Fall 2012 Season - Game 10

Division Champions!

The effort in yesterday's game was about as good as it gets this for this Fall season.  They came out of the starting block by setting the tempo of the game, never looked back and won the finale by a score of 9-2. 

The win also secured 1st place for the boys in the division!!  Not bad for a bunch of rookies.

Recapping the highlights:

• The boys displayed by far one of their best passing games all season.  This is the style of game I hope to further develop.  It allowed them to control the game and attack the goal at will.  The midfielders were solid today.
• Defensively, they were in lock down mode.  For most of the game, the boys were solid in limiting the opposing offense to very few good looks on goal.  In the first 30 minutes, the boys allowed just one shot on goal.  This is another area where the boys saved their best effort for the final game.
• The strikers also played great.  They took what the defense allowed and really capitalized on some very good shot opportunities. 

My favorite part of the game was how the boys looked often to change the point of attack on the field (like we worked on in practice).  It is an advanced skill to show, but the boys really demonstrated that they understood its purpose. 

This was a very fun season.  I am so pleased with how much the boys have grown since we started.  Just think about this, these boys are only 5 months removed from playing their final park district soccer game.  To go from that level of competition to one of the better teams in U8 TRAVEL soccer says a lot about the character of these boys.  It also speaks volumes on how great you all are as parents.  You all have been great to me with your support of this program.  It has been especially nice to get to know all of you better.  This environment surrounding the field has been very positive for these boys.  That is one of the primary reasons for all the success in their development. 

Again, thank you all for being there.

The boys played like champions this season.  Let them be proud.  They worked hard for this moment.  Enjoy the off-season.

GO HAWKS!!!

Fall Season 2012 - Game 9

Playing a team like Pegasus should remind us all that every team will be gunning for our boys.  Teams are going to bring their best to the game in an attempt to claim the victory that both sides covet.  Our sons did a great job this past Saturday.  They started the game strong, took the lead early and played strong defense to protect it while continuing to transition aggressively on the counter-attacks.

This was definitely not one of their finer performances, but they still did enough to taste the sweet nectar of victory by a score of 4-2.  Give credit to Pegasus for disrupting the boys game plan. Their record does not indicate the quality of talent that those boys display.  They are a team that is very close to being very good. 

Let's look at the highlights:

- The passing game continues to improve.  I really like how most of the boys are playing their positions and are staying in their positions.  They are more patient on the field and wait for the ball to come to them as opposed to chasing the ball down. 
- The midfielders supported great on defense.  They continued to defend high up the field and challenged every opposing possession.
- My favorite part was how the boys really tightened up their coverage on their goal kicks.  That coverage created real problems for Pegasus. 

Up next, we conclude the season against the Wings in a rematch from a September game.  It is the last game of the season.  The boys should go into this game holding nothing back and firing on all cylinders.  Game time is at 9:00 AM, please have the boys at the field and ready to go by 8:30 AM.  The uniform colors will be black jerseys/white shorts/white socks with the black Kelme logo.

See you all then.