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Bowling Green State University Athletics
Quoting Andy Richards
November 10, 2005 | Women's Soccer
Nov. 10, 2005
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University women's soccer team, winners of the 2005 Mid-American Conference regular-season and tournament titles, headed to Notre Dame, Ind., today in preparation for Friday's (Nov. 11) NCAA Championships first-round matchup with Michigan State University. The game will begin at 5:00 p.m. EST at Alumni Field. Prior to the team's departure, head coach Andy Richards met with the media to share his thoughts on the season to date, the upcoming game and the state of the Falcon program ...
Q: At the start of the 2005 season, did you envision the team having this type of success?
Andy Richards: It's pretty incredible, really. I think we knew that we had some great talent. We have nine seniors, and often, when you have a group of older players like that, they can build a tremendous amount of momentum for your team. So, I think we knew the potential was there, but they have exceeded all of our expectations. It's amazing, really; it just all seemed to have fallen into place for us.
Q: You have had some close games lately, including a pair that came down to penalty kicks. Does that help your team as they head into the NCAA Championships?
AR: I think so. It has a lot to do with belief, and that's the big thing in any walk of athletics. If you believe you can win, that gives you an inner confidence. To come through in tight situations, I think, just adds to that belief. We were at a point where, before we tied with Toledo in the (MAC Tournament) quarterfinal, we had won eight-straight games. It was almost becoming an added pressure, and it sounds bizarre, but to not actually win the game, but still get through (to the next round) kind of took that pressure off us. But, that confidence is still there."
Q: What will it take to win against Michigan State?
AR: It will take a lot of effort, a lot of thought on our part. We can't just go out there and expect to work hard, and have that be enough. We're going to have to prepare, and we're going to have to figure out ways to break Michigan State down. They are a very good team. They are Big Ten opposition, and we're certainly the underdog in this situation, which we haven't been for a few games now. So, mentally, it may be different for us, but the kids are really excited, and they are going into the game with a very positive outlook."
Q: Have you looked at film of Michigan State since the announcement of the NCAA pairings?
AR: Yes. We played Michigan State earlier this season, and Eric Golz, my assistant, and I watched that tape in preparation. He has been a big part of what has been going on here. We have been studying tape, and we'll try to figure out how we prepared for them last time.
Q: How was the flow of that game (a 1-0 MSU win on Sept. 9)?
AR: They scored pretty early in the game. We had some chances -- they cleared one off the line against us -- but it wasn't quite enough. We have had some great games against them in the past.
Q: You had some disappointing losses just before the current unbeaten streak. What happened to turn things around?
AR: I think we just talked a lot about their consistency. At the time, we kept splitting every weekend. We got to 5-5 (on the season), and we lost to Ball State with a very, very disappointing result. We just told the kids that they had to start believing in themselves. They were good enough to win games, but they had to sort out the consistency factors. Once we started to solve that issue, the results started to come for us, and again, it's momentum. Once you win one or two games, it starts to build, and then comes an expectancy that you're going to win.
Q: Is that also the time that you changed things, defensively?
AR: We made a few personnel changes, yes. When we were looking at the MSU tape last night, Leah Eggleton didn't play (in that game), Julie Trundle came off injured, Corbie Yee hadn't really gotten her form, we hadn't really gotten Janie Babich playing in the back. So, we were a different team, and that happens every year. The lineup for the first game is always very much different than the lineup for the last game. We pride ourselves on the fact that we make progress over the course of the season. I think, when we played them earlier, that was before we started to make our major strides. So, yes, we have made some personnel changes, and the consistency factor is also allied to us producing the same lineup every week.
Q: As often happens, you have shortened the bench a little bit in recent games.
AR: The kids have done a remarkable job of understanding their roles on the team. They understand that not everyone is going to play 90 minutes, and some people are not even going to get on the field, but they still have a role to play. Rachael Ross did a wonderful piece of team motivation prior to the championship game. She didn't play a minute in the game, but her contribution off the field was probably one of the reasons we won the game. Even though not every kid is getting on the field, everyone is contributing, everyone is working very hard at practice, and that has pushed the starters to their level of excellence.
