University of Richmond Athletics
Women's Soccer Fall Training Update
08/18/2015 | Women's Soccer
After a training week in California and another weekend at home to finish fall training, the Richmond Spiders have put the finishing touches on the preseason, and switched gears into game prep for the regular-season opener, home against Campbell at the end of the week.
Though the trip to California took out the majority of two days of travel, the team was smart about training and mixed in scrimmages in the preseason to keep everyone sharp. It helped tremendously that the returning players and newcomers, all reported with a fantastic fitness level.
That's good enough to start, but there is still hard work to put in.
“We tried to establish a starting point that was much farther along that last year, and then move forward from that,” said head coach peter Albright, who begins his 20th season with Richmond, spanning the entire history of the program.
“I think we have really accomplished that in 100 different ways.”
He noted that the large volume of returning players, 21, coming back in shape meant “a lot less teaching and conditioning than you might have in another year.”
So the training mode switched into more details, with a focus on better possession, better first touch of the ball and better finishing in the attacking third of the field.
The freshmen picked up on concepts quickly, thanks to their study of the style of play starting back in the spring. Competitiveness in training was established early, and it created an environment that fostered quality training sessions and a healthy team atmosphere.
Richmond mixed in scrimmages and training sessions together in California and back on campus, which provided real situations to evaluate players and give the players valuable field time and experience.
“Our technical skill level is way better than it was from this time last year, but that is how we established our training in the winter and spring. The exercises we use to develop those first-touch skills are either fun or competitive or both. The players have responded in that they understand why we do it, and they also enjoy doing it.”
Coaches have noted that opponents have not been pushing players this fall off the ball as they have in previous seasons. They also said that the first touch is improving, leading to better possession and better chances to score, something that continues to be a focus leading into the season.
“We are not going to win by being more fit than the opponent,” said Albright. “If we win, it is because we are smarter and sharper. We are ahead of where we were last year at this time, but we don't feel we are where we were midseason of last year and that is where we want to be.”
Richmond hosts eight games in Robins Stadium in 2015, starting with Campbell Friday night at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free.
