5 v. 5 Holiday Tournament Info

Hello, all!

First, Happy Holidays to you and yours! May it be a safe, fun, happy "season" for you all!

Regarding the upcoming Holiday 5 v. 5 soccer tournament at the high school, check out the link below and/or your respective team captain's email account in order to be updated on the schedule, bracket, etc. for that day.

http://hamiltongirlssoccer.weebly.com/1/post/2013/12/soccer-tournament-brackets.html

Don't hesitate to contact either me or Coach Stieper with any questions, concerns, and/or comments!

Take care, all!

Correction on below...

Monday's (June 3) Year-End Banquet will be held at the MIDDLE SCHOOL CAFETERIA...not the high school. Sorry about the confusion! Hope to see you all there.

End of Season BANQUET

Girls, I hope to see you all on Monday, June 3 at 6 PM (High School Cafe) for our end-of-season celebration! Lookin' forward to it....

More details to come...

Season-ending 2-1 Loss vs. GRC

Girls, what an effort you guys gave today vs. a pretty talented opponent in our final game of the season. You guys have NOTHING to hang your heads about. Honestly, yes, giving up a game-deciding goal in the final 2 minutes was tough, but your collective heroics before then gave us a chance to even be IN the game, ya know? Congrats...no matter the outcome. Congrats...for a rewarding season all around.

I'll see you all in my classroom tomorrow for our last team meeting! Please bring all uniform items if you can.

2-1 Win vs. Kenowa Hills

Ladies, I meant what I said after today's game regarding how proud I was of your fight in the second half. To be down 1-0 at half after having played pretty badly all around, you guys certainly could have tanked and mailed it in. But as I knew you would, you rebounded with max effort and put away a team we should always beat. In our next (and last) game, we can't afford to sleep walk in the first half! Let's make it a full 70 min. effort to end the season right, huh?

See you tomorrow for a delayed (around 315 PM) practice!

3-2 Win vs. BC....and More

Girls, job well done all around the field for the most part today. Things got a little dicey at the end there trying to hold onto the lead, but you guys handled everything well down the stretch. Feels good to get back to winning (while playing soundly at the same time), huh? And after struggling to find the back of the net as of late, it was extra nice to pump 3 goals in there today!

Ok, so now here goes with our final week's schedule:

**Monday...game @ Kenowa Hills (5 PM)...bus leaves at 330 PM.

**Tuesday...our last practice! We'll start at 315 since I have an interview right after school for 20-30 minutes...fyi.

**Wednesday...our last game! We play at GR Christian (615 PM...Varsity plays first at 430)...bus leaves right after school.

**Thursday...off

**Friday...team meeting in my room right after school until 330-ish...be ready to hand in all uniform items! Please let me know ahead of time if you cannot attend.

Have a great weekend, girls! Lookin' forward to seeing you guys again....

2-0 Unity Loss

Ladies, let's simply focus on the IMPROVEMENT we made when comparing our last outing vs. Unity to our game today...especially in light of the dose of adversity we've been facing as of late. In other words, keep your collective heads up and be proud of the overall, patchwork effort you had in there today against a talented opponent.

See you all tomorrow for practice!

2-0 Zeeland West Loss

Ladies, I think we should be a bit disappointed with the loss today. Simply put, I think you all would agree that that's a team we can beat. BUT keep in mind, we've got some people out...some people in new positions...etc. We WILL keep getting better...no doubt. Let's play a FULL 70 minutes vs. Unity though.

See you tomorrow for practice!

1-1 Tie vs. Wayland...and more

Girls, job well done in the evenly played match today vs. a sound opponent in Wayland. It was a pretty entertaining game to watch in that both teams generated plenty of chances on the offensive end, and both teams came up with big defensive plays to help their respective causes throughout the game. It will be a similar battle (again) this coming Monday in a rematch vs. Zeeland West. Be ready!

Speaking of Monday, here is the lineup for next week:

**Monday: game at Zeeland West (5 PM)...bus leaves at 4/415..."dress up" in school. Robinson will not be in school but will see you in Zeeland!

**Tuesday: practice 3-5 PM

**Wednesday: home game vs. Unity at 4 PM...ball girls, be ready.

**Thursday: practice 3-5 PM

**Friday: home game vs. Byron Center...ball girls, be ready.

That's it for now, girls! Have a stupendous weekend. Time is ticking on the season...make every day count!

