Highs and Lows

Last week we hit a high in our win versus Dakota Ridge, and we also hit a low for the season with our tie against Standley Lake. Collectively the games illustrate the challenges posed by each and every game on our schedule.
Every game has to be approached with a championship mentality, no matter your opponent. In my opinion, I feel as if we did that against both Standley Lake and Dakota Ridge. We knew they would be challenging, started the game well, played physically and even with intensity. 
But every game also poses challenges from: the opponent, their lineup and tactics, the field and weather conditions, and obviously different limitations of our own team on that particular date - injuries, fitness issues, fatigue, previous and future games.
In the Dakota Ridge game, we seemed to adjust to all of those variables, and played our best. We finished well, attacked their weaknesses, dealt well with their strengths, and even rebounded very well from their one goal. I also thought we showed patience and trust in one another and moved the ball well. The game ultimately could have been even more lopsided.
In the Standley Lake game, while we started well and were getting chances, our lack of breakthrough and a goal led us to, in my opinion, show a lack of patience and thought. We actually stopped doing what was working, or stopped trying to solve the problems they were presenting us, and instead, started attempting things that would only play into the other team’s hand. Indeed, we may have been fortunate with a tie in the game. 
And that brings us back to one theme I continue to hit on every season as a coach. “Just Get Better Today.” If we learn from games - the highs and the lows - and we train to improve, we prepare ourselves for that time of year, the playoffs, when teams that prepare AND play well move on, and those that don’t, wonder about what could have been.