Fall 2012 Season - Game 3

It is not how they start, but how they finish. 

Games like the one the boys played yesterday can teach them so much about how to deal with adversity.  For the first 30 minutes, both teams did their thing to prevent the other from scoring.  After the Wings broke the scoreless tie early in the 2nd half, the Hawks offense came alive.  They played the game they are accustomed to playing and lit the lamp five times in a 21 minute stretch.  Defensively, the team closed down the shooting lanes and had a good number of defensive stops, holding the opponents to just three shots on goal all game (compared to the 20 taken by our boys).  Our keepers were not challenged too much, but they stood their ground when needed. They demonstrated great poise in the goal area and did not flinch on the shot attempts. 

My favorite stat from yesterday was how the boys controlled the ball for over 38 minutes of the game (unofficial stat I kept on my stop watch).  This is a tribute to the solid performance by our six midfielders and their ability to control the ball in the middle third of the field.  They found a lot of success in defending high and creating several scoring chances in transition.

And WOW!  These forwards are fast!!

There was a very good reason as to why we were held scoreless in the first half.  The Wings performed admirably on defense and did a great job of forcing our forwards into less than favorable shot selections. The closest opportunity we had was a shot that hit the post.  Solid effort on their part. 

This was a great effort all around.  I cannot be more pleased with how these boys are progressing as a team.  Be proud of their efforts yesterday.  They played like champions. 

Up next, we are back on the practice field this Thursday to get ready for the next game against Pegasus.  Practice will take place at St Joan from 6-7PM. 

Have a great week.