Preseason preparations are underway for Starkville Academy girls’ soccer, and new head coach Chris Doss has had his first two friendlies to try and prepare his side for the season ahead.
It’s a side he already knows fairly well, having coached or watched some of the girls play locally for club TFC Starkville, and he got to learn a bit more about the squad during a 4-0 loss to Starkville High last Thursday and a 5-1 victory over Starkville Homeschool on Monday. He spent much of his time during the games talking to his players on the field and on the bench. He explained plays as they were happening, and knew just what to say to players whether they were worried about messing up or begging to go in.
“You did good at forward!” he said to one of the players as they were subbed off.
“Thanks. I know I’m not that fast,” she said, feeling a bit down after trying out a new position.
“You don’t need to be fast,” Doss replied. “You just need to take the ball, pass the ball.”
The simple direction, also a famous utterance of famous coach Pep Guardiola, is a useful tool for giving players direction and clarity in decision making. Having the ball at your feet doesn’t just come with pressure, it comes with opportunity, and with some calm and focus possession of the ball can give a team control.
In just a short amount of time, and in a group with just two seniors and one junior, Doss will shoulder much responsibility in coaching up the team and building a knowledge of the game. It’s a job made easier by his players’ eagerness to learn and grow as players.
“Obviously the player pool is small,” Doss said, “and instead of being able to just pick a bunch of great players you have to work with them and help them improve as players and as a team. They’re great listeners, great at taking on feedback, and great at trying new things. It’s been a lot of fun so far. The more I coach, the more kids keep surprising me, and we’ve got a lot of good kids in this group.”
That was the case for the Vols Monday, winning comfortably and moving the ball well throughout the changing lineups. There were five different goalscorers in the 5-1 victory, including Abby Winston, Chloe Hardin, Isabel Keith, Rylee Fisher, and Meredith Reed. Doss was quick to give them credit for their teamwork, and noted how much easier that has made his job as a coach.
“There’s a really good rapport among the players,” he said. “A lot of them are good friends off the field, and that just helps build a good culture and atmosphere around the team. The way I look at it is I’m an expert at the soccer side, but they’re an expert at the Academy soccer side. I know the game, but they know their game and how it works here. Sometimes I’m leaning on them and their knowledge a little bit, which isn’t a bad thing. It gives them a little ownership of the team.”
The win was a good response after the team’s first preseason game, a 4-0 loss to Starkville High, which won’t begin its season until the fall but got a head start on preparations. For the Volunteers the game required a lot of defensive work and patience in finding ways to break out of the press from their opponents. The Jackets swarmed early and often from the front and won the ball back deep in Volunteer territory. It wasn’t until late in the game that they broke out. Doss’ message then was similar to his comments during their win.
“One of our messages was to simplify the game a bit,” Doss said after the defeat. “Find the easy pass. Don’t overcomplicate things.”
That tactical awareness was echoed by senior defender Meredith Reed.
“I feel like when we, the goalkeeper or myself, just kinda hit it forward there wasn’t much going for us, but when we played to the defenders and they stepped up we had more people open to play it to,” Reed said looking back on the defeat. “The first 20 minutes we had to figure it out, because we haven’t really played together as a team yet, but the last 40 minutes we got together and played better, passed better, and defended better.”
The Vols have one more preseason outing to prepare for the rest of the year, a mini-tournament in Starkville on Saturday. Their first regular season game for the Vols is at Jackson Academy on Aug. 2, and they have three more road games before their first district home game against Magnolia Heights on Aug. 18.
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