Wednesday, May 11, 2011

5/8/11 Game Recap (1-1 Tie)

Sometimes you just have one of those games. Clinging to the points lead in the CCSL Bay Silver Elite Division for U12 girls, the Devils let a flurry of opportunities slip through their fingers on Sunday night, and with it the top spot in the standings. They didn’t lose, but failed to capture the win and the three points that goes with a victory, tying Santa Clara Sporting Green 1-1 at the Sunnyvale Soccer Complex.

The Devils scored a goal with 5 minutes remaining in the game to avoid their first loss of the season. Ace’s heroics helped the Devils stave off defeat by punching home a goal from 25-feet, looping a shot over the Sporting goal keeper to help Sunnyvale rally late.

The game was a frustrating one for Sunnyvale, who dominated most of the contest, but failed to convert on a bundle of chances in front of the Santa Clara goal.
Jess Jess opened the affair with the games 1st shot in the 7th minute, a nice scoring opportunity that she sent up the middle. The sporting keeper gloved the shot with a diving stop to her right.

Marlene would follow up the scoring chance with an play in the 14th minute. Once again the Sporting keeper was up to the task.

The Devils midfielders controlled the centerline, preventing any serious chances from approaching the Sunnyvale goal. Clara, Darcie and Grace played an exceptional first half, moving the ball well laterally.

Sunnyvale generated a nice chance on net right before halftime, when Marlene split two defenders in the 24th minute and sent a shot on net that was stopped by a diving save.

The complexion of the game changed in the second half. Sporting created more offensive chances by playing aggressively to the ball. They would score in the 36th minute after a goal punt fell short. Sporting intercepted the ball just outside the 18 and floated a shot over Hazel for the easy tally.

The Devils would go to work in an attempt to draw even with Santa Clara. Audrey missed on a golden chance on a through ball in the 49th minute pushing a shot just wide of the right post.

Recognizing that they needed to gain control of the ball in order to create any offense, Kelly went on a rampage from her midfielder position, tracking down balls and bumping players off the ball for the better part of the half. She created the turnover that led to Grace’s goal.

With the clock ticking down, Sporting made one final push, generating a shot in the game’s final seconds that rang off the post. Hazel tracked back to the ball and swept it to safety as two Sporting forwards tried to collapse on the rebound. The whistle sounded, allowing the Devils to escape with a point.

Game Positives—

The girls showed great tenacity in their attempt to rally from the one-goal deficit late in the game. The play by the midfielders was exceptional in the last 20 minutes of the contest, which allowed the team to score the equalizer.

Development Areas—


The lack of focus in the final 2 minutes of the game could have proved costly. Trapping continues to be an area that is hurting the team. That skill allowed the opposition to penetrate as deeply as they did on the game’s final rush. The outcome of the game may have been much different had the forward line players taken more shots. There were several instances where the ball was held too long.

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