Welcome (back)!

Greetings, all!

I'm VERY much looking forward to working with all of you this off-season and into the season! Can't wait.

Here are some important dates to keep in mind from here on out:

**Monday, Dec. 21: Co-ed 5v5 Indoor Soccer Tournament (@HHS)
**Thursday, Dec. 10 - Friday, March 4 (excluding holiday breaks): weekday 3-4 PM off-season training. Meet in Mr. or Mrs. Robinson's classrooms.
**BY Monday, March 14: All physicals, insurance fees, and code of conducts on file with Connie @HHS
**Monday, March 14: First day of the season/tryouts/Iron Woman Contest
**Saturday, March 19: All day Varsity-only scrimmages at Grand Valley
**March 31-April 10: No required soccer activities.
**Monday, May 30 (Memorial Day): required late afternoon/early evening practice and team dinner for Varsity only.

Please do not hesitate with any questions, comments, and/or concerns from here on out.

Let's get this started!

0-0 Tie at Comstock Park…and More!!

Hi, all!

Thanks for an overall great season, girls, culminating in the tough 0-0 draw yesterday at Comstock. As a coach, I appreciate immensely the work you guys put into this season. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Now, we're not done yet…:)

**Last team meeting: 3-3:45 PM in my classroom..next Tuesday, May 26…bring all clean uniform items to turn in…and hopefully we can all somehow make it across town to Zeeland to watch the Varsity team in their first round District game vs. Zeeland West (4 PM)???!!!

**Soccer Program Dessert Banquet: Tuesday, June 2 (6:30 PM) at the MS cafeteria. More details to come!

Thanks again, all, and let me know if you need anything!

2-0 Loss to Byron Center

Hang in there, ladies! We've got one more chance to finish this thing right.

Stay positive and support each other.

Oh, and beat Comstock Park!

See you outside for our last practice today at 3 PM. Team dinner at Ashley's to follow!

Our Last Week!

Hi, all! Hope you're enjoying the warm weekend??

So…here we go with our last official week together coming up. LET'S FINISH STRONG!!

See below for the tentative schedule:

**Monday: game at B.Center (5 PM)…bus leaves at 3:30…dress up in school…Katlyn = video
**Tuesday: practice 3-5 PM…last team dinner @ 5:30 PM (VanDenBerg's).
**Wednesday: game at Comstock Park (5 PM)…bus leaves at 3:15…Phebe = video
**Last Team Meeting: to be announced
**Program-wide banquet: Tuesday, June 2 @ 6:30 PM…HS cafeteria…more details to come!

Note: congrats to Ashley for having been voted by her peers as our last alternate captain of the season. Well deserved!

See you all soon. Take care!

2-1 Win vs. Holland

Ladies,

Loved how you handled a bit of personnel adversity yesterday in that second half vs. Holland. As a team, we certainly were "limping", and we did "bend" a bit. BUT we didn't "break", and that's a tribute to you all. Nice job!

With two games left in the season, we need to repeat that team spirit again…and again!

See you at practice today…3 to 5 PM…Formidable Feet contests starting at 4 PM.

7-0 Loss to Unity

Hold your heads high, ladies, and remember: it could always be worse!

With three games and about a week left in the season, let's simply get better, look at the bright side of things, and enjoy each other and this beautiful game!!

See you all officially on Wednesday in my room right after school. Sophomore captains will be leading you in a spirited practice tomorrow!

Take care, all.

Upcoming Week…and more!

Greetings, all!! Hope you're surviving the dreary weather conditions this weekend.

Happy Mother's Day!! :)

Please check out the schedule below to prep for our second-to-last week together this season:

**Monday: home game vs. Unity (4 PM)…athletic bottoms and Hamilton soccer shirts in school…Maddie/Rhi = ball girls…Pauline = video
**Tuesday: practice 3-5 PM.
**Wednesday: home game vs. Holland (5:45 PM)…meet in my room directly after school…snacks/beverages in my room??...Morgan/Ana = ball girls…Bailee = video.
**Thursday: practice 3-5 PM.
**Friday: practice 3-5 PM.

