This summer, the FAU women’s soccer team has been in the gym and on the field as they train and condition for the upcoming season.

With a dedicated workout regimen and strong team chemistry, the women have their eyes set on a Sun Belt Conference championship, which FAU hosts this year.
“This summer, we have been working extra with our strength and conditioning coach, Brian Remington,” says junior defender and midfielder Janelle Blake. “He’s been a huge help in preparing our bodies for the very important season coming up.”

The team works out Monday through Friday for two hours a day and incorporates a new exercise and lifting plan each day with Remington.
“We’ve had a big transition from last year to this year in regards to workouts,” says head coach Brian Dooley. “These workouts are to put us into position to make the NCAA tournament and win our conference.”

The Owls play tough opponents this year, including matches against Clemson, USF and Georgia.
“I’m very excited about playing USF again and Clemson,” says senior forward Nicole Farrell, who played in 14 games in 2008. “They are both well-known and recognized schools in women’s soccer.”

The purpose of these tough games is to prepare the team for conference play, and if the Owls beat their tough opponents, their chances of making the NCAA tournament increase.
“Our non-conference schedule must put us in a good position,” says Dooley. “If we lose, it doesn’t hurt us — but if we win, it helps us to get into the tournament.”

The Owls are also putting just as much emphasis on team chemistry as they are on preparing to win a conference championship.
“Team chemistry and trust have a lot to do with the way a team performs,” says junior midfielder Anhnhi Tran. “Our team’s pretty close and we all have a common goal.”

Chemistry also goes beyond the soccer field, as the women make sure they all achieve classroom goals as well.
“We’re straightforward as far as what we expect from each other,” says Farrell, “whether it’s letting someone know they need to pick up the intensity during practice or [get] their act together in the classroom.”

While the team might push one another to become better in the classrooms, hosting the conference tournament this year is motivation enough for the team to succeed on the field.

Brian Dooley is trying to instill a strong, focused mentality to all his players in the hopes that the women give it their all every game.

Dooley adds, “We must think going in, ‘Do we want the pain of discipline, or the pain of regret?'”