Well…believe it or not, we are still alive and kicking! I am not going to lie, I never would have expected this after the first half of the season… I thought we were in for a long ride. But! We kept pushing through the adversity, and this year we have peaked at the right time, when it really counts! It seems unreal that we are going to playing in the conference championship tomorrow! But I think we deserve it; outsiders have overlooked us all season, but they are now kicking themselves for it (especially Wright State)!

So far this weekend has been amazing! And it all started with bd’s Mongolian Barbeque for dinner on Thursday night. That restaurant is always a hit for our team! For those of you who have never been, you are missing out, the basics of the restaurant is that they have a buffet of uncooked noodles, meat, vegetables, sauces, and spices. You fill up a bowl with whatever you think will taste good (hopefully it does…), and then your food is grilled on this huge circular grill. And if you are lucky, the grillers will show off some mad grilling skills! On the bus after dinner, we had the best bus ride of the year. We had a massive sing along, singing songs ranging from “Baby Got Back” to “Part of your World” from The Little Mermaid. We even had some people, namely Trisha, step up and show off her singing skills (the rest of us really aren’t that great…). It was quite humorous observing the age divide! When us grandmas in the back of the bus (you know, those born in the 80s! haha) started singing The Little Mermaid and other old school Disney songs, the babies didn’t really know the lyrics! It is crazy what a difference a few years makes! But nevertheless, we had an unforgettable bonding experience on that bus ride!

Friday was pretty laid back…That is until game time!! Blah, blah, blah…Then we won the game!! (You can look at the run down of the game on the website. No need for me to bore you with that information. But I will tell you, it was a pretty stressful game!) After the game, Jessie and Brooke were interviewed for the Horizon League Network TV, and we were all smiles. Back in the locker room, we put on “The Cupid Shuffle” for our newly started tradition. The past 3 games we have danced to that song before and after the game. (Before the game it has really only been myself, Jewell, Sammy, and Janine dancing, but still fun!) But today after the game many more people were participating and singing along. I mean, who wouldn’t when something so exciting just happened! It was a wonderful atmosphere to be a part of, and looking back now, something I will never forget!

Later that night we went to Noodles for dinner. The parents were allowed to come on the bus with us. And let me tell you, my mom was soo excited! She loves being a “fly on the wall” and this was just that opportunity for her! Love you mom! And that was the end of one of the most exciting days I have had in a long time!

As a senior, this has been the ride of a lifetime. After freshmen year, finishing 1st in regular season conference play, but losing in the semifinals of the tournament, we all thought we would have 3 more great opportunities to make it to the NCAA tournament. But…our sophomore year we switched to the Horizon League, and deep down we knew making it to the NCAA tournament would be a much more challenging feat. Especially after the blow last year…having to play in the 8/9 game and when it was all said and done, we didn’t even make it to the tournament. But look how far we have come!! It has taken a lot of hard work, determination, and heart, but we have exceeded all expectations this year! And it is not over yet. We have a HUGE game tomorrow, and let me tell you, we are not done playing!

Hey Crusader Fans!

Sorry it has been so long since I last wrote. Things have been so busy!
Anyways, the weekend of the 16th-18th was fall break. But soccer players don’t take breaks. Instead, we took a trip to Cleveland. Being a Cleveland girl myself, I was pretty excited, but I don’t know how everyone else viewed it.

Coach did a pretty good job of telling about the weekend, so I won’t have to reiterate everything. But I was soooooo happy to go home and see my parents and eat food my dad makes and see my pizza oven and backyard wallmen. I didn’t realize how much I missed home until I was there again. It felt wonderful. And yes, I admit it. I cried a bit on the bus ride home.

The nicest thing about the trip was how the team was able to hang out with each other and sort of forget about everything except food, soccer, and the team. During the school year we spend time together, but it is hard to get everyone together at once because there is always someone who has to leave for a night class or studying. I feel a lot closer to the team now that we have taken that trip and spent the weekend together. I will remember the Cleveland trip for many reasons. We had 2 rockin wins, lots of good food, shared stories, fun activities, and of course a few instances worthy of the Ha-Ha shirt. I think my favorite was at my house when Tracy was amazed that you can eat pumpkin, despite the fact she loved Mrs. Henderson’s pumpkin cookies so much the day before. Things like these are what make it so much fun to be on the Valpo women’s soccer team. I am so happy that I am a part of such a great and fun group of girls.

