TCU soccer already reaping rewards of preseason team-building
With her team 2-0 for the first time in seven years, TCU goalkeeper Courtney Hofer has a good idea of what to credit — a team-building retreat.
“That brought the whole group a lot closer together,” she said Monday during a Media Day news conference at TCU. “We’re willing to fight for each other on and off the field, and that makes a big difference when we have games like we did against Navy, where it’s just sort of a rough Sunday, typical college soccer game and we have to fight and fight and fight.
“It’s a lot easier to fight for one another when you know that your team is going to fight for you, too.”
TCU won two overtime games last weekend in its season-opening action, winning at Maryland 2-1 and at Navy 1-0. Michelle Prokof’s goal in the 99th minute to beat Maryland was the 22nd of her career and moved her into a tie for fourth place with Jennifer Thompson on the TCU all-time list.
I think that helped us understand people and why they are the way they are and why they do the things they do, which helps us get closer as a team and fight for each other on the field.
TCU forward Emma Heckendorn
on a preseason team-building retreat“Everybody has a story,” junior forward Emma Heckendorn said. “I think that’s one thing we struggled with a lot last year. We didn’t really take the time to get to know everybody off the field.
“And that’s really what this was about. And I think that helped us understand people and why they are the way they are and why they do the things they do, which helps us get closer as a team and fight for each other on the field.”
For coach Eric Bell, whose team finished last season with four consecutive ties, including a season-ending shootout loss to Baylor in the Big 12 tournament, winning two overtime games is proof enough that the retreat was worth it.
“It was nice to start off the season going into two overtime games and still coming away with victories or figuring a way to come away with victories,” he said. “Hopefully that’s a sign of maturity for things to come, and hopefully that translates into us being a little more mentally tough at the end of the game.”
TCU has another road game Sunday, at Lamar, before starting a string of five home matches on Sept. 2 against Illinois.
The Big 12 schedule begins Sept. 23 at Oklahoma.
Carlos Mendez: 817-390-7760, @calexmendez
This story was originally published August 22, 2016 at 8:15 PM with the headline "TCU soccer already reaping rewards of preseason team-building."