Rich Manning Good Quotations

Kelly and Jena bring with them so many positives for our soccer program. They're talented soccer players with good experience. They will be ready to contribute right away. They fill needs for our team. They demonstrate great teamwork. They are positive people. And, in due time, they will be good leaders.

I think we got some good experience and learned some valuable lessons on the day. I was very pleased with our ball movement and speed of play. I also thought we had some periods of good understanding on the field. We showed some signs of rust in our transitions and our defense. But we got some great feedback on where we are at the moment.

Jena has great qualities for a defender. She is fast, tough and good in the air. I also love the way she communicates in the back. She has a forceful, but positive tone that helps organize the defense. Jena has been to our soccer camp in the summer and we have seen tremendous improvement in her game over the years. She is a great find and her best soccer is ahead of her.

Playing a team of UCLA's quality was great for us. We played some good soccer. We moved the ball really well, especially in the second half. Even in some tight spaces, we were able to create some rhythm and be threatening in the attack. They forced us to be alert on defense and to make some quick decisions. We gave up some soft chances and it cost us. But we found some things we can go back and work on.

This was a great trip and a good way to finish our spring season. We got a couple of good games under our belt. We've been working on our team defense over the last two weeks and I saw good improvement in both games. Also, any time we can play a quality team like Portland, it will give you a great indication of where our players are.

T.J. was at his best in the third period. He didn't have good success in the first two periods.