Note: Congrats to Katlyn Eding for being honored by her peers as this upcoming week's alternate captain! Well deserved.

Take care, all, and let's finish this thing strong!

3-2 Win vs. Wayland

Loved that you met a couple of team goals tonight, ladies! And an extra bonus is that, in doing so, we are at an even 6-6-1 record on the season at this point. Well done! It wasn't always pretty tonight, but you hung in there and got the job done against a decent opponent.

Our overall effort will have to be x2 to get it done this coming Monday. And….we can do it!!

Take care, and have a great night.

2-1 Win at Zeeland West

Girls,

Really proud of your BOUNCE-BACK effort yesterday at Zeeland West. The first half was as bad as I've seen us play-- on multiple levels. Regarding the "crossroads" that I mentioned at halftime, we seem to be back on the right "road" based on the inspired play from then on. Now…KEEP. THAT. UP.

Starts (again) in practice. See you soon!

P.S. SUPPORT and EMPATHY, right??!!

5-0 Loss to Holland Christian

Girls,

Keep your collective heads up…BUT…we need a LOT better collective effort from here on out…practice and games…(dot dot dot).

 In our post-game talk, I mentioned that there certainly are many more important things in life than winning a soccer game. That said, remember the alternate point made: in this crazy life/world, you only get one chance to enjoy this great game at the high school level with friends, coaches that support you, parents that cheer you on, etc.! Make the most of it, and LIVE LIFE TO THE FULLEST.

See you tomorrow for practice, and let's keep moving forward!

7-0 win at Black River…and more!

Nice job last night, ladies, handling business against an over-matched opponent! I mostly liked the way you stuck to good soccer habits despite the score on the scoreboard-- especially since "good soccer habits" will be needed (x2) next week starting with H.C. at home this coming Monday! Rematch time!

Here's the tentative schedule for this coming week…another full slate:

**Monday: home game vs. H. Christian…vote on alternate team captain before the game…dress up in school…outside by 315 PM…Nicky/Teagan = ball girls…Ana = vid.
**Tuesday: practice 3-5 PM.
**Wednesday: 1/2 day in school…game at Z.West at 5 PM…bus leaves at 345 PM...Ashley = vid.
**Thursday: practice 3-5 PM
**Friday: home game vs. Wayland…Harley/Syd = ball girls…Shania = vid.

Note: THANK YOU FOR BEING SUCH SPECIAL FRIENDS TO OUR DAUGHTER QUINN THIS PAST FRIDAY--FEEDING HER, PLAYING WITH HER, ETC.!! SHE LOVED YOU ALL! :)

Take care, girls, and looking forward to seeing you shortly!

2-0 Loss vs. Byron Center

Girls,

As mentioned today after the game, the positive sign as a result of the contest vs. Byron Center is that we finished strong…despite what the scoreboard said at the conclusion. We should be mostly proud of the way we finished the game with much more of an urgent offensive effort. Let's keep plugging away!

See you tomorrow for a time to regroup at practice.

0-0 Tie at Holland

Hey, girls!

Nice job regarding a hard-fought game last night on what is traditionally a tough surface to play on. With our remaining games though, let's be sure to always FINISH STRONG regarding second half play. I thought we were on our heels a bit for much of that second half last night.

On to the next one!

Upcoming Week

Hey, girls! Hope the weekend is treating you well??

See below for the tentative schedule for this coming week:

**Monday: game at Holland (5 pm)…dress up in school…bus leaves at 4 pm…Maddie = vid
**Tuesday: practice 3-5 pm.
**Wednesday: home game vs. Byron Center (4 pm)…Phebe/Nena = ball girls…Rhi = vid
**Thursday: practice 3-5 pm
**Friday: game at Black River (430 pm)…bus leaves at 330 pm…Morgan = vid.

