Q & A with Behrend Women's Soccer Head Coach Patrick O'Driscoll

What are your thoughts on your team at this point in your season?

I think the team is coming together well. We have played a very difficult schedule up to this point and we have been on the wrong side of some close losses despite playing well. I think we are well-prepared for conference play. We have shown significant improvements in all parts of our game since the beginning of the season and I feel we are beginning to develop an attacking identity.

Who is performing particularly well for the team right now?

As a group, the players are performing well. It takes a while for a team to come together and get used to the playing styles of new teammates. I feel we are developing more into a cohesive group with each passing practice. Caitlyn Elser(Cranberry/Seneca Valley) has been playing very well for us as a sophomore as both a forward and a midfielder and some of our freshman have come in a contributed in a positive manner almost immediately. As always though, the success of the team comes from individuals working together for the sake of the common good.

How does the conference look this season?

The conference this season looks strong. Frostburg State is usually our rival and I expect them to be strong again. Penn State Altoona is having a great year also and will be very competitive. To win the conference again this year, we will have to be at our very best. Besides Frostburg and Altoona, many of our other conference opponents have been posting good results in non-AMCC play.

What is the biggest challenge facing your team entering the second half of the regular season?

The biggest challenge we face is simply maintaining a high level of play through AMCC play. Being the defending champions we realize that other teams will be really raising their games to play us. This makes it important for us to concentrate on our own performance in these matches and make sure we match all of our internal benchmarks for each game.

What are your expectations for the end of the season and championships?

We hope to be in a position to compete and win another AMCC Championship this year. This is our goal at the beginning of every season. We work hard every day in practice to hopefully achieve this goal. It is never easy to win a championship but we feel we have the players to do so again in 2009.