UNC wins 20th national title when they defeated Stanford 1-0 in the championship game yesterday. Mississippi native, Rachel Givan played the full 90 minutes and did an outstanding job on defense. To read more about Rachel and her teammates click on the link below.

http://tarheelblue.cstv.com/sports/w-soccer/unc-w-soccer-body.html 

CONGRATULATIONS TO RACHEL GIVAN AND HER TEAMMATES ON ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL SEASON!!!

FYI- UNC is the only program to play in all 28 NCAA Tournaments and is the only program with an unbeaten, untied season. The Tar Heels have done it four times –1991, ‘92, ‘93 and 2003.

Coach Anson Dorrance react after his team victory.

Mississippi native and former Ridgedland high school standout Rachel Givan will be playing in the semifinals of the NCAA Women’s Championship on Friday December 4th.  The Tar Heels who are ranked 3rd in the country defeated #9 ranked Wake Forest 5-2  to advance to the semifinals. 

Given  is a junior defender and has been solid on defense throughout the season. When asked to comment on their big win against Wake Forest, she said ” I am extremely excited to be back in the semifinals.  My teammates and I have been working very hard all season long. We really want to win this championship for our awesome seniors”. 

If the Tar Heels were to advance to the championship game and win, It would be their 20th  NCAA Championship tittle in the 27  year of  the NCAA  Championship. This game will be televised live at 7:00pm  on ESPNU on Friday the 4th.

Good luck Rachel! 

To read more click here http://tarheelblue.cstv.com/sports/w-soccer/spec-rel/113009aaa.html

Rachel Givan

Defending NCAA Champions to host High Point in first round.

We have concluded our ACC season! We had some bumps in the road at the end of our regular season losing to Miami and Florida State.

 However, we pulled out some wins against Maryland and Clemson. We won the ACC tournament which was held this past weekend November 4, 6, 8^th. This makes it our 20^th  ACC championship.

We met Maryland November 4^th in the quarterfinals beating them 3-0. We then played Boston College on the 6^th in the semifinals beating them 1-0 in double overtime! It was an exciting win and we played really well. We then played Florida State in the finals on Sunday, November 8^th we beat them 3-0.

It was a great way to win the ACC championship after losing to Florida State in regular season. We finished the regular season with a record of 17-3-1 and will host High Point in the first round of the NCAA Championship, which begins on Friday November 13^th.

High Point has a record of 7-14-2. They were the winners of the Big South Conference.  The team is very excited for NCAA play. Our seniors are such an amazing class and we are going to work hard and play for them. (Written by Rachel Givan).

To read more about the Rachel givan and UNC women’s soccer click here http://tarheelblue.cstv.com/sports/w-soccer/unc-w-soccer-body.html

Please visit the Dwyane Demmin photo contest and vote for your favorite picture. Thank you!

I thought the Brazilian 8 year old was outstanding, but take a look at this 6 year old from France. You will be AMAZED.

Please visit the Dwyane Demmin photo contest and vote for your favorite picture. Thank  You!

Jean Carlos Chera is now 14 and is currently playing with the Santos Futbol club in Brazil. He is one of the most promising youngsters in the world of youth soccer. Take a look at some of his goals from 2009.

Today is the last day to send in your picture for the Dwyane Demmin Contest. Voting begins tomorrow.

Four years ago, the world was introduce to an 9 year old Brazilian super star name Jean Carlos Chera. He became an instant hit when his video spread like wild fire over the Internet.

Shortly after, several of the top European teams such as Rel Madrid, AC Milan, Barcelona, Manchester United and Chelsea were knocking on his door, with the intent of signing him to their youth programs. They were unsuccessful at that point.

Whether you are an adult or you have a young child who wishes to develop better ball movement or dribbling skills. This video would make you wish you had his skills. Even 50% of his skills he exhibits would serve any select or recreational player well.

As you look at this video, over and over and over. These are some of the things I want you to watch for.

Dribbling- Dribbling the ball in soccer is running with the ball at your feet or dribbling past opponents and still maintaining control of the ball. Jean Carlos  dribbling strength lies in his ability to delay his touch long enough for his opponents to commit. By the  time his opponent swings at the ball, Jean Carlos soft touch is able to use the space to get by his opponents.

