Coaches Corner for May 18th: Connor Doyle, Boone Boys Soccer

With us on coaches corner here in KWBG, gonna talk some Boon Boyz soccer as the Troy Doris get ready for post-season coming up and Connor Doyle joining us as we talked about just, it's a little bit of an interesting layoff, Connor. I suppose this time of year, you're gonna have those nagging injuries and you're gonna have this and you're gonna have that and you got distractions off the field too. So maybe not a bad little break off. Yeah, you know, it's really not bad. Just we, obviously our numbers are low. So our guys have been playing, I mean, the previous week we just had, we had like three games last week and then obviously right back at it again on Monday, kind of banged up. You know, a lot of our varsity guys have to go and play JV as well and help out the JV squad. So yeah, they've got a lot of soccer in the past, you know, a couple of weeks. So we're definitely a little banged up. Some guys are definitely feeling it right now. And yeah, you could tell at practice on Tuesday, some guys were kind of hobbling a little bit. But yeah, the time off for our next game is probably needed. As long as we can keep our heads on and, you know, focus as to what the task is, I think we'll be okay. Well, and I was gonna say too, Connor, even since we flipped the calendar over and I realized that we're, you know, obviously midway through May now, but I mean, even since we flipped the calendar over, I think you guys have had five matches this month, have you not? Yeah, yeah, we've been, yeah, we've been just, it's almost like every other day we've had a game, May has been, usually it's been, May has been our kind of lull. And we definitely have more games this year than we've had in the past in the month of May. I'm typically, it's just like that first week or two where we have like one game a week. Yeah, we've been getting after it. And again, I do think we're feeling a little bit, but I do think our soccer, our footwork, everything like that looks better. Even though the scores have kind of been similar, you know, it looks much better. It looks like we're playing as a team finally and we've started to look better. So hopefully that can translate to a Tuesday. Well, and I think that was the next thing we wanted to talk about too, Connor, is the postseason pairings came out and we knew that we were gonna be on the road in game number one, but a familiar foe, actually somebody that you guys have already played this season with Carlisle. Granted, that was back in early April. They're gonna be different. You're gonna be different. So maybe not a bad idea to have to play somebody we've already seen. Yeah, I'm okay with it. And, you know, a team like Carlisle, like you said, they're talented. They got some quality players. We were gonna have to pull out some of our best soccer. And I do think that we've changed a lot since we played them back in early April. We kind of got guys in completely different positions now than we did when we played them earlier. So looking forward to see if the changes we've made thus far, if that'll help, you know, prevent them from scoring as much as they did originally. And I'm hoping we can get Warren too in the back of the net as well. I really do think this new lineup we got has kind of helped us out a little bit. So, yeah, hopefully we can just play better than we did the first time we played them. Put up a good fight and see what we can do. Connor, with scouting report and stuff, obviously you've seen them, they've seen you. Do you change much? I mean, from the first time you played, granted it's been a while ago, and I know a lineup has changed a little bit as well, but what can you kind of tinker with or change around maybe a little bit? Yeah, our biggest thing, we've done something to practice trying to get more physical. We've kind of talked to them about like where they should be position-wise. We've kind of, we've kind of harped in on that a lot the past few weeks. Just kind of really where to position your body when on defense, when they're gonna throw in a corner kick, things like that. We've really been trying to hone in on that for the guys. But yeah, I would say our lineup is definitely different. You know, we had, I think when we played Carl out the first time, we had Noel up, Noel Maylan up at Stryker, and we, he's just somebody that we kind of realized pretty quickly after that that, you know, he could really help us out back on defense. He's got the speed, he's got the aggression, you know, the physicality to not let other teams just dribble right through, and that's helped us, I think, tremendously. So having him back there, along with Drew Hedlin, I think those two together work really well. And then when we're able to do that, that can move Cole, Cole Plymes are up to a different center defensive mid, but that gets Cole up on offense a little bit more and, you know, Cole has always kind of been an offensive player for us. So we have definitely changed our lineup, but I do think that it has helped us tremendously and I'm hoping that it will help us on Tuesday. What about the kids, Connor? When you kind of move things around and change things up a little bit, I know it always takes just a little bit of time to kind of get used to where people are playing in different positions. How have they kind of acclimated to this? Yeah, pretty well. You know, they haven't, you know, said too much about it, at least to me, and maybe they're saying something in the group chat about things that they like, don't like. But to me, they've done very well if they've accepted it. They know that we're putting you in a position that maybe they're not totally comfortable with or that they don't like. I wouldn't even say comfortable. Maybe it's a position that they don't like, but they're just better off there. They play better there and our team plays better when they are there. And I think they're recognizing that we're trying to do what's best for the team and I think that that's what is important. And I think that they're recognizing that and that they're okay with it. Connor, how big would it be in this post season to get off to a hot start? Pretty huge for Boone, wouldn't it be? It would be massive. Yeah, if we could pull something off here next Tuesday, that would be incredible. It'd be fun to see and the guys would be deserving of it. Because like I said, kind of a shorthand of this year, they're a brand new team. They've taken their licks, they've been tough. But again, they've stayed positive. They're still showing up to practice each week. So I really do appreciate that. But yeah, this would definitely be a big one. If we could come out and even just get one on and then park the bus in the back and try to play some defense. And that'd be awesome. That's the ideal, that's the goal. But we gotta show up. We gotta believe in ourselves, believe in what we've been doing the past couple of weeks. And yeah, we'll just see what happens. Connor, as always, thank you so much for some time. Best of luck against Carlisle in post season coming up on Tuesday. Sounds good, thank you, Ryan. You bet, Connor Dole again joining us. Boone Boyz Soccer here in Coaches Corner.