Zags hope to grow from early season adversity

Starting the season on the road against a top 25 opponent might not sound like a good idea or even fair for the Bulldogs, but it was something Head Coach Amy Edwards was very much looking forward to.

"For us, it gave a snapshot of a quality ranked team and a regular tournament team for our younger players to see. It certainly was a tough road game but as a whole group we learned a lot. In fact, I feel we played better in the Friday night game than in the Sunday game," Edwards said.

The Zags opened the season in Champaign, Ill., against No. 24 Illinois. Gonzaga lost 5-1 and a handful of mistakes for the young team set them back. However, the team saw something they liked and something they needed to improve on.

"A lot of it right now is getting the team integrated into our system. We are getting them to understand the mentality that it takes to compete at this level. Our conference plays at a high level and we need to compete with those teams," Edwards said.

The Bulldogs played two matches in Illinois, the opener versus Illinois and the Sunday game against Loyola-Chicago. The Zags ended up dropping the second game but by a much smaller margin, 1-0.

Although it was not an ideal start to the season, there is plenty of optimism about what the team can achieve. They have a number of injuries that have carried over from last year, occurred in the preseason and one in Illinois last weekend. They also have a handful of freshmen starting in each game which means mistakes are bound to happen. But the team is forging confidence early this season.

"In our training is where we are building our confidence. We practice in an intense environment each day, which will build it. To be honest, it will take time and minutes in games too. Our young players will need minutes but it will come," Edwards said.

The team does have some other changes on the field. In the net they have transfer keeper Susan Brown, who came to Gonzaga from Arkansas State University. Although she is new to the team, she feels a major change from her former team.

"It has been an upbeat transition. There is a lot more intensity here in our practices and within the team. There is also a ton of passion here. I am enjoying playing here and getting to know the girls," Brown said.

The team's play resonated in Brown's head after the past weekend's play. But what stood out to her was something that coach Edwards hits hard on: being resilient. Brown said that staying resilient was important for her so she could not worry about the goals conceded but rather focus on the rest of the game.

"We faced a lot of pressure attacks and we did fairly well against them. But versus that caliber of a team, we did fairly well for being a young team," Brown said.

Next, the team is traveling to Boise during Orientation Weekend for matches against Air Force and Boise State. The Bulldogs will go in focused on becoming a more cohesive team and learning how each other plays in preparation for the home opener Sept. 3 against Weber State.