EMERALD FORCE 06 SEVILLA HEAD COACH BENJ LAUDERBACK HAS HIGH PRAISE NOT ONLY FOR Lauderback says Director of Coaching Derrick Long has given his team, but for those who make coaching that team possible. “The him and coach Rob Kelso the freedom to push the team beyond Emerald Youth Foundation has provided our club, The Emerald Force, its comfort zone and challenge itself on a weekly basis. “Often with exceptional facilities. Our role as coaches is to use these facilities, the practices are more intense and grueling than the games foster a safe and fun environment for our players, and guide them into themselves. The saying ‘Winning is a Habit’ is true. We set up our becoming leaders. Soccer is a tool we use to develop young people not practice sessions and drills to have a winning side or player. This just as players, but as young ladies whose relationships together will establishes a high level of intensity, even for the most basic of last for years off and on the pitch.” drills.” At the end of each practice, players shake each teammates’

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Back row, from left: Coach Rob Kelso, Lillyann Freeman, Olivia Gray, Sifa Morgan, Scout Lauderback, Kathryn Lentz, Campbell Ayres and Coach Benj Lauderback. Front row, from left: Caitlyn Schram, Grayce Barnes, Royce Russell, Sophie Frost, Molly Kelso, and Noemy Casillas.

hand and thank them for doing their best to have made themselves on the field. “Our club is a faith-based club that strives to reflect basic and their teammates better. “We’ve found this creates a tight team Christian principles. Each player is required to periodically give a team bond and promotes a high level of chemistry among the players.” prayer before a game or after practice,” Lauderback says. Sometimes the bonding goes on so well parents have a hard time getting their children to leave. Lauderback calls them “a team of sponges, meaning all 12 players soak up what you tell them. Our players want to understand the ‘why’ of what we teach them. The girls ask advanced tactical questions about the game itself, which tells us their soccer minds are ready for a level of coaching beyond their age group. To have a team with these special qualities makes coaching that much more enjoyable.” This team thrives on attacking and applying high pressure against opponents, but the coach says it took a lot of time working on the core defensive principles of soccer in order to appropriately respond to a counter by the opponent. “Because each player has been required to play all the various field positions, each player knows the basic responsibilities for each position. This means the offensive mindset of our attackers quickly transitions back to a defensive mindset.” The coaches can switch players in and out of positions on the fly without having to sub out, further proving the 1/4 high soccer IQ of the girls on this team. The girls on the team play for each other, allowed to verbally challenge a teammate to ‘step it up.’ “Without fail, they’ll be heard only a moment later congratulating that same teammate for making a nice play. After a goal, the scoring player knows to run to the assisting player for congratulations.” The girls benefit from their proximity to the University of Tennessee, whose players sometimes volunteer to assist in player development. There are goals the players must meet, such as with juggling. Their coaches believe they should strive to leave the field after each practice and game feeling as if they are better players than before, even if it’s a small gain. They have to learn a team ‘word of the month’ (think ‘persistence,’ and ‘tenacity’) and use it through action