Hi Team,
I'm still hoping to have a practice today, but if it is raining hard then Jenn will send a text to cancel the practice. But I think we are a wet-weather team because we played extremely well yesterday! We need to work on some endurance and sprinting too, so we'll stay warm today even in the rain!
We had a slight advantage over Infinity with more shots on goal, solid passing, and tough defense. Isaac didn't have a single drop kick the first half, meaning he didn't have to make a single save. My favorite play (a bit mundane perhaps) was when Zane dropped the ball to Isaac in goal and Isaac cleared the ball back to Zane who was free to receive the kick and then move the ball up the field. This type of play demonstrates the confidence of competition soccer where our last defender feels comfortable passing to the keeper. Zane did a fantastic job on defense--the last defender position is often thankless and I liked how the kids decided to have Zane take the first penalty kick. Nice goal Zane!!! The second penalty kick was well earned by Dylan who was our most energetic player of the game. Again, the kids decided who was to take the kick and it was a good hard shot that would have been impossible to stop but just went wide. Dylan also had a beautiful run down the right wing, outpacing the last defender and taking a well placed shot to the far post. The keeper made a great stop on a perfectly placed shot. Nick also worked their keeper with a great volley shot and Daniel was right in the thick during the first half dribbling circles in their goal box and punching the ball through just wide of the post. Everyone played solid soccer and worked to overlap when a defender was beaten--soccer is about timing your runs and conserving energy for those bursts--Isaac confided in me that he was feeling tired during the game but I liked how he found the energy to sprint back to our goal and slide tackle the ball cleanly in our penalty box--he said he was assisted by the wet conditions!
Fan of the game goes to Logan, who is working through a knee injury--thanks for showing up and cheering with us, Logan!! And our parents and grandparents are still the best fans in the league. There were definitely a couple of plays by the blue team that could have been called as dangerous or unsporting, but we maintained our composure as players and fans.
Great game! Remember to dress the kids warmly for practices and games (a warm, tight hat is most important)--it is snowing in Summit County today, but soccer is played in all conditions except thunderstorms!
Coach Dave
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