The Yellow Armband: The Michigan Soccer Orchestra
9/30/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Sept. 30, 2009
Each Wednesday of the 2009 season, one of the Michigan women's soccer captains -- Jackie Carron, Alex Jendrusch, Amy Klippert and Kylie Neschke -- will give you a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the U-M program.
The Yellow Armband with Alex Jendrusch
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30 -- The Michigan Soccer Orchestra
We were dressed in layers for what seemed like the coming of an early winter - it was only September 29 -- and there was a light mist in the air. We weren't thrilled to be outside on a day like this, but as soon as we started our warm-up, it was clear that everyone came to practice to play some real soccer. Tuesday practices are typically the ones we've come to dread because it has become synonymous with "fitness" over the years - we get Mondays off and there is plenty of time to recover before the weekend games. But we faced this particular Tuesday head on. It actually helps that head coach Greg Ryan disguises the fitness as "fun" transition games to raise our heart rates -- I'm pretty sure mine was pushing 200 beats-per-minute at times -- instead of the traditional on-the-line sprinting stuff. Everyone on the field seemed to be focused; we were working together and playing for each other.
This was definitely a product of a tough loss this past Sunday to open up the Big Ten season. Greg made his unhappiness perfectly clear when he, well, raised his voice at halftime to get us to start playing together instead of individually.
This might be a stretch, but stay with me. The way we were playing together Tuesday reminded me a little bit of the orchestra concert I saw last week at Hill Auditorium. The way you see each separate section of strings' bows move back and forth together was like the way our defense drops and moves up together as a unit, our midfield shifts as a unit, and our forwards show at the right times. Each section moves at different times, but together they're playing the same piece. That's what parts of this season have looked like, but especially yesterday. We moved the ball around the back and up the field calmly and finished better than we have seen in a long time.
It's been a rollercoaster of a season with all the injuries that has shaken up our starting lineup more than a few times so far. But after yesterday it looked like we decided as a whole to forget about making any excuses, to play hard, and play for each other. It's the Big Ten season and I think things are looking up if we keep this up.
Big Ten game number two is against Northwestern this Sunday at home. Come out and see what kind of concert we put on. HAIL!
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