Wolverines vs. Aggies JL (1-1)

Hi Team,

Yesterday we proved that we can compete with any team in our league. The kids gave a strong effort against highly skilled opponents and came out with an exhilarating 1 - 1 tie. I appreciated how we did not give up and came from one goal down to even the score with an amazing half-field shot by Zane. We'll have to register that foot with the police!!! We came back from one down the first time we played this team, but then collapsed in the second half and let them get the win--but not this time! We played tough defense and maintained ball possession to slow them down, frustrate their play, and use up the clock. We had some luck on our side with a few of their shots hitting the crossbar or just going over or wide, but that is the nature of the game--I think our goal keeper psyched them out ;-)

It was nice to play the role of the spoilers and ruin a perfect record for the Aggie A team, especially after a solid tie against their B team last Wednesday. Looking at the season we finished stronger against every team except for the loss to TFS A on our home field. But every team is allowed an off-day out of 12 games. We had the most ties of any team in our league, which is a demonstration of our tenacious defense. We finished with 2 wins, 5 ties, and 5 losses, which is a great start in competition. We never gave up more than 5 goals in a game and had a very good chance to win every game going into the second half as we were never down by more than 1 at half with the exception of our first game where we were down by 2 against Soccer Academy. I'm very proud to have had the opportunity to coach such a great group of kids! Every single player improved from the start of summer. We'll look forward to more strong play in the Spring Season. Meanwhile, I'll see if we can organize a couple scrimmages with other Wolverines teams if the weather holds out. Then we can talk about moving to indoor practices and scrimmages to keep the kids having fun. Thanks for the parental, grandparental, sibling support--we need longer fields to accommodate all of our fans!! I'm glad the kids could end the season on such a high note for everyone.

Cheers,

Coach Dave

More Photos!

Thanks, Jessi, for the photos!
Thanks Woverines for a great season!

All Right! Go Wolverines!!! End of a great season!


TFS Lightning! John Fricke head coach. Nice group of kids too!

Bye-Bye PonyTail!

Great Season Guys!

Great Photos!

Thanks to Karen LeFevre for some fantastic photos of the Wolverines vs. Aggies JL game. Wow!

Stars!

Zane got a star!! Congratulations Zane!

Wolverines vs. Aggies ZZ (0 - 0)

Hi Team,

It was definitely a tale of two halves tonight! Isaac only picked up the ball once the first half, and Nick had to make a number of great saves in the second. Strong defense and gravity worked in our favor the first half. Nick made the plays of the game by keeping a clean score sheet when the ball was in our 8 yard box more times than I care to recount. Everyone did a great job of preventing their offense from having any easy looks at goal. The kids demonstrated good ball control and made some nice passes. Daniel showed the most composure and left the other team kicking at air as he made great pull backs and kept the ball in tight possession. I think if all our kids can relax a bit more and look up before passing or shooting we will log a few goals on Saturday. I appreciated how the kids kept playing strong even after taking some hard hits--Dylan took the blow of the game after receiving a high kick to the hand and chest. Isaac and Zane dished out a couple to the other team as well (we need to work on sliding the ball and not the legs). But overall it was a clean game without much (any) grabbing of jerseys or pushing. I think Saturday's game should be a good match.

We have practice tomorrow (5:30 Mountainside). The weather looks perfect. Thanks again to the parents and our #1 fan (Logan!) for cheering the kids on tonight. I'll start looking into having indoor practices immediately following school once a week to keep the kids in tune through the fall and winter. I'm not sure if we want to look into indoor leagues or not. With 13 players we can have a lot of fun scrimmaging 6 on 6 indoors.

Go Team!

Oct 8 -- Wolverines vs. TFS Lightning RG (7-0)

Hi Players and Fans,

We were overdue for a dominating game!--I lost count of the goals so I looked online and the refs recorded a 6 to 0 win. Isaac counted 7 goals (let me know what you counted), either way, it was strong from start to finish. Everyone played strong competition soccer and it led to great passes and probably 20 shots on goal. I think Tate only had to pick up the ball twice as keeper in the first half, and Nick didn't touch the ball the entire second half. Good job everyone on keeping the keeper bored--especially Zane who is holding great position and composure as our last defender.

So the play of the game was a great first goal (of the game and season) by Dylan "the energizer bunny" McArthur playing midfielder who picked up a loose ball down the middle of the box and finished with a rocket off the right foot into the right corner of the goal--absolutely unstoppable. Gooaaaalll!!! Nick and the "Brothers Newman" maintained great ball possession as our front line during the first half and all had shots on goal, and kept the ball in the enemy territory with great heads up dribbling and passing. We think goal #2 was either Gideon or Isaac toe poking the ball in from a few yards out. Probably a Gideon shot (goal) and Isaac toe tapped it in as it crossed the goal line.

