October 9, 2020

Women’s Soccer Trains this Fall to Prepare for Spring Season

James Walsh

Women’s soccer has been busy making adjustments to its practice styles. The team has learned to be adaptive during this time of Covid-19.

Head coach Christine Johnson has a clear plan for each practice. “Our typical practice consists of a dynamic warm-up, skill and technical training, and lastly either some type of competitive games or conditioning or a combination of both,” she said. This style of practicing had to be adjusted to accommodate both social distancing and the new mask policy, making the very proximity-based sport a challenge to its players.

It might be easy to expect the players to have a difficult time adjusting to these concepts, but Johnson says that’s not the case. “The team has been adapting well to the changes for this season,” she said. “It’s become a new normal and our players have done a great job of doing whatever it takes to have a safe season.”

With regards to soccer schedule that fans and spectators have been waiting to see, they’ll have to wait a bit longer. “We are training this Fall in preparation for our competitive season that has been moved to the spring,” Johnson said. “We are taking advantage of this time to focus on getting better in all areas of the game so that we can hit the ground running when we return.”

Despite the fractured schedule, the players have not lost their enthusiasm. “In this challenging time, I’m extremely proud of the way our team has been approaching the fall,” Johnson said.

“They are positive and working harder than ever despite not being able to play games until the spring. That says a lot about the types of individuals they are and I am excited for them when we finally get a chance to play.” Even faced with the pandemic, these players are dedicated to the growth of their abilities in the sport and are taking full advantage of the minimal time safely allotted to them.

The drive that these players feel every time they practice and work hard isn’t only applicable to the games they participate in. Soccer has the potential to shape these young players’ in general. “I hope our players take the lessons we learn on the field into the classroom and into their daily lives,” Johnson said. “Things like discipline, hard work, and facing challenges head on are all things that they develop on the field and can be applied directly, allowing them to be successful in other areas of their lives.”