Sideline Reporter Infiltrates Devils Bench

Ever wonder what goes on in the heat of battle during a girls U11 soccer game...at least on the bench? DevilsTV reporter Ry Ry infiltrated the team bench last weekend at the Palo Alto Tall Trees Tournament, unbeknownst to the coaching staff. See his report here...

4th Place Finish at Palo Alto Tall Trees Tournament

Shivani drives up the wing

Following up their big Championship win the Soccer by the Bay Tournament last month, the Devils turned in another strong showing, taking 4th place in the Palo Alto Tall Trees Tournament this past weekend. The Devils posted three shutouts in pool play, then would fall 1-0 in the consolation final.

Playing four teams they’ve never seen before, the Devils put together great team soccer against formidable opponents. Each game was tough, but the girls stood up to the challenge. The consolation final game pegged the Devils against the South San Jose Aftershock in a hard fought contest.

Defense and goaltending was the theme of the tournament for the Devils. After keeping the ball out of their own net all weekend, they would surrender their lone score of the game 8 minutes into the finale. A tricky hop and a speedy forward would add up to a scoring chance that would end up in the Devils goal.

Katrina cuts back across the grain

Both teams would fight for every inch of the field the remainder of the contest. The Devils best scoring chance came in the 2nd half, when Marlene curled a 25-foot shot just outside the left post. Sunnyvale would press the matter late in the game, but the Aftershock defense suppressed the attack.

Unfortunately for the Devils, they would fall short after a great effort. It was a tough ending after such great performances by every player throughout the weekend.

Game 1 – Folsom Strykers

In the first game of the tournament, the Devils leaned on big goaltending to earn a 0-0 tie against the Folsom Strykers. Kelly would keep the Strykers off the board with solid play in net. The solid defensive play was capped with a big header by Clara that cleared a big corner ball in the Devils box.

Katrina would show off her big foot, with a booming shot at the 5 minute mark that was deflected by the Strykers keeper.

Sammie dribbles in traffic

In the 2nd half, Akayla saved the Devils bacon with a series of big stops in net. She would breakup a breakaway with 13 minutes to play by snagging a shot above her head. She came up with another monster stop 5 minutes later to preserve the deadlocked game.

The backline did a fantastic job of holding off a talented Folsom team. Their play was showcased by Lindsay, who used her speed to clear several dangerous situations out of the Devils end of the field. At midfield, Shivani’s aggressiveness to the ball helped control the right side.

The weekend’s biggest blemish came in warm-ups, when E was hurt while warming up in goal.

Game 2 – Juventus Galaxy

Saturday’s second game featured a frustrating 1-0 win over the Juventus Galaxy (Redwood City). The Devils controlled the field, but they failed to convert on several golden chances. The low scoring affair also would keep the Devils out of the Championship Final on Sunday, which was determined by won-loss record, goals scored and shutouts. Unfortunately, goals scored carried more weight than shutouts.

Lindsay turns on the jets

The first half was filled with opportunities. Audrey and Akayla teamed up early in the game on a drop-and-feed scenario that resulted in a nice shot on goal. Courtney would follow that up with a pretty cross right before the half-time whistle.

She would repeat the scenario to open the second half, but this time Marlene would get a boot on the ball, chipping a shot that the Galaxy keeper had to snare out of the air.

The mid-field play was led by strong efforts by Sammie and Shivani. The pair energized their teammates with up-tempo efforts and some nice passing that created several offensive rushes.

The Devils would finally get on the board with 3 minute to play, when Kelly took a give-and-go pass from Audrey along the left sideline, then raced in on goal and punched home the game winner. The shot sailed from left to right, catching the side netting just inside the right post.

Karsyn would make things interesting in net, when a late shot attempt skipped through her hands and perched itself on the right post. She was forced to dive back to the ball as a Galaxy forward streaked toward it.

Game 3 – San Carlos United Blaze

In the final pool play game of the tournament, the Devils needed to win or tie in order to qualify for the playoff round. They would come up big with a 3-0 win over the San Carlos United Blaze in game that was closer than the score might indicate.

Kelly puts a shot on goal

Once again, goaltending was the cornerstone to the victory. Clara protected the net in the opening half and came up big on several Blaze chances. On two occasions, she challenged breakaways and smothered the scoring chances with big slide tackles.

Audrey would get the Devils on the board early with a goal from the left side after Akayla made a nice feed up the line. Courtney would convert 9 minutes later on a long through ball that hopped over the San Carlos defense to make it 2-0.

The Devils narrowly missed on a corner 3 minutes later, after the ball was sent into the box. Marlene grabbed the ball outside the right post and made a pretty drop to Kelley for a chip shot that was gloved by the Blaze keeper.

