Please return all JV and Middle School Soccer uniforms to the school Friday, October 27th.

The Varsity Soccer team will be taking on Grace Christian in the 1st round of the VACA tournament tonight at 5:30. Come out and support our team!

Week at a Glance:

• Games: Tue 4:30 pm (Home!) vs North Cross; Thurs 5:00 pm (Away) @ James River Day
• Game review: Westover we won 7-0. While the game was uneven (NCS being stronger), it demonstrates how the kids have grown. Timberlake Christian was a very good game. We lost with a (literally!) last minute goal that slipped in.
• Spiritual training: Reinforce that character in Christ is the most important lesson for the season. We will continue with praying for the other team.
• Soccer training: Working a variation of a standard 3-5-2 formation to a 3-2-3-2. We have played a 4-5-1 mostly. The big difference is 3 vs 4 player in the back row.

Games:

North Cross School-Home

Tue 10/17

Warm-up: 3:30 pm

Game: 4:30 pm

James River Day School-Lynchburg

Away

Thurs 10/19

Depart: 3:45 PM

Game: 5:00 pm

Transport: Bus #2

Game Review:

Westover – Unfortunately, I was away at a conference. However, Coach Carl and Coach Carlos were able to lead the team to victory. I was told that we won because we played good soccer, not simply because we were better individual players that ran with the ball to score (how we used to play).

Timberlake Christian – We went from a 5 point difference (7-2 loss) to a near tie. Van Curran scored early with an outside break to goal. We held them off past the statistcial 5 minute mark when a team is most likely to return a goal against. They scored in the 2^nd half to tie. So, we had a viable chance to actually win, but they were able to get a good shot on goal. The last goal was blocked by Douglas and deflected into the goal in the last minute. Douglas played an excellent game in goal which allowed Waylon to hunt down and stop many plays on the field. It was a very good game.

Spiritual training:

It has always been my hope and focus to build young men of character in God. In the end, if God wants you someplace in life then you will get there regardless of qualifications. While the world will measure our season as a losing season, we have progressed from a group of individuals to a team. Over these past weeks, many of the other coaches have commented how they are surprised by our improvement. I believe and hope the players have learned that this is the result of putting God first as a team with hard work on the field. These young men have made wonderfully mature decisions that took into consideration their teammates and even the other team. In John 13:34-35, Jesus states a new commandment that we are to love one another and by this all people will know we are His disciples!

Soccer Training:

At the Westover game the team played a 3-5-2 (3 defense, 5 in the middle, 2 forwards), the players seem to like the formation. We will playe a 3-2-3-2 (3 defense, 2 defensive midfield, 3 midfields, 2 forwards). We have played a 4-5-1 this season (that’s 4 in defense). The 3-2-3-2 is more offensive with 2 forwards, but more defensive with 5 on defense (3 in the back plus 2  in the middle). The downside is requires the a mature team to transition from defense to offense. The 4-5-1 is solid formation that is used by varsity. Against North Cross, 3-2-3-2 may be a good tactic due to their high skill level. Plus, I think they expected to slaughter us and were frustrated when we held a respectable game.

Go Gryphons!!!

Lem Curran

434-229-8534

Week at a Glance:

• Games: Monday (Today) 5pm @ Home vs Westover, Tournament tentatively scheduled Thurs & Fri
• Game Recap: 3-1 Loss to North Cross. We played very well against one of the top programs in our conference. It should have been 10-0 Loss, that’s how much we have imporved!
• Spiritual Training:
• Soccer Training:

Games:

Mon 10/9

Game time: 5 pm

Warm-up: 4 pm (but can start earlier for those who want extra time)

Westover

Home

• Both jerseys, after school snack: bagels, nuts, fruits all very good fuel.
• Coach Carl will lead the team (I am away at a conference). Also, Coach Carlos will assist if he is available. Carlos was a former teammate of Coach Bullock at JF and played DIII college. He has been helping me out with offensive drills these past 2 practices, so he is familiar with the boys and able to give them individual attention.