When he is dribbling the ball in tight spaces(with defenders around) the ball is staying close to his feet. He has excellent dribbling skills.

For all moves to beat an opponent off the dribble, you  must do three things:
1, Get the defender off balance by feinting.
2, Change of direction of the ball and away from the defender.
3, Change your speed.

Jean Carlos demonstrated all three skills. Once he realized that his opponent was off balance he would immediately change direction, after changing direction he accelerated to avoid the beaten opponent to get back at him.

Finally, a word about his shooting ability. One word to describe his shooting, SPECTACULAR! OK one more word, AMAZING!

What Jean Carlos did in this video, I was doing when I was four(smile). Just joking! It was when I was two.

Tomorrow post will be an update on Jean Carlos, 5 years later. So don’t miss it!

Mallory Coleman

Former Clinton high school standout and current Ole Miss soccer star, Mallory Coleman is having an outstanding season in her senior year.

The Ole Miss rebels are ranked 21st in the nation. Mallory has been instrumental in helping the  rebels achieved that position. She is a talented player with an excellent work ethic.

Although, I have never coached Mallory at high school or club level. I have worked with her several times on an individual basis. She is an excellent role model with a strong passion for the game.  Read my questions and answers with Mallory Coleman.

ddemmin: How was preseason training?
Mallory Coleman: Preseason is always very hard because we are spending so much time training and It just takes a toll on our bodies. It was also tough because we had seventeen new players came in this year and when you put everyone together it brought many new personalities to the team.  We trained three times a day for about a week then tapered in to getting ready prepared for our first game.

ddemmin: What was some of the training you did this past summer to get ready for your season?
Mallory Coleman: They expect us to come into preseason very fit and ready to step right into playing without fitness being a problem.  Not being able to play in full field games because of numbers I had to rely my training and running on my own to make sure I was ready. I trained fitness and agility every morning with two past teammates: Courtney Alexander and Rachel Given. We ran fitness tests and worked on touches and 1 v 1s to keep touches on the ball.

ddemmin: How is your season going so far?
Mallory Coleman: So far out season is going great! We are 9-3-1 and with some very important SEC games to go.  Our team is very young but we have a lot of talented players who are stepping up in big games.  Our team works very hard and we are playing well together.  If we continue to play with confidence and strive to get better everyday I feel like we could be very successful.

ddemmin: I have to ask this question, what’s the most you have ever juggle?(smile)
Mallory Coleman: This one is always tough for me!! I have to say that when I was 12 I set a major record of 115 (juggling is not my strongest area)

ddemmin: What advice would you give to young soccer players that want to follow in your footstep?
Mallory Coleman: I would tell young players to take full advantage of every opportunity they get to play and compete.  We were blessed with the ability to play soccer at some of the highest levels and we shouldn’t take that for granted. Also, I would tell young players to work hard everyday at practice and in games. It’s important to always keep a positive attitude in every situation because you’re not going to win every game but you can always learn from every situation. I would recommend learning as much as you can, be able to take criticism and let it make you stronger as a player. Lastly, would be to have fun soccer is fun and we are supposed to enjoy playing the game.

ddemmin: Do you have any funny stories to share or any funny incident that happen to you or your teammates?
Mallory Coleman: We have a tradition on our team to play a prank on one of the freshmen during preseason and when I was a freshman I was the target. During preseason we eat in our schools dining hall which always has ice cream you can get for dessert.  So when the joke was on me I had a teammate come up to me and tell me that another one of our teammates favorite parts of the ice cream was the bottom of the cone and they dared me to ask for a lick and bite off the bottom of the cone, thinking I was getting the person eating the ice cream. Being the daring freshman that I was I didn’t want to turn down the dare. Little did I know the joke was on me and they filled the bottom of the cone with mayonnaise and mustard and everyone laughed because I got tricked. Ever since then I have played the same prank on the incoming freshmen and the ritual will continue.

ddemmin: Who is your favorite male and female professional soccer player?
Mallory Coleman:Female- Kristine Lily, Male-Lionel Messi

ddemmin: Besides Ole Miss, if you could have played at any other school which one would you choose and why?
Mallory Coleman: I don’t think I would choose another school because I have loved every minute of my time here and would not change it for the world. The people I have met and experiences we have gone through have made me a better person and a stronger player.