Note: Congrats to Harley Dykema for being selected by her peers as this coming week's alternate captain!! Well deserved.

See you all soon, and let's keep this thing rolling in a positive direction!

8-0 Mercy Win vs. Hopkins

Well done today, ladies. As mentioned after the game, you took care of business in a mature, hard-working manner vs. a lesser opponent. Bottle that up for next week as we take on another set of foes: two conference games (Holland/B.Center) and one non-conference vs. Black River.

See you all soon…stay tuned for more info this weekend regarding next week…and have a great weekend!

4-0 Loss at Unity

Keep those heads high, girls!! No shame today since a.) you all played hard…b.) you all stayed positive…and c.) you supported each other. A coach (and a team) can't ask for much more. More good things will come about if we keep all of that up.

Back to the drawing board tomorrow with practice in preparation for another game: Friday at home vs. Hopkins.

See you soon!

2-1 Win vs. Z.West

Nice job today, ladies, on a not-so-nice day out there weather-wise. I'm proud that we all stuck with it in light of the circumstances, accomplished at least two team goals, and got back in the winning column on the eve of an important game vs. a tough Unity squad.

Let's keep up the good work, girls!

See you tomorrow for practice and a team dinner.

Take care!

Upcoming Week

Hey, girls! Hope the weekend has been a great (and productive) one??

Regarding this upcoming week (a full slate) please see below:

**Monday: home game vs. Z.West @ 4PM…Meet outside by 315…wear game warm-ups in school…Teagan = vid…Pauline/Shania = ball girls…dress warmly as it is supposed to rain and be pretty cold!
**Tuesday: 3-5PM practice…team dinner #2 @ Syd's (530 PM)
**Wednesday: game at Unity (5 PM)…bus leaves at 345PM…Harley = video
**Thursday: 3-5PM practice
**Friday: home game vs. Hopkins @4 PM…meet outside by 315 PM…Bailee/Katlyn = ball girls…Syd = video.

Note: Congrats to Morgan for being selected by her peers to be an alternate captain for this coming week. Well deserved!

Note #2: I will doing a "grade check" per one of our team rules this Monday. Remember, "student" before "athlete"!

Ladies, we still have much to play for this season with team goals still at the forefront!

2-0 Loss to H.C.

Ladies,

Hang in there! The season is still young, and we still have a ton of improving to do from here on out. And one thing that I am NOT concerned with right now is your collective ability to fight hard until the end of a match…no matter the situation. Nice job with that last night!

See you all for much needed practice today at 3.

2-0 Hudsonville Loss

Girls,

As mentioned after the game, despite the couple of breakdowns we suffered in letting Hudsonville score a pair of goals, a major positive is how we finished the last 20 or so minutes of a mostly evenly-matched game today--consistently pressuring the opponent in our offensive end.

Let's remember that for tomorrow vs. a game Holland Christian squad!

See you all tomorrow for 4 PM team pics in the HS cafeteria. Bus leaves for H.C. at 430 PM. Game at 530 PM.

Heads up! :)

Upcoming week...

Welcome back, everyone! Hope your Break was enjoyable and restful. As for soccer, we jump right back into action in the very near future! Let's all be as prepared as possible.

See the schedule for this upcoming week below:

**Monday- practice 3-5 PM.
**Tuesday- home game vs. Hudsonville at 4 PM…meet outside at 315 PM…Ana/Ashley = ball girls…Nena = video.
**Wednesday- away game at H.C. (530 PM)…TEAM PICS@4 PM…Nicole = video
**Thursday- practice 3-5 PM
**Friday- practice 3-5 PM.

Note: Please study up as a refresher our team goals, team rules, "set plays", teammate info, and glossary of soccer-related terms before tomorrow, so we can hit the ground running!!

Take care, all, and see everyone soon!