Second half we continued the aggressive play with Dylan making a number of runs up the right wing outpacing all defenders and putting strong balls across the face of the goal (alas, nobody on the back post to capitalize!) Early on Isaac blasted one in and it was 3 goals. At some point Tate and Gideon put in a couple goals that involved great ball work into the penalty box where strong low shots slipped past the goalie (I think Isaac tried to "steal" one of these by running it into the back of the net--we encourage follow ups on all shots but Isaac had dinner at "Happy Sushi" on the line if he logged 3 goals). Sometime before one of these goals Isaac had a goal from the right wing that hit the far post and bounced in, then as the clock ticked down Isaac took a free kick at the top of the box that found the back of the net. Time was called and the fans went wild! (Best fans in the league)

ALL of the goals resulted from strong team play. Kyler took a great ball to the chest to prevent a counter attack as we had all of our players up. Daniel was fantastic at backing up the primary defender / dribbler and picking up loose balls. This is not the same kid that started the season. James had a beautiful one touch wall pass to the wing in the second half that led to another Dylan / Isaac combination run down the right wing. And Ben continues to be an unstoppable wall that shall not be passed.

An area for improvement (that is causing the coaches heartburn) is our inability to meet the ball on corner kicks and crosses to pick up "free goals" by deflecting the ball toward the goal from 10 feet out. Something parents can assist with is to throw or roll a ball about 15 feet in front of your player and help them learn how to time their runs and judge the trajectory of the crossed ball. I think the only goal we've scored off of a corner kick this season is when the defense put it in by accident. We'll need all the goals we can get against our next opponents.

OK, now to complete the "criticism sandwich" with a complement to the fan of the game, which goes to Logan who is sidelined with a knee injury for another game or two. We miss your ball control out there, Logan! We have just two more games and the weather looks great for the week. The hair is on the line again against the two Aggie teams (a win against either or two ties and the scissors come out). If this does not happen, the team has to buy me a container of my favorite conditioner--and maybe a few hair ties.

Cheers,
Coach Dave

Oct 5 -- Wolverines vs. Infinity (1-1)

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

Oct 1 -- Wolverines 0 TFS Lightning rl 4

Hey Team,

I thought we continued with a high level of play, but just looked a bit sluggish. I'm very happy that we never gave up--this team always plays hard to the final minute and we did so again today. I moved players around trying to give the kids a chance at new positions (and seeing if we could get someone who really wanted to score--I think the desire was there, but we just didn't quite finish). Our players have been eschewing playing goalie, and James stepped up to play when nobody wanted to go in as keeper second half. He made a great final stop and followed with a solid drop kick. Other solid plays came off the heads of Kyler and Zane. Isaac took a kick to the stomach and kept going, and Logan was running so hard his feet left the ground! (then he fell--but the grin never left his face :-)

At any rate, I'd like to hold practice again on Tuesday (5:30, Mt Side) to continue working on fundamentals--we need to score! 1-0 or 4-0 is still a shutout against us, so we need to work on placing shots on target this Tuesday.

Thanks,
Dave

Sept 28 -- Wolverines 0 Soccer Academy 2

Hi Parents and Players,

This was a great team effort tonight--everybody stepped up against a team that has only lost one game this season. Our kids played well, and completely matched the level of play of our opponents. I offered to cut my hair if we won--I admit, I was rather nervous the entire game, but alas, the pony tail lives to see another match (this Saturday!)

I think we have to recognize a "fan of the game" today. Zane showed up despite leaving school early today because of a stomach flu. The enthusiasm your kids show for the sport and the team is contagious--I hope Zane's flu is not... (Get well, Zane!!)

Some memorable moments of the match for me: After a couple of plays where we didn't charge down the ball in their goal box I turned to our subs and asked, "Who wants to go in there and win that ball?" James shot his arm straight up and yelled that he did. And he followed through with hard runs and our first "backward" header of the season! That wins the "outrageous" play of the game. The runner up for outrageous plays was Dylan's volley kick while streaking down the right wing--this is where the juggling practice pays off! Everyone is playing with much more confidence and we are making more passes and "heads up" plays. I really enjoyed how our defenders did not resort to "boot ball" and were quite confident to dribble out of danger and push the ball through in a controlled fashion. Wow. They also pulled a couple nice offside traps.

For those of you who don't speak Spanish, their coach was not confident with just a 1-0 lead. And whoever "Tito" is on their team gets a lot of "joystick" coaching--I'll try to remind players of where they should position themselves and suggest better options after certain plays, but I try not to tell them to dribble forward 5 yards, turn right, pass to Tito, etc. As fans you are doing great at cheering without yelling directions as well. Watching the individual and collective decision making of our kids on the field is fantastic.

