Long road trips have a way of bringing out the true personality of a team. The Manitou Springs girls soccer team experienced that as they hit the road for games against Bayfield and Pagosa Springs on April 1 and April 2, respectively.
The Mustangs (3-1-1 overall) beat Bayfield 9-0 and Pagosa 10-0, but they got so much more out of long bus rides than a couple of blowout wins.
“We get a lot of camaraderie, closeness and just being around each other,” coach Ben Mack said. “That’s probably the biggest thing that we get no matter what, even if we don’t get competitive games.”
The games may not have been competitive, but they were certainly beneficial in many ways for the Mustangs. The ability for the players to get into rhythm with each other and turn that into big scoring waves can provide the team with a lot of confidence moving forward.
Cassidy Kuzbek had a great trip as she scored three goals in each game, showing teams that Manitou’s offense can strike from anybody.
“The crosses from Erica (Sherwin) and Sami (Benge-Kulzer) were perfect,” Kuzbek said. “I was able to just touch them into the goal.”
For the first time this season, it genuinely felt as though the Mustangs were connecting with each other on a mental level as well as their play on the field.
“Our passes connected a lot and we really connected as a team,” Kuzbek said. “It was better than the other games we’ve had and for the tougher teams we’ll be more connected now when we play them.”
The Mustangs beat Denver Christian 4-0 on Tuesday, April 5, and still have a few non-league games scattered throughout the regular season. But they’ll kick off league play next Tuesday, April 12, when they head to James Irwin.