Editor’s note: This story appeared in our Winter 2019 magazine as part of our “offseason training” issue.
When Sam Lopes took over as women’s head coach at Providence in 2015, one of the first things he did was stress the importance of the offseason.
“We try to treat our annual periodization from January until December,” Lopes said. “A big component of when I took over was trying to get away from the mindset that August is preseason.”
Playing soccer at the Division 1 level requires the utmost dedication and investment. That’s especially the case now, as top-level teams in the region continue to work hard during the winter. Coaches agree that the time period between the end of the fall season and the start of the spring one are where championship teams are made.