See you at practice Thursday (5:30) then a home game on Saturday.

Thanks,
Coach Dave

More Stars!

Nick LeFevre got a star! 9/27/2011

Congratulations Nick!!

Sept 24 -- Wolverines vs. Aggies ZZ (1 - 4)

Hi Team,

We are now halfway through our season and will start rotating through the teams again starting with a home match on Wed against Soccer Academy. At this point we know what to expect and know we can play any team in our league. Today was another strong effort and I was happy to see some of the "quieter" players step up today to make several great plays. The play of the game goes to Ethan for a brilliant put-back goal after their keeper couldn't handle the free kick Isaac lobbed in from top of the box. This was well-deserved as Ethan had a number of penetrating runs and shots on goal. I love that scrappy play and apparently so do Kyler and Avery because they were all over the field making great hustle plays today. The heat was taking a toll and we looked a bit fatigued toward the end, but no more than the other team.

So as I look back on the first half of the season (1 win, 2 ties, 3 losses) we had eight goals from five different players. I didn't keep track of shots on goal, but we tend to shoot as much as the teams we play, we just haven't been as fortunate at finding the back of the net. I would like to hold a practice this Tuesday to prepare for Wed's match against Academy so that we can work on some fundamentals to help us score more and give up fewer goals. We are also going to have some extra (and expert!) coaching help from Erika Larson, which helps us break the kids into smaller groups to work on skills during practices. Don't forget to have your players work on juggling, pendulums, and toe taps at home. Gideon earned a star for his jersey by juggling the ball 7 times last practice--good job! I know he can do more than 10, so let's have some other players get to 5 before Gideon gets that second star!

Thanks for the great support of a great bunch of players!

-Coach Dave

Wolverine Stars

Gideon Newman got the first juggling star! 9/21/2011

Many others are really close!

Sept 17 -- Wolverines vs. Aggies JL (0 - 5) Great Defensive Game

We lucked out with the weather on Saturday and had a perfect window for a rain free soccer match. That was our best defensive play all season, even though the final score did not reflect this. Everyone was running to shut down their dribbling and passing, then once we regained possession we spread out and our own attack. That was a very high energy match and we had a good chance against the top team in our league (helped by their lack of substitutes). I have been working with the kids on crossing the ball from the wings into the center where it is to be one touched into the back of the net--we gave ourselves several opportunities to do this, but didn't quite connect. Please work with your players on running to meet a moving ball and either trap or kick the ball against a target. Dribbling with the head up will also create more scoring opportunities--we have a couple of the best ball handlers in the league, so we have no problem dribbling circles around the other teams, but then need to look up and find the open player who can set up a good shot on goal. Hats off to Nick for his third goal of the season! It was a great come back goal to keep the match tied all first half. Some of the most tenacious defense came in the second half with Ben setting the example of "not in my half of the field". He cleared every ball that came near him--it was a solid defensive stand. Other than a few miscommunications we played our best game. I will pull players out after mistakes so I can go over the play with them on the side line and give them a chance to refocus. I'll also continue to substitute players into the games based on their effort and improvement in practices and games. We'll be half-way through the Fall season with our next game on Wed. The first half has been good with 1 win, 2 losses, and 2 ties. We'll aim to set the stats at 2:2:2 after Wed!

Thanks for your support of a great bunch of kids!
Dave

Sept 14 -- Woverines vs. TFS Lightning 1 - 0 (and it's a WIN!)

Great game players! We've been playing well and this time the final score reflected it! Tate gets the hustle play of the game for racing the ball into the goal and beating the keeper. He kept the score sheet clean as keeper too--good play! Gideon tested the keeper again with a fantastic shot with his "weak" (less strong?!) foot. I really liked how the team responded to me to stop kicking long shots that were rolling to the keeper and instead dribble in and make passes--Logan took this to heart and made some great moves toward the outside then pushed the ball back into the middle. It is great to see the kids stay spread out and move the ball around. We still need to work on fundamentals so that we can control passes and dribble with our heads up to see open players. Before next Saturday's game I'd like the players to show up extra early (45 mins) so I can work on foot placement for shooting the ball--once we get this down we will score more goals!

Coach LeFevre will work the practice tomorrow (5:30).

Cheers!
Coach Dave

With Stars in their Eyes...

Get your juggling skills up!

About every other week, we will get in a circle and count how many times each player can juggle the ball. Every time a player gets to a new milestone, they get a star to add to their uniform, up to 5 stars.

5 juggles -- 1 star
10 juggles -- 2 stars
20 juggles -- 3 stars
30 juggles -- 4 stars
40+ juggles -- 5 stars

Fine Print: Practice at home, but it only counts if it's done in front of the team. You get two tries in the circle. We'll test it about every other week. Good luck!

