Fort Lewis College women’s soccer head coach Jimmy Hall saw plenty of positives from the Skyhawks during the team’s annual alumnae game Saturday at Dirks Field.
Hall was pleased not only with the performance from his team, but also with the level of competition the former players brought to the field.
“This is a very good alumni group. Honestly, this is probably one of the strongest groups I think we’ve ever seen,” Hall said. “I thought that was a very good challenge for us. They’re as good as anyone in the conference.”
The Skyhawks finished the shortened match – the teams played 35-minute halves – tied with the alumnae squad 0-0.
The alumni team was also one of the largest groups of former FLC players to make the game in recent years.
Hall said the majority of the alumnae played for him at some point during his tenure at FLC, both as the head coach the past few seasons or during his time as an assistant before that.
Those who didn’t play for Hall have been mainstays in the annual game, coming back year after year to show support to their former team.
“For me, it’s become a tradition,” said Molly Deffenbaugh, a 2002 graduate from FLC. “It’s nice to see the program at the beginning of the season and feel the pace on the field and know the progression of where they’re headed. I like to stay connected, because that’s how you get to know the players. Once you stop coming back you kind of lose touch.”
The tough competition was what the Skyhawks were looking forward to with their season set to get underway in less than a week.
Hall said going into the alumnae game part of the team’s focus was to show patience in its possessions.
“I wanted to see them not just turn the ball away or force going forward and do silly things. I thought we got what we wanted out of it,” Hall said. “Quality possessions is what will lead to our goals and our attacks.”
But the Skyhawks still have plenty to work on before they’re at full strength.
Seniors Alicia “Cooper” Sanchez and Jenna Brown, and junior Renee Terrell all said the team needs to gain a better understanding of their role on the field and build chemistry with the underclassmen coming up through the program.
“We need to get everyone on the same page,” Sanchez said. “A lot of us are still (learning). Like me, sometimes I’m forgetting what I should do. I think we need to keep working on our shape and realizing how each other play.”
“I feel like we all have a certain way we play, and the newcomers are still catching on to that,” Brown added. “There’s definitely still room to improve there.”
FLC will get its season started Friday, when it will travel to Portales, New Mexico, to play Eastern New Mexico.
kschneider@durangoherald.com
