Dear Diary,

Other than a success, I think you could classify this past weekend as EXTREMELY wet. The little rainfall on Friday, September 11th during our game against Grambling would in now way prepare us for Sunday against Louisiana-Monroe.

Grambling gave a tough game and made us play hard and quick. They were aggressive with good speed, but we were able to shut them down and capitalize on 3 goals.

Sunday brought about a very interesting game. We came out strong the first half and got two brilliant goals. However, the second half provided us with a big challenge. Heavy rain pelted the field and turned it into a small river. It was so difficult to kick the ball, especially in our defensive end with static water everywhere. Despite the frustration that resulted from our inability to dribble the ball (there was that much water on the ground). It gave us a new obstacle that not many of us have encountered. In fact, I found it pretty fun to play in the rain.

With twom more wins under our belt, we are now looking forward to the new and exciting challenges that will be thrown at us during this weekend's games!

-Dana Mayer #20

(9.17.09)

Dear Diary,

We knew the game against Troy was going to be a bigger challenge than the previous weekend. Our effort and work had to be top notch in order to achieve the positive result we all wanted. Unfortunately we fell short losing 1-0 and we did not end up achieving our goal. However it was a learning experience that we will carry through with us for the rest of the season. We went into practice on Saturday morning looking to work hard and prepare for Sunday's game and have a much better outcome. Although we lost on Sunday to Southern Mississippi 2-0, we had the potential to win. Our work rate had improved greatly from the Troy game, however as a team we were unable to find the back of the net.

We knew from our two losses on the weekend we had to put our best efforts into training for the entire week in order to win against the Jacksonville State Gamecocks. We had one week to prepare, and training every day helped us to fix what we needed to work on. Sunday came soon enough and we met in the locker room before the game to get ready. The atmosphere in the locker-room was filled with energy and enthusiasm, and it carried out onto the field for our warm-up. We knew we had to come into the game with fire and intensity, and it showed the minute the whistle blew to start the game. Within the first 3 minutes, we were creating great combos and running well of the ball. Our quick start paid off with an early goal which set the momentum for the rest of the game. We kept up the hustle for another 30 minutes before the storm took over. It was raining hard, and the clouds were booming with thunder. The game was put on hold as both teams ran into the locker-rooms. We waited for over an hour for the storm to pass, however we kept each other entertained and energized by playing music, singing along and dancing around. It was a great team bonding experience.

Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate and the game was called off. The field was completely soaked, and some streets were even flooded. The field hasn't had a chance to dry completely since it has rained all week. Training in the rain was a nice change from the heat, however it was hard to run in the wet grass. The change in the weather was helpful in motivating us to keep working hard for the upcoming games. This weekend we play Grambling and Louisiana-Monroe, and are looking to come out with two great wins. We leave tomorrow on the bus for our first team trip and we're all looking to have a great weekend!

GO BIG GREEN !

-Karly Dagys #2 & Samantha McNally #17