@nicdestef[/author_info] [/author]
EWING— For a typical game, a team spends countless hours preparing both mentally and physically to take on its opponent. The anticipation, the excitement, the desire to win—they are all feelings shared by each player.
However, when preparing to take on a conference rival, an athlete’s emotions tend to intensify. Players are more amped; they have even more desire to win, even more determination to come out on top. This is how the College of New Jersey Women’s soccer team feels as they prepare to play Rutgers Newark, a fellow New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Rival.
The game kicks off at TCNJ’s Lions Soccer Complex today at 1pm.
The 3-0-2 TCNJ Lions are aware of the successful season the 6-1 Scarlet Knights have had thus far. To prepare, the Lions have been focusing on specific strategies to help give them an advantage.
“I think we’re focusing on getting end line [the boundary line in which the goal sits on], so we’re spreading out the field as we get end line, we slot it back into the penalty mark area and we’re just going to try to finish our chances from there,” said midfielder Christine Levering. “If we can get past their back line and lay it back, that’s how we are most successful.”
Despite beating the Scarlet Knights 3-0 last season, the Lions know they have to come ready to compete.
“Rutgers Newark, they’ve gotten better every year,” said Junior Christine Levering. “Even though we could win by a lot, they are still a tough opponent and I feel like this Saturday will be a good test for us.”
“Yeah, and they’re going to come out strong. Very strong,” added Junior Sarah Marion.
The match up is the first NJAC game for both the Lions and the Scarlet Knights. The NJAC is composed of ten teams that battle for a spot at the NJAC Championship game; the Lions lost last season to Montclair in penalty kicks.
“Every game in the NJAC is a big game for us, that’s something we think about all week long during practice and we focus on it,” said Levering. “Games in the NJAC are different from any other out of conference games because that record means the most in NCAA, so how you do in the NJAC reflects how you do in the rest of the season. Every one of the NJAC games is super important.”
The Lions are coming into today’s game off a 12-0 win over Penn State-Harrisburg – an incredible showing of not only the Lion’s offense but defense as well. The Lions are hoping that this win will give them the confidence they need to prove their offensive power today.
“I think that the game was a good one for us because we had been struggling with scoring goals, only scoring 4 in 4 games, so a high scoring game like that gave us the confidence we needed on the offensive end especially since we start conference place on Saturday,” said Junior Marissa Scognamiglio. “A lot of people got in the game and everyone contributed in one way or another, so I think everyone is really energetic going into the game Saturday.”
The Lions are not only confident, but also prepared to take on the Scarlet Knights at their home turf today.
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