LIVESTRONG, Joga Bonito
~Trisha

When you hear of team travel, most people think of the difficulty of setting up food, hotel, transportation and entertainment for a group of 27 people. However, our favorite part of the schedule here at Valpo is when we TRAVEL our team. This is where our team connects with each other and creates memories that last forever. The bond that develops between players creates a excitement to work for one another on the field, the “WE not ME” environment emerges. When I visit with former players and alumni the stories always seems to revolve around travel, for example the “Who’s Line is It Anyway” team activity in Cleveland several years ago. I still laugh myself to tears every time I think about the hilarity of that event. This past weekend was no different!

The Valpo family is always present and willing to lend a helping hand to assist our team during the time away from the comforts of their dorm room beds..lol. The Henderson Family (Brooke Henderson – So. – Westlake, OH) fed the team on Thursday evening with pasta, salad and pumpkin cookies that I really need the recipe for. The best part of the evening was the post meal – ski jumping and soccer heading on the Wii Fit.  It was great to see the excitement of landing a jump or the laughter when they were hit by a shoe in the heading game. In the end, Jackie Kondrako proved to be the best Ski Jumper in the Group and Luisa Desario was the master header in the soccer game.

Saturday afternoon, the Wladecki Family (Trisha Wladecki – Fr. – Avon Lake, OH) had their turn and hosted the team. The lunch menu had traditional Italian pizza cooked in an authentic wood burning stone pizza oven (amazing), pork, delicious soup and finished it off with S’mores. The relaxing afternoon saw the team play bags, climbing the backyard rope and others had their hand at Harry Potter in the woods.

Sunday morning and Friday post game, the Lytle Family (Janine Lytle – Fr. – Wooster, OH) made awesome sandwiches post-game and pancakes and eggs on Sunday morning pre-game. I loved the energy the Lytle’s had which energized our group early on a Sunday morning. The bright smiling faces needed some energy at 8:30 am on a cloudy downtown Cleveland morning.

For our big team activity on Saturday night we played a three team competition of Jeopardy. The topics may have been difficult because I tend to forget that some of the people I recognize are not always the individuals our players will remember or know..I might be getting old…lol However, those of you following the blog should know that “yes” the “Ha Ha shirt” was earned on this night and a few other times this past weekend.

Oh – by the way, We won both of our games 2-0 over Youngstown State and Cleveland State and we were really ROCKIN’ in Cleveland. These victories were big because they qualified the team for the Horizon League tournament setting up a big game on Friday October 23 at 3 pm at Eastgate field against Butler. If we win, we finish 3rd in the conference and would host a first round tournament game. I always wonder what comes first the chicken or the egg? In our case, the team bonding comes first and the results are sure to follow. So, when I hear our team is traveling, I have nothing but excitement and energy.

Go Crusaders and I am so proud of our team !!!

Well, the season is now more than halfway over, and school is definitely in full throttle. Needless to say, we have all been a bit busy! Although we have been keeping busy, soccer does not let up, and everything moves on as normal, including our traditions.

Our team is full of wonderful traditions! Since I got here my freshman year we have done a lot of the same things and some traditions have even been added.

Fun-day Mondays:
Mondays are usually pretty drab. It is the beginning of a new week, you might have a test (I have one this Monday in Biology…), and you start thinking of all the things you should have done over the weekend. Our Mondays at soccer practice usually start off with some F.U.N.! The team has about 15 minutes to play whatever game we want. We might play log-tag, soccer tennis, or the juggle gate game (a game where you try to do certain juggling combinations in four different boxes to get a point for your team). Fun-day Monday is always a good way to start the week with some laughing and a light warmup!

Wives:
Sammy already told you about wives, but I would just like to add one thing. My FAMILY is the best! Some might say that we are the hoarding family, but I think we just have so much love to go around that we want to share it with a lot of people. I was married to Kendall Brown when I was a freshman, my sophomore year there was an odd number so we took a “love child,” Sarah Melhorn. My junior year, Sarah got married to Reva and they took a “love child,” Candice Partee, who left Valpo after one semester. This year, Sarah took another “love child,” (my grand”love”child) Rachel Hoaglin. So…although Kendall and Reva are no longer playing soccer, they are both still on campus! So our family is still as big and wonderful as ever! Yeah… we do have a confusing family, but I love it!

