SENSE OF URGENCY: Tigers 2, Bulldogs 3 (Blog date September 23, 2013)

Texas Southern Tigers 2, South Carolina State Bulldogs 3
W-D-L: 0-0-9                     5-1-6                                    
September 22, 2013
1:00 pm @ Texas Southern University, Houston

I know, I know. The big round goose egg leaps out at you from the wins column of TSU's stats sheet. But if I told you that I think the Tigers are done, I'd be lying to you, because every instinct I've developed over the decades of studying this game, the immeasurable impact of hours and hours of training and coaching, and the constant reflection obsession brings, compels me to believe that the Tigers are just now about to begin, just in time for the conference segment of the season. Actually, to me, the 46th minute of this match marked the beginning. Down by two goals at the half, TSU came out and played the next 45 minutes with a passionate sense of urgency, finishing as the dominant team. They shut South Carolina State out and won the second half on a brilliantly placed shot by Gabriella Perales. Though the final score still had the Tigers behind, this second half exemplifies exactly what I have been talking about all along. This TSU squad has what it takes.

My coaching instincts want me to tell it the way a coach would, so I will put it in words the only way I know how. Tigers, you have had many moments of brilliance throughout this first half of the season. As we face the most crucial matches of our lives just ahead of us, this is what we need to do - we must embrace all of those moments of brilliance we have scattered throughout the past nine matches, envision them as we walk out onto the pitch, and weave them together into a single 90-minute span. We have to play with the brilliance that we know we are capable of, and we have to do it for 90 minutes straight over and over and over until the end. This sense of passionate urgency that we brought forth in that last half we just played must be applied from the opening whistle to the final whistle. We must summon this sense of urgency again and again because that is what this next part of the season is calling for. Every moment of the match has to count, every movement you make must be meaningful, every touch on the ball must be of the highest quality. Difficult, you say? I say yes, of course it is. Nobody ever said that the road to a championship is easy. The road to a championship is littered with hardship, obstacles and challenges. But those are what make a championship worth winning. That is what makes all the work, the sweat, the pain, the blood, the years upon years that you have devoted to this way of life all worth it. Challenge brings about brilliance. We will face our challenges with the brilliance we know we have, and we will overcome - because that is what champions do.

Janell Cash (7) takes control of the ball under pressure from Ysamar Alonso (23). All over the field, Janell kept the TSU defense busy throughout the first half. Her first half goal put the Bulldogs back up on top. The junior midfielder transferred from Spartanburg Methodist College where she scored 16 goals and provided 14 assists last season.

Janell (7) faces Kaylah Valdry (2), Kailand Thompson (14) and Marlyn Campa (5) in different parts of the field.

Marlyn Campa (5) surveys her options. Finesse, speed and creativity are Marlyn's trademark strengths.

Marlyn Campa (5) makes a move against South Carolina State's Rachel Pearce (8) from England and Amelia Green (28), who has been capped by the Antigua and Barbuda national team.

The Tigers' second-half urgency produced numerous chances for Marlyn Campa (5) and freshwoman striker Ruth Giraldo (6), forcing Canadian defender Kaitlyn O'Neill (2) and Kaitlynn Penner (6) to step it up.

Ruth Giraldo (6) has developed into an effective offensive threat for TSU.

Ruth (6) gets past Justina Jarema (3) on the right side.

Aggressively looking for opportunities, this slide into goalkeeper Haley Austin resulted in a caution for Ruth (6).

South Carolina State's sophomore keeper Haley Austin (16) was tested over and over and over in the final 45 by a TSU offense playing with a sense of urgency.

This shot by Gabriella Perales got over Haley and squeezed in under the crossbar.

Gabriella Perales's (9) senior leadership and uncompromising work ethic is a key to TSU's success in their Southwestern Athletic Conference quest.

(All photos by Kokoy Severino.)

