MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama soccer team battled through scorching heat to successfully complete its first preseason practice of 2011 at The Cage Wednesday morning.

“I think the key right now is to lay the groundwork for what we want to do this season,” said USA head coach Mike Varga. “Everyone came relatively fit. Their touch was pretty good this morning. Overall, for our first training session, I was pretty pleased.”

Varga walked away pleased with the Jags’ performance on their first day back on the field.

“I was pleased with the ball work that we did and our work rate was good,” said Varga. “I was a little disappointed that not as many as I had hoped got through the first sprint workout. It’s as much mental as it is physical, and I think it’s something they have to learn. I also think the heat had something to do with it.”

The Jaguars contended with the summer heat by making sure to stay hydrated and getting plenty of breaks throughout the day.

“We try to go early and late,” said Varga. “We’re going to try to do some light stuff in the afternoons because we have to play in some afternoon matches. You just have to stay hydrated, take plenty of breaks and we have a very good training staff that keeps an eye on them. If they start falling over and showing the signs then we know we need to pull back a little bit.”

Senior forward Brandi Smith (Red Oak, Texas), who scored four goals and added one assist last season, caught Varga’s eye.

“As far as effort today, I was very happy with Brandi Smith and how easy she made the sprint workout look,” he said. “Even though I know she was pushing, she made it look easy and she worked hard at it. When your upperclassmen do that, it sets a good tone for everybody.”

Varga was also pleased with the effort of the underclassmen.

“I was also pleased that some of the underclassmen did well with the workout too,” he said. “When we moved through training everyone was working hard and very positive. It was good this morning.”

The Jaguars spent the practice time engaging in fitness tests, running various drills and wrapped up the training session with multiple half-field scrimmages.  

“I think we did well today,” said junior defender Jessica Oram. “Last year no one finished the fitness test the first day. This year was a big improvement because five of us did. That shows a lot.”

Oram, a native of Pace, Fla., knows that practicing in weather like this will only help the Jags get stronger as a team.

“We don’t like it, but we need to practice in the heat because during games we don’t have breaks,” Oram said. “It’s a good two hours of practice and our games are only an hour and a half so it’s good preparation. I know it’s hot out here, but if you complain then other people will complain. You just have to lead by example and push through it.”

Varga expects big things from this Jaguar squad with 25 returnees which includes seven seniors.

“We want to get better every day,” Varga said. “We want to do a little bit more in terms of what they expect from themselves and make sure we’re prepared and ready to compete in every match. It’s important for us to have a mindset that every match we play, every day we come out here we’re going to do whatever we can to get better. We’re going to compete and we’re going to make our teammates better. I think that’ll give us a good chance to have an excellent season.”

South Alabama will continue their two-a-day practice schedule every day until the Alumni Game on Aug. 13 at 7 p.m. at The Cage

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com.  Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).