4/23/11 Game Recap (6-0 Win)

Jess carries the ball up field

The Devils extended their hot streak with a resounding 6-0 victory over the Santa Cruz County (SCC) Breakers on Saturday at the Sunnyvale Soccer Complex. As the Bay Area weather begins to heat up, so goes the Devils offense, which was firing on all cylinders. Five different Devils contributed to the scoring in the goal-fest.

Early indications suggested that the field was tilted in the Devils favor. The offense pushed deep into the Breakers zone immediately after the opening whistle and created a pair of scoring chances that were suppressed by the visitors.

Audrey kicked off the scoring in the 8th minute after Courtney sent a diagonal pass from the right side. Audrey gathered the ball at the top of the 18 and rifled home her 4th goal of the season.

She would score a minute later after Karsyn sent a long free kick from the Devils side of midfield. The Breakers had been called for a handball, and the lofting drive by the Devils stopper caught the Breakers back-liners off guard.

Hazel secures a shot

Courtney punched home the Devils 3rd goal in the 12th minute after Kelly carried the ball up the left sideline and sent a cross to the box.

The play of the game came right before half. Kelly and Audrey connected on a four-pass combination play along the left sideline that was a sight to behold. It was a great demonstration of the girl’s small ball skills, but more importantly it showed the maturity of the players as they unselfishly worked off each other to advance the ball.

The Devils picked up right where they left off to start the 2nd half. Marlene sent a blast from the right side in the 33rd min that was gloved by the Breakers keeper.
The Breakers regrouped to mount an offensive charge, but the defenders, led by Ruhi snuffed out the attack. Jess Jess used some deft ball handling to navigate around three attackers on one sequence to move the ball out of the Sunnyvale zone.

Darcie maintains possession

Clara chipped home her 1st goal of the season in the 44th min after Courtney bounced a shot of the keeper. The midfielder pinched from her spot on the left side, streaking past a Breakers defender before one-timing the shot into the SCC net.

Grace made it 5-0 after chipping a long rebound over the keeper from 45 feet out. The center midfielder intercepted a ball 10 yards inside the midfield line then sent a high arching shot on goal that sailed over the keeper’s outstretched hands for her 2nd goal of the season.

Christene capped the scoring in the 55th minute by chipping home a deflection from the left side. Darcie and Clara worked the ball into the box before creating a scoring chance that the SCC keeper was able to get a hand on. Christene followed it up to record her first goal of the season.

Getting a chance at forward, Lyndsay put together a nice scoring chance with a long breakaway that was followed by a shot on goal that just missed wide of the right post.

Game Positives—

Scoring was the name of the game, and the girls were relentless when given the opportunity. Putting shots on net paid dividends. This has been a point of contention early in the season, but they answered with a strong showing. The combination plays are becoming a more frequent occurrence, which is showing the development of the girls as soccer players. Much of the scoring was setup by very accurate passing, which is also starting to show great improvement.

Development Areas—

With the opportunity to move players around to different positions, it was apparent that some of the girls were out of their element. This led to a breakdown in fundamentals, like basic defensive positioning. As the girls advance to higher levels of play, they need to be prepared to take on any position, and with it the responsibility of maintaining basic fundamentals.

4/17/11 Game Recap (1-1 Tie)

Ace battles for the ball

The Devils played their second consecutive game on the road on Sunday and battled the Los Gatos Wildcats to an entertaining 1-1 tie. The Devils scored early in the opening half then surrendered a goal right before halftime, before trading plenty of scoring chances in the deadlock.

The big story of the day was Hazel, who made her Devils debut in goal. The Sunnyvale goalkeeper made an impressive first impression, making several big saves to help the Devils secure a point with the tie.

The Devils set the tone early in the contest, controlling the offensive zone for the better part of the opening half. A Wildcats handball was called 30 feet out in the 8th minute. Karsyn launched a high free kick that skipped through the small box before skipping wide left. Sunnyvale failed to put a body on the ball for a deflection.

Audrey would find the back of the net in the 11th minute after drilling a shot from the top of the 18 after Grace slid a pass to the slot from the left side of the field.

Kelly made a spot start at the sweeper position, playing the position for the first time in a while. She helped control the backline and quarterbacked the defense. Lindsay and Jess used their respective strengths to keep the Wildcat forwards in check on the outside for the majority of the opening half.

