11/1/08 Game Recap (1-0 Win)

“Memorable” isn’t typically synonymous with 1-0 soccer games, but Saturday’s lone-goal game between the Devils and MCFC Blizzards may go down as one of those “remember that time” games in the annals of Devils soccer. Not even a rain soaked day could dampen the Devils winning ways, as they continued their hot streak to stay unbeaten this season.

With a constant stream of water falling on the Sunnyvale Soccer Complex, it would have been easy for the girls to find lots of reasons not to bring their A game. Facing an unknown opponent was also another challenge for the girls, but they put a defensive clamp on the Blizzards.

Courtney would provide the Devils with all the offense they would need early in the 1st half. After accepting a centering pass from Kelly, she raced up the right wing then popped a shot that sailed over the Blizzard goaltender’s head.

Kelly would almost score herself on the next possession, ringing a shot off the right post.

Defensively, the girls put on the most impressive performance of the season on that side of the ball. The stranglehold resulted in zero shots on goal the entire game. The weather certainly played a role in that statistic, but it was impressive nonetheless. Jessica was only required to handle the ball once in the second half after a centering attempt sputtered into the box. Lindsay didn’t need to handle the ball at all in the first half as the goal keeper.

Offensively, the shots were plentiful. Time after time, the ball would find itself perched in the Blizzards box, but the shots were sailing wide. On one sequence, the Devils squeezed off 5 shots that bounced off the goaltender or post before finally get pushed over the end line.

If the girls convert on 1 in 10 of those shots, the score would have been much higher. Credit the Blizzard defense for clogging the lanes and clearing many attempts in or around the box. It would have been interesting to see how this gamer played out on a dry field.

Game Positives--

Defensive Clampdown: impressive play on the defensive side of the ball was spectacular. Zero shots on goal by the opposition speaks for itself.

Pass Backs: Very nice use of back passing helped control the ball. It was great to see the poise that many of the girls were showing, especially given the field conditions. You have to trust that a) you will make a good pass, and b) the player you’re passing to is prepared to receive the pass. If those two things don’t synch, it’s off to the races for the other team.

Defensive Switching: Clearing space while trying to move the ball out of the defensive zone was something the team has started to work on in practice, and was used in game a several occasions.

Areas of Improvement--

Quick releases: The girls were holding the ball far too long on many occasions, especially as they zeroed in on the opponent’s goal. This was giving the Blizzard defense too much time to react and anticipate the play.

Too Many Touches: Similar to the length of time the ball was being held, many of the forwards were taking too many touches on the ball in order to setup the perfect shot. In a game where the footing is poor and the ball is slippery, you just need to unleash the shot. Putting a wet ball on goal is difficult for a goal keeper to handle, and we failed to capitalize on that advantage.

Vision: There is still a tendency for some players to try and drive the ball through a defender rather than making square passes over to a teammate.