McLaughlin Blogs From Vancouver: June 15
Former three-time Iowa State defensive MVP Mary Kate McLaughlin is in the midst of her debut season with the Vancouver Whitecaps of the W-League. McLaughlin will provide updates on her experiences in Vancouver throughout the summer. This is her second blog entry.
Hey Cyclone fans!
Although it's yet another gloomy and rainy day in Vancouver, I'm happy to announce that the Vancouver Whitecaps earned our first win of the 2012 season last night against the LA Strikers! The Strikers scored the first goal of the match within the first 15 minutes of the game, hitting a shot from outside the 18-yard box. However, we kept our composure defensively while increasing our intensity on the attack and quickly responded with two goals. Before the end of the first half we scored one more goal, and finished the game 3-1. It was a great feeling, finally experiencing the success we felt we had worked for since the beginning of the season.
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to be on the field to share in the excitement due to a concussion I suffered in one of our previous matches against the Colorado Rapids. I wasn't allowed to train last week, but I've been making a lot of progress and the recovery process has been going very well. I will begin fully training in the coming week, and I can't begin to express how excited I am to be back on the field. Injuries can be challenging to deal with, but it also allows time for me to put things into perspective. Over the past few days I've truly realized how fortunate I am to be able to play the game I love every day, and how important it is to never take things for granted.
Speaking of taking things for granted, I've also realized over the past few days how much I take the Iowa weather for granted! I know it sounds a little crazy, but the weather up here has been rainy and cold! It doesn't even feel like summer yet. When the sun comes out though, my teammates and I take advantage of it! Just last week we were able to go kayaking in Deep Cove where we experienced more breathtaking views! It was my first time kayaking, and I realized very quickly how much of a workout it is. It was a lot of fun on the way out, but we were pretty tired when it came time to paddle back to shore!
As I said before, I am excited to get back on the field. We have a great week of training ahead of us as we prepare for our next home match on June 22nd against Santa Clarita. I am hoping that we will continue to build on our most recent success, and keep the winning streak going!
Thanks for checking in, and until next time keep kickin'!
Mk
