Pre-Match Press Conference (vs. NC) • Saturday, September 30, 2023
OL Reign Pre-Match Press Conference • Saturday, September 30, 2023
Head Coach Laura Harvey and Defender Phoebe McClernon
Head Coach Laura Harvey
On if she has an update for defender Sofia Huerta:
“Yeah, (defender Sofia Huerta) Sof won’t be available tomorrow.”
On keeping focus on the task at hand:
“Our task is very clear, we have our playoff destiny in our own hands, currently – getting points in the weekend helps solidify that. There’s no better task than that. It’s very black and white for us. Is there a lot of stuff outside of us that is being talked about? Yes, but I think, especially around (forward Megan Rapinoe) Pinoe, the way she carries herself, the way that the group is, we’re very clear that, if we won’t do what we want to do as a collective and send her off in the right way, we have to make sure that we cut out all that noise and concentrate on what we need to be able to execute in the games that we have coming up.”
On forward Bethany Balcer and forward Jordyn Huitema and their ability to win duels in the air and how key that will be against North Carolina:
“Well, they’re both tall [laughs] – let’s just state the obvious. I think not just against North Carolina, I just think that they are both a threat in the air. I think that matches with the fact that we like to cross and we have some of the best crossers in the game help that. We talk about it a lot where, we’re happy scoring goals however they come, but we believe that if either of those two or both of them ever get in positions where they’re in a duel and can compete with someone aerially, they shouldn’t lose any of them, really. So, that’s the mentality that we talk about a lot with them in training and keep them believing in that and obviously you saw (forward) Jordyn (Huitema) score for Canada this week, which is obviously really pleasing for us and hopefully she can continue that.”
On her insights and what makes North Carolina’s possession-heavy approach successful:
“I just think they’re very clear on who they are. They’re very – what looks like – well-coached on what they want to do and how they want to go into games. I think there’s a very clear identity of what they believe in and you have to acknowledge that they want the ball a lot, which we’re actually all right with that. We’re fine with teams wanting the ball. We’ve always been a team where, defensively, we believe that we can make it difficult for teams to break us down. So yeah, I just think it’s very clear what identity they have, so I think just being very solid defensively and being deadly in transition is key against them.”
On the depth of the team and being able to rotate the players throughout the season and if that has been beneficial to the team’s schedule this year:
“I mean, I honestly wish I didn’t have to, but I think that’s the season that we’ve had – we’ve had to mix people up a little bit, see who can play in different positions because we haven’t really been able to put our best team out on the field. We do have a bit of a next-person-up mentality because we do believe in our depth, but it’s boring talking about it, to be honest. I just wish that we could talk about having our best team out there and then being able to really talk about our depth. At the minute, we talk about our depth because we have to use it all the time. But yeah, we have a mentality here that we have depth for a reason and it’s for times like this.”
Defender Phoebe McClernon
On having the international break and if she was able to take a break from soccer:
“Yeah, my sister lives up on San Juan Islands, so I went up and visited her with a teammate and that was really nice just to get some rest and relaxation and be in the beautiful nature of the Pacific Northwest.”
On the challenges that come with defending against Courage forward Kerolin and what the coaching staff has told the defenders to minimize her impact:
“I think that it’s hard to isolate a player and just play against one player, especially with a team like North Carolina, who’s had so much success in front of goal as of late. So, I think it’s just more about team defending and limiting their opportunities and keeping our numbers behind the ball when we’re defending, going organized, going together – it’s not a one-person game, (Courage forward) Kerolin’s obviously a super technical, super talented player and if you’re just expecting the most out of 1-v-1 battles every single time, it’s going to be a long game, so I think that working together and just using all of our strengths on the field in unison is how you break them down and stop their attack.”
On the mentality of the team going into the final three games of the season:
“I think we’re really hungry for results right now. I think that we’ve had a few rough turnouts, whether that was because of our performance or the performances we were playing against or just the nature of soccer, results haven’t exactly been going our way and I think we’re really hungry to win and we’re going to get after it.”
On what she sees are the biggest challenges against North Carolina:
“Like I said before, they’re a team who we know can just unleash in front of the net, they can score a lot of goals and they can score a lot of goals fast. So, I think our organization and our communication is probably the most central to us being successful against this team.”
Download here: Pre-Match Press Conference (vs. NC) • Saturday, September 30, 2023