The Republic Lady Tigers finally have a soccer game under their belt — and coach Mike Hines is glad about that.
“I knew being the first game, there would be a huge learning curve involved, and that we are not able to simulate game speed at our practices,” Hines said. “The girls learned more last night in one game than we could provide in weeks of practice.”
The Lady Tigers lost their opener to a powerful Rolla squad, 9-0. But Hines says the score wasn’t as important as what his players will take away from their first game action.
“I could see in their eyes at halftime that several of them were wide-eyed, and they could understand a little more what we’ve been trying to prepare them for, as far as playing a game at a high speed.”
Hines said the physical nature of the game also opened a few eyes.
“We had five starters who had never played before. Once they started getting hit by the opposing team, a light bulb would go off, and they realize, ‘Wait a minute, if she can hit me like that, maybe I can hit back.’ Once that registers, our play elevates.”
Hines gave the players three goals: play with energy; work as hard as they can; and focus on a few fundamentals. He said they mostly achieved those goals.
The Lady Tigers play their first home game Thursday evening.