Hazels' BIG save

Los Gatos chipped the ball past the Sunnyvale backline to create a break in the 20th minute, but Hazel made a massive save, deflecting a chest-high shot by extending her left arm over the crossbar.

The Wildcats tied it in the 24th min after a pass similar to the one that netted the Devils their goal was slipped from left to right across the top of the 18. A Wildcats forward gathered the ball and ripped a shot inside the left post.

Both teams had a chance to go ahead in the 2nd half, but the defenses stood tall. The Devils best chance came in the 41st minute when a pin-balling chance found its way to Darcie who drilled a shot that barely cleared the crossbar.

The midfielders played an excellent controlled game, leaning on their small ball skills, especially under heavy pressure.

Grace and Courtney would team up for a nice wall pass sequence that created a scoring chance early in the half.

E setup another scoring chance by applying an aggressive dose of pressure in the left corner after the Devils pushed a ball deep. She would force a turnover before sending a centering pass to Grace near the top left corner of the big box.

Audrey with the pull-back

Darcie and Christene would send a constant stream of through balls to Courtney on the right side all game long. The trio teamed up for tree nice offensive chances in the 2nd half.

A centering feed from the Wildcats midfield setup another scoring chance late in the game. Once again, Hazel came up big, deflecting a ball safely out of bounds with a sliding tackle after a Los Gatos forward got a step on the Devils defense.

Clara got a big foot on the ensuing Wildcat corner kick to steer the ball safely out of the Devils end.

Game Positives—

The girls applied plenty of pressure in the opening half, which resulted in an early goal. They generated most of their offense by stringing together short, accurate passes. The midfielders led the way, utilizing some nifty dribbling to keep possession of the ball. The goalkeeping was super!

Development Areas—

Defensive positioning allowed several scoring chances for the opposition. Some of this was caused by an urgency to overload one side of the field, and forget about forwards on the weak side of the field.

Welcome Darcie

The Newest Devil

The Devils family would like to extend a big welcome to Darcie, the newest member of the team. The midfielder joins us after a stint with the SASC Blades. She’s already demonstrated that she’s a great fit and has made a seamless transition onto the roster.

The girls continued their tradition of picking a nickname for each player, and they anointed her as "Dora!" Don't ask us where they come up with this stuff.

Please join the coaches in welcoming Darcie and her family to the Devils!

4/9/11 Game Recap (2-0 Win)

The Devils played another strong game on Saturday, taking their second consecutive win to open the Spring season. Sunnyvale scored a goal in each half and held off a feisty West Valley Surefire squad 2-0 at the Prospect High School turf field.

The Devils played a very impressive game, focusing on ball control and combination plays. There was no shortage of offensive chances on either side of the halftime break, as the Devils pressed in the offensive zone in 30 minute segments.

Courtney put on a shooting display, sending a series of balls on goal from her forward position. Her first chance came on a through ball from Katrina in the 4th minute. She took the feed up the right side before snapping a shot that was gloved by the Surefire goalkeeper.

She would take another shot from 15 feet less than three minutes later that was headed to the upper right corner before being gloved again by the West Valley keeper.

Darcie and E turned in very strong games from the midfield. Darcie showed off her ball handling skills on several occasions, dribbling around defenders before setting up several combinations. E was a force on the left side, applying an up-tempo performance that caused several turnovers. She showed off her diversity by finishing the afternoon on the back line.

The Devils would crack the scoring deadlock in the 23rd minute, when Grace pumped a pass from the left sideline past the keeper for her first goal of the season. The center-midfielder received the ball at the top of the 18, before squaring herself to the goal and firing the shot home.

Sunnyvale began to employ more back passing as the Surefire forwards began to press. Lindsay and goaltender Akayla teamed up to safely clear a threat with a back pass to the box.

The shots would continue to come in the 2nd half. Courtney ripped another shot that sailed just wide right of the goal 2 minutes in.

Jess and Ruhi came up big in the 40th minute when they snuffed out an offensive chance by the Surefire deep in the Devils zone. Jess trapped a crossing attempt inside the box, pushing the ball out with several Surefire players circling her. Ruhi would sweep a return feed out to the right side, before lifting is safely to midfield.