UPCOMING MATCHES OF THE WEEK: 

Friday Sep 27 Northwestern State University (#260) @ HBU* 7:00 pm (Southland Conference)

Saturday Sep 28 Mississippi College (DIII) @ CTX (DIII)* at St. Stephen's, Austin 2:00 pm (American Southwest Conference)

Sunday Sep 29 Rice @ UTSA* 1:00 pm (Conference USA)

Thursday Oct 3 University of Cincinnati (#227) @ U of H* 7:00 pm (American Athletic Conference)

Friday Oct 18 Colorado College (#50) @ Rice* 7:00 pm (C-USA)

Sunday Oct 20 Mississippi Valley State University (#275) @ TSU* 1:00 pm (SWAC)

Thursday Oct 24 University of Central Florida (#20) @ U of H* 7:00 pm (AAC)

Friday Oct 25 Grambling State University (#322) @ TSU* 7:00 pm (SWAC)

Sunday Oct 27 East Carolina University (#97) @ Rice* 1:00 pm (C-USA)

Thursday Oct 31 LSU @ Tx A&M* 7:00 pm in College Station (Southeastern Conference)

Friday Nov 1 Sam Houston State University (#233) @ HBU* 5:00 pm (SLC)

Monday Nov 4 Conference USA Tournament Quarter-Finals* @ Rice
Wednesday Nov 6 Conference USA Tournament Quarter-Finals* @ Rice
Thursday Nov 7 Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament* @ Houston Amateur Sports Park
Friday Nov 8 Conference USA Tournament Semi-Finals* @ Rice 
Friday Nov 8 Red River Athletic Conference Tournament* @ Houston Amateur Sports Park 
Saturday Nov 9 Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament* @ Houston Amateur Sports Park 
Saturday Nov 9 Red River Athletic Conference Tournament* @ Houston Amateur Sports Park 
Sunday Nov 10 Conference USA Tournament Final* @ Rice
Friday-Wednesday Nov 15-20 NCAA Tournament 1st Round @ Campus TBA

(Kokoy's Matches of the Week are those which I plan to attend. Schedule subject to change.) 

Kokoy Severino has been coaching junior high school soccer in the public school system of the Greater Houston area for 19 years. He holds a National Youth Diploma from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, two coaching certifications from the United States Soccer Federation, and a Master in Educational Leadership degree from the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas. His research focuses on the relationship between interscholastic competitive soccer and the academic success of at-risk students. He returns regularly to his native country of the Philippines and conducts soccer training sessions for economically disadvantaged youths.

"This blog is to document the intensity, the depth, the passion, the strategic and tactical nuances, the stars, the spectacular play that I witness in the women's teams at the college level. And in doing so, it is my hope that others might be inspired to discover for themselves the beautiful game brought by the women." (Kokoy, from blog entry dated Nov 4, 2012)

NORTH TEXAS MEAN GREEN vs TEXAS SOUTHERN TIGERS, GEORGIA BULLDOGS vs HOUSTON COUGARS - KOKOY'S MATCHES of the WEEK PREVIEW (Blog date August 21, 2013)

Friday Aug 23 University of North Texas (#55) @ Texas Southern University (#312) 7:00 pm

Well, the cancellation of last Friday's local derby between Rice and the University of Houston, while understandable in the inclement weather, was still quite a let-down. It was to be the only opportunity we have this year of seeing these two intra-city rivals on the pitch now that they are once again competing in different conferences. I dream of one day seeing a pre-season tournament for the Houston-area schools, a Houston College Cup, if you will, in which U of H, Rice, Texas Southern University, Houston Baptist, Sam Houston State, Prairie View A&M, Lamar and the newly established University of St. Thomas women's teams go head-to-head for local supremacy. Until then, we will have to be content with the occasional non-league derby pitting schools within the city against each other, though none is as heated as the Cougars-Owls series that has gone on for a long time.