With a backline that was clicking all weekend, the Blaze tried to mount an offensive push in the 2nd half, but Ruhi, Karsyn, Lindsay, Shivani and Jessica clamped down on the chances by clogging up the middle of the field.

Marlene would make it 3-0 after cleaning up on a Christene shot that deflected off th Blaze keeper. With the ball dribbling through the box, the Devils forward easily tapped home the game’s final goal.

Akayla would uncork a 30-foot shot for good measure at the 45 minute mark that had t be gloved near the right post.

Fall 2009 Game 3 Photos

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9/20/09 Game Recap (3-1 Win)

Clara clears the ball

The girls had so much fun on Saturday, that they decided to do it all over again on Sunday. This time the offense was as hot as the blistering heat. The Devils opened things up against the MVLA Typhoons and stormed to a 3-1 win at the Sunnyvale Soccer Complex.

With a pre-game emphasis on putting more shots on goal, the girls did exactly that, and it would pay off for them. Christene would set the tone on the opening possession with a booming shot that sailed over the crossbar. The play didn’t result in a tally, but the message was clear that they Devils had come to play.

Courtney would score the first of two goals on the day in the 7th minute, by taking a diagonal feed from Grace at the center line, then racing up field and slipping a shot just inside the right post.

Katrina turned up the heat on Sunday

She would make it 2-0 just four minutes later, after Shivani sent a booming through ball up the right side. Courtney grabbed the lead pass in the right corner than carried it toward the goal sliding a shot from right to left that just slipped past the MVLA goal keeper.

Audrey would get in on the action in the 20th minute by taking a feed from Katrina up the left side and punching home a 25-footer from outside the left post.

The defense played another smothering game, restricting the shots on their own net. MVLA would get a serious chance on net, when they were awarded a direct kick 6-yards outside the box. The ensuing shot would be gloved by Lindsay, but not before it bounced off her chest and back into the air. The Devils keeper did a great job of preventing rebound chance while the box was filled with blue jerseys.

Forming a wall

The Typhoons would get on the board right before half-time, when the Devils keeper challenged a shooter near the right post. Taking the shot away, the Typhoons right forward slid a pass from right to left, parallel with the goal line to a trailing forward. The Devils let the trailer slip underneath for the easy tap in goal.

The second half became more of an up-and-down game, with both teams clogging up the middle of the field. Courtney had one more chance at a hat-trick in the 34th minute, when a breakaway chance was pushed just wide of the right post.

With Ruhi in net for the 2nd half, the Devils dodged a bullet when she made a big save off a corner in the 38th minute.

The one blemish on the day came with 3 minutes left in the contest. Playing stopper, Grace took a big ball square off her nose, stopping play as the coaches attended to her. The play proved that these kids can generate some velocity on the ball, as was evident by the bloody nose Grace was sporting after the game.

Katrina would cap one last push with a booming shot in the 59th minute from 20 yards out. After deeking a defender with her back to the goal, the Devils forward, reversed her direction and put a solid strike on the ball, that had to be snared by the MVLA keeper at eye level.

Fall 2009 Game 2 Photos

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9/19/09 Game Recap (1-0 Win)

Audrey dribbles through traffic

The Devils played their first home game of the 2009 Fall season on Saturday at the Sunnyvale Soccer Complex, taking a close 1-0 decision over Santa Clara Sporting. The 4:30pm start time provided some relief from the scalding Bay Are heat on Saturday, but the it still seemed to take a toll on the girls.

It took both teams a few minutes to feel out their opponent in order to gauge what type of game it was going to be. The Devils tried to take the initiative early by pressing on offense. An early salvo of shots by the Devils was defended well by Sporting’s defense.

Courtney tried sending a pooch shot in form 15 feet in the game’s opening, but the attempt fell short of the goal line. Grace would follow that up with a blast from 25 feet at the 9 minute mark, but the shot was deftly handled by Sporting’s goal keeper.

Grace turns the corner

Santa Clara would get their best chance of the opening half 15 minutes into the contest with a breakaway that Christene, the Devils keeper, had to deflect by jumping up in the air to deflect the high lofting shot.

The Devils tried again to jump on the Santa Clara defense early in the 2nd half. Christene narrowly missed on a crossing attempt that slipped under her boot in the 32nd minute.

Audrey would follow that up with a shot 10 minute later that was once again gloved by the Sporting keeper.

Marlene appeared to score at the game’s 45th minute, but the Devils were whistled off-sides.

Courtney get congratulated

Courtney would remedy that 5 minutes later by punching home a shot from a severe angle. Grabbing a feed up the right side, she whipped the ball from right to left, beating the keeper with a shot to the low left corner.

One of the prettiest plays of the game came with 5 minutes to play. Audrey and Akayla teamed up for a pretty give-and-go on the left wing, that ended with a nice shot on goal.

