5/15/10 Game Recap (1-0) Win

The Devils got back on the winning track with an exciting 1-0 win over the Burlingame Twisters at the Sunnyvale Soccer Complex on Saturday afternoon. The girls dusted themselves off after their close loss to Santa Clara Sporting the week before, and went back to work on what turned out to be an unseasonably cold day.

The two teams opened the spring season back in April, playing to a 1-1 draw in Burlingame. This time, the Devils used their home field advantage to win the season series.

The Twisters opened the game with a jump in their step, and took it to the Devils defense through the first ten minutes of the contest. Making her second consecutive start in goal, Clara was up to the challenge, denying two quality shot in the opening minutes.

The Devils began to get their legs under them midway through the first half, creating a couple of runs up the flanks. Things turned ugly in the 15th minute, when a Twisters midfielder tackled Lindsay along the right sideline as the Devils defender streaked up the line. The tackle came from the blind-side, after Lindsay had released the ball. A yellow card was issued, but it wouldn't be the end of the physical play.

The Twisters countered in the 19th minute with a drive up the middle Clara made a spactaculr one-handed save off a bullet from the left side to preserve the 0-0 tie.

The Devils were then called for a hand-ball in the box on the next sequence, but the Twisters penalty shot sailed over the cross bar.

Ruhi, Karsyn, Lindsay and Jess did a fantastic job of surpressing the Twisters forwards, denying any breaks throughout the game.

The physical play would force Clara off after she was injured on a dangerous play in the box. Trying to field a ball from her keeper position, Clara was upended after a Twisters forward tried to get a foot on the ball. She would limp off the field after injuring her back.

The physicality served as motivation for the Devils, who regrouped at halftime, and put on a charge to start the second half.

Akayla would get things started by cranking a shot off the crossbar on a direct kick, after the Twisters goaltender was whistled for handling the ball outside of the box. Her shot bounced back into play where a wild series of shot attempts bounced around the perimeter of the goal before being cleared.

E would send a pretty 50-foot blast that missed just wide right at the 35 minute mark.

Audrey would finally crack the score sheet with a shot off a break on the left sidein the 37th minute. A Twisters defender stumbled on the play just as Audrey made a move to her left. As the Devils forward powered toward the goal, the Twisters keeper tried to atack the ball, attempting to tackle the ball by sliding sideways toward the attack. Audrey would get the shot off, before having her legs taken out by the keeper. The ball found the back of the net, and the entire Devils forward and midfields lines picked her up off the turf to celebrate.

The midfielders stepped up in the last 15 minutes, with consistent feeds to the forwards, keeping the ball out of the Devils zone. Grace controlled the middle with a timely interceptions throughout the afternoon. Christene excelled in a utility role, playing at forward, mid and defense.

Marlene would try to tack on to the Devils score with a shot in teh 50th minutes, that the keeper had to deny with a sprawling save. She would send another shot wide of the left post with 3 minutes to play.


Game Positives--

- Balls in the Air: The girls worked on improving traps and head balls throughout the week, and there was a marked improvement in this area. We still need to work on trapping high lofting balls.

- Perserverence: Rather than cowering from the physical play, the girls stepped up their own aggressivness on the field. We don't condone dirty play, but physical presence is a must as this team progresses to a high level of competition.


Development Areas--

- Communication: We had a number of times when there was confusion on which Devil would take the ball. he girls need to be more vocal on the field in order to communicate their intent.

- Right of Way: Along with communication, there were a few instances when we would step in front of a teammate preventing the player with the right of way from clearing the ball.

Spring 2010 Game 1 Photos

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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.