Off the Ball with Colleen Posey
10/1/2008 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
Oct. 1, 2008
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - When head Coach Todd Bramble transformed the Alabama defense from its old man-to-man style to a four-man zone style, some players were moved around to fit the newly installed system. Colleen Posey was not one of those players. Considered now to be the veteran in a back line that features three first-year defensive players, Carly Mygrants, Alex Butera and Grace Lawson, Posey looks to establish herself as the leader of Alabama's protective unit.
"We have been playing an entirely different formation from last year, so even people who played defense last year had to learn everything new," Posey said. "Grace, Alex and Carly have had a great transition to defense though."
Opponents of the Crimson Tide have perhaps examined the defense and seen an opportunity to exploit what some may consider to be an inexperienced unit. The results, however, suggest otherwise. Wrapping up non-conference play with four consecutive home shutouts and then blanking Vanderbilt to start SEC play, the back four appear to be developing nicely.
"Everyone has been working really hard at team defending in practice and I think that work rate has carried over to the games," Posey said.
The new defensive formation seems to be benefiting the Tide so far this season. Posey credits Bramble and his staff for the facelift on defense and can see the effects of the aptly timed transition.
"The new coaches have been an amazing change for this program," Posey said. "We moved from man-to-man defending to a flat back four-zone style of defending and it has really benefited our team. Defending as team rather than individually has been a huge improvement from last year."
Posey's stay on defense did not come without a challenge from Bramble and his staff. Upon their arrival last spring, there were some initial concerns with the quality of her passing out of the back and her distribution of the ball.
"We challenged her to improve that if she wanted to be a mainstay back there for us," Bramble said. "To her credit she put in a ton of extra work last spring and over the summer and you can tell that has paid dividends. To start with, she was a steady defender, a good one-on-one defender and a tough tackler that brings a physical presence to the center of the back, which we love. Now we feel comfortable when we're building the ball out of the back with the ball at her feet because she's done a great of really improving in that area."
With her steady play in the back, Bramble says Posey has a calming effect on the defense. Add that to a tremendous work ethic and you have the recipe for a lot of playing time.
"I think there are only a couple of players on the team, or maybe it's just her, who have played every minute of every game so far this season, which include some overtime games," Bramble says. "Athletically, she's extremely well built and has a great engine that keeps going and keeps going. I think that requires a certain amount of mental toughness and we love what she brings to the table in that area also."
As a fierce tackler and a rock in the middle of the defense no player may be tougher than Posey. Despite battling some injuries that would have sidelined most, the Cincinnati, Ohio native kept finding her way into the lineup. Before giving up two goals against Kentucky, Alabama had not conceded a tally dating back to Sept. 7. Don't expect Posey out of the lineup anytime soon.
