I can only take credit for bringing the name “first goal wins” to this account, and that’s about where my original ownership of that idea ends. The idea was just one of many invaluable coaching lessons I took away from my years volunteering for Janet Rayfield and the University of Illinois women’s soccer team.

During my first two seasons with the Illini, Marcia McDermott was serving as associate head coach, so, needless to say for this young coach but every day was like a coaching academy for me. I took away lessons and philosophies about establishing and maintaining team culture, cultivating and sustaining a competitive training environment, and maximizing and utilizing each player’s individual gifts for the betterment of the team, among many others. To recall one lesson is to explain and define the “first goal wins” mentality.

Often, games of all kinds are ended in a “next goal wins” scenario. That is all well and good, I’ve used that as a wrap-up to games plenty of times. But saying to the players, “first goal wins” brings out a different value to a game, I believe.

The times I remember Janet using this stipulation were for small-sided, often 4v4 or 5v5 +GKs, in a confined space, playing to two full goals. With the size of a Division I soccer team, there were obviously multiple teams, so this stipulation also aided in the work:rest ratio inherent in scientifically calculated training regimens.

So, off they go, first goal wins, winner stays on.

I remember Marcia explaining to me why this stipulation was a useful tool for such a competitive group of players, as she often explained to me why they trained the team in the ways they did and what they were trying to get out of them as a result. Did I mention that every day felt like a coaching clinic for me?…I thought so :)

She said something along the lines of, “we play a lot of small-sided games that are to three or four goals to win, or have other stipulations, but this game really puts immense value on the first goal, because if you don’t score it or your team gives that goal up, you’re off! It could take two minutes, could take two seconds.”

If you are lucky enough to have a team with the competitive training mentality that it takes to compete with the best teams at any level, you know that those players HATE sitting and watching others train, especially if they are watching because they lost.

So, I snatched that philosophy up, stored it in my brain and have now brought it to cyberspace.

And yes, I know that the first to score doesn’t always win, but if a team can go after an opponent like every goal is the game winner, then that team is probably on the right track, in my mind.

-Billy