Game Recap: We had a very good game. It was a joy to actually see Kaden in goal. The rest of the team did wonderful. Waylon was able to play on the field and use that same tenacity that he uses in goal. Noah played a ball from the corner to Jude who lofted it right into the net to 1-1 tie. Our defensive tactic where we stabbed-in cost us the next 2 goals. We were really close to a tie which would have been great.

Spiritual training: Last Mon, the boys discussed why it is difficult to listen and pay attention. Our conclusion was that when they don’t see the value, they chose not to listen, regardless of whether what is being said has value or not. We all need to listen to God…trust and obey, because He is a good God with good plans for us (Jer 29:11).

Soccer Training: We did great at finishing, shooting, and 2v2 transition drills this past week. We are concentrating on skills to shoot from outside of the 18-yd box. We are in the home stretch so it’s really just about enjoying all the hard work from the season.

Go Gryphons!!!

Lem Curran

434-229-8534

The VACA Middle School Tournament information is now available and posted on the athletic website (www.newcovenantathletics.org) under Team Files or by clicking here. Monday, October 9th, is a home game. All other games are played at Vinyard Park (directions on website or here).  Admission is charged at all tournaments.

Week at a Glance:

• Game: Away @ North Cross. Early dismissal from school at 2:15 pm
• Game review: James River Day 3-1 Loss, but we played very well against twice the number of players. Holy Cross 2-1 Win, we persevered and stayed focus for a well-matched game.
• Spiritual Training: Allow the players to ask questions and challenge them on what would be the next level in our discussions
• Soccer training: Finishing (aka, scoring) tactics for the attacking third.

Game:

@ North Cross School

Game Time - 4:30 PM

Depart Time - 2:15 PM

Transport: Bus #3

4254 Colonial Ave, Roanoke, VA 24018

• Away jerseys (of course, bring both. I’m sure everyone is used to this)
• Snack: quick carbs like bagels (Flour products)
• We have enough room on the bus for all 14 players. School is located 1:15 away, so we will stop for dinner. Chances are return ETA will be 8:15 to 8:30pm. Students will call after dinner stop.

Game Review:

James River Day – 3 to 1 (loss), however this was a close game. We had at least two other shots on goal; which is to say, we could have tied. The bigger point is that we played against a team twice our size of comparable skill and coaching. At the time (since we won our next game!), it was our best game. Lots of good ball movement, however, we struggled to make good connecting passes which meant lots of turnovers to the other team. Lastly, our ability to finish the play in the attacking third and score is weak. We have spent minimal time on “finishing” since a team can’t score if they can move the ball up the field. The great thing is that the team has naturally progressed to where this is now a need. Whew! Lots of hard work finally showing, yeah!

Holy Cross – 2 to1 (WIN!) Finally a win! We spent the warm time working on finishing tactics which paid off…not directly in a goal, but in confidence in the attacking third. Holy Cross scored early, but we soon turned the game and controlled most of it. They had an equally small bench, so it was a true match of skills. However, we persevered! Goals by Robert Sorenson and Jude Vollmer. We had about 4 other strong attempts on goal and just didn’t finish them well due to tactics. Again, we are at the point where we can cover this. The players all passed the ball strong and accurate enough. We had ball movement backwards and forwards in order to maintain possession…this is a very good sign of soccer maturity!

Lastly in both games, I saw some of our players stop to help a player from the other team up. This is great that they realize the value of Christian community can happen anytime and anywhere.

Spiritual Training:

I will ask the players what they would like to cover and report on it next update. Again, my hope is for them to get engaged in their own spiritual development. The best place to start is with questions. What questions they have, then show them how the bible addresses those issues.

Soccer Training:

Finishing, finishing, finishing! We will work on how to move the ball from the midfield to goal. How our back defensive line can adjust to support the offensive players. Options for when the ball is deep in the 18 yard box and how to re-develop the play for a shot on goal.

Go Gryphons!!!

Lem Curran

434-229-8534

Week at a glance:

• Games: Today (Mon) @ SW Va Homeschool, James River Day (H), Holy Cross (H)
• Spiritual Training: Philippians 2:12 – that each follower is to work hard on their relationship with Jesus
• Soccer Training – Captains begin to run practices, this may be a slow process, but it will give them stringer ownership in team performance in practice and games

Games:

Southwest Virginia Homeschool

Monday (9/25)

187 Berkley Rd NE Roanoke (Vineyard Park…it’s NOT at the school’s address)

Depart time: 3 pm

Game time: 4:30 pm (short warm up, if any)

• Hopefully you used to the drill…we’ll stop for dinner. Players will call you when we are on the road back with an ETA
• If you do attend and take your child back just make sure I know so I can have a proper headcount.