North Texas may be newcomers to Conference USA, but winning in the city of Houston is nothing new to the Mean Green. Over a one-week period last August, North Texas played a trio of  Houston-area schools and pummeled them by an aggregate 9-1. Indeed, the green means have yet to compile a losing record since the program was established in 1995, and the northerners are coming off one of the most successful campaigns  they have ever had, tying their single-season record of 16 wins, with two draws and five losses, on their way to a double Sun Belt Conference league and cup championship. One of those draws was against eventual Big 12 tournament champions Baylor who made it all the way to the national round of 16, and two of the losses were against teams ranked in the nation's top twenty, including #16 Long Beach State with Philippine National Team Maldita All-American Nadia Link, whom they took into overtime. UNT has been on a roll for almost twenty years, and the way things look now, it ain't stopping any time soon. Three fourths of the attack largely responsible for producing last season's staggering +26 goal differential is still around. Together, Karla Pineda, Kelsey Hodges and Amber Haggerty contributed 22 of the Green's 48 total goals. Even without the Sun Belt's third leading goalscorer Michelle Young who graduated with a team-high 10 goals, these three may still pose an even meaner threat than last year. Attacking from her center-back position, Kelsey managed seven goals while striker Amber finished second on the team with eight. But the most dangerous player on the green will continue to be center-midfielder Karla, who not only scored seven goals herself, but assisted on another seven as a freshman. The Green defensive line features three senior returning starters - Hodges, Tori Adame and Shelly Holt. Sophomore Tess Graham accrued so much valuable experience winning the Sun Belt double and seeing significant action in the national tournament, she may play like a senior. With 6'1" junior keeper Jackie Kerestine, I am predicting this UNT squad to be the cinderella team of Conference USA.

Karla's Mean Green generation will no doubt be coming to Houston with loads of confidence. Since the 2010 season, UNT has outscored its next Houston-based opponent 19 to zero. But they will be met by a TSU squad quite different from the one they saw last year. The Tigers began the season struggling through two wins and a spate of defeats. But as their schedule wore on, they caught their groove and finished strong, stringing together four wins in their final six matches. This TSU squad is on an upward trajectory, and this young team is aggressive, persistent and operates at a level of intensity that matches anyone out there. The center of TSU's Durley Field is Marlyn Campa's turf. Whatever intention Karla Pineda is coming home to Houston with, the Aldine High School product will have to get through Marlyn to do it. There is no other center-midfielder in this city I can think of with more ability and intensity to neutralize a playmaker like Karla than the Tigers' Marlyn, who I suspect will harass the Mean Karla tightly to slow and limit her turns, forcing her to dish the ball laterally rather than forward and diagonally towards Amber. I look forward to seeing Marlyn's takeaways in the middle, releasing the ball quickly to Sarah Glenn or Briona Reid down either flank.

This is shaping up to be an explosive showdown between two young but very effective sophomore midfielders in the middle of the park.

The center of Durley Field belongs to Marlyn Campa (white 3), as Southern's Jami Blackston (blue 3) discovered last season.

Sunday Aug 25 University of Georgia (#94) @ University of Houston (#126) 1:00 pm

It is always interesting to me to see a soccer team from a school that is known to be a traditional powerhouse in a different sport. This matchup on Sunday pits the Bulldogs of  Georgia, giants in the American football arena, against the Houston Cougars, whose basketball program has produced some of the greatest players to ever grace an NBA court (Hayes, Hakeem, Drexler). But American football and basketball will be far from the minds of those of us sitting in the stands this Sunday at the Carl Lewis International Complex, the new home of the University of Houston soccer team since the demolition of Robertson Stadium at the end of last season. What we will witness are two programs bouncing back from the disappointments of 2012.

Georgia will be coming to Houston looking to start fresh after an injury-plagued season that finished with the second worst record in school history at only seven wins, 11 losses and two draws. The Bulldogs are not accustomed to winning percentages of less than 50. They have experienced losing season records only three times since 1995. They have qualified to the national tournament eight times in the past two decades. Their two-game stand in the Lone Star State starting in Austin on Friday against the University of Texas and culminating at Houston on Sunday will see the long-anticipated return of Laura Eddy, one of Georgia's most prized recruits, coming back from two torn ACLs that sidelined her for entire back-to-back seasons. If their pre-season 9-0 annihilation of The Citadel last week is any indication, Georgia is taking a no-prisoners approach to 2013.

What the Bulldogs will encounter this Sunday will be a Cougar squad which is also out for blood. A team brimming with quality, Houston underachieved last season (see my blog entry dated Nov 18, 2012), and senior center-midfielder Kylie Cook will be determined to turn it around before she graduates. A rebuilt backline with one returning starter in Danielle Muñoz will play like they have alot to prove against a young Bulldog striking unit that includes just one senior in its ranks, Nigerian Chika Ibiam. I have a feeling that the real battle in this match will be in the Cougars' offensive third, where Houston's forward rotation packs plenty of experience, senior Sami Sackos leading a junior trio of Kayla Walker, Alexis Weaver and Kelsey Zamora against a Georgia defense anchored by All-Southeast Conference senior Torri Allen and classmate Nikki Hill, both on the SEC Academic Honor Roll. They will have to apply their cognitive skills very effectively in order to keep up with the quick Cougar attack.