The Devils would cap the scoring with a goal in the 45th minute. Once again, Courtney fired a shot from the right side that the Surefire keeper deflected into the small box. Audrey swooped in from the off forward position and beat a defender to the ball with a sliding shot that found the back of the net.

Game Positives—

The combinations are starting to become a strength of the team. They employed several passing sequences that created plenty of offensive chances throughout the afternoon. A lack of shots on goal was an issue in the fall season. This was a direct result of the absence of extended passing sequences. Saturday’s game showed how multiple passes can create offensive chances.

Development Areas—

Trapping continues to be an area that requires more attention. The girls surrendered the ball on too many occasions because trap attempts bounced away. High balls were a specific trouble spot.

4/3/11 Game Recap (3-1 Win)

Darcy makes her Devils debut

The Devils kicked off the 2011 CCSL Spring Season with an impressive 3-1 win over the defending CCSL Silver Elite Champion MP Strikers on Sunday at the Sunnyvale Soccer Complex. The Devils shrugged off an early 1-0 deficit and stormed back with three unanswered goals to kick off the spring season in impressive fashion.

The team welcomed new midfielder Darcie to the lineup, who played a great game, controlling the right side for most of the afternoon. Her Mom tells us she was a little nervous about making her Devils debut, but she looked as cool as a cucumber whenever she had the ball at her feet.

Overall, the girls looked fantastic out of the gate. Having a reputation as notoriously slow starters, the off-season running program that was managed by Mike Gallagher paid immediate dividends for the team. Endurance was a non-factor the entire afternoon and team speed played a role in the victory.

Things got off to a rocky start when the Strikers converted in just the 8th minute of play. The Devils opponent put a shot on net from the top left corner of the 18, that deflected off a Devils defender. Akayla, the Devils goalkeeper, was in position to make the save on the initial shot, but the deflection made a stop an impossibility. It would be the only Devils blemish on the afternoon.

Audrey celebrates her goal

Sunnyvale would counter 6 minutes later when Audrey slipped past the MP defense off a long free kick by Karsyn from midfield. Beating two defenders, Audrey gathered the pass outside the 18, cut left and slipped a shot past the Strikers keeper to tie the game

Courtney made it 2-1 in the 21st minute, after Grace sent a pretty corner in from the left side. The speedy forward used her ball skills rather than her speed to convert the goal, chipping a shot on goal before the ball could hit the ground. Kelly positioned herself perfectly in front of the Strikers keeper, screening her view. By the time the keeper picked up the shot, it was through legs.

The Strikers showed why they were league champions later in the period, stringing together a series of attacks on the Devils net. Akayla made a big save right before half by stopping a 15 foot rocket with a big chest save.

The Devils backline would suppress the Strikers offense, led by Ruhi who calmly swept a handful of through-balls safely to the sidelines. Her defensive timing was spot on as usual.

Christene starts the attack

The outside defenders forced the Strikers to focus on central attacks, because they took away the outside lanes. Lindsay and Christene used their speed to track down equally quick Striker forwards.

Audrey added a second goal in the 46th minute after Courtney sent a cross from the right side. The MP keeper got both hands on the ball but couldn't contain it. Audrey swooped in from the left side punching it home with a sliding stab at the ball.
Clara, E and Katrina all had strong games in the middle, tying up the Strikers attack and moving the ball well.

The Devils keeper came up big at the end of the game, stopping a series of shots from a variety of distances.

Game Positives—-

The girls did a great job capitalizing on their opportunities in front of the net. That was a problem area last season, but they showed great improvement by getting the ball into the attacking zone and putting shots on net. Overall, team hustle was very evident. The girls are improving on attacking the ball and moving to space. They also consistently improve on their decision making, especially under pressure. As the girls transition to a new offensive format, they are coming along well in interpreting how that format can be used to beat opposing defenses. Making that adjustment is no easy task, especially since they’ve played a different format for so long.

Development Areas--

There was a tendency to kick the ball forward when there was no pressure. This would result in unnecessary turnovers. Through ball passes could also use some work. Receiving the ball in the air continues to be an area that the team can improve on as a whole. The Strikers used this skill to great advantage.