3-1 Spirited Loss vs. H. Christian

Girls, you deserve a "congrats" for your overall effort vs. the Maroons today. NOT that we're in to "moral victories", but I meant what I said after the game that that was certainly one of the best efforts i've witnessed in my years a JV coach against that specific opponent. Now, let's STAY CONFIDENT and of equal importance, WORK AT A HIGH, COMPETITIVE RATE AT ALL TIMES IN PRACTICE SO THAT WE ARE BETTER SUITED FOR GAME-LIKE CONDITIONS!

Speaking of practice, my math was waaaay off (not surprising) after the game today: we officially have 4 practices left in the season. Are we going to truly relish those opportunities to compete, get better, and prepare for games?! See you tomorrow, ladies.

2-1 Win at Byron Center

Ladies, I thought we did an admirable all-around job on the turf last night vs. Byron Center. Things got a bit dicey in the second half due to our defensive positioning, etc., but you guys deserve credit for pulling through. Let's keep things positive for this second half of the season!

See you at practice where we'll get better with every touch.

Next Week...

Hey, girls. Here's the lineup for this coming week:

**Monday...game at Byron Center (5 PM)..."dress up" in school...bus leaves at 345 PM.

**Tuesday...practice 3-5 pm

**Wednesday...home game vs. Holland Christian (4 PM)...ball girls, be ready.

**Thursday...practice 3-5 pm

**Friday...home game vs. Wayland (4 PM)...ball girls, be ready.

Looking forward to a great, successful week, ladies! Please always keep in mind (and in "practice") our THEMES thus far this season--communication, physical toughness, positive attitude, and composure (congrats again to you, Mista!). Plus, please remember our team meeting in my classroom regarding our verbal reflection (weaknesses/strengths) on our team thus far at the halfway point of the season. See you all soon!

Game Time Change...

Our May 22 JV game at G.R. Christian has shifted to 615 PM that evening. Please communicate this with your families!

0-0 Tie vs. Holland (again)...

Girls, job well done today in most departments--dealing with the heat, owning possession, winning balls, being sound defensively and in the net, etc. It should be a bit frustrating though that we couldn't put that team away. We've got to find a way to deliver on our offensive opportunities, and we will in the future! You guys certainly looked COMPOSED out there at the very least.

See you tomorrow in my classroom dressed and ready to go for outdoor practice at 3 PM. Have a good night!

5-0 Unity Loss...

Girls, in retrospect, I thought we really did show some positive spurts at times in the game vs. Unity last night, but unfortunately, they were few and far between. From here on out (and again in our rematch with Unity a couple weeks), let's ALWAYS attempt to possess as well as go to/get every loose ball. It's really that simple! And, of course, along the way always stat COMPOSED in whatever we do.

See you for a balmy practice!

4-2 win vs. Hopkins...and more

Ladies, I loved the way you responded to a halftime challenge today in our game vs. Hopkins. The second half was certainly a few steps up from our relative complacency from the first half. Job well done. And now you can enjoy the weekend even more, right? :)

Here's the schedule for next week:

**Monday...game at Unity (5 PM)...bus leaves at 345 PM...food will be provided in the cafeteria after school (be sure to thank Mrs. Blowers for organizing all of that!)

**Tuesday...practice 3-5 PM

**Wednesday...home game vs. Holland (4 PM)...check ball girl schedule!

**Thursday/Friday...practice 3-5 PM

As for our upcoming theme, we'll definitely need a strong dose of it on Monday (and beyond). Our newest theme is "COMPOSURE": cool, calm, collected under pressure...in ANY circumstance. How can we all do this on a consistent basis?? I'm looking forward to seeing our first set of official results starting Monday against a very quality opponent.

Have a great weekend, all! And remember to ACCEPT EVERYONE NO MATTER WHAT!! :)

1-0 Win Vs. Zeeland West

Ladies, another "congrats" on your overall efforts today in our first home game. I really thought that on the whole, we possessed well, made smart defensive plays, and had some timely goalkeeping...all in the winning effort. Let's keep this up in order to continue on our road to meeting our goals!

See you tomorrow for regular outdoor 3-5 PM practice.