James River Day

Thursday (9/28)

Home

Warm up time: 4 pm

Game time 5 pm

• Bring both uniforms, snacks if your player is staying after school.
• I’ll be at the school at 3 pm so if any players want extra warm up time, then I’ll be available

Holy Cross

Friday (9/29)

Home

Warm-up time: 3:30 pm

Game time: 4:30 pm

• Same as Thursday…both uniforms, snack while they change and be ready to warm up by 3:30 pm

Spiritual Training:

We’ll be covering Philippians 2:12 about working out your salvation. While this passage can be misused to say you can lose your salvation, we discuss how it is saying that you have to work at the life God has given you. Just like getting a uniform doesn’t make you a soccer player, but you have to work at it. But, we have Heavenly Coach and a Play Book to teach, train and correct us (John 14:16, 2 Tim 3:16). At this point, I will work with the captains to develop our devotional time (Jesus Time, as they call it), so the team can begin to learn how to spiritually workout for themselves.

Soccer Training:

Lots of games this week! We continue to work on our triangle possession passing, and team field movement (Oreo Cookie strategy). We have added some other basic tactics within that strategy of switching the field, and overlaps (this one is less natural for them). I’ll adjust our one day of practice and warm up times to how we are performing in the games.

Last week, the captains led the scrimmage against the Jr Gryphons, so I’ll get some feedback on that on both team unity, and quality of play. The most important thing at this point is that they begin catching their own mistakes and solidify the training and mental discipline into proper behavior change on the field. With that said just like in spiritual training, I hope to push the players to begin designing their own practices (of course, with my guidance). There’s not much more new techniques I can add at this point in the season, so I’d rather they retain what we have already done.

Go Gryphons!!!

Lem Curran

434-229-8534

Week at a Glance:

• Games: Home for Tues & Fri (Bring snacks)
• Review spiritual lessons the kids remember (see what has stuck). If they are using it school as well.
• Throw-in strategy, and working the ball up the field as a team (Oreo cookie strategy)

Games:

Tuesday (9/19)

• Home - Timberlake Christian Schools - 4:00 PM
• As always bring both uniforms
• Warm-up  at 3:15 pm

Fri (9/22)

• Home - Westover Christian Academy - 5:30 PM
• As always bring both uniforms
• Warm-up at 4:30 pm
• Bring a snack (nothing heavy like meat)

Spiritual Training:

We’ve talked about a lot of biblical principles this season, so for this week I will ask the kids what they have learned/remembered as a review. My hope is that what we learn in soccer carries over to the rest of their life, so when we pray before a game to honor God then we are honor God in all we do, everywhere we are…and not simply as a good luck charm to when a game.

Soccer Training:

Last week I forgot about the MS retreat when planning, so we will work on throw-in strategies. Also, we will continue to learn how to work the ball up the field as a team vs sending individual players and hoping they score on their own. We have lovingly called this the Oreo Cookie strategy since these boys seem to be motivated by food…ha! Which is to say, the forwards and the defense are the cookie part and the mid-field gets to be the cream (hey, they get the analogy, right!). Single & Double Stuffed is okay, but not spread out to Triple Stuff. Enough with the analogy. The Strategy is to advanced the ball forward by switching to the other side of the field and crisscrossing our way up the field. When we do turnover the ball, we are already in defensive position. And if we regain the ball, we are already in a offensive position.

Go Gryphons!!!

Lem Curran

434-229-8534

The link with indoor information and the registration form is on the athletic website under Team Files. Unfortunately, I do not know the specific time slots that the middle school or JV games will be held. If anyone knows this information, please let me know.

Thanks,

Coach Tyler Bullock

Hello all,

Indoor soccer registration is open and we have the very last spot reserved for us for both a middle school team and a junior varsity team. Please contact me if you are interested in being a team "contact" or "manager" for the middle school team. The initial deposit is already paid for both teams. Also let me know who will be playing indoor soccer this winter on the middle school team.

