There's this joke in certain corners of the Internet, that at 11:59 on December 31 - as we count down the seconds to 2021 - the clocks are going to read 11:60 because it feels like this year is just never going to let us turn the page to what comes next.
At Buser Family Park, the Wildcats are working, practicing and scrimmaging through the soccer version of that reality.
"You start out on Day One and we're past Day 20 now. You're starting to see those combinations of players building relationships on the field," head coach Mike Dibbini said. "But I think there's an anxious mood before we get a finalized schedule and have some direction."
This time last year, the Wildcats had played three matches in three different states, with 11 exhibition and non-conference games ahead of them before Big 12 play kicked off in September. That's not the case this season.
The Wildcats have been grounded at Buser Family Park since student-athletes were able to return to Manhattan this summer.
The program's fifth season will be unlike any other in the history of K-State soccer.
"It's just the unknown. It's going to be a challenge because we may be prepared physically, but without exhibition or non-conference matches, we don't know how prepared we might be going right into a Big 12 match," Dibbini said. "On the flip side of that, we're all in the same boat. So, if we can get out of the gates really well, that could be a positive for us."
In that sense, the newest team in the Big 12 is facing a season in which their biggest challenge will have them on the same footing as the rest of their conference opponents.
Remember that for many of the upperclassmen on this K-State team, like senior Christina Baxter, their recruitment began in high school for a program that hadn't played a single match.
"Right now, we're working hard in practice and doing our best to stay fit. We're getting a lot of scrimmages in and going six times a week," Baxter said. "We met on Saturday morning to talk about everything that's going on and I think we're satisfied with where we are fitness-wise."
Baxter hasn't missed a match since she arrived in Manhattan in 2017, which covers every Big 12 matchup in the history of the program.
She singled out fitness as a potential strength for K-State, as the team has never had this much time to work through preseason conditioning.
"If we had a match tomorrow, I really think that all of us would be fit and ready to play," she said.
Her head coach agreed, with the data to back it up.
"Our periodization has been little bit different because we don't have to rush anything," Dibbini said. "It's been a gradual build-up throughout the preseason as far as monitoring their VX, which covers wellness and their exert of energy using a heart rate monitor. I think this is the most fit they've ever been going into the season."
That's a big deal for a K-State team that seemed to get stronger as the Wildcats got deeper into matches in 2019.
K-State scored nine of their 15 goals in the second half last season, doing it twice in matches against South Dakota State and Gonzaga. Not exactly a one-year trend, the Wildcats have scored 66% of the goals in the history of the program in the second half of matches.
So, take a second-half team, give them even more time to work through conditioning and find their legs ahead of the 2020 season and you get a program with license to dream in August.
Of course, success in a season like this one could come down to mentality off-the-pitch as well, something Baxter can offer a valuable perspective on. The versatile senior has logged minutes at just about every spot on the pitch for Dibbini since she stepped into the lineup.
"When I first started playing defense, I went up to my roommate Avery Green and was like 'Props to you guys,' because it's really hard work," Baxter said. "Sometimes as a defender, you don't get to have the glory of scoring all the time and it's really hard work, so after that it was all about giving props to the defense because everything starts at the back and builds up."
When life hands you avocados, make guacamole (and salsa).
👩🍳 Cooking With Tina 👩🍳#KStateSOC 🥑 National Avocado Day pic.twitter.com/2ndlsyn2Kr
— K-State Soccer (@KStateSOC) July 31, 2020
Keeping things loose during an extended preseason, the Wildcats have broken up practice with Olympic style-competitions and social media sketches that continue to raise the bar for K-State content.
"I think they took the name a little too seriously." 😂@maddiesouder1 x @averygreen33#KStateSOC pic.twitter.com/R5ymfdAuFz
— K-State Soccer (@KStateSOC) August 20, 2020
But it's also a reminder that the connection between K-State teammates in August could be what carries the team through the Big 12 games that will set the tone for the season.
"It's really important because if we can have good chemistry off the field, then that's going to come on the field and impact how we play," Baxter said. "You know, sometimes when teams get frustrated with each other, it's about how we can get through that moment. We've said every year since I was a sophomore that we want to get even closer as a team and I think last season and this summer we've done that. I think that's why we're doing so well."
"like this" - Google News
August 24, 2020 at 06:09PM
https://ift.tt/2YvMd9t
SE: K-State Soccer Building Fitness, Chemistry While Dealing with the Unknown - K-StateSports.com
"like this" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2MWhj4t
Shoes Man Tutorial
Pos News Update
Meme Update
Korean Entertainment News
Japan News Update
No comments:
Post a Comment