Indiana University Athletics
Preseason Report - Women's Soccer
8/15/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Aug. 15, 2006
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Nearly a week into the 2006 preseason, Indiana women's soccer head coach Mick Lyon's squad is well into its preseason routine and is undergoing preparations for its first preseason game on Saturday, Aug. 19, against Indiana State. On Tuesday, Aug. 15, IUHOOSIERS.com got an insider's look at the team's morning practice and sat down with Lyon to look at the progress the team has shown throughout the preseason.
"So far it's been a nice start," Lyon said. "I think the team came in fit and definitely excited with a big group of upperclassmen and a big freshman group arriving. The excitement is there because all the freshmen are excited to be in college and the upperclassmen are excited to have new players around, and we all know that this is the year to put ourselves on the map, so the upperclassmen have put a lot of effort into being ready to play this fall."
The team, which includes 14 upperclassmen and 10 freshmen, had its annual preseason Cream and Crimson scrimmage on Sunday, and the two sides combined for six goals from four different players - junior Beverly Markwort (2), and freshmen Kristin Arnold (2), Taylor Fallon and Liz Holby - in the 90 minutes of action. Indiana returns seven starters and 16 letterwinners from last year's squad.
"As far as being ready as a team, we're a long way from that as far as being in-season," Lyon said. "But right now I think we've ironed out some things as far as the shape that the team's playing and the defensive setup. Those are the things that we're looking for - who shifts to take which players within the zone from the midfield and back line."
Though the whole team has shown strong competitiveness throughout the preseason, there are several returners who have stood out in the early going. Included in that group is Markwort, a 2004 All-Big Ten Freshman Team selection.
"There have been several players who have been real bright spots," Lyon said. "Bev Markwort is really healthy and fit and has slotted into our inside midfield spot, and is having a very good camp so far. The freshmen are looking lively and will be doing good things for sure. The best part right now is we've gotten through a week and we don't have any injuries."
Normally at this point in the preseason, the Hoosiers are working on getting their fitness up to snuff, but this season has seen the players enter at a higher fitness level than in years past. The team often has morning training sessions, and all players must pass a fitness test before the season. Just a week into the preseason, all the players have passed their testing and are getting nearer to being in mid-season shape.
"Obviously they've come into camp at a certain level, that's why we have our fitness testing," Lyon said. "The best part for us was that lasted about four days and everybody passed the test. It would be a miserable life if we were into the season and we still had players that were trying to pass the fitness test."
But Lyon and his staff face the task of trying to balance pushing the players to improve while not pushing them so hard that they burn out in the preseason. So far in 2006, the fitness level and health of the team has been such that that hasn't been a major issue for the coaching staff.
"We want to push them hard," Lyon said. "We do two days on, two days off in terms of hard days. So we're trying to balance that. We talk with the trainers to make sure we don't have anybody with any strains and right now we don't have anybody with any strains or pulls, so we can keep pushing them. The only thing that's slowing them down is that their legs are tired and they're out of breath. We put a big emphasis on replacing fluids and continuing to eat healthy meals."
On Tuesday, the Hoosiers worked on a number of different skills, including a drill where players worked on establishing position for headers against their teammates. The height and skill in the air of freshmen Christie Kotynski, Taylor Fallon and Jessica Boots was easily seen from the sidelines, giving Lyon reason to expect big things from his team's aerial play in 2006.
"We've grown as a team, there's no doubt about that," Lyon said. "Fallon, Boots and Kotynski - they're all almost six-footers right there, and they did some nice stuff. We're trying to help them a little bit with their technique so we can get even more out of them. But with the freshmen, I like to let them bring what has already made them a great player; I don't want to change too much too quickly. The reason we recruited them and brought them here is because they are special players. So how Kotynski gets to every single head ball - that's just something special with her and we're going to let her go with that."
Also on Tuesday, the team worked on crossing passes into the box, one of the highlights of which was a diving save by goalkeeper Megan Reinhardt off of junior Kate Nierman. The Hoosiers then moved on to working on 3-on-2 situations in the offensive zone, and Tuesday's practice wrapped up with the Hoosiers taking part in a 20-minute 11-on-11 scrimmage. The lone goal of the event was scored in the closing minutes by freshman Jenny Ball from the top of the 18-yard box.
"The 20-minute game right there was good - there were some great combinations of passes," Lyon said. "The best serve of the day was put in by Ali Brown and almost converted in the 11 v. 11. It was good and bad, but you can't put a true evaluation until you've played somebody else."
Indiana will face Indiana State in the lone exhibition match of 2006 on Saturday, Aug. 19, at 5 p.m. in Fort Wayne, Ind. The Hoosiers begin their 2006 regular season at the Wisconsin Soccer Invitational against No. 10 (NSCAA/adidas) California on Friday, Aug. 25, in Madison, Wis.
