Don’t worry about the missed pass or tackle, or the defeat in the first exhibition match of the season Monday.
Instead, prepare for the next cross into the box or defensive challenge, and the next exhibition match of the season Thursday against Western Michigan at Memorial Stadium.
“I came in nervous and I wish I could change that,” McConnell said. “As long as they’re confident they’re going to play well.”
When McConnell was a freshman, things were different, he said. He said he felt intimidated by the senior class and was afraid of making mistakes.
Now, the culture around the team has changed.
“The seniors are more a part of this group and they’re communicating with the freshmen and they’re hanging out more and talking,” McConnell said. “When I came in I was a little nervous, but it seems like everyone is coming together and being friends really fast.”
McConnell said if the freshman class is confident, the freshman class will succeed. This means an occasional encouraging word after a mistake would be helpful. But that doesn’t change that McConnell, along with the rest of his teammates, aren’t happy with the loss Monday night.
Sophomore defender Grant Lillard said the Hoosiers dominated the first 45 minutes, but they still only had a 1-0 lead at the half.
“There were a lot of careless giveaways and just a lot of rust from not playing together, and not playing other opponents,” Lillard said. “Just basic stuff where we need to calm down and relax and play our game which we will do going forward.”
In the second half, when many starters came out, the Hoosiers surrendered two goals to lose the match. But winning the match wasn’t the most important goal in Monday’s match and the 45-minute scrimmage beforehand, IU Coach Todd Yeagley said.
Had this been a regular season game, with the score tied at one with 20 minutes remaining, Yeagley said he would have had six different players on the field trying to win the match. Instead, he played the players he wanted to see.
“We played 20 some players in the three periods,” Yeagley said. “That was one of the goals, evaluation, and I thought some of the young guys did really well.”
Going forward into Thursday’s match, Yeagley said he wants to see the Hoosiers tighten their style and cut down on the careless mistakes from Monday’s match.
But he said he expects the Hoosiers will improve naturally, and that the mistakes will still be present Thursday. That’s just the nature of the preseason.
“All the cues were right, so if you miss a ball here or there it’s not too bad,” Yeagley said. “They’re heavy-legged right now quite honestly.”
Monday’s loss also taught the Hoosiers something important, not just for Thursday’s exhibition, but for the entire season.
Nothing about college soccer is routine, Lillard said. There are too many variables and things that can happen which sway a match one way or another.
Playing well for a half doesn’t matter, playing well for the entire match does, Lillard said.
“It’s preseason but we have to put a full game together,” Lillard said. “That’s what you learn preseason, you can’t just play a good half, a good 60 minutes, you have to put a full 90 together and get a result.”