HAHA shirt:
Since I can remember we have had something we call the HAHA shirt. It usually takes a while to get one made, but the HAHA shirt is a crazy colored shirt with crazy decorations. If someone does something worthy enough (that is very funny) they get the shirt to wear to practice. Before they wear it they have to write what they did on the shirt. One such worthy event to earn the HAHA shirt is when Erin Suckling didn’t know how to spell Bananas, or when people (aka Dana McGlone or Janine Lytle) get snipered in the middle of a game. We are just trying to add a little fun to our lives!

Fight Song:
This year we have added a new tradition! Every preseason the football team makes the freshmen learn the fight song and sing it at meals. We have always joked that we were going to do that to the freshmen and say we have done it forever. Well this year, we did it. We made the freshmen learn the fight song and they had to sing it for us once in the union at lunch. After we beat IUPUI, someone yelled “Freshmen, Fight song!” Well, they don’t know it that well and they were being shy, so I said, “Why don’t we all sing it!” So there began a new tradition. After every win, we have sung the fight song in the locker room! Yeah, for school spirit!

Crusader Cup:
You have all heard about the Crusader Cup in earlier blogs! What a tradition!

Circle before game:
Before every game we circle up as a team. In this circle we go around and each say one thing that we are going to focus on during the game. Most people just think of things that they are feeling during that day but some people have certain things they say every game. Lori Johnson, for example, always said “Determination.” This year, Rachel Hoaglin has started making “Faith” her word. Some other things that have been said are “WIN”, “First Touch”, or “Score.” There has been many things said over the years, and each one is supposed to help us get focused and pumped up for the game!

HOO-HAA:
If you have ever been to a game you might have wondered what we say in our huddle right before each half starts. Well, that would be “HOO-HAA!” I am not sure when this tradition started…Most likely way before my time, but we say “HOO-HAA” because it is part of our fight song. I think it is something very special for us because, well…let’s just say “HOO-HAA” is a very unique part of our fight song and what we are about!

Three Claps:
“Three Claps” is something that again started before my time. I have heard that it comes from a film that we used to watch as a team called “FISH!” The film is about workers at a fish market who really disliked their job until they started making the most of it! They had four different philosophies, “Play”, “Make Their Day”, “Be there”, and “Choose your attitude.” For us, “Three Claps” is a part of “Make their Day.” If you think someone does something great you can say “Three Claps for ____. 1-2-3.” It is always great to be recognized for something you do! That is why we do “Three Claps for our fans” after every game. We wouldn’t be who we are today without the support of our fans! You are great!

She’s Got Game:
She’s Got Game has also been around for my whole career. After every game a player is picked for She’s Got Game. This is essentially a “player of the game” award. For our first Friday and Sunday game each year nominations are taken and the player is chosen by the team for She’s Got Game. After that every Friday, the player who had it the previous Friday picks for that game, and the same is true for Sunday. Again, this is just a way to show some recognition to players who played a great game.

Traditions are amazing things that everyone who goes through the program can share. It is great to have alumni come back and learn some of our new traditions and see the old ones still shining bright.

I wasn’t expecting this to be so long, but…it turns out we have more traditions than I was anticipating!

Big game Sunday! UWM at home! Hope to see you there!

Later,
Drako

After a rough first part of the season and some disappointing losses, the general mentality and spirit of the team was a bit low. It was a downward spiral that was preventing our team from reaching the best of our abilities. We would lose confidence and have a negative attitude, and as a result we would get scored on, or some other bad thing would happen. This would lead to us think even more negatively. It was a vicious cycle. Then, on Thursday, coach brought in a life success consultant to help us turn things around. His name is Michael Joesten. I really liked how he explained the power of a positive attitude to the team. I have read books and sat in on lectures about these kinds of concepts before, but Mr. Joesten expressed the ideas more concretely and clearly than I have ever heard. The biggest thing he showed the team was the “stick man”.