6-0 H.C. Loss

Keep your collective heads up, ladies. I hear your second half effort vs. the Maroons yesterday was much better than the first, so let's choose to focus on the that as we move forward, ok? I'm really sorry to have missed the game! School duty called...

Lookin' forward to continuing our team progress as we keep our goals/what we stand for idea in mind!

GK Camp

Please pass this along to any GK who may be interested in a summer GK camp that I, along with a fellow ex-MSU GK, will put on this July 2013.

http://elitegoalkeepingcamp.blogspot.com/

Latest Updates

Well, we went 1 for 3 this week regarding actual game competition. Next week WILL be better...promise (kinda)!

In all seriousness though, we shall all remain with "POSITIVE ATTITUDES" no matter the circumstances, right? So here goes with the tentative schedule for next week:

**Monday...game at Holland Christian (5 PM)...bus leaves at 4 PM...Malefyt will be your coach due to HS P/T Conferences

**Tuesday...practice 3-5 PM

**Wednesday...home game vs. Zeeland West (4 PM)

**Thursday...practice 3-5 PM

**Friday...home game vs. Hopkins (4 PM)

We keep rollin' either way, girls!

PS. Our previously cancelled Byron Center game this past Wednesday has been rescheduled for Friday, May 17 (home/4 pm).

0-0 Tie Vs. Holland...and more

Hi, ladies. Well, we were back in action finally, so that's a great thing, right? The match vs. Holland yesterday was kind of "blah" in my opinion: not many scoring/offensive opportunities...and we can do a much better job of simple possession. I DID like though the general good intentions of playing the ball wide (esp. out of the back) and to space as safe outlets. Plus, I liked seeing the strong, physical work ethic from the team for the duration of the game. Let's get better though and NOT BE COMPLACENT!!

Note: the ball girl schedule for home varsity games has just been released, and for tomorrow (Wed.), Tiny and Cam should be prepared. As for Fri., Lauren and Kendra should be prepared. Finding suitable subs is always an option as well, but SOMEONE must be there.

See you soon, ladies.

Schedule for next week...

...and some other thoughts:

**Monday...game at Holland at 5 PM...bus leaves at 4...wear jeans and warmup top to school.

**Tuesday...practice 3-5 PM...team dinner at Logan's at 7/730?

**Wednesday...home game vs. Byron Center at 4 PM...dressed and ready for warmups at 3 PM.

**Thursday...practice 3-5 PM

**Friday...home game vs. Hudsonville at 4 PM...get-together at Tiny's later on?

**NOTE: Kenowa Hills game has been rescheduled for Monday, May 20 at 5 PM (at K.H.)

I'm sure we're all VERY ready for some outdoor practice/game action, yes, girls? I know I am. Prepare yourselves accordingly. And don't forget about our continuing themes--communication and physical toughness!

See you soon, girls, and have a great weekend.

Recent Update

Ladies,

Sorry about the cancelled game today vs. Zeeland East...bummer. But Michigan weather is what it is, right? Oh, well....

I really WAS looking forward to seeing you guys be PHYSICALLY TOUGH (our theme for the week) in all aspects out there though...with the weather, in the game, etc. Please keep in mind how else we can all be collectively and individually "tough/strong" here on out. We'll have practice tomorrow and then a game vs. Middleville on Thursday (Frannie still as alternate captain)...and then at the conclusion of practice Friday, we'll vote on nominees who consistently display the theme.

On one last note, be prepared to possibly practice indoors tomorrow right after school if the weather continues the way it has. We'll meet in my room at 3 PM dressed and ready to go, if so...

See you soon, girls!

Spring Break Greetings

Hi, girls! I hope you're already enjoying the first bit of time here on Break?! Here in Michigan, at least the sun's out and it's a bit warmer!

Anyway, a few items for you for over Break and beyond:

**Congrats again to one of our new permanent captains--Mikayla VanFleeren--as chosen by team vote at the end of practice yesterday. Keep up the good work, Mikayla! And remember, the rest of you, we can ALL strive to be "captain-like" at any given time and in any given context. To the captain Mikayla is replacing, good luck to you, Melinda, on the Varsity squad! You'll be great.

**PLEASE stay/get in shape over Break...anaerobic/aerobic stuff...touches on the ball...all of it. As you'll see below, we immediately jump back into competition after Break (and without Spain travelers, Kaitlyn and Cam).