Sept 7 -- Wolverines vs. Infinity (1-1)

Another good effort by our players today! It was a bit scrappy and we did not string together as many passes as last match, but I enjoyed watching the team work things out for themselves on the field. I want the players to be autonomous with only general comments on positioning and "options" coming from the coaches. A great example was Nick selecting not to kick the ball as keeper and roll it out to Kyler who took the ball nicely and moved it up the field. Likewise on set plays (free kicks, corner kicks) we like to see how the players set it up on their own. I liked how Dylan gestured emphatically with his head and eyes where he wanted a player to go when he was throwing the ball into play. It is great to see the kids make these kind of decisions. Everyone is playing with much more confidence and we rotated them through at all positions and they responded well.

So now on to a couple "plays of the game!" The follow up goal by Gideon was a great example of how second efforts and follow ups are rewarded. Nice shot! Daniel also started the game "on fire" and was chasing down balls and put one across the face of the goal. In the second half Tate had a "firecracker" of a shot that tested their keeper. And it needs to be emphasized that none of these opportunities on goal would arise unless the whole team works to move the ball forward. This game was a strong team effort, which was most evident when the players backed each other up to stop some very good ball handlers on the opposition. I really enjoyed this game! We'll work on not standing flat footed or "poking" at the ball when a good dribbler is attacking. I appreciate and take notice of the effort the kids put in at practice. Please also work with them at home for 15 to 20 minutes on fundamentals (toe taps, pendulums, juggling). All of these exercises help the players maintain possession of the ball.

Thanks for supporting a great group of kids! See you tomorrow at 5:30.
Coach Dave

Wolverine Coaching Philosophy

Coaching Philosophy

The statement “Playing time is earned, not given” is one of the foundation of the coaching philosophy. Most teams have starters and role players. However, starters should not receive any special treatment. Everyone on the team is expected to put the best interest of the team first, before any thought is given to individual accomplishments. No individual, coach or player, is more important than the team.

What specifically does “Playing time is earned, not given” mean? The amount of playing time each player receives will depend on his/her attitude, skill level, commitment to the team, absences, injuries and game/tournament situations.

Team pride is another cornerstone of a competitive athletic program. Winning builds pride, but so does hard work and commitment to individual and team goals. Coaches will instill in each player the belief that hard work pays off, and the harder he/she works, the more he/she will achieve. While winning is a goal for everyone, at the same time each player should focus on his/her effort - not the outcome. A team can always control effort but seldom the outcome of a game.

Teaching and repetition are two of the tools used to prepare each player to be the best soccer player he/she can be. We will begin with fundamentals, work on techniques and individual skills, and teach team defense in depth. We take every opportunity to teach and demonstrate teamwork, sportsmanship and respect for everyone, starting with the coaches. Believing that "perfect practice makes perfect players" and they should properly practice the skills being taught, on a repetitive basis, so that these skills become as natural as walking and talking.

Players should set goals for themselves and the team. These goals should be challenging enough to require each player to extend beyond their present skill level. Each player should have the opportunity to achieve success and/or failure in game situations. When they succeed, we give positive feedback in terms of recognition and approval. When they do not succeed, we give feedback in terms of advice or instruction.

Each player’s primary competition should be on his/her team, not on the opposing team. We strive for constant competition among strikers, wings, midfielders, and defenders. By practicing often with excellent players, each player will have the opportunity to become the best they can be. The underlying philosophy is this: players compete with other players or teams rather than against other players or teams.

Mental preparation is as much a part of a coaching philosophy as physical preparation. Try to accomplish through mental preparation:
Imagination: Visualizing yourself succeeding in every situation.
Intensity:Exhibit an exceptional focus and concentration giving 100% in every situation
Composure: Keep cool under pressure.
Enthusiasm: Have fun, enjoy the game.

Wolverine Mission Statement

Wolverine Mission Statement

Wolverine Soccer aspires to be an outstanding educational-athletic organization that provides a high-quality experience to every athlete and coach. A high-quality experience is one in which every player

Has fun playing the game
Feels he or she is an important part of the team regardless of performance
Learns “life lessons” that have value beyond the playing field
Develops and learns as an athlete with a deepening understanding and application of the skills, tactics and strategies of the game

Wolverine soccer further embrases the National Responsible Sporting guidelines of "ELM":
E = Effort. Each player will give 100% effort in every situation.
L = Learning. Each player will learn from the game in every situation.
M = Mistakes: Each player will learn from their mistakes and "brush it off."

Cache Cup 2011

Wolverines vs. TFS United

Wolverines vs. Jr. Wildcats (from Ogden)