The picture gave the team a concrete image that explained how we could use a positive attitude to improve our performance. In our conscious mind, we choose to have positive imagery and thoughts. This trickles into our subconscious mind, which is purely deductive. In other words, the subconscious mind will accept as true anything the conscious mind throws at it. The subconscious mind causes our emotions. This, in turn, turns physical and is expressed through the body. The body performs actions based on these emotions, and these actions lead to results. The flow shows that if we think positively, we will eventually get positive results, where as if we think negatively we will get negative results. In addition, if we choose to visualize ourselves doing a particular great play and we picture it as distinctly and vividly as possible, it primes our bodies to perform that great play.

I saw a felt a huge difference during our Friday game vs. Green Bay. There was a wonderfully exciting positive attitude flowing through the whole team. It was an almost tangible energy one could feel while we warmed up and gathered into the pre-game huddle. During the game, when a player on the team would make a mistake, there was not a negative reaction. Instead of someone shouting something along the lines of, “It has to be better than that!” in a disappointed or angry tone, there were positive shouts of, “Next time!”, or “Now let’s win that ball back!” There weren’t any thoughts of, “Oh no! It’s 0-0 at the end of the first half! If we don’t pick it up we are going to give away a fluke goal and lose!” We were confident and positive at halftime. There were thoughtful suggestions about what little things we could do better and confidence that we would go out and actually do them better. We were not thinking about the negative things and we weren’t worried about the other team. We were focused on playing the best game we could. I cannot say if this will completely turn around our season, but it improved things for us for one game.
See you next week!
Trisha

My wife Courtney

When you become a member of the VU Women’s soccer team, you’re committing to a series of arraigned marriages. Coach Anthony once told the team (props to Dana McGlone for giving me the exact quote), “You guys have to think of us as one big family. We are your first commitment. All of us are like wives.” (And someone corrected him by responding, ‘or sisters…’). From then on, whenever someone new comes to the team, they’re automatically given a wife. During preseason, every freshman’s name is put into a hat, and any sophomore, junior or senior whose wife left them that year (as in graduated) is randomly assigned to their new wife. When I was a freshman, my arraigned marriage ended up being with Courtney Gwinn. She’s a redshirt junior this year, so by the time she graduates we will have been together for 4 years, which if I’m not mistaking is a team record, and should be recognized as the best wife-relationship that anyone has ever had on the team.

The point of having a wife is to have someone to lean on when the going gets tough (and believe me, it always does at one point or another). Your wife is your designated go-to teammate when you need someone to carry you that day because you feel like you can’t make it on your own. I’ve always thought that my wife and I have a special relationship, and she’s never failed to be there for me when I’ve needed someone to help pick me up. I can say that metaphorically, but it also applies literally… During preseason when we were running our cones fitness test (everyone’s favorite), my wife was standing at the last cone to literally hold me up in between runs because otherwise, I’d probably collapse. But Courtney Gwinn has been there for me on my worst days… The days when I’m worn down from school and emotionally drained, and feel like I won’t be able to make it through training that day. My wife is always there to talk me through it, and there to help me get my head straight. There are plenty of girls on the team that I can go to for support, but Courtney and I put it upon ourselves to always look out for each other when one of us is struggling. When I’m a 5th year senior, I’ll have a new wife for the first time of my VU soccer. I can only hope that I can give my new wife everything that my Courtney gave me when she was here. That’s something great about being an incoming freshman…. You get paired up with someone who has already had a wife to support them, so that they’ll be fully prepared to be a support system for you when the time comes.

My advice to the incoming freshman for years to come is to take advantage of everything that having a wife on the team offers. Coach said the other day that something our team doesn’t struggle with is chemistry… And I hope that that never changes. Having a wife on the team is just another reason to get to know each other better, and to create an amazing friendship that you’ll carry with you beyond graduation…. Having a wife is just another one of those great things that you’ll be able to look back on and remember why being a part of this team was so special.

To my dearest wifey, Courtney Gwinn… Thank you for everything!!!

Jackie Thomas and I.

