As the middle of September rolls around, most high school soccer teams in Indiana are nearing the midpoint of their season and hopefully have answered (or are answering!) some of the questions that they identified in preseason and the initial few games of the year about their teams. 

As the season matures, September holds the bulk of the games and, likely, a time to really “test” your team.  With most schools being a participating member of a conference that sponsors soccer, conference games consume somewhere around half of the games allowed by the IHSAA.

As someone who has been involved with soccer from the earliest days of its organization in Indiana, I am often asked what has changed the most from the early 1970’s to 2008. It is an interesting question and one that old-timers like myself could spend hours answering.

In my opinion, as it relates to the high school game, one common theme jumps to the top of the list - the improvement of the facilities that high school soccer utilizes. When I say facilities, I mean everything from the practice fields to the game fields to the spectator seating to the concessions and on and on.

I’m sure most of you have listened to players and coaches of the early days and heard their horror stories of poor practice areas – most teams barely had full practice fields, games on football fields - heavily crowned at that and absolutely no amenities for spectators. My have we come a long way!

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As we just finish the first week and begin the second week of the Indiana High School soccer regular season, I looked back on the preseason and discussed with many of my colleagues where their teams stand as compared to previous years.  

There is always some uncertainty…but most coaches have a fair assessment of their team (both strengths and weaknesses).  This year it doesn’t seem as so straightforward.  A majority of coaches are having a hard time grasping exactly where their teams actually stand, mostly from a fitness standpoint.  The main reason - no heat & humidity this preseason!