SC Soccer Forums SCSoccer.com Forums Girls Varsity Soccer Midland Valley Program

Ok well it took me a while to be able to comment on some posts here. And I am sure no one will read it but here it goes for the record. The decision to to go forward with our soccer program was not fly by night but rather through a series of discussions with the AD and myself where we tried to consider all eventualities. We had meetings with potential players and our numbers were 30 plus for both teams (over 70 total). In fact we even considered having JV as well as varsity because our number were so great. Over the Christmas break some things happened (email me jgermany@aiken.k12.sc.us if you want to discuss them). I am still not quite sure what occurred but needless to say we began scrambling to set right many rumors that threatened our program. It turned out that during the conditioning part of the season (January) we had about enough for the two varsity teams (not including some holdouts). Our girls program had the most potential with at least 5 "club" players. But these former club players all decided that they didn't want to play and it ultimately doomed the program. We tried diligently to salvage the season and it was canceled only with careful consideration at the earliest possible moment.

I am sorry for you, and myself, that the girls program did not take off. What more can I say. We spent countless hours working with a dedicated number of female athletes only to have to tell them their season was canceled. What I don't understand is where is the camaraderie amongst coaches. What this whole process has shown me is that the SC soccer clique is strong - and we are unable to break through. I figured for more support and I am little disappointed at others who continue bash our attempts (on this board and off it). However, I will apologize to the region coaches for ruining your seasons and schedules by forcing you to lose out on two games.

But - I also have to point out that that Midland Valley has been called worse than "mud" and other things I have heard (on and off this board). I just can't understand for the life of me why all this vitriol is aimed our way. We tried and we failed, and I am a little embarrassed that as a 3A school we couldn't put a program together.

It is hard. At Blue Ridge, we had 14 kids try out two years ago where the tradition was to get beat 10-0 by Riverside, Eastside, J.L. Mann, and Wade Hampton. Three of those kids had never played soccer before ever. Two of the returners were goalies, so we had two potential subs before injuries, etc.

I sat at a table in the school cafeteria every day offering information, etc. to anyone who could walk and might want to play soccer. That's exactly who showed up. Last year, through the equivalent of marketing our team, and by promising that no one would be cut, we had enough to dress 13-15 for varsity, and 11 on our best day for JV. But we decided to have the JV team regardless, even if we had to play with less. We started one game with 10, and the kids who played were physically exhausted at every turn. Try playing Riverside with their Challenge and Premier players with 10 JV kids, most of whom have never played soccer. Our JV goal was simple: participation. Participation only. The simple belief that if is better for a young lady to be playing on a team for their school than sitting around uninvolved and waiting for trouble.

This year, we had 34 try out. Several of our varsity kids played club last year even if it was on the lower levels. We have 5-6 ninth graders who are great to be around and great kids. They are playing JV and loving it. We have 4 eligible exchange students. We have a full varsity team (18) and dressed 15 for the JV game this week.

No one understands the effort it takes to get to that point except Coach Bechtel and I. She has worked diligently daily to get kids out for soccer. Our track coach recruits everyone, promising them the world, and all teenagers listen when they are promised the world. We just promise them fun, respect, class, and that we will win. 14-5 last year, hope for the same this year.

Coach, I understand what you went through. If, and I believe that you probably believe this, you believe it is for the girls and not for the clubs, parents, or other coaches, try to do it again next year. Keep trying. Some young lady some day will appreciate it.

I received a Fathers' Day text from one of our alumni this year. During college spring break, EVERY kid who graduated from our soccer program came back for practice. Two of our alumni soccer players help coach this year.

Keep trying, and don't let the losers who love to belittle you or your program get in the way. It IS for the girls.

Well phrased words of encouragement! Feel good in that you tried and that this hopefully is a setback not a failure, as we only fail when we give up. As for the naysayers you get them succeed or not so let that rain run off your back, Yes take some offense at the scorn the ill-mannered who criticize without all the facts, but understand that even with them many of them would still be rude concerning your efforts.

ROH, perhaps if more programs realized how hard some schools have to work to field teams maybe they be would better about not trying to blowout the easy schools. Already this year we have seen 16-0, 15-0 and several other above 9-0 beat downs. I am not sure at what score I start to fault a coach for his/her failure to teach the kids about good sportsmanship I am fairly sure it is somewhere below 9-0. Let them make their excuses, but the fact is they are just that, excuses for poor leadership. I have bothered some people in the past with my gripes about teams playing at the right level but to me this is even more dreadful conduct as it shows little respect for your opponent or the game. It’s a game not a war! I know war, in war you only pull up when the other guy gives up not until! The object of school soccer is not to get the other team to give up because you have embarrassed them. Anyway sorry for the rant, I just felt like your post was a good example of what so many “blessed” programs never have to deal with!

Coach Germany -- Keep plugging. Midland Valley should have a soccer program and you're to be commended for resurrecting that program. It will get better! Good luck!

Chief,
How do you slow the scoring down? My daughter plays for a school that is in it's second year with a soccer program..2A in the lowcountry is feast or fammine..You win 10-0 or lose 8-0..It's awful..Soccer programs should not be classified by size of school..And let's not go into the
"pass the ball around" mode..Passing the ball around does not work if no one is coming after it..and it's just as demeaning as running up the score..

there are a ton of restrictions you can put on to keep the game challenging.

I see no point on running up the score on teams. It is discouraging to the players that are getting humiliated and some people don't want to play on a team who gets killed. Just no point, what is the difference in 8 goals and 12 goals? If you just want your goals scored stats to go up then that's dumb.

Make them play possession. 10 passes=1 goal (morally).

It's more than that..I know some struggle to offer programs while you have others that build strong winning programs..Do you tell the winning programs to back off? or tell the struggling programs to step it up?
I just wish there was a way that teams could be put together and play against teams of the same caliber..Then we would not have to place restrictions on teams..because even when you do that..everyone knows what's going on..Had one coach the other day ask the referee to just call the game..What message is he/she sending to their team?

it's not about "keep away". players can still play to score goals, but having them play 1-touch, or scoring only from headers, or something along those lines will definitely slow the rate at which goals are scored. that isn't something that you start at 9 - 0 either...more like when you get to 3-0 in the first 10 minutes!

Keeping a low goal diff isn't always possible. But if you can't get creative enough to keep it at least "reasonable", then you aren't thinking hard enough.

I don't think that there is a magic number, but some common courtesy and being a good sport is not hard to figure out.

Everyone seems to be missing coldhardtruth's point which is, I believe, that the teams need to be classified by level of soccer success (relegation & promotion, for example) rather than by size of school (4A, 3A, 2A, etc). Of course, experience tells us there is not much chance of that happening for soccer in the SCHSL.