6-0 Loss to Middleville

Keep your collective heads up, ladies!! The season is young, and we can (and will) improve by leaps and bounds before this thing is over.

No shame in losing to a talented opponent…UNLESS WE DON'T SOMEHOW LEARN FROM IT!

Have a great, fun, safe Break, and please remember to stay/get fit and be ready to come back hitting the ground running for plenty of soccer ahead of us!

Pre-Spring Break week…and more!

Greetings, JV players and families!

Please check out the abbreviated schedule below as a tentative guide to this upcoming week:

**Monday: 3-430 PM practice (Parent/Teacher Conferences @5)
**Tuesday: 3-430 PM practice (Parent/Teacher Conferences @5)
**Wednesday: home game vs. Middleville (4 PM)…Rhi/Morgan = ball girls…Phebe = video…more details to come.
**Thursday/Friday: OFF…ENJOY THE BREAK AND STAY FIT! :)

On a side note, congrats to Maddie for her recent election (by her peers) as "alternate team captain" for this upcoming week!

4-0 Win vs. Coopersville

Job well done today, girls, in our first official game of the season! Certainly, we dealt with some adversity (weather, injuries, first game jitters, etc.) and came out on the right end of things. And as mentioned, we partially met two team goals today in doing so!!

Let's keep this positive momentum going into our next game on Wednesday at K. Hills.

Take care!

Upcoming week…and more!

Greetings, all! Hope the weekend's been great already.

A few things:

**Check out the newly updated "roster" and "team goals" information by scrolling down and to the left on this page. Regarding the three team goals that the girls decided on yesterday in my classroom, let's get the ball rolling starting on Monday…on the field and off!

**Reminder that I need $14 from all of you asap for the socks. Cash or checks made payable to "Hamilton High School  Attention: Girls Soccer". Speaking of apparel, please remember to order Hamilton stuff online (a previous email I sent all of you) if interested asap!

**Study, study, study your paperwork this weekend: set plays, player info, team info (philosophy, communication, etc.). DUE MONDAY! :)

**Congratulations to Teagan Knapp and Ana Lopez for being selected by their peers as permanent team captains this season! In addition, congratulations to Shania Kragt (shout-out to Morgan as well!) for being selected by her peers as the "alternate captain" for this upcoming week!

**Thank you ahead of time to Team Eustice and Team VanDenBerg for volunteering to host our other two team dinners coming up this season. Much appreciated! April 21 and May 19...

**Finally, check out the team schedule for this upcoming week below:

-MONDAY: 4 PM home game vs. Coopersville…wear warm-up top and jeans in school…all white uniforms for the game…meet outside dressed and ready no later than 3 PM…Syd, Maddie, Bailee = varsity game duties…warm-up cd????
-TUESDAY: 3-5 PM practice.
-WEDNESDAY: away game vs. Kenowa Hills…Katlyn = video…more details to come.
-THURSDAY: 3-5 PM practice.
-FRIDAY: 3-5 PM practice.

That's it for now, all! Let me know if you need anything at all.

Welcome, girls!

Ladies,

Again, welcome to the JV girls soccer team and Hamilton girls soccer program. I/We are really excited to work with you. Let's get this thing kicked off in a positive direction from the outset!

Here is the tentative schedule for next week:

**Monday: 3-5 PM (inside at the high school or outside)
**Tuesday: 3-5 PM (if outside)…5-7 PM in the HS (if inside)…PARENT MEETING TO FOLLOW      
                   FOLLOW IN EITHER CASE.
**Wednesday: 3-5 PM (if outside)…3-5 PM at the MS (if inside)…TEAM DINNER AT THE
                       ROBINSON HOUSEHOLD AT 5:30 P.M.
**Thursday: scheduled scrimmage outside at Zeeland East at 4 PM…7-9 PM practice at HS (if inside)
**Friday: 3-5 PM (inside at the HS or outside)

Take care and spread the word to your respective families!