3/27/10 Game Recap (1-1 Tie)

Marlene's big foot was on display

The Devils kicked of the U11 Spring Season, playing in the newly formed CYSA District 2 – White Grouping. The girls squared off against the Burlingame Twisters, who played in Class 1 – Division 1 last Fall. It was the first taste of competition against what was formerly Class 1 competition and the Devils played to a 1-1 draw at the Burlingame Soccer Center.

The most obvious difference against this caliber of opponent is the speed at which both forwards and defenders play. The Twisters were lightning quick on the corners and leveraged that early against the Devils, who were playing short two players.

Burlingame pushed the play deep in the Devils zone from the opening whistle, forcing the Devils to play in a defensive posture, crowding the box. The Twisters had the ball pinned in the right corner within the first minute of play, but the defense worked it free and moved it back to mid-field.

On the ensuing rush, the Devils defense overloaded right side of the field, leaving the center left forward unmarked. A diagonal feed to the center forward ended with a 15-foot shot that found of the back of the net for a 1-0 Twisters lead at the 5 minute mark.

Katrina drives

The Devils would answer 11 minutes later when Marlene sent a lofting ball from 70 feet that hopped over the keeper and found its way to Twister goal for the 1-1 tie.

The goal seemed to energize the Devils who would press until the halftime whistle. The Devils just missed on a beautiful chance when Courtney and Grace setup a pretty give-and-go. Grace dropped a pass at the top of the box, as Courtney cut behind from left to right. Courtney would then return the ball for a scoring chance that had to be snared by the Twisters keeper.

Defenders from both teams did a great job at suppressing the opposing offenses from generating many scoring chance in the second half.

Christene plays smothering defense

The Twisters were whistled for an illegal goaltender touch, after a teammate made a back pass near the left corner of the box. The Devils were awarded an indirect kick from 18-yards. Courtney put the initial touch on the ball, for Karsyn who pushed the ball just wide of the right post.

With time winding down, Burlingame worked the ball deep and got a point blank shot from the front of the net after a cross found its way to the box. The play started with a corner kick that deflected back to the forward who took the initial kick. With two shooters to accept the ball, the Twisters looked poised to take the lead, but Katrina grabbed the point-blank shot to preserve the tie.

Game Positives—

Small Skills: There were a number of very impressive small ball skills on display throughout the game. The instincts

Defensive Stands: The girls were forced to defend against several offensive chances by the Twisters, but they only allowed two serious scoring chances. He mids played especially well, helping back on defense. The back-liners played with great poise, and demonstrated great calm when the pressure was increasing.

Offensive Drives: The forwards played very well together and are displaying a willingness to work more cohesively. This resulted in several sustained drives that pushed the ball deep in the Burlingame zone. We’re beginning to see a lot more maturity in terms of how the girls play as a team.

Development Points—

Quicker Releases: The girls had a tendency to hold the ball too long, especially in traffic. The opposition’s speed took advantage of this throughout the game.

Receiving Passes: Receiving passes and positioning the ball following receipt has been a focus in practice and the team showed significant improvement in this area. With the opposition’s skill now at a higher level, we were reminded of how important this becomes. This is still an area that we will continue to work on.

Adjust to the Speed of the Game: The field was big and the bench was limited to a single substitute, which all factored into a difficult environment. Given that, the speed of the game is only going to get faster, and the girls need to recognize the level of skill they will be matching up against, especially in terms of team speed. They will need to accommodate for this speed by better anticipating what the opposition does on offense and how they counter on defense.