm-ups...ball boys for JV = Ray, Andrew…pre-game food/video for JV = Logan S.

That's it for now, guys! Obviously, much more to come :)

Let's get the party started, yeah?

Summer (and Beyond) Info

Greetings, all!

Great to see those that could make it face-to-face today for the boys soccer meeting. As stated, we are sincerely excited to work with you guys!

If you know of any others who may be interested in boys soccer, please forward along and/or let us know!

Important Dates:

**Monday, June 1: HEAT registration DUE

**Tuesday, June 9: first scrimmage @ Holland vs. Zeeland East (530 PM...arrive by 5 PM for a warm-up)

**Wednesday, June 10: first day of HEAT (6:30 AM)

**Thursday, June 11: first 9-11 AM training session on the practice field.

**Tuesday, June 30: Coach L. and T. Robinson return from Germany

**Monday-Thursday, July 20-23: Hamilton Soccer Camp. Please either attend or help out with the young kids...or better yet, both! See main office for camp registration.

**Wednesday, Aug. 12: First official day of the boys soccer season! Have physical, insurance $$, and athletic code taken care of by then!

Thanks, and please keep the questions coming if you have them!! Can't wait to get this thing rolling this summer and beyond!

Soccer Dessert Banquet

What: End-of-season banquet
Who: All JV/Varsity players and respective family members
Where: High school cafeteria
When: Thursday, Oct. 23 at 6:30 P.M.
Why: To honor all participating JV/Varsity soccer team members on a job well done this season!

District Loss

Keep those heads up, gentlemen!! Last night wasn't the way we wanted to go out on the scoreboard, but it was every way we wanted to go out in the attitude/no regrets/hard work/courage/etc. departments! I sincerely mean that. Really proud to be your coach.

Now, as we kind of re-group and reflect, please join me in my classroom tomorrow (Thursday) directly after school for our last team meeting. Please bring all school-issued uniform items--both sets of uni tops, both sets of uni shorts, backpack, warm-up top/bottom, captain bands…

Take care and see you all soon!!

Grandville Loss/Upcoming Week

Hi, everyone. Hope the weekend is great for you all and that you're enjoying this awesome weather!

Also hoping we are all sufficiently recovered from this past week in terms of overall mentality…especially heading into the biggest week of our season coming up here. As mentioned a couple of times since Thursday's away game vs. Grandville, I was proud of the overall positive, "winning" mentality out there vs. a good Grandville squad despite the score. Keep that up. We'll certainly need that same demeanor on Tuesday vs. Byron Center!!

Remember, ALL teams in the state of Michigan are now 0-0 on the season. It's ANYBODY'S game now no matter the past couple months. Let's step up to the plate and achieve our team goal of at least making it to the District Championship this next Saturday!

Here goes for this coming week:

**Monday: practice 3-5 PM…wear gold.

**Tuesday: home game vs. Byron Center (5 PM)…meet in my room directly after school…looking for a volunteer or two regarding the team meal that day in my classroom!! Please let me know asap if interested!

**Wednesday: practice 3-5 PM.

**Thursday: game vs. Allegan at Holland Christian (730 PM).

**Friday: practice 3-5 PM.

**Saturday: District Championship game vs. ??? at Holland Christian (10 AM).

Take care, all, and let's come ready to work and prepare on Monday!

Byron Center Loss

Gentlemen,

All we can do is move on--and move on immediately--in a positive way. As mentioned last night post-game, the good news is a.) we get to redeem ourselves with a quick turnaround game this evening and b.) we get to match up with B.C. again for all the marbles this coming Tuesday in Districts!

As always, stay positive and keep fighting.

See you all on the bus for Grandville at 345!

Holland Loss

Hey, everyone. Hope the day is treating you well?

Re: the Holland loss last night, I thought we battled pretty hard that first half vs. a talented opponent and on a difficult surface. Unfortunately, our overall mental toughness faltered a bit in the second half in a number of different contexts, and that was the game.

As always, we move on and stay positive!

Big day of training today in preparation for an even bigger day tomorrow -- the seniors' last regular season home game vs. a conference rival!! We still have team goals in reach. Let's keep reaching.

See you for practice and a team dinner in the near future!