Frogs Shutout Iowa State In Spring Opener 3-0

What a great night for a game, with clear skies and the tempature around 70, we couldn't have asked for a more perfect night to kick-off our spring season. It certainly helped how well the girls came out of the gates tonight as well! After a 1-0 score at half on a goal by Lizzy Karoly, we opened the game up in the second half by another Lizzy Karoly goal, and then the insurance finish by Jackie Torda for the third. The pace of our strikers definitely opened the game up and gave our midfield time to be creative.

I was extremely pleased with how well our 3 players who played in the attacking midfield - Chelsea Cody, Kaylie Garcia and Lizzy Batten - all did. They definately controlled the tempo of the match and did a great job finding the strikers and outside mids. Over the next couple of weeks we'll work on they're ability to change the tempo of the game and vary service, play a bit quicker, as well as try to get them more dangerous in goal scoring situations. Where I thought they did a great job was on the other side of the ball. Defensively they were positioned so well it made the game a lot simpler.

The other great part of the game was our back line - Sara Schneider, Katie Taylor, Julia Slater, Cheryl Martin, Niki Wilbur and goalkeeper, Kelsey Walters. We're asking them to play a little different so it's going to take some time for the girls to get the shifting and stepping, but as the game went on they did a great job of getting it and showed we're going to be difficult to score on.

Overall, we played with crispness and bite that shows the teams been working hard. Only bad thing is now we've got to wait until after spring break for the next match!

Game Preparation - Scouting Iowa State

Our thursday training served as preparation for our first spring match tomorrow night versus Iowa State. After a spirited group of small sided games, we went on to cover set pieces. We've got some options for players that can serve a great ball. Three players will allow us to give different looks and keep the other teams on their toes with balls that can be driven or bent with the left and right foot. We've also got 4 or 5 targets on set pieces, with players that can really go find the ball and be a pest in the air. One of our goals this spring is to really turn up our intensity on set pieces and make it a major dangourous aspect of our game.

In regards to Iowa State, we don't know much about them at all. Traditionally they've been a very solid Big 12 team so we expect a very good match. With a new coach just in place we'll have no idea of their style of play, but I am sure they will bring a lot of energy trying to impress the new gaffer!

It's A Beautiful Day!

Alright, so outside of U2 being my favorite band and the reference in my blog today, Mondays, are my absolute favorite day! Today was no exception. You see Monday mornings are my days where I take half a day during the week to spend with my 21-month-old son, Zak (yes it's spelled that way and is a whole different topic for another day).

We start the morning off with a good breakfast - usually oatmeal, because it's the messiest. Then it's off to the park for a good 30-40 minute session of swings and slides - this little man has no fear at all! That's where the day gets unique, see we come into the office at 10:00 where we meet up with one of our goalkeepers here at TCU, Kelsey Walters. Kelsey is a freshman who started for us this past year and had a good solid season for her first year. But she wants to do better so we're working on her fitness. So Zak jumps into his Jeep jogger and we go for a run with Kelsey every Monday. I'm giving Zak all of the credit as he has helped push Kelsey to a different level real quick and she's doing a great job!

Then it's off to the zoo for lunch. Yep, the Ft. Worth Zoo! Its only 2 minutes from campus. Our Zoo is ranked as one of the best in the country. Zak and I like to sit on a rock outside the Gorilla Habitat and just hang out. We'll usually try and catch a couple of other animals - today was the elephants, meerkats and rhinos. After that my wife picks up the little guy and it's off to the office for me.

That's where today gets even better - first it's 75 degrees outside and sunny blue sky! Second, the team is busting their tails in training which makes for a great training day - it's not a perfect practice, but they are trying to do things at a faster, crisper pace, which I absolutely love. So that's it a pretty beautiful day in my eyes!