When you’re on a team, your life is changed. You grow from being pushed beyond the limits that you THOUGHT you had, you learn to be responsible from being held accountable and being depended on by your 20+ teammates, and you gain more experience than you ever could have on your own by learning from those that have already been in your shoes. There were 6 people in the graduating class of ’08 and 8 in the class of ’09, and each person individually impacted me whether they realized it or not. That’s 14 people that have already graduated that I had the privilege to learn from. And if I really want to get crazy with numbers…. there are 5 people (really 4, but just because I know it means too much to Courtney Gwinn, ill include her) people in this years senior class, 2 girls in my class not including me (and 2 that transferred, but I still hold them near and dear to my heart), 5 in the sophomore class, and 8 in the freshman class. In total… that’s 36 girls that have been a part of my life, and each of them have taught me something unique. And since I’m the proud owner of a brand new ACL as of my freshman year, I’ll be a 5th year senior during the 2011 fall season. That means I still have 2 more years of freshman classes to get to know.

The graduating class of ’09 was really special to me. When we started our off-season workouts without them last year, it felt like there was a giant hole on the team. I always looked up to these girls… They had a presence about them that any member of the team could feel on a daily basis. I didn’t realize how much I had learned from them until they were gone. I had always looked up to them for their amazing leadership and dedication to the team. Also, they had about a million horror stories to tell about the classes before them… and they never let me forget as a freshman that I should be forever thankful for the fact that they were ‘so nice’ to us in comparison, and therefore should carry all the equipment and supplies with a smile on our faces.

My life as a player was especially changed by Jackie Thomas, or Jackwad as we all know her. She played center back during her 4 years here, and was a source of inspiration for many of us. Due to my injury, I only got to play with her for a couple games my freshman year. However, my sophomore year I was switched from a center mid to play center back next to her, which was absolutely terrifying for me. But I came to realize that there was nobody else that I would want to play next to, especially as a new defender. She never looked nervous, and there wasn’t any opponent that she didn’t feel confident to defend against. In the locker room during pregame (while my legs were shaking with all my nervousness) nobody looked more prepared or confident than she did. She was someone that everyone wanted to learn from… whether it was during practice, a game, lifting, or even preparation for a game the day before the match. Even though I could always go to coaches with my questions on the field, I constantly looked to her for advice before asking them because to me… there was nobody else that could give me a better answer than someone who had impacted the team so much in her previous 3 years of play.

I don’t want the rest of the ’09 class to feel left out…. This blog doesn’t do KB, Murph, Tiff, Erin, LJ, Dana and Reva justice for all that they’ve done for me. Actually, I could never accurately describe all that every single one of my teammates has done for me. But some of those indescribable things are just part of what you get to know and carry with you forever when you’re on a team… That’s what’s so great about being part of something greater than yourself.

Hey Valpo Soccer fans!

Today is our off day (as Tuesday’s always are) and I am somehow actually finding myself with down time–no homework, meetings, or soccer. What a perfect time to catch up on life’s little joys, like updating you on what is going on on the inside of Valpo soccer! As you have probably already read, with regards to soccer, this weekend turned out to be a pretty successful one. We went 1-1 on the weekend, beating Ball State and falling just short of #14 ranked Purdue.

We beat Ball State 3-2, but it was definitely no walk in the park. We went into the game knowing from our scouting report that they played a high line, and we worked on how to beat the high line during practice. We knew that we needed to use our width and find the runner over the top. The game began and we got on the board first when Trisha found Lu, who put the ball in the back of the net from around 15 yards out. It was a beautiful goal! We went into halftime with a 1-0 lead as we had a few times before. We started the second half and found ourselves in the deficit that we had seen so many times before when they scored two quick goals. This game turned out to be different though, we fought back. On a quick counter later in the game, I found Lu behind the defenders, and she tallied her second goal of the night (and season)! Rachel Hoaglin scored our game winner off of a scrum in the box! This was the game that really defined our team. We fought to the end, and showed a lot of character doing it!

Saturday we went back to Purdue to take on the Boilermakers. They scored their lone goal with 30 minutes left in the game. While we weren’t successful getting the win, we competed and held our ground for most of the game. Throughout the game we were very organized defensively in our block of 8, and we even got a couple chances on goal. Our back line was nearly unstoppable with Mele, who played an outstanding game, and Melhorn leading the back line. Coming off the bench in the second half, the 4th official told Berg (Laura Romberg) and I that we needed to take Mele out to dinner after the game… How right he was! haha

Sunday we had a light recovery practice and then we were able to go to the guy’s soccer team’s home opener against Michigan. We cheered loud and gave the Michigan keeper a hard time like the guys do for us. Must admit, I was laughing more than I was watching the game, but it was worth every minute of it! Although they played well and held the lead for most of the game, they ended up losing 2-1 (sounds famililar, huh…)… But it was good to support them and spend some quality time bonding with the team in a different way!

