Oct. 20, 2008
Captains’ Blog
Every Monday during the 2008 women’s soccer season, one of the three team captains will visit GamecocksOnline.com to give an inside look into what it is like to be a South Carolina women’s soccer student-athlete. Bookmark the Captains’ Blog and check back frequently for the stories told by senior Danila Monteiro and juniors Blakely Mattern and Kim Miller.
 Danila Monteiro |
 Blakely Mattern |
 Kim Miller |
October 20, 2008 – Kim Miller
Coming off two wins last weekend was great for us, but we knew that we would have to prepare for the upcoming weekend against Alabama and Auburn. Tuesday’s practice we focused on services, finishes and where to place the ball when there was space available. Wednesdays are days where we get to play either possession or small-sided games trying to get everyone involved in playing quicker. We are a great team when we possess the ball, and working on it every week is crucial for us. Thursday’s practice was a light day for us considering we were leaving for Alabama right after.
The six-hour bus ride went fast, but the hotel and sleep could not come soon enough for everyone. Friday morning we went for a jog and stretch and then had lunch at Panera Bread Company. Some of us went walking around the strip where there was a Barnes and Noble and other nice stores to look in. Friday was game-day and it was time to get prepared. We went into the game knowing what we had to do. We dominated the team but for some reason could not get the ball in the goal. It was a rough 1-0 loss for us but we will only get better and move on from there. After the game we got back on the bus and drove three hours to Auburn where we got in at 1 a.m. We were all exhausted and could not wait to go to bed.
Saturday morning was a nice day to relax after we had practice. It was a day to do your own thing and do homework or go out with families that had come to support our team. We got together Saturday night to go to dinner at Logan’s Roadhouse where we made lots of noise while cheering for our football team on ESPN.
Sunday was game-day once again, where we lost 2-0 to Auburn, a game where we dominated once again but for some reason could not pull away with a win. We all know how important this weekend was, but a great team can come away from two losses and do great things. It is all about learning from what you did wrong and trying to make it better next time. Every team wins some and loses some, and this weekend was just not our weekend. We have a strong group of girls on this team and there is no way that this weekend will keep our heads down.
Thank you again to our fans that travel such long ways to cheer for us, and thank you for those who support us at our home field. We are looking forward to play Thursday night at 7 p.m. at home against LSU where we will come away with nothing but a WIN. This team is capable of great things and will continue to stick together through whatever may come our way.
