We have made it to the Final 4! The winners from each region have emerged to battle it out for the coveted title of NHS 2019 Goal of the Year. From the Dollaske Region we have Jack Miller’s amazing free kick against Carmel. From the Hart Region, it is the full volley off the boot of Harrison Christman against Fishers in the IHSAA Sectional Semi-final game. Winning the Webster Region is Drew Barnes for his cheeky chip over the Westfield GK for what was his then 3rd of 4 total goals on the evening. Which brings us to the lone upset heading into the Final 4. In the Doering Region, #6 seed Jack Miller’s header against Guerin took down #1 seed Spencer Holland’s goal against the same foe. As with previous rounds, links for the Youtube videos and Google Form are below.
Google Voting Form **Voting for the Final 4 closes Friday night at 11:59PM
However, I want to use this time to “mourn” the loss of one of my favorite goals of the season. Yes, I was the sole committee member when it came to seeding this tournament so I was partial towards the goals I chose as the #1 seeds. But once voting commenced, I remained impartial and let the votes land where they may. So while I congratulate Jack Miller for having 2 entries in the Final 4, I want to use the remainder of this post to provide some thoughts and breakdown Spencer’s goal. **It’s quarantine after all so I have some time on my hands.
As a coach, I like to make sure that everything is within my scope of control during a training session. A coach can plan drills, provide game like situations and even “freeze” a scrimmage to go over various scenarios and outcomes that players might not otherwise see during the frenetic pace of a game. My whole philosophy rests in the idea that as a coach, I should be working the hardest prior to, during and immediately after a training session. My preparation leads to my players’ preparation. By the time the players step foot on the field for a match, my job is reduced to tactical tweaks, substitutions and words of encouragement. The players should be so well prepared due to the hard work they put in during training sessions that the game should be simple.
But the game is never that simple. The game is where a coach loses some of that control. There are so many unforeseen variables that take place within a fluid game like soccer that can effect the outcome (think Dr. Strange in Avengers: Endgame). There are no timeouts. Players need to problem solve in real time. No matter how well you prepare during training, the players still need to execute, especially in sometimes unfamiliar circumstances. For all the times as a coach I wish I could be out on the field to correct tactics during a contest or make a pass to an overlapping teammate or communicate with my fellow center back about positioning on the opposing team’s #9, my playing days are well behind me. It is up to the 11 players that I put out on the field to bring home the victory. Coaching during a game can be the best or worst or happiest or most stressful time of one’s life. And on that day that we played Guerin Catholic, I was happy. I was happy because I knew we had something special in 2019. And specifically, the goal by Spencer Holland was the exact moment that I knew we had something special and we could make a deep playoff run.
As most teachers and a coaches do, I read books to help hone my craft. One particular book that has served me well both in and out of the classroom is Practice Perfect by Doug Lemov. Doug also wrote Teach Like a Champion for all you educators out there. Practice Perfect is all about making sure that practice sessions set you up for success. Doug uses many examples but my favorite one that I draw upon is that of coach John Wooden with UCLA basketball. His practice sessions were almost militaristic. Not in the sense that they were violent, but in the sense that they were very structured and very repetitive. Coach Wooden wanted to make sure that the simple aspects of the game became so ingrained in the players that they could accomplish each task without having to think about them. Coach Wooden wanted those tasks to happen subconsciously. So when it came time for games, they didn’t have to think about executing the basic fundamentals, they just did them. So what turned out to be boring, basic layup lines over and over and over in training sessions, developed into much more complex and beautiful motions during a game. That is what I saw that day at Guerin. The players involved in the Holland goal did not have to think about the fundamentals. Instead, they were allowed to create. And let me tell you, it was poetry in motion.
Let’s break down the goal…
Spencer Holland receives the ball from one of our holding midfielders with his back more or less to the goal. Harrison Christman, playing the #9 role during this scrimmage before Drew Barnes took over that role and Harrison moved out to the flank, understands the situation and looks to make a diagonal run towards the corner of the penalty area.
Holland, expecting the Christman run, sets up the defender by keeping his hips facing the center of the pitch. He places a nicely weighted ball into space so Christman can run onto it.
Without changing the path of the ball (I preach to “let the ball do the work” during training sessions), Christman takes a peak over his shoulder to spot Palmer Ault, who is replacing Christman’s role as the #9 on the play.
Christman, using the outside of his right foot, sends a perfectly flighted pass between 2 Guerin defenders to Ault
Ault uses a 1-touch flick with the inside of his right foot to place the ball into the path of a crashing Holland (I also preach to “move the ball, move yourself”…which is exactly what Holland does). It might be safe to assume that most folks watching the video missed this part. The video is a little pixelated and it simply happens so fast. It is incredible that Ault knows exactly where Spencer is and will be. My jaw dropped as this portion of the play unfolded in real time.
With 4 defenders closing down the play, Holland must hit the shot first time. He uses the inside of his foot to help with accuracy. He does not need too much power because A) the pass from Ault is supplying some power already and B) if he places it far post, the GK has no chance…which is exactly what happens.
Watch the play in real time and see if you notice all of the breakdowns above
After this play happened, I looked down the bench at Coach Hart and we both just knew. We weren’t too animated in celebration because it was a scrimmage after all. But I’m sure our emotions were something like the gentlemen in the lower left hand corner of the video…
My very first GIF!
Anyways, if you have made it this far, thank you for reading. I appreciate all the folks that have been consistently voting. Good luck to the 4 remaining goals. On Saturday morning, we will know what the championship round looks like. Until then, stay safe and healthy #MillerNation
-Coach Dollaske