BY AVNEET GREWAL / DAGLIGTALE STAFF WRITER

The women’s soccer team kicked off their season with a bang. Their first game they won with a score of five to two. In their second game the following weekend, they dominated with an amazing score of ten to two. We spoke to the head coach, Tom McManus, to get an insight on how the team prepared for their season.

After spending the past year recruiting for the women’s team, they brought in twelve new players who the head coach acknowledges as being a great asset.  The teams arrived early in August to start training for their season; the coach said they worked on fitness training in each session to keep the team fit so the players stay in top shape.  When asked what other steps are taken to keep the team playing at a high level, the coach expressed that competition is in all parts of the pitch. He further explained that in order to better his players he wants them to surpass someone they see as a great player. “I tell them that I need someone better, not ‘as good as.'” The last thing the coach said was he really enjoyed working with all the players.

Crowds and supports have a big impact on the game. When the crowd gets excited and cheer, the energy they give off feeds the players. This makes the crowds crucial for the game; when we asked the coach about the impact of the crowd, he said, “the crowd is great. They definitely impact the games. I love hearing them and seeing them on the other side of the field, the players feed off it as well. The crowd of fans that we have is fantastic. We really appreciate them.”

(Originally published September 27, 2019)