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EWING – Ninety minutes of full concentration. Ninety minutes of physical conditioning at work. Ninety minutes of mental resilience.
Plus overtime.
The College of New Jersey’s men’s soccer team is becoming increasingly aware of the clock.
The Lions, currently 4-5-2 overall and 0-2-2 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC), have competed in four games so far this season that have gone into overtime or double overtime. But, as the team battles the clock, they have found it difficult to bring home a win in these tests of focus and athleticism.
“If you look at the goals we’ve given up, we’ve usually given up goals pretty close to the end of the half or the end of the game,” said TCNJ head coach George Nazario. “Obviously two overtime games which were loses is significant of that, as well as giving up a goal the other day just about a minute and 20 seconds before halftime of the last conference game against Rutgers Camden. So we want to try and negate those things and hopefully we will get better.”
Nazario stressed the importance of his team being tuned into the game for a full 90 minutes or longer, as opposed to just a portion of those minutes in the first half. In training, Nazario makes time pressure evident.
“We do everything based on a clock, so this way they realize when they are giving up goals and things of that nature,” said Nazario of improvement through practice sessions. “That’s the only way you can really try to emulate what’s going on in the actual game.”
To further mimic game conditions, the coaching staff also sets up scrimmages among the team in practice where the starting lineup for the upcoming game plays against substitutes who are mirroring the formation of the specific opponent.
Aside from simply possessing game knowledge, junior defender Nicholas Provenzano and junior midfielder Joerg Jauk spoke of another key to success in close games.
“I think it’s about knowing what it takes in overtime situations, because it doesn’t really come down to pure soccer skills at that point,” said Jauk. Provenzano agreed with his teammate immediately by adding, “It’s all mental.”
As more experienced team leaders, Jauk and Provenzano have also noticed how stress in these tight games can lead to blame attacking within the team when errors are made.
“The whole team needs to stay positive for 90 minutes and work together as long as the clock is running,” said Jauk.
“The hardest thing in overtime is that your body starts to shut down, but you have to be mentally strong up top – some of the guys on the team are, and some of them aren’t,” said Provenzano. “You have to push the guys that aren’t to get through.”
From the physical end, The Lions place great importance on the correlation between maintaining a healthy lifestyle and having athletic success on the field. Eating a variety of vegetables and carbohydrates helps the team remain fueled and well conditioned, especially when that extra burst of energy during overtime is needed.
Drinking a lot of water prior to a game is also key, as Jauk said, “I think when you start hydrating the day you actually play a game, it’s already too late.”
“I try to get to bed as early as possible during the week,” added Provenzano, “with classes and soccer, it’s really crazy.”
The College of New Jersey, ranked number one in Top Public Regional Universities North by U.S. News, is academically rigorous, and tends to attract a student body with high ideals when it comes to what they expect and are willing to work for in their education. Nazario, who is currently coaching his 23rd season of men’s soccer at TCNJ, noted a focus on academics as a defining characteristic of TCNJ teams throughout his tenure.
“The ball is going to stop bouncing in a couple years for these guys and the most important thing is that they get a good education, and hopefully they get a good job,” said Nazario. “And if the athletic component ends up being positive, then they’ve got a double bonus.”
With this mix of mental and physical strength, the Lions are prepared to move forward in battling for the full 90 minutes – or beyond.