August 1, 2006; Welcome Back!

Only 12 days to go before we begin pre-season. We have spent six months rebuilding the team, acquiring new players and building the skill and strength of the returning players. We have named three great new team captains: Ali, Mairead and Dani. Most of our players have played high level competitive soccer this summer and have committed themselves to a tough training regimen. We begin our final preparation phase on August 12 when the players arrive.

Preseason is always a trying, anxiety-filled crucible when all of us are tested in ways we can't predict. Determination is the most important attribute for survival. Quickly, we put the team together, deciding who will play where and who will give us the best chance to win. This phase is competitive, but a lot of fun. We will have several intersquad scrimmages among the 26 players as we make selections for the scrimmages vs. George Mason and Maryland. Then we make final adjustments, fine tune our system of play, and get ready for our season opener vs. West Virginia. WVU is a great opponent. The Mountaineers have consistently been in the top three (with UVA and Penn State) of our 53-team Mid Atlantic region, and they have qualified for six straight NCAA tournaments. Game On!

I look forward to my weekly journal reports, "From The Touchline" where I will bring you anecdotes and a perspective from inside the team. This is a truly amazing group of student-athletes. I hope that you will follow and support us through the ups and downs of what we hope will be a great season. I promise that we will make our supporters proud!

Look for my next preseason update August 21, after the GM and Maryland scrimmages, as I report

From the Touchline,

Coach Albright