A Coach's Diary

I once knew a soccer player who was one of the greatest goal scorers I had ever seen. Mariah's team could always rely on her to get a goal or two. Even in the biggest games against the best teams, her team could count on her to make sure that they walked away with one more goal than their opponent. But the most impressive game that I ever saw Mariah play was in a state championship game in high school. It wasn't impressive because she played a great game, it was impressive because she struggled all game but never quit. In this game, Mariah was matched up against a big, physical, and fast defender. It seemed like she was knocked off her ball every time he touched it. She couldn't get anything going, she couldn't do anything right, and she couldn't beat this defender. But Mariah kept moving, she kept working, and she kept asking for the ball. She never stopped. You could tell she was frustrated, but she just kept pushing through. With a few minutes left in a 0-0 game,...

The Penn State women's soccer team has been named one of the top 5 soccer programs in the country. They have an environment that engages it's players and where hard work is contagious. A big reason for their success is their three pillars that serve as the glue to their program: the attitude of a champion, blue-collar, and united family. Those core values are at the front of everything that they do, and it leads to connectedness and success on and of the field. When you have a strong foundation, anything is possible. It takes time to truly get the culture that you want, but every day, every practice, and every conversation is an opportunity to strengthen that culture more and more.