Two whistles mark halftime; three mark full time. And, with the sun fully set on the women’s soccer season, I can finally get something off my chest: Bowdoin’s women’s soccer team doesn’t actually play a 4–3–3.
When I started this column earlier in the season, I told myself that I was going to be as objective as possible. I have focused on tactics, trends and how the roles of certain players have evolved and changed.
Rooted just ahead of the two central defenders and deep behind the rest of the midfield, the holding midfielder takes on the impossible tasks of both anchoring a compact defensive line and connecting it to a threatening attack.
Any decent coach can pigeon hole players into an already existing system. A good coach can have impressive tactics and stick with them no matter the players on the team or the opponent. But a great coach can build a system designed around their players that not only complements their skill sets but allows each individual to perform at the highest level.
The greatest thing about soccer is that it’s a game best played with joy. At its apex, the sport can resemble an art form painted on the canvas of a pitch—each player doing their part as a bristle of a larger brush, back and forth until they have created something to be proud of.