Providence Day girls soccer tops across the country
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (BVM) — On April 9, the Providence Day Chargers took on in-town rival Charlotte Latin in a girls soccer match, a game that featured two top-10 teams in all of America. The Chargers, ranked No. 1 in the country, left with a 4-0 shut-out win over the No. 10-ranked Hawks.
At the half, the Chargers led just 1-0. In the second half, they put all the pieces together and tacked on three more goals, all the while, holding Charlotte Latin scoreless. A recipe they’ve used to become the No. 1 team in all the land.
“I’d put my money on us scoring on most teams in the country with our offense,” head coach Dan Dudley said. “But the biggest thing for me is stopping teams from scoring.”
Off to a 9-0 start on the season, Providence Day has allowed a mere four goals. The only time that No. 10 ranked Charlotte Latin threatened the goal was when they hit the crossbar twice. Outside of that, the Chargers controlled the pace; they were the ones on the attack. Defense has been their golden ticket.
A lot of that defensive prowess comes from their senior leadership, which has played in uber-important games during their high school careers. Coach Dudley starts seven seniors who all played in a state championship game as freshmen. The pressure of being the No. 1 team in America is something they’ve been built to handle.
But another key to the Chargers’ success is the fact that they rely on some young players as well. Dudley has two freshmen this year who have earned the right to be varsity players. The best of the best get to play on that stage, regardless of age. Some coaches tend to be more traditional where seniors get the playing time, but not Dudley.
“Three years ago I started 5 or 6 freshmen in the state championship. I don’t know how many coaches would trust a ninth-grader in an environment like that, for me, if they are good enough they get to play regardless of the environment,” Dudley said. “The upperclassmen don’t like it, but…just like every other player they are just as valuable and important and if they train the right way and show the right habits in games when they get the opportunities… I’m not worried about what year they are.”
With everybody on the same page, winning has been easy. Staying grounded despite all the recognition has been equally as easy because Dudley makes sure to hit home the ideas of “humble and hungry” with his girls every day.
“The rankings are out of our control, we let that be what it is, we control the controllables, what’s within our grasp,” Dudley said. “If we aren’t hungry, regardless of opponent, we can slip up and if we aren’t staying humble, we are going to fall out of the sky from that ranking sooner rather than later.”
Part of remaining self-effacing is preparing the right way. Dudley says no matter who their matchup is, they watch film, they make a game plan and they come ready to take care of business. Staying the No. 1 team in the country isn’t going to be by chance; it’s going to be by continuing to work at what got them there.
“We do our homework, my assistants do their homework,” Dudley said. “And then we talk about game day and the little details that end up being the bigger details when we are organized and disciplined in our approach.”
