Luda’s Letters #5

Let the good times roll: 3 games. 7 points. 7 goals. 2 shutouts. I am so proud of my team and what we have been able to accomplish our last few games. We’ve completely bought into our coaches’ game plans and tactics and it’s been paying off. Our defensive attitude has changed in big ways and I think that has had a huge effect on our games. Our level of aggressiveness and pressure on the ball has made it hard for opponents to play in the way they may have anticipated. As a defender, I’m most proud of getting back to back shutouts. There’s no greater feeling than holding the other team to 0 goals and it was great to see that we could do that against the team currently at the top of the league.

But enough about results, our team atmosphere has also completely changed in the past few weeks. It’s amazing how quickly the attitude of players and coaches can change after getting the first win. And I 100% believe it has affected our practices and in turn, our games. We have found our love for the game again and simply enjoy being around one another. When you have team chemistry like we have now, sprinting after a ball or chasing a player halfway down the field becomes easy. You don’t even question doing it because you know you have to do it for your teammates. When every player on a team, whether they are on the field or not, start playing and thinking about each other rather than themselves, is when you will be successful. I truly believe that! I’m happy to say I think our team is getting there. It’s not an easy process and it doesn’t happen overnight, but we’ve been putting in work to get to where we are today and we still have some work to do.

At the end of this week we will be taking a train trip up to Oulu to face ONS once again. We know they are going to come out fighting after our game on Sunday so we will spend this week preparing for that match. There’s huge competition within our team for starting spots and playing time, which is a great problem to have! The toughest decision this week will rest on the shoulders of our coaches as they decide who will be making the trip up north. HJK Naiset look to continue our climb up the ranks in the league and our next game is a huge step in doing that!