Each week a different Gonzaga University women's soccer player will recap the week prior. This week Katie Spangenberg , a senior forward, shares the highlights from the past week.
Hey Zag fans!
Thanks for following our blog as we continue to update you on our season; your support is greatly appreciated! This past week saw some great training sessions leading to a strong win over Eastern Washington University.
Following our win against Weber State University Sept. 2, we all took the Sunday of Labor Day weekend to ourselves. Even only five games into the season, days off are appreciated. We were back at it Monday morning though for a lifting session with Mike Nilson. During the season most of our lifting is focused on maintaining strength and endurance rather than building muscle (that's what spring sessions are for!), but it is still a necessary component to our success this fall. We also watched video and had five full training sessions last week, with an increased focus on 1-v-1 attacking and finishing and set pieces. It paid off with many convincing goals this weekend including a goal off of a corner kick!
Saturday was game day and the team gathered for a pregame breakfast at nearby Perkins. It was a great way to get everyone out of bed, fueled, and focused for the game against Eastern Washington. We loaded the bus around 11 a.m. to drive the short 20 minutes to Cheney.
In the past their field has been a bit bumpy (something we aren't used to on our fabulous home pitch) but it was in surprisingly good condition! The Eastern Washington Eagles came out hard as ever giving us a physical run for our money. Our players took none of it though, and within fifteen minutes, Katey Pennington had dribbled the length of the field and gotten a cross off to Emma Dolcetti who put it away easily, giving us a lead we would never relinquish. Emma also had a picture perfect header goal off of a Sarah Rhodes' corner kick in the second half, giving her a hat trick over the last two games! Other goals came from Emily Eckmann and me, securing a commanding 4-0 win and also a four-game winning streak!
We stopped to pick up food on the way home and Mikayla Anderson's mom and our graduate assistant Sheridan Jones made us delectable treats to celebrate the win we knew we would get...who doesn't love Rice Krispy treats and peanut butter cookies?!
This week the team is headed into their first full school week of the year! That won't distract us from the always hyped game versus Washington State on Thursday and our match against the University of Washington Sunday. Come join the Kennel Club and support us against the Cougars at 4:00 pm Thursday and the Huskies at 1 p.m. Sunday!
Katie Spangenberg
Go Zags!
Previous Blogs
Blog 1 - Aug. 30
Blog 2 - Sept. 6
