“The women’s soccer team’s season may be over, but its offseason training is just beginning. After the season, the Zips had one week off before beginning their offseason workouts. We have started lifting every morning and we are doing speed and agility workouts, sophomore forward Rachel Philip said.”
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The women’s soccer team’s season may be over, but its offseason training is just beginning.

After the season, the Zips had one week off before beginning their offseason workouts.

We have started lifting every morning and we are doing speed and agility workouts, sophomore forward Rachel Philip said.

With her five goals, Philip led the Zips to a tie of second place in the Mid-America Conference regular season standings and a MAC East Division Championship.

Senior forward and teammate of Philip’s Adrienne Knox said she feels the success of last year’s squad was due to the offseason workouts the team went through.

We started doing this last year and it made us better this season, Knox said. Hopefully, we will be better for it next year.

In 2009, the Zips went 9-7-2 overall and 7-3-1 in the MAC – a much improved record from their 2008 campaign, which saw the team go 7-9-2 overall and 2-7-2 in the MAC.

It will make us stronger and more fit for the season, Philip said. Before we did this, we had a lot of injuries. We won’t get these same injuries.

Overall, it’s helping us very well, Knox said. We may be tired but we have to have that drive to get better.

Philip said she also believes the offseason training is helping the team bond.

It’s one of the most important things, Philip said of team bonding. I feel like if we are closer as a team we will perform better on the field.

The Zips have not been able to work with their coaches during these offseason workouts and will not be able to until after Christmas break.

Prior to Thanksgiving, each member of the team was scheduled to participate in the workouts. Now it is optional until next semester, but Knox said she believes the team will still workout.

I definitely see our team getting in and working out, maybe not all at the same time, but I think each player will get in there when they can and work with the strength and conditioning coaches, Knox said.

The Zips will continue their light workouts for the rest of the semester and begin kicking a ball again in January.

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