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After leaving Ohio for the fourth time this season without a win, I feel like there isn’t much to add to previous accounts of our troubled travels. The 1-0 loss to Wright State was our most disappointing performance of the season. Perhaps we were still jaded from a hard fought 10-man loss to Detroit in midweek. Personally, I blame forgetting my lucky underwear. Whatever the reason, nothing seemed to work for us this weekend and we had to endure the recognizable journey home knowing our final conference fixture against Valparaiso is now absolutely crucial if we are to qualify for postseason play.
No matter what adversities we have faced this season though, one consistent feature that shouldn’t be overlooked is the food. As in-season athletes, fueling our bodies correctly is important both before games as well as when recovering. We have enjoyed many nice meals this fall at various restaurants which has proved beneficial to our bodies. Getting the necessary calories in to replenish those we expend when playing and practicing can be a costly business. Also finding the time to feed ourselves well can be a challenge. So visits to Via, Carini’s and personal favorite Pancake House in Milwaukee have been an enjoyable and advantageous feature of our schedule. Equally, team trips to Olive Garden and Applebee’s when on the road have ensured we get the right foods in at the right times. Even though Kevin Ferron stretched our meal limitations this weekend by ordering himself 3 pre-match desserts, generally we are all satisfied with our budget allowance. So I would definitely say getting well fed is one of the major perks of being a student-athlete!
All our efforts our now concentrated on Saturday’s game, as a win will be enough to secure our place in the conference tournament. If you were to ask any of the players or staff I’m sure we would all agree that we could, and should, have achieved that feat already. But the way our results have unfolded means there is now extra significance on this game against rivals Valparaiso.
We will go into the match confident of being able to complete the job, especially as we are playing on Engelmann and have a strong home record. However, we know it is going to be a difficult task. If we manage to qualify, we know anything can then happen so it is an exciting opportunity for all of us, but we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves. All the support possible will be greatly appreciated so come on down and cheer us on!