These are some magnificent matchups to start the new season of Kokoy's Women's College Soccer Blog.

Senior goalkeeper Cami Koski (0) will be rallying her Houston Cougar teammates when Georgia comes to town on Sunday. Cami holds the school record of most career shutouts. She was selected to the All-Conference first team by CollegeSportsMadness.com for the 2013 preseason. 

(All photos by Kokoy Severino.)

(Most current national rank in parentheses, by the National Collegiate Athletic Association http://www.ncaa.com/rankings/soccer-women/d1/ncaa_womens_soccer_rpi)  

UPCOMING MATCHES OF THE WEEK:

Friday Aug 30 Stephen F. Austin University (#31) @ U of H 7:00 pm

Sunday Sep 1 Texas Christian University (#72) @ Houston Baptist University (#205) 7:00 pm

Friday Sep 6 Southern University (#323) @ Lamar University (#161) 7:00 pm

Friday Sep 13 University of Texas at El Paso (#185) @ HBU 7:00 pm

Sunday Sep 15 Louisiana State University (#66) @ Rice 1:00 pm

Sunday Sep 15 University of Houston @ HBU 7:00 pm

Friday Sep 20 University of Louisiana at Lafayette (#238) @ U of H 5:00 pm

Friday Sep 20 Oklahoma State University (#76) @ Rice OR
                       Howard University (#310) @ TSU 7:00 pm
                       (depending on time constraints)

Sunday Sep 22 South Carolina State University (#292) @ TSU 7:00 pm

Friday Sep 27 Northwestern State University (#260) @ HBU* 7:00 pm

Sunday Sep 29 Vanderbilt University (#114) @ Texas A&M University (#15)* 1:00 pm at College Station

Thursday Oct 3 University of Cincinnati (#227) @ U of H* 7:00 pm

Friday Oct 11 TSU @ Prairie View A&M University (#303)* 7:00 pm

Sunday Oct 13 Texas Tech University (#21) @ Baylor University (#10)* 1:00 pm

Friday Oct 18 Oral Roberts University (#124) @ HBU* 5:00 pm

Friday Oct 18 Colorado College (#50) @ Rice* OR
                      Alcorn State University (#321) @ TSU* 7:00 pm
                      (depending on time constraints)

Sunday Oct 20 Mississippi Valley State University (#275) @ TSU* 1:00 pm

Thursday Oct 24 University of Central Florida (#20) @ U of H* 7:00 pm

Friday Oct 25 Grambling State University (#322) @ TSU* 7:00 pm

Sunday Oct 27 East Carolina University (#97) @ Rice* 1:00 pm

Friday Nov 1 Sam Houston State University (#233) @ HBU* 5:00 pm

Wednesday Nov 6 Conference USA Tournament Quarter-Finals @ Rice*

Thursday Nov 7 Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament @ Houston Amateur Sports Park*  

Friday Nov 8 Conference USA Tournament Semi-Finals @ Rice*

Saturday Nov 9 Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament @ Houston Amateur Sports Park*

Sunday Nov 10 Conference USA Tournament Final @ Rice*

(Kokoy's Matches of the Week are those which I plan to attend.) 

Kokoy Severino has been coaching junior high school soccer in the public school system of the Greater Houston area for 19 years. He holds a National Youth Diploma from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, two coaching certifications from the United States Soccer Federation, and a Master in Educational Leadership degree from the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas. His research focuses on the relationship between interscholastic competitive soccer and the academic success of at-risk students. He returns regularly to his native country of the Philippines and conducts soccer training sessions for economically disadvantaged youths.

"This blog is to document the intensity, the depth, the passion, the strategic and tactical nuances, the stars, the spectacular play that I witness in the women's teams at the college level. And in doing so, it is my hope that others might be inspired to discover for themselves the beautiful game brought by the women." (Kokoy, from blog entry dated Nov 4, 2012)