WOMEN’S SOCCER WATCHING WORLD CUP WITH PURPOSE

Photo Illustration - Alicia Tesan and Natalie Boyd

WOMEN’S SOCCER (ANNOUNCEMENT)
FRIDAY, JULY 9, 2010
SUMMER TRAINING

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WOMEN’S SOCCER WATCHING WORLD CUP WITH PURPOSE

LANGLEY, British Columbia – For most university students, the summer means no classes, no tests and definitely no homework.

The four months between spring and fall are usually reserved for ample amounts of sitting back, relaxing and reenergizing.

But for the Trinity Western University women’s soccer team, head coach Graham Roxburgh has assigned some homework.

He’s asked them to watch TV.

More specifically, Roxburgh has his team – the two-time defending CIS champions – watching the World Cup.  

As an exercise in developing different tactics, playing styles and creativity, Roxburgh and his staff figured his players should learn from the best the world has to offer.

"With so much of the sporting world focused on South Africa 2010 and the buzz of the World Cup, our staff decided that we would incorporate match analysis as part of our summer training program,” Roxburgh said. “It has been good for all of us to not only continue to get excited about the soccer culture, but to make viewing certain games into a growing experience for our program.”

Roxburgh had each player analyse at least four games throughout the tournament and, in doing so, hoped his players would learn valuable lessons from the world’s elite.

“We asked players to watch players that were specific to their position as well as to watch for the various styles of play and to get a sense of how teams tried to attack and defend. And, in doing so, we hope the players will further develop their ability to read situations within a game."

With only the final left to be played on Sunday – one that will see the Netherlands and Spain face off for world supremacy – for the players, the results of the exercise have been impressively productive.
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“I think analyzing World Cup games and, specifically, individual players, helps us as a team and individually to really understand the game,” said Spartans forward Alicia Tesan who scored nine goals last year for TWU. “Noting strengths and weaknesses in different teams allows us to apply different tactics to our own games. We are able to take pieces from each team and mold them into our own formation.”

And for Tesan, the “homework” assignment is definitely something that will have a lasting effect.

“I think pride is one thing that will really stick with me,” she said. “Watching all these top notch players battle for their country gives me chills. Another thing that has stuck out for me is confidence. Especially in my attacking position, confidence is so important. Watching players like (Spain’s) David Villa and (the Netherlands’) Wesley Sneijder play with such confidence and composure is a huge influence.”

While Tesan has gleaned the importance of confidence, her teammate Natalie Boyd, who plays for the Vancouver Whitecaps women’s team, has learned a similar concept, but in a slightly different fashion.

“It's very comforting to see that even the top level players make mistakes,” Boyd said. “It's all about playing and learning from experiences. It’s sometimes learning from the mistakes you make that will help you develop the soccer intelligence to take you to the next level.”


And for TWU, that’s the goal: pushing the team to the next level.

This year, the Spartans women’s soccer team is looking for the CIS Championship three-peat little. So, when the players know what it takes to win, a little summer homework from Roxburgh is pretty much expected.

After all, when you’re the back-to-back defending national champions, school is always in session.

About TWU:

Trinity Western University, located in Langley, B.C., is a not-for-profit Christian liberal arts university enrolling over 4,000 students this year. With a broad based, liberal arts and sciences curriculum, the University offers undergraduate degrees in 41 major areas of study ranging from business, education and computer science to biology and nursing, and 17 other graduate degrees including counselling psychology, theology and administrative leadership. For more information, visit TWU's Official Athletics site at gospartans.ca.

About Canadian Interuniversity Sport:

Canadian Interuniversity Sport is the national governing body of university sport in Canada. Fifty-two universities, 10,000 student-athletes and 550 coaches vie for 21 national championships in 12 different sports. The CIS also provides high performance international opportunities for Canadian student-athletes at Winter and Summer Universiades, and 32 World University Championships. For further information, visit www.universitysport.ca.

About CWUAA:

"Canada West is consistently the most decorated of the four conferences in Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS), winning at least 10 CIS national titles every year since 1997-98. Comprised of 13 schools, from Manitoba to B.C., the CWUAA produces numerous major award winners and Academic All-Canadian student-athletes each year, with many going on to athletic success around the globe in events such as the Olympics or Universiade Games."

-TW-

Last Updated: 2010-07-09
Author: Mark Janzen