By John Goralski Sports Writer First year coach Mike Linehan hustled between two groups of girls soccer players during a pre-season possession drill. He barked encouragement over one shoulder as an offensive unit navigated the ball past a crowd of defenders. He turned back to critique the defenders in the other group when they missed an assignment which cost them a steal. The Lady Knights swarmed in diagonals across the field. One called for the ball. Another sprinted to an open spot. A defender shifted into a gap to block a pass, while a teammate sprints back up the field. An offensive player in one group drifted back to midfield, and Linehan crashed to a halt. He whirled upon her and called for a stop in the action. “Why did you switch back?” he asked. A smile curled across the coach’s face as the player explained her decision. It turns out that she saw a defender in a good position to make a run at the net. “See that,” Linehan yelled to both groups. “That’s what I want to see.” There’s a wave of excitement washing across the practice fields this fall. There’s a growing sense of urgency as the [...]
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