The women's soccer team has been working on being more of-fensively-minded in preparation for this weekend's back-to-back contest against Pepperdine Uni-versity and Loyola Marymount University in Southern California.
Head coach Jennifer Rockwood said she considers both teams to be very competitive. Buoyed by a strong showing in the 2001 NCAA Championships, the Peperdine women's soccer team earned a Top-20 national ranking in the final Soccer Buzz poll, and Rockwood said Loyola is a solid team because it plays games in many of the top conferences in the country.
The Cougars' last two games a few weeks ago resulted in losses. Perhaps of a higher concern, ac-cording to Rockwood, was the team's inability to put points on the board.
"We really struggled offensively the last two games we played," Rockwood said. "We weren't able to get many shots off and score, which is something that is very uncharacteristic of our pro-gram."
Following the losses, Rockwood said the Cougars have concentrated on sharpening their offensive play. Though they out shot their last opponents on goal 21 to 11, failure to score had its consequences.But according to Rockwood, a loss isn't necessarily entirely negative.
"As much as you hate to lose, sometimes it's good to take a loss because it gets you rejuvenated and trying to figure out how to get better," Rockwood said.
To get more practice on offense, defender Britney Holman said the players have spent a lot of time scrimmaging against each other. She said she feels the in-tensity in play of her teammates has increased in practice over the last couple weeks, including their work effort. But Holman also said the Cougars are looking forward to playing their next opponents.
"It will be exciting to get back on the field," she said. "You kind of get sick of beating up on each other."
The NCAA allows each Divi-sion I team to compete on five days during this period. Games won and lost during the spring season are not counted for or against a team.The game format differs from that of the fall season where two 45-minutes halves are played.The game format differs from that of the fall season where two 45-minutes halves are played.
Coaches have the liberty of deciding the length of the games. In the past, three 30-minute periods has been the desired format.
After the Cougars face Pepperdine in Malibu, they will immediately travel to Los Angeles to face a fresh Loyola squad.
"I expect that we will be a little worn out," Rockwood said. "But that is what spring is for - to go out and get as much experience as you can."
Rockwood said she has been impressed with the progression of her athletes, especially with the play of her only two seniors, mid-fielders Jeni Viernes and Kelly Hunsberger who "have picked up their intensity," and sophomore midfielder Aydre Soffe who she said is playing with more confidence.