Possession. It’s not about owning things but it’s the way Eastern can win games.

Possession is key component of the team – ask Eastern head coach Tim Nowak.

“I think we can do better by keeping possession of the ball,” Nowak said. “It’s something we’ve addressed over the past few weeks, but it’s definitely become a focal point in our training.”

The Panthers travel to Cookeville, Tenn., to take on Ohio Valley Conference opponent Tennessee Tech at 4 p.m. today and look to use long possessions to find a win.

“I would like to see us hold on to the ball more and have some decent possession,” Nowak said.

Eastern (4-5-2, 2-0-1 OVC) will also try to use possession when it plays Austin Peay at 1 p.m. on Sunday in Clarksville, Tenn.

“Tennessee Tech and Austin Peay are going to do everything in their power to make sure we don’t and that’s the challenge,” Nowak said.

There are multiple key components to keep a long possession.

“First off, the person that has the ball has to have their first touch put them in a position to protect the ball,” Nowak said. “It’s then the other ten people on the field, not standing and watching them, but moving into angles to get the ball back from them.”

Another factor that is crucial to a long possession is spacing.

“If our spacing is right, people are in the right spots at the right times. That’s the goal,” Nowak said. “There’s no magic potion to it.”

Players have to have the ability to move around the field at a quick rate.

“The quicker you can get to a spot to the ball back or getting to the ball, the greater chances a team has of keeping possession,” Nowak said.

Also, speed plays a role in the keeping of a long possession.

“Speed is an incredible factor in any sport,” Nowak said. “You can’t defend against a lot of speed everywhere. Physical speed is very important. You have to be able to think quickly out there.”

Possession of play is also factored in by the speed of play.

“The hard part is speed of play,” Nowak said. “That’s to be able to make technical and tactical decisions very quickly. That’s the key to keeping possession is to be able to make the right decision quickly. And when you don’t think quick, you’re going to run yourself into trouble.”

It’s much more than physical speed that plays a factor.

“I use a saying with my players: ‘The more you know the faster you are,'” Nowak said. “It’s important that people understand what that means: that you don’t always have to be the most physically fast person on the field, but if you can think quickly out there you can make yourself look a whole lot faster.”

Junior midfielder Kathleen Hayes steals the ball from Southeast Missouri’s Junior midfielder Alaina Lacopo during Eastern’s game at Lakeside field on Friday afternoon. Jay Grabiec/The Daily Eastern News

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