**So here goes with the schedule for after Break:

-Monday...outdoor practice from 3-5 PM

-Tuesday...away game vs. Zeeland East at 5 PM

-Wednesday...outdoor practice from 3-5 PM

-Thursday...home game vs. Middleville at 4 PM

-Friday...practice from 3-5 PM

________________

I'm mostly content with the start to our season, but we'd all agree that we've got plenty of work to do!

Have a safe, fun Break, girls, and please let me know if you need anything at all.

2-0 Win @ Coop.

Ladies, considering the circumstances today (weather/lack of outdoor practice), I was proud of the overall effort vs. the Broncos. Job well done. Feel free to check out the "game recap" link below and to the left to view some highlights...in words of course...the English teacher in me :)

Now, let's all be honest and know that we need a lot more training at this point. No need to get complacent already, and I know you girls won't. And that "practice" will commence tomorrow...outside...at 3 PM...pics at 4 PM in the HS cafe. Be prepared!

See you guys soon...congrats again.

Weekend Thoughts...and Next Week

Hi, girls. I hope the weekend is treating everyone well?!

Ok, first, check out the newly updated "roster" link below and to the left in order to view our complete team for the first official time. Yea! As you scroll down this page, you'll also notice our recently voted-upon "core values" and "team goals" for the season. Review these MEANINGFUL thoughts/ideas often and do something every single day (as an individual and as a team) to somehow meet these worthy expectations. Of course, I will help along the way!

Second, congrats to all of our voted-upon team captains from the past handful of days: Leanne, Melinda, and Tiny for the permanent captain positions...and Frannie for being the best embodiment of "communication" this past week thereby earning her the rotating captain nod. Keep up the good work, girls!

Now, regarding our schedule for this coming week (which is still up in the air), here's what we've got thus far:

**Monday...game (still up in the air) at Coopersville at 4 pm...bus right after school...all black jerseys/uniform items...black jersey, warmup tops, jeans for school. IF we do not have a game, still prepare for outdoor practice from 3-5 PM on the practice field. Dress warmly!

**Tuesday...plan for outdoor practice from 3-5 PM...team pics @ ??

**Wednesday...game at Kenowa Hills at 5 PM...bus leaves @ ??

**Thursday/Friday...Spring Break...enjoy! And stay in shape!

That's it for now, ladies. Please let me know if/how I can help at any time! Either way, I'm looking forward to a great week.

Weekend Thoughts

Hi, ladies.

Again, good/hard work yesterday with our first conditioning session. True character shines through when battling with mental and physical fatigue...for the first day, I like what I saw, but we can still improve.

Thanks for sharing your written thoughts via the questionnaires you filled out. After having read them, it seems we all have a lot in common...namely the following:

**Left feet need work!

**Teamwork...unity....togetherness...all are important to you collectively.

**Communication (all types) is KEY.

Regarding that last sentiment, our first THEME of the season for the duration of next week will be just that: COMMUNICATION...and all of the different methods/contexts quality communication can/needs to occur in order to ensure success on the field and off. Each of us should focus on how we all can personally get better at such an important life skill. Be prepared to talk about that on Monday first thing and then throughout the week (and beyond, of course). On Friday, we'll have a team vote as to which individual best exemplified that theme, and she will be our first "rotating" captain (along with the permanent captains) for our first two games of the season the following week.

Have a great weekend, all! Be sure to check the schedule again below for the upcoming week of training.

An Official Welcome!

Welcome to the Hamilton High School soccer program, ladies! Let me first say how excited I am to work with you all this coming season. My overall goal is to help you grow as WHOLE individuals: person, student, athlete...in that order. Let's get off to a great start!

Here's the tentative schedule for next week:

**Monday...outdoor practice from 3-5 PM

**Tuesday...outdoor practice from 3-5 PM

**Wednesday...outdoor practice from 3-5 PM

**Thursday...team meeting at 3 PM, indoor training, team pics in the cafe at 515 PM

**Friday...outdoor practice 3-5 PM

PS. As always, check out the "schedule" link below and to the left to view the season's general schedule. We'll also be having a parent meeting at some point this coming week as well...more details to come.

2013 Season Schedule

Hey, all! Check out the link below and to the left for the upcoming practice/game schedule for this upcoming season. It's the same link that Coach Malefyt shared with you via email, but I thought i'd post it here as well. Looking forward to starting!!