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Women's Soccer
at Memphis
Florida Atlantic University Athletics
Brian Dooley
9/30/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Sept. 30, 2002
Sponge Bob, Drama, and Dirty Soccer
The Campbell game was a rematch of the conference semi-finals last year. The last few times we have played the games were a battle. The Campbell team is well organized and talented. They have always created problems for us and Thursday was no different. They came out and pressured us right from the start. They nearly scored early, but the shot bounced off the crossbar. Luck was on our side that time. We settled into the game and created some chances as well. At halftime, we made a formation change and it really helped our midfield. We were able to put some pressure on them and establish a rhythm. We ended up with over 10 corner kicks and finished with 18 shots to Campbell's 12.
There is about 1:30 left in the game and it is tied 0-0. We get a free kick about 45 yards out. Dee Castro usually takes all our driven free kicks and I am on the side calling for Dee to take it because I noticed that Rhonda Jones was setting the ball up and getting ready to serve the ball. I am yelling for Dee and telling Rhonda to get up top so she can win the header, which she usually does. However, Rhonda decides to overrule my authority and decides to take the kick anyway. This is the type of insubordination that a coach cannot tolerate. I am certain that if Dee takes the kick, we will score! There is no doubt in my mind that this is the case. I am the coach and I know what is best. If Rhonda takes the kick, they will win the ball, launch a counter attack and score to win. I know this will happen if they don't listen to the omnipotent coach.
Rhonda serves an early ball before the defense can get set and Julie Ferguson runs under the ball to win the header and score an amazing goal with 1:21 left to win the game. Rhonda recognized that the defense was retreating with their backs to the ball and that Julie had started her run early. The ball was perfect and the header was even better. It is just this type of coaching that makes our team win. I was just shouting for Dee as a decoy. Rhonda and I worked this out earlier in the day! Only kidding. Rhonda is a coach on the field. She willed our team to win that game. I never cease to be amazed at what she can do.
The next day was a travel day. We packed the vans and started a 6.5-hour drive to Atlanta. We made a few stops along the way. It seems that soccer players' bladders cannot last more than 45 minutes! We stopped at the Adidas Distribution Center in South Carolina. When the kids realized where we were going, the cell phones came out and calls were made. Here is a sample conversation. FAU Owl: "Hi Mom. How are you? We are on a long drive to Atlanta and I just thought of you and wanted to say hi. I miss you." FAU Parent: "How much do you want to put on the credit card?"
After making our purchases, we did not have enough room in the vans. We had a team game of rock, paper, scissors to see who would be left behind. I hope this doesn't count as gambling by the NCAA. Fortunately, we were able to squeeze everything in the vans.
Now, its time for Georgia State. The weather previous few days had been poor. Their game Thursday vs UCF was in a downpour. The field was flooded. By the time our game was played, the field was about as soft and soggy as Sponge Bob. Every step you took, your ankles were covered in mud. The conditions were impossible to play in. You could not run or dribble the ball without the fear of falling or sliding in the mud. But the game must go on. We started slow and gave up a goal about 10 minutes in. We spent the rest of the half trying to figure out how to play in these conditions. At halftime we talked about stepping up the pressure and forcing GSU to play in their own half. This would make the field a bit shorter for us and keep the pressure on them. Since they were holding a lead, I figured they would be content to defend. Kelly Hoffmann (who was surprised by a huge clan of relatives in the parking lot prior to the game complete with signs and cheers) had a monster game. It seems that she is at home in the mud! We changed Trina Maso De Moya and Rhonda Jones with about 14 minutes left in the game. I figured the conditions might work for Rhonda up top at striker. We get a free kick about 40 yards out and Dee Dee Castro is moving up to take the kick (note: see second paragraph). She drives a ball deep in the box and the ball pops out and Rhonda finishes for her first goal of the year. The momentum is clearly in our favor now and the pressure intensifies. We get a corner kick and Dee Dee comes up again to drive the ball in. Our near post run misses the ball and Julie Ferguson is on the back post to finish again with her second game winner in as many games. The celebration is crazy. It is a mud bath. We run out the time and get away with another conference win. Sometimes you just have to get dirty to get it done! I am so glad that we were not in our white uniforms.
It was a great weekend for FAU. We found a way to win two critical games in conference and now we get going with the rest of our conference schedule. We have endured rain, lightning, intense heat, and now a mudslide. I wonder what Mother Nature has in store for us next. Having said that, I can't wait for tomorrow.
Players Mentioned
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