This week we are preparing for our lone game weekend. We will be heading to Central Michigan on Thursday for our game Friday morning (at 10:30 Valpo time…Geez). Time for victory #3 of the season! Hope to see some of you fans from our northern border state there!

Later,
Jackie

Hey Fans!
This week was the week of reversing our negative momentum. The start of the season was tough. We fought hard and played well in our first matches but we were unable to get the results we wanted. On Friday’s game against Northern Illinois, more frustration set in. We lost 1-0 on an own goal. I don’t really want to talk about it anymore than I need to, but needless to say the whole team was pretty discouraged, angry, and determined to change our luck.

Thankfully, we did just that. The loss against Northern Illinois was the fire under our butts. We came to the IUPUI game full of intensity and determination. I could feel the win before we even stepped onto the field. Everything FELT different. The pre-game locker room had an air of determination as I had not yet experienced with this team. As we warmed up, the whole team was focused on our goal, but relaxed enough so that we could have fun and perform at our best. Still, it was a hard game.

We dominated most of the game. We possessed the ball more, we won more air battles, and we created scoring opportunities, but with 20 minutes left in the game we still hadn’t scored. The pressure started to mount. There was an expectation to win this game, and yet the game was still undecided. However, we were able to battle the added stress. Mele (Cabral), our keeper, came up with a few big saves in the second half to keep us in the game and instill confidence in the team. Late in the game, Tracy Roos drove a ball to my feet at the top of the box. As I turned with the ball, the defender grabbed my waist and shoulders and threw me to the ground. The referee awarded us a penalty kick and Jackie Kondratko shot it in like she was practicing in the backyard.

We ended the game 1-0. While we perhaps wanted to win by more, the IUPUI game effectively reversed our negative momentum. This sets us up to create a positive, winning momentum that will carry us into our conference games. As Aristotle said, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.” I hope the Crusaders can create the habit of excellence on and off the field this season. Not only that, I believe that we can.

LIVESTRONG, Joga Bonito,
~Trisha Wladecki

This week marked the official beginning of the fall 2009 women’s soccer season. We played 2 games this weekend, against Morehead State and University of Michigan. I won’t go into too much detail, because I see that Trisha did a great job updating you on how that went, and quite frankly, I don’t really want to talk about it. It is pretty rough being so close and letting those games slip through our fingers. Being such a young team we have a lot to learn, and remaining focused and strong through the whole game has turned out to be one of those things. But the good news seems to be, that if we figure out that issue, we will have many successful games!

Our team has already grown to be a pretty tight group, and we have gotten to be close friends with many guys on the men’s soccer team as well! It is becoming one wonderful soccer community here at Valpo! Saturday when we got back from Morehead State many of us were able to make it to the men’s exhibition game against Marquette. We know from experience that it is better to play with a crowd, and that is what we gave them. They returned the favor on Sunday at our game against Michigan. They really helped create a fabulous, noisy environment for our game. Our intensity and excitement was really brought up by the huge crowd we had during the game. Thanks to everyone who came out!

Soccer wasn’t the only thing that started this week…classes began again on Tuesday at Valpo…And so did the life of a student athlete. I was really enjoying my time during preseason just eating, sleeping, and playing soccer (literally). Now we all have responsibilities again. As a student athlete the only things that are added to eating, sleeping, and playing soccer are going to class, doing homework, and studying for exams. Socializing is really just a privilege for most of us. And the funny thing about what little socializing we have, is that we do it with each other! As if we don’t see enough of each other as it is! haha. For instance, Tuesday was Sarah Jewell’s 22nd birthday (she is the grandma of the team!) so obviously she had her friends over for cake! Naturally nearly all her friends were soccer players!

With regards to this weekend…We have 2 games as usual. Tomorrow (Friday) we are playing Northern Illinois at 4:00 at Eastgate and Sunday we are at IUPUI. We are planning to put this season on the right path tomorrow so come out and show us some love! See you there!!

Later,
Drako