By Stephen Cooney

It is funny how during the course of a football season there are very wide varieties of peaks and valleys. A team can be at the top of their game one week and then at the bottom of the food chain the next. Sometimes it is because of the competition and sometimes it is because of momentum. On many occasions it is a combination of the two.

Two weeks after a dominating performance over island rivals Stony Brooke, the Pride were throttled by the number one ranked James Madison University. Now it is a matter of the Pride being able to climb out of the valley and back up to the peak, or maybe more than likely find a common ground in the middle that will allow them to achieve success for the remainder of the season.

During a season the middle ground is more important than the peaks and valleys. Being able to find a place where the team feels confident and can play with that confidence is important. Without this middle ground the team can become weary from climbing to the top and crashing back to the bottom. This season the Pride have been doing just that, losing a heartbreaking overtime game and then returning the next week to reverse the role. They then responded with even more emotion and dominated Stony Brook, only to be crashed back to the bottom by the powerful James Madison. This will take its toll on a team unless they realize there is a middle that can be even more dangerous.

When a team finds a middle ground and the ability to play together they become the most dangerous. Poise is the key word to describe this. If a team can find it within themselves to stay on an even level, never allowing their emotions to run to high or too low, then they can play as a unit.

The Pride have shown on many occasions the ability to play effectively as a team but seem to fall off and not execute. On the rare occasions when they are in synch they look dangerous, but on the other hand when they are not in synch they look just as pitiful. The remainder of the season remains to be unseen and whether the Pride will respond or if they can find a perfect blend of confidence and understanding to be as dangerous as they can be remains to be seen.

Next week against a Bucknell University team that the Pride should be able to handle much in the same manner they did Stony Brook. This should be a strong stepping-stone back up to the middle ground. Hopefully the Pride can regain some confidence and take control of their future for the rest of the season.