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Northview's shift in mindset results in second straight win
All it took was one win for Northview’s boys soccer team to begin shifting their mindset in a positive manner, a change head coach JP Arvin and assistants Kevin Strahla and Will Rindone have been hoping to see from them over the last three years.
After beating Brown County over the weekend to leave the field on the smiling side of the scoreboard for the first time this fall, the Knights entered Wednesday’s game against Sullivan with a different demeanor than they’d had throughout the first four weeks of the season.
It resulted in a dominant 6-0 win to extend their winning streak to two games while also pushing their goal differential to +6 for the year, a statistic that proves just how much better Northview has played despite sitting two games under the .500 mark.
“Last night, we challenged them with finding a way to handle success. There are teams that we’re better than, but for whatever reason, these boys, there are times when they just expect to lose,” said Arvin. “So, after we lost to Terre Haute North and then lost to Danville [by a combined score of 4-1], my wife, who handles adversity differently than me, was trying to comfort me, and I was like, ‘Babe.’ She was like, ‘Should I just go away for a few minutes?’ and I was like, ‘I’m sorry, but it’s hard to change your default settings.’ And that’s what we’re trying to do with these 31 boys because they just expect Danville to beat us and North to beat us. If they play like they did tonight, they’ll beat a lot of people. It’s just a matter of us getting them to believe that they’re good and that they deserve to win. We’re trying to change their default settings, and I think tonight [helped that].”
Keeping the Arrows off the scoreboard – something goal keeper Bobby Styck played a major part in doing with a handful of key saves – was a great sign, said Arvin afterwards. But the most encouraging thing the coaching staff took from the win came from the offensive part of the field.
Sure, scoring six goals – off the feet of Luke Whitman (2), Brayden Kreiger (2), Jackson Brock (1) and Tanner Hayes (1) – for the second time in as many games showed the system they’ve adjusted back to is working. However, the most important part of it, as Arvin pointed out, was the fact that despite only scoring once in the first half, the Knights didn’t allow themselves to get frustrated and try to switch things up. Instead, they remained patient and continued to play their game, which led to five shots finding nylon over the final 29 minutes of the night.
“We were very encouraged tonight,” said Arvin. “We told them at halftime – and we need to give credit to Sullivan for holding us to one goal in the first half – that their effort and what they were doing, we didn’t think the scoreboard was reflective of it. So, it was encouraging for us to see them play the exact same way in the second half and remain focused on the task at hand.”
Another positive? Arvin said he’s noticed a difference in how his team reacts after putting one in the back of the net.
In the past, any time Northview scored, those on the field, as well as on the sideline, would erupt in celebration. Now, it’s more of a ‘that’s what’s supposed to happen’ type of feeling that ends with a few high-fives and pats on the back, said Arvin.
“It used to be when we would score a goal, everybody would be celebrating like it was a big deal. This year, they’re handling it like it’s just a matter of business. They’re treating it as something we’re supposed to do,” Arvin said.
Having won back-to-back games for the first time this year, Northview’s biggest task will be to ensure it doesn’t get complacent with its play moving forward into the final stretch of the year. Arvin wants to see his group, which will be playing eight games over the next two-plus weeks, build off their recent success before entering the postseason in October.
“Progress has rarely ever happened in a straight line, so I don’t want to say we won’t take a step back. We’ll get in there and look at the film from tonight, which is something we did before tonight’s game and I think helped us a lot, and get ready for a busy two weeks,” said Arvin. “We’re going to bring our measuring stick to see where we stack up against these other teams.”