I arrived at halftime on Sunday.  I had been with the older team.  The older team dominated through both games (18-6 and 17-5).  I got out of the car, and Dave Blair and Paul Tomick gave me the quick rundown.  We’re down 4-3.  They need a motivational speech, Coach.

I’ve been there before.  I bring them into a huddle at halftime and talk to them, and they show up as this amazing team in the second half and the parents all wonder what I said to them at halftime.  The truth is I don’t always know what it is that gets them to play so well.  I tell them specific things.  Things they are doing well.  Things they aren’t doing well.  And I tell them to focus on one play at a time.  I usually tell them how much I believe in them and that they can beat this team.  What’s the name of the game?  Ground balls.  Shirts on 3, 1-2-3 – SHIRTS, WHAAAT?

So, this day was no different.  I ran across the field to join the huddle.  The girls saw me coming and got excited.  Eden’s face lit up.  She calls me, Coach Dave.  The way she was smiling, I knew we wouldn’t lose.  In this case, I had no idea what they were doing well or not.  Or what they needed to focus on.  So, I told them we need to beat this team.  We need to do it one play at a time.  One ground ball.  One pass.  One shot.  One save.  One draw.  One play at a time.  It starts with the draw.  We need to win the draw, and we need to get the ground ball.  I need someone out there that wants to get that ground ball.  Who wants to get the ground ball?  15 hands went up.

That is all that it took.  They were dominated in the first half by a bigger (2 years older) and more physical team.  But in the second half, they took over.  It was their game.  From the first whistle to the last.  And their coach was cheering them on from the sideline.

In the second half, we outscored the other team 7 goals to 1. We won the game with a final score of 10-5.