Amee Newsome will be in charge for the JV team. Please contact her as soon as possible if you are playing indoor soccer this winter.  (anewsome@newcovenantschools.org).

I need a volunteer to take charge of the middle school team!!

Thank you,

Tyler Bullock

The games today are at Vineyard Park in Roanoke.  The park address is Vineyard Drive, but this is an address that will take you right to the field entrance, it is better than the County info that they have online.

187 Berkley Rd NE Roanoke 

After you get to the gravel road  drive all of the way down to the last parking lot.

Hey parents,

Week at a glance:

• No games – hopefully a short scrimmage.
• Game Review – 0-4 loss, but with huge improvements in our game!
• Spiritual Training – Col 3:23 that we do everything as if it is for God, because it is!
• Soccer training – ball movement from defensive, to midfield, to attacking thirds. Thrown-ins, Kick-offs.

Games: No Games this week. Again, If possible I’ll try to figure some kind of scrimmage, so the boys can continue to develop in game situation. But this won’t require uniforms.

Game Review:

We lost (0-4) to Southwest Home school. They are an older, well-developed team with lots of travel players. We conceded two early goals that was a learning curve for our goal keeper. Which is to say, they only scored one goal that was fought for in the second half. Consequently, this could have been a 0-10 game but the boys performed well. This year is predominately about development for next year, so please continue to encourage your child.

We have been practicing passing triangles, controlling space around the ball (king of the castle drill), and moving the ball as a team (vs a single player running to goal). The boys made solid efforts in the game for each of these categories…that’s HUGE! I’m very proud of them. Areas where we lost turnovers was when we clumped up around the ball to defend which meant if we won the ball there was nobody in open space to pass, so we would make a 2 foot pass which does nothing for possession.

I know each player works very hard, but for the sake of brevity a few players really made some strong personal progress:

• Micah Cortez repeatedly used the king of the castle technique to hold onto the ball and pass it under control, and he made lots of good passes up line with the inside of his foot.
• TJ worked extremely hard. I didn’t know he could run as fast as he did. He recovered  half a field length to help stop a goal. Pure determination!
• Waylon did a great job in goal! But, I would like to recognize Douglas who joined the team late, so I have not been able to spend time with him. Considering he is just jumping in, he is doing well both in goal and as a defender.

At the end of the game, I asked the players if they had fun. They shouted, “yes!” This is an awesome attitude for us to build on and grow stronger as a team. (And maybe the cookies I brought helped, ha!)

Spiritual Training:

Last week we talked about love. We spent a lot of time on the idea you don’t have to like (i.e. feelings) someone to show them love (i.e. actions). And, you can love them with Christ’s love. I had verses prepared to read and then Robert raises his hand and recites Eph 4:13-15 (or around there). It was the perfect verse for our discussion. Way to go, Robert!

This week we will look at Gen 1:28 where God commands us to be fruitful, which is to say, be productive. (Yes, the other part talks about  “multiplying” but we won’t focus on that). We will conclude with a  more direct verse of Col 3:23 of doing everything as if it is for God. This will introduce a lesson I want the boys to grow in for the season, and hopefully beyond. As men, there is value in working hard, and they need to find the joy in each task asked of them so they can honor God and others. I ended our game time with the thought that what we put into practice is exactly what we get at a game. If they want to win games then work hard at practice. And maybe, they will realize they can work hard with joy for school, faith, and relationships.

Soccer Training:

We are at the point now where I can begin introducing more tactical aspects of the game.

• With them using possession passing, how to properly move the ball up field so that the whole team supports the ball and not an individual player.
• We will also work on throw in tactics and assigned designated players for throw-ins. The same for corner kicks.
• Kick-off strategies for starting the game.

Go Gryphons!!!

Lem Curran

434-229-8534

Next Monday, September 11th, we will be taking team pictures for all Middle School 7th/8th, JV and Varsity Teams during practice.  Please make sure your athlete has their BLUE uniform with them on Monday.

