9/13/08 Game Recap (6-0 Win)

Two games into the season and the Devils have already amassed 11 goals, en route to a 2-0 record in league play. A six goal outburst on Saturday helped propel the Devils past the visiting SCC Mid County Surf at the Sunnyvale Soccer Complex. A stingy defense also held the visitors scoreless in a decisive 6-0 shutout.

Shots came early and often for the Devils, who set the pace with constant pressure on the Surf goaltenders. Sammi got things started with a nifty left-footed bomb from 30 feet, that the Surf goaltender had to leap to stop. Exceptional play from the Devil midfielders setup several scoring chances in the first 5 minutes of the game.

Kelly would break the ice with a chip shot from 10 feet out in the 12th minute of the game. The Devils midfielder pushed up after two other scoring chances were turned back by the Surf defense.

Ball movement and nice passing kept the Devils in the offensive zone for most of the half. Maanasa would give the Devils a 2-0 lead just before half-time with a 25-foot laser from outside the box.

After spending the first 20 minutes of the game in goal, Marlene unleashed her boot in the second half. Playing at the left forward position, she took a pass in the 22nd minute along the left sideline then dribbled in on goal. Her first attempt was rebuffed by the Surf goaltender, but she gathered the rebound and punched home the Devils 3rd goal of the game.

Playing forward herself later in contest, Ruhi sent a crossing pass from the left wing later in the period. The ball ended up on Maanasa’s foot, for the easy deposit just inside the right post.

The Devils passing seemed to get better throughout the game, which kept the Surf chasing the ball. That prevented the Surf from establishing any offensive chances. So much in fact, that they recorded zero shots on goal in the 2nd half. The ball never got passed the Devils full backs over the final 20 minutes of the game.

After a Surf hand-ball was called inside the box, the Devils had a direct kick from the dot. Maanasa took the free-kick and just missed after the Surf goaltender punched the shot over the net. The ensuing corner-kick demonstrated just how much foot-strength is beginning to blossom on this team. The Devils failed to score on the chance, but that was just delaying the goals that were yet to come.

Courtney had two chances chip just wide in the half, but she wouldn’t be denied on her third chance after Maanasa fired another ball off the Surf goaltender. Courtney swooped in to tap in her first of the game, extending the Devils lead to 5-0.

Marlene would record her second goal of the contest on another crossing pass from Maanasa, this time from right to left. The goal would cap the scoring.

Positive Takeaways from the Game –-

Big Shots/Passes: This more than anything was what decided this game. The girls have focused more attention on this facet of the game, and it’s paid dividends. Strong passing and shooting will help create offense and suppress charges by the opposition.

Switching: As one player carries the ball into another positional zone, the player within that zone is responsible for doubling back to the position that was just vacated by the ball carrier. It was impressive to see the level of positional switching that was being conducted on the field throughout the game. This was covered briefly in practice, but the girls applied the concept very well in their first chance during live play.

Positional Play: The team would get itself into trouble last season because players were having trouble grasping the concept of positional play. This would expose areas of the field, because a player was caught out of position. This is one of the areas that the team has demonstrated improvement each week.

Areas of Improvement--

Right of Way: There are still some issues with players not “yielding the right-of-way”. This means that players are competing against each other for the ball in some cases. Rather than work together to give each other passing options, they are helping the defense by slowing the progress of an offensive opportunity and limiting the escape options for the offense when the opposing team collapses on the ball.

Physical Play: This will become more of an issue over the next few weeks. The teams that the team will be playing are bigger and more physical. This team is more successful against those types of teams when they match the physical play. This applies to the entire roster.

Fitness: As the level of competition increases, fitness will also play a more prominent role in the success of this team. Carrying four substitutes on the roster has helped to offset that in the first two games, but players need to be prepared to play an entire game. Even though midfielders carry the most responsibility both offensively and defensively, forwards and fullbacks need to be ready to face the conditioning challenges that a full contest brings.