Head Coach Jason Kreis is very pleased with the final performance of his 2016 squad. After being eliminated from playoff contention just a few weeks ago, Kreis and his team approached the final two matches as must-win games. As Kreis explained, the team was playing for the pride and respect of the team, and also for the fans. In their final two matches, they managed to exceed expectations and finished the year with two wins.
“I’m very, very pleased with the performance,” Kreis said after the final match. “Not easy to do as players—to not have an objective in front of you, with the opportunity to make playoffs, for two games in a row now. So, the motivation now comes from within—self-motivation, self-pride, respect, doing things for fans, doing things ourselves, without that idea of the ability to make playoffs. So, I think the challenge that was put in front of the players for the last two matches they took on… embraced it, and gave it everything that they could. So I’m really, really pleased with that. So, my message to the team is that when they do that, when they’re fully committed, when there is no sense of complacency within the group, they can be very good.”
Kreis recognizes the commitments that his players gave not just to the club and to the team, but to him. This commitment is what led them to these final results, and Kreis believes the players should be recognized for the sacrifices they make for the club.
“What I said to the players in the room just now, and I think it’s really important for them to know and for everyone to know, but from my point of view, the players deserve thanks for what they give,” Kreis said. “Because it’s not an easy thing to be training the way that they’ve trained since I’ve been here, to be giving what they give, to make the sacrifices that they make, for the club and for the community and for the fans and for the staff.”
“So, I wanted them to know that I am very, very appreciative for what they’ve done and what they’ve given over the short time we’ve been together,” Kreis continued. “It means something to me and I’ll always remember it.
