Explorers have created a winning atmosphere

WHEN THE La Salle women's soccer players walked off the Mount Vernon Athletic Fields in Washington on Oct. 11, they were dealing with emotions they have not felt in some time. They had suffered a 1-0 road loss to Atlantic 10 opponent George Washington. They were upset at not only losing to the Colonials, but also at seeing a lengthy unbeaten streak snapped.

The Explorers had become accustomed to winning in the Atlantic 10; their previous regular-season A-10 loss came on Oct. 29, 2010, vs. Rhode Island. Even though their 19-game regular-season unbeaten streak is over, they know they are in for a challenge the rest of the season.

"We have a big target on our backs, and it adds a lot more pressure on us," senior Courtney Niemiec said. "We are taking each game more conscious now that we can't lose, and we are making sure that every little mistake gets fixed."

Their incredible streak did not happen by accident. On Oct. 13, a new streak started with a 2-2 draw with Virginia Commonwealth, followed by a 6-0 thrashing of Saint Joseph's last Friday. Many people within the program envisioned this happening well before it started.

"Probably the first 6 or 7 years you are at a program, you are trying to build a culture," coach Paul Royal said. "You are trying to establish an identity of what the roles are of certain individuals."

Royal took the reins of the Explorers following the 2003 season. He took the team to the Atlantic 10 Tournament in 2004, but still was trying to build a system.

"It started with kids that really committed themselves day in and day out and made it more of a lifestyle for themselves," Royal said. "Seeing the individuals really embrace a better culture."

Royal said he thinks a strong winning culture was started by this year's seniors. In their freshman year of 2010, they went only 11-9-2. In the 3 years following, they have accumulated a 42-10-6 record for La Salle.

"Our senior class right now has been one of the best recruiting classes in the country," Royal said. "I would rate us one of the hardest-working, fittest teams in the country. That's because the kids commit themselves on a daily basis to the right regimen."

That regimen includes an alcohol-free fall semester for those old enough to drink legally, as well as a devotion to academics. For five of the previous six semesters, they have had the highest grade point average of any athletic team on campus. That devotion to a winning culture began their freshman year and has paid off since.

"Looking at the upperclassmen and seeing how hard they worked, and watching all of the things they put into the program, we wanted to do it for them," senior Ashley Chilcoat said. "When they left, we wanted to carry along their legacy and what they have done."

The Explorers have reached the NCAA Tournament 2 years in a row. In 2011, they received an at-large bid. In 2012, they won the A-10 Tournament. Those touranment berths have changed things at 20th and Olney.

"We hold ourselves to a higher standard now. Now we know we can do it, so we have to do it," senior Jourdan McVicker said.

Now that the Explorers are a regional power in collegiate soccer, they know every opponent will give them their best shot. They now realize just how important practices are to their success.

"Because every game that we come in to, people are trying to beat us, our practices are harder than our games," Niemiec said. "We make them more combative, more competitive. Everything is more upbeat."

Said McVicker: "We said that each and every practice and game, you need to come with that much more edge. You need to compete and train and act like you want to be a champion."

The Explorers' goal this season is simple: They have their sights on being the Atlantic 10 champions again. Yet, they realize what it will take to get there.

"We try to take each game as it is," Chilcoat said. "We just have to work off each game. The only way to get the A-10s is to prepare for each game as they come."