All games scheduled for next Friday will be Parent Transport as all buses are being used for the Middle School Retreat. This effects Varsity Cross Country and Varsity and JV Soccer.  Varsity Cross Country is at Temple and Varsity and JV Soccer will play RVCS at Hollins Park. Directions can be found on the athletic website (www.newcovenantathletics.org).

Hey Parents,

At-a-glance:

• Home game (White Uniform) Fri 9/8, Warm-up @ 4:45pm. Snack after school to fuel up! (No Meat)
• Spiritual Training: Love – Why, How, What, Who? (Eph 1:4-6 & Eph 5:29,30)
• Soccer Training: Triangle Possession – offensive & defensive tactics. Captains (4 of them) announcement on Tuesday. Possible scrimmage against Junior Gryphons or JV.
• Practice time will be 3:15 to 5 pm (4:30 pm will be an optional dismissal)

Games:

South West Virginia Homeschool

5:30 PM

Warm-up time 4:45 pm

Home (Finally!)

• White uniforms (still bring both, no matter what)
• Be ready at 4:45pm for warm up. That means dressed and ready. Secretly, if you are 15 mins late due to life, I understand, but please have your child there and ready. We’ve had to rush all our pre-game warm-ups so far.
• Pre-game food suggestions:
  • Nuts (protein),
  • Bananas (Potassium),
  • Oranges (Vitamin C),
  • Cereal or bars with low sugar (Carbs),
  • Watermelon (Water and natural sugars),
  • Bagels (Carbs),
  • Pretzels/Chips (Sodium & Carbs).
  • Meat takes too long to digest…but excellent for recovery.
  • Save any sports drinks for during the game (they have too much sugar for pre-game).

Spiritual Training:

With the selection of captains (see Soccer Training for who), we will discuss the topic of love. Love is not a feeling but an action. You don’t have to like someone to love in obedience to Christ. How Christ loved us first (Eph 1:4-6). We will cover why should love God (of course there are many reasons!); but with respect to a soccer team, we are the body of Christ and if we love ourselves, then we should love others in the body as our own body (Eph 5:29-30). This will help frame expectations for captains to look out for the welfare of others on the field (us and the other team).

Soccer Training:

We have consensus for 3:15 to 5 pm practice times. However, I will continue to stop at 4:30 pm for a few player that have other commitments and needs to leave early. Leaving early will not be held against the player. Also, Douglas Powell will be joining the team as goal keeper, along with Waylon Spiva as our other keeper.

We had an excellent practice this past Tuesday! We really played proper soccer for practice.  One of the break-throughs was to partner in three’s to maintain our triangle shape. This meant there was the same group of 3 (triangle) move as a unit on the field. This really helped their spacing. They need to continue to be very aware of the other players in the triangle (aka Field Awareness) and not “ball watching” which is the biggest reason for losing shape.  Also, a triangle in defense means we can instantly transition to offensive possession passing when the ball is turned over, but this take patience when on the defensive. Let the other team mess up while not letting them penetrate our defense. We will do multiple ball drills to raise our field awareness.

Hopefully, we can get a scrimmage with Junior Gryphons or JV to work on full field triangle movement.

Captains:

This is still confidential as the specific students have not had a chance to accept the position. I wanted them to have the weekend to think and talk with their parents. Please don’t share with your child, but I wanted you to be aware since this update gets sent out on Mondays.

Captain positions where offered to Micah Titcomb, Jude Vollmer, Noah Bowman, and Waylon Spiva. Yes! 4…but the goal is to develop leaders so I thought it best. These players have demonstrated they are: willing to develop their teammates, passing to develop plays and can possess until a player is open for a pass, and willing to work hard during the game and practice. Individually, each of these players posses other leadership qualities that when combined will help lead the team during practice and on the game field.  If you have any questions/concerns, please feel free to contact me directly or talk to me on the field (lemcurran@gmail.com or 434-229-8534), if appropriate I will confer with NCS athletic staff.

Go Gryphons!!!

Lem Curran

434-229-8534

Due to the incoming weather, soccer practice for JV, Middle School, and Junior Gryphons has been cancelled for today, Friday, September 1st.

Reminder: Westover charges admission for all indoor and outdoor games.  Admission is  $5 for adults and $3 for students.