SCOTLAND YARD NEWS: Alma vs. Calvin Week
Monday, October 01, 2007
Written by: Jason Stanley, Assistant Coach
After a frustrating loss to Kalamazoo on Tuesday evening, we came back Wednesday and had a “show and tell” practice of sorts to see who in fact is ready to help this team move in the right direction. The competition was great during the 11 v. 11 scrimmages and several players put themselves in positions to dress for Saturday’s match against Calvin.
I traveled with the reserves on Thursday to Adrian for a 7 pm re-match with the Adrian reserves. We were looking for some redemption after the 4-0 loss they handed us the week before, and found it in the form of a 2-1 score line. Ryan Nevins and Ben Champion had our two goals while several other players played the best games I had seen to date. I think it was a valuable and enjoyable experience for the guys to play a match under lights. I know it was something that I was lucky enough to enjoy when I played, and I think it was an important experience for them on Thursday night.
Given the performances of some of the players on Thursday night, we had some decisions to make come Friday so we played for a short amount of time so that we could get one final look at everyone before we decided on a roster for Saturday.
We had our work cut out for us on Saturday against Calvin and by match’s end we really weren’t able to mount a significant offensive threat. We had a few good chances about midway through the second half, but ultimately were not able to find the back of the net. The loss was obviously disappointing because a victory would have potentially put us right back in the mix for the top spot in the MIAA. But, we’re still making progress each time we step out on the field, and it continues to make me excited to see where we will be come early November.
We had another reserve match on Sunday afternoon against visiting Muskegon Community College. The game ended in a 3-3 tie, and to be honest (and the guys are well aware of this) I wasn’t pleased with our efforts. However, the day was certainly not a wash, because it was great to see so many parents and family members out at the game. Reserve games tend to be played more during the week so I think it was good to have a weekend game that parents and friends could get out to and see some of the guys play.
We have a tough two weeks ahead as we play our next 4 games on the road. Wednesday we travel to Olivet and then Saturday it’s off to Holland, Michigan to take on Hope as a part of their homecoming weekend festivities. These are very important games coming up, and I am excited to see how we respond to a pivotal junction in the season.
Posted: Fri, October 5th, 2007 at 2:02PM
