University of Minnesota Athletics
Gritty Gophers
10/28/2017 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
Tickets: B1G Tournament Quarterfinal vs Wisconsin
As the cliché goes, athletes get up when they get knocked down. The University of Minnesota soccer team has done just that this season by achieving a 6-0-1 record after a loss or tie.
Over the past two seasons, the Gophers have amassed a 10-0-2 record after a loss or tie, a group that, not so coincidentally, seen overall success during that time.
"After losses, we make it our mission to go out and prove to that next team that our previous performance isn't who we are," senior captain Tori Burnett said.
This season, the Gophers have not just responded, they have dominated. In those seven games, the Gophers have outscored opponents 24-3, including a 7-1 thrashing of Michigan State on Sept. 24 after a Sept. 21 tie with Michigan.
"We talk all the time about being gritty and resilient, not letting the highs get too high and the lows get too low," head coach Stefanie Golan said. "A lot of teams that stumble, end up going into a funk and our kids do a great job at turning to the next page and focusing on the next game."
Junior captain Emily Heslin spoke nearly the same message, saying the team embodies that mentality that Coach Golan has instilled in them.
"We try not to let the highs get too high and let the lows get too low," Heslin said. "We deal with a win or a loss and then we do our best to turn the page to the next game."
Inevitably, every team hits that roadblock moment in each season, and the Gophers 2-2 double overtime narrow draw with Michigan may have been just that. After that game, the Gophers started a bit of a streak, winning five straight, and seven of the last nine of the season.
"Emily and I have learned from leaders in the past that if we wear those negative emotions from losses, and we embody that, everyone else will be negative too," Burnett explained. "We try to raise our game to help everyone else raise their spirits and be able to move forward."
"The internal leadership group has also tried to focus on not only working harder, but working smarter," Heslin added. "After a loss, you want to just put your head down and work harder, but sometimes it is tactical things or communication. It is about finding that balance between those two."
Coach Golan says this leadership group over the past two seasons has really bought into the message from the coaching staff after a loss.
"This group has been a part of our program longer," Golan said. "Over a course of time, our personality as a coaching staff has been able to influence how our players bounce back after losses. How we respond has a direct impact on the players we coach."
With the postseason upon the Gophers, the message remains the same, stay resilient and respond, but this time of the year does not guarantee a next game to respond.
"We have to manage our emotions, and not let the excitement be the driving force, we have to focus on the details that have made us successful all season," Golan said.
"It is do or die time. If you don't win, you do not have any other games guaranteed," Heslin said. "We don't have time for lulls."