To read more about Mallory and her teammates click here: http://www.olemisssports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=12887&SPID=741&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=2600&ATCLID=204812309

Rachel Givan

My name is Rachel Givan and I play for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I am a junior and play left defense for the tar heels. I am going to try and blog about our games this season.

We are in the middle of our season right now with a record of 10-1-1. We are in to our ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference) games and play usually on Thursday and Sunday. This past Thursday, October 1st we played Boston College in Boston. The weather was 48 degrees, pretty chilly.

We played in front of a large crowd. We also played on turf and won 2-1 in a rough match. We scored off two penalty kicks because of a handball and foul in the 18 yard box.

We flew out Friday morning and had the day off. We practiced Saturday morning and left that afternoon on a bus for VirginiaTech. We were not as successful against Virginia. We lost 1-0 in a rough battle with lots of fouls.

This lost was very difficult for us because it was our first of the season. However, we have learned a lot from this game.  Our coaches were not too happy. We have a lot to work on in practice to get ready for our game against North Carolina State on Friday October 9th, at home.

Written by Rachel Givan.

Rachel Givan

She was a goal scoring machine throughout her select and high school years. As a forward she was simply unstopable. Who would have guessed that Rachel Givan would be one of the top defenders in NCAA women’s soccer. I spoke with Rachel a couple days ago and she is having a wonderful season.

Read some of my questions and answers with Rachel.

 Ddemmin: What was some of the training you did this past summer to get ready for your season?
Rachel Givan:We get a packet every summer by our coaches that consist of running fitness, technical stuff, weights, and suggestions for games. I focus on fitness every summer. I have to pass a 120’s test that is mentally and physically difficult. I also focused on 1v1’s and small sided games. I trained this summer with Mallory Coleman a senior on the Ole Miss soccer team, and Courtney Alexander a senior on Miami soccer team.

Ddemmin: How was preseason training?
Rachel Givan: Preseason was good this year. Our coaches thought that our team came into preseason extremely fit.  The freshman class came ready to compete and their fitness level was very good. It helps being a junior, it brings experience and confidence with all the  preseason test and games. This preseason was longer than usual, we spent one week in Chapel  Hill and another week in Ocean Isle North Carolina, at the beach. It was not all fun at the beach, we did a lot of hard work too.

Ddemmin: How is your season going so far?
Rachel Givan:Our season is going great so far!  We have played some difficult teams and have really connected. Our record is 10-0-1.

Ddemmin: How you felt after winning your first NCAA women’s soccer championship?
Rachel Givan: It was AMAZING! The day is a blur in my memory, but it is such a great accomplishment and I am very blessed to have experienced it and play with my awesome teammates. Our team would do anything for each other.

Ddemmin: You have played forward throughout your high school years. Was it difficult to switch to a left back position?
Rachel Givan:Yes, luckily I got to make the transition my Freshman spring season so we could afford to make some mistakes in the back. It was difficult also playing on the left becasue I AM NOT LEFT FOOTED. But, I now feel very confident in the back and my left foot has improved a lot. It was challenging but it has been a great experience.

Ddemmin: If your coach gave you the choice of choosing a position to play, what position would you choose?
Rachel Givan:Right now I am really enjoying playing defense, because all the players on my team are incredible and just to get on the field is an accomplishment for me. I miss getting to shoot though!

Ddemmin: What advice would you give to young soccer players that want to follow in your footstep?
Rachel Givan:I would just say work hard, but have fun while your doing it. And just take aditional time from team practaice and focus on your strengths and weaknesses and try to improve them. If you really want to succeed just work hard and keep your head up.

Ddemmin:I have a question from Cheyne Bush, One of the u-12 Brilla girls that you met this summer. The one that fell in love with your championship ring and didn’t want to give it back. She wants to know how many times you can juggle the ball?
Rachel Givan: I wish I had practiced juggling a lot when I was her age. I did practice a lot over the summer with Mallory and Courtney. I can juggle over a hundred.

Ddemmin: Good luck with the rest of your season and we will talk soon.
Rachel Givan: Thanks!

To read more about Rachel click here http://tarheelblue.cstv.com/sports/w-soccer/mtt/givan_rachel00.html