Game Positives—

Unselfish Play: The girls are beginning to trust each other with each game they play, and that has resulted in some fantastic passing sequences and team work in an attempt to move the ball and setup scoring chances.

Shooting: Everyone is beginning to open up a bit offensively, which is resulting in more shots on goal. The girls are taking more chances offensively and are slowly working out of the pass first mentality that tends to bog down the offense. This was especially evident from the forwards that are choosing to shot from a variety of angles.

Team Defense: What can you say about back-to-back shutouts? The girls that have been tasked with holding the back line are holding up against some very good offensive teams. There were two very strong legs opposing them on Saturday and they kept the ball out of their own net by clogging up shooting lanes all day long.

Development Areas—

Initiative: Not sure if the heat had anything to do with it, but we struggled with beating the opponent to the ball. The girls were out-played in the initiative department on several occasions early on, which made it difficult to generate much offense.

Kickball: There has been a tendency of late to boot the ball out of a 1-on-1 or 1-on-none situation, which almost always turns into a turnover. Rather than punting the ball forward for the sake of clearing it safely, we like to see more attempts at ball-handling in order to make more accurate passes later on in the play.

Fall 2009 Game 1 Photos

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9/12/09 Game Recap (1-0 Win)

The Devils kicked off the 2009 Fall league season with a nail-biting 1-0 win over the Hollister Spirit on Saturday. The Devils picked up where they left off last spring, by taking another one-goal win from the Hollister club.

Defense was the theme of the day, as the Devils recorded their 9th shutout in league play. The Spirit were stifled all game by a defensive corps that allowed only two scoring chances on the day. Shivani, Sammie, Lindsay, Jess, Karsyn, Grace, Clara and Ruhi kept the ball out of their defensive zone for much of the game, and prevented any shots from reaching the keeper in the 2nd half.

On the offensive side of the ball, there were plenty of chances to score early in the game. Courtney started a parade to the net with a break that was knocked down by the Spirit keeper just 2 minutes into the contest. E would setup Christene with a beautiful cross 8 minutes later, but the shot attempt sailed just left of the goal.

Clara stood tall in goal in the first half, defending a big chance by Hollister with a glove save midway through the period.

The Devils had another chance right on the doorstep at the 15 minute mark, but the Spirit keeper made a nifty save to preserve the scoreless tie. The Devils would close out the opening half with one final break at the 21st minute that was snuffed out by another big save by the Spirit.

Marlene would finally break the stalemate in the 31st minute, by punching home a 20-foot shot from just outside the 12 yd box.

With the backs and midfielders supplying a steady stream of through balls, the forwards were allowed to throw one attack after another on the Spirit net.

Akayla sent a shot on goal with a chance from the doorstep at the 40 minute mark, after Audrey put a shot off the right post, but the Spirit keeper stood tall once again.

Game Positives--

Positional Passing: The girls continue to show more confidence in moving the ball, which is evident by the lateral and back passing. This is allowing them to setup attacks and retain possession more often than not.

Initiative: The strong midfield play was the direct result of the girl’s initiative to loose balls. The Devils took control of the field by winning the race to space, and in turn the ball.

Development Areas—

Quick Releases: Many of the scoring chances were stifled by our shooters holding onto the ball too long. This was particularly an issue within 10 yards of the goal. Part of this can be addressed by focusing on the placement of the ball off first touches.

Marking the Pass: Anticipating how the opposition will advance the ball is a skill that will benefit any soccer player. The girls can develop this by anticipating where a pass will be placed, and marking that spot ahead of time.

Early Intensity: The girls tend to feel out their opponent, before taking chances on the offensive side of the ball. We must encourage more intensity early in the game, in order to set the tone.

Tall Trees Tournament Info

Here is the schedule for the upcoming Palo Alto Tall Trees Tournament:

Saturday 9/26 at 9:15 Folsom Strykers vs SASC Devils 98
Saturday 9/26 at 2:15 SASC Devils 98 vs Juventus Galaxy
Sunday 9/27 at 10:30 San Carlos United Blaze vs SASC Devils 98
Sunday 9/27 at 2:15 Flight 2 Runner Up vs Flight 1 Runner Up
Sunday 9/27 at 3:30 Flight 2 Champ vs Flight 1 Champ

All games played at Greer Park (Field #4) - West Bayshore Road, Palo Alto 94303 [Map]

Flight 1:
San Carlos United Blaze
Folsom Strykers
SASC Devils 98
Juventus Galaxy

Flight 2:
Palo Alto 99G Blue
Manteca Rangers
MP Strikers 98G Blue
San Jose AfterShocks

Reminder: Thursday Practice Time Change

A reminder to parents that Thursday practices will now start at 4:30pm fo the next ten weeks. Practice will end at 6:15pm on these days.