Lauren McCracken Blog #3

Hey IPFW soccer fans, it’s been a while since the last blog, but I promise I wasn’t procrastinating... I was just waiting for the winning streak to get underway! We just finished playing UMKC earlier today, which ended in a 2-0 victory for your Dons. This was the third consecutive win for our team, improving our season record to 3-5-1 and our conference play to 2-0-0. We are off to a great start in the Summit League, and can only work to continue this lead for the remainder of the season, beginning next weekend in the Dakotas.

In the past weeks we had suffered some tough losses, which took a toll on all of us mentally and physically. We had hit a minor speed bump in our season, which required every single member of the team to step up in order to overcome it. After a few long discussions, and an increase in intensity at every practice, we were playing much more effectively as a team.

This lead to our first victory a week ago today versus Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. We started off slow, but battled back to score 2 quick goals in the second half, achieving a 2-1 victory. This was exactly the confidence boost we needed and it put us right back on track just as conference play was beginning.

This past week, the weather cooled off slightly but nonetheless, we have been training hard every morning with great intensity in order to prepare for the upcoming games. We only have 3 weeks left of the season, and there is no room for any setbacks or slacking. With the way we have been training and practicing lately, we have created our own luck, and have earned every victory that we have achieved. The Summit League tournament is in clear view and our fate is in our own hands. It is up to us to make it happen. It will not be easy, and it will require a lot of hard work, but I know that we are very capable of winning it. So the next time I write to you, I will be writing about the success that awaits us, but until then... GO DONS!