Devils Win Palo Alto Talls Tree Tournament

The Devils turned a near perfect performance this past weekend at the Palo Alto Tall Trees Tournament, taking the U12 Girls Championship with four shutout victories. The girls advanced to the tournament championship game with three solid wins, then brought home the tournament title with a hard fought win over a talented Folsom Stryker squad.

The championship game pegged two teams that dominated in round robin play. The Devils scored the maximum number of points possible during that stage of the tournament, by winning, scoring at least three goals in each game and holding their opponent scoreless.

Kelly cranks a shot on goal

In the final, Sunnyvale scored in the opening minute of play and made the lone goal hold up in a 1-0 decision over Folsom. Audrey converted the game’s only goal with a shot from the top left corner of the 18 after receiving a booming free kick from Karsyn on the right side. A foul along the right sideline, setup the 35-yard feed from the Devils stopper.

The offensive chances were limited because of great defensive play by both teams, but the Devils made things exciting when given the opportunity. After the first half ended with the Devils up by the single goal, the Strykers were expected to turn up the heat. The Devils game plan was to try and force the offense in order to limit any Stryker scoring chances.

The girls would execute the game plan to perfection, limiting Folsom to two shots in the second half. The backline play of Ruhi, Lindsay, Christene, Karsyn, Clara and Jess Jess stifled the Strykers offense.

Grace, Kelly, E and Katrina controlled the middle and set up numerous chances with a constant stream of feeds.

Devils 4 – MCFC Blizzard 0

The Devils advanced on three big wins earlier in the weekend. On Saturday, the opened the tournament with a 4-0 win over the Monterey County FC Blizzard. After a scoreless first half, the girls went to work.

Akayla gets airborne

Akayla converted 4 minutes into the 2nd half after Courtney sent a pretty ball in from the right corner. Akayla trapped it n the box then slipped a shot just inside the right post, and the offense was off to the races.

The Devils appeared to convert on a crazy play that included three touches in the air. They would be called for offside on the play, nullifying the goal, but it was a testament to the juggling work that the girls focus on. They would convert moments after that on a 25-yard free kick from Grace that sailed over the keeper.

Courtney was credited with a goal two minutes later when her shot was gloved by the keeper but carried over the goal line. She would add another tally with 10 minutes to play on a penalty kick after Kelly was fouled in the box.

Devils 3 – Stanford Wildfire 0

The girls finished Saturday with another win, a 3-0 decision over young Stanford Wildfire squad. Akayla would set the tone with a header attempt in the 7th minute that just missed left of the goal.

Lindsay securing the backline

Marlene helped snap her teammates out of funk with a goal in the 24th minute, trapping a loose ball inside the 18 and chipping a shot just under the crossbar for the #1-0 lead. Kelly made it 2-0 with a nice dribble across the 18, before finishing with a shot that clipped the left post.

Grace capped the game’s scoring by intercepting a goal kick on the right side with three minutes to play, before cranking a shot that slipped under the cross bar.

Devils 5 – Marin Storm 0

The energy level picked up in the last game of round robin play on Sunday with the Devils taking a 5-0 decision over the Sonoma Storm. Big shots were the story of the game. Karsyn unleashed a booming attempt in the 4th minute that just missed left. Akayla would follow that up with a shot from inside the 18, that was blocked by the Sonoma keeper. Marlene would unleash a third attempt on goal in the 19th minute that sailed over the crossbar.

Grace following a shot

Courtney finally converted right before halftime by taking a long feed from Akayla up the right sideline and sliding a shot past the keeper to the left post. She would add a second goal a minute into the 2nd half, duplicating her initial tally with a shot from the same spot on the right side.

Akayla got into the act and made it 3-0 in the 34th minute, by carrying a feed up the left side and rifling a ball that found nothing but net.

Ruhi scores her 2nd goal

With the game in hand, position switches were made, including moving Ruhi up from her sweeper position to center forward. She would promptly score a pair of goals to cap the win. She converted with 7 minutes to play fighting off three defenders just inside the 18 then snapping a shot with her body squared to the right sideline.

She added a second tally 4 minutes later, carrying the ball through traffic and slipping a shot inside the right post.

Strong Showing at Spring District 2 Cup

The Devils concluded the Spring Season with a fantastic showing at the District 2 Cup, held at Evergreen College last weekend. The Devils won both of their pool games on Saturday, earning the top seed in the playoff round on Sunday, but fell to the Hollister Tremors in a 1-0 nail biter on Sunday.

Pool play started early Saturday morning with an 8:15am game that pegged the Devils against the Central Valley Jaguars. The girls have struggled historically in early morning games, but they came out firing in this contest.

Christene opened the games scoring on a deflection off the goaltender just 8 minutes in. Courtney set up the goal sending a cross from the right corner, after navigating past a defender along the right sideline. As the pass crossed through the box, the Jaguars keeper failed to control the ball. Christene charged up the middle and chipped home the 5-footer for the 1-0 lead.

The Jaguars would answer 5 minutes later on a 35-foot shot from the left side. E, the Devils keeper was lined up with the shot, but the ball skipped on the wet grass then took a crazy hop, redirecting to the right and into the net.

The Devils made it 2-1 on a put back after Grace put a 40-foot shot on goal from the left side. The Jaguars keeper got a hand on the shot, but the deflection bounced right to Courtney, who was positioned on the right side. She would easily deposit the ball for the goal.

Half time was as entertaining as the first half. The girls reported that a gopher popped his head up in the middle of the pitch while play was going on, catching some of the action up close.

The 2nd half of the contest would be highlighted by the defense who snuffed out every Jaguars chance. Audrey played in goal and only handled the ball twice in the entire half. The fullbacks did a great job at anticipating opposing passes and communicating where the ball was being played.

The midfielders controlled the field and setup several scoring chances, including a shot attempt by Marlene that was stopped by the Jaguars keeper with 8 minutes to play.

In the Saturday nightcap, the Devils offense opened up and stormed to a 3-0 win over the Monterey Blizzards. The Devils wasted no time taking the early lead. Kelly punched a 20-foot shot from center-mid that clipped a defender and redirected past the Blizzards keeper for the 1-0 lead, just 2 minutes into the game.

Audrey converted 5 min later on a chip shot from the center of the small box after Courtney sent another beautiful cross from the right side.

Christene started the 2nd half in goal and came up big. A Blizzards free-kick headed for the goal before the keeper gloved the shot on the run. She would make another big save later in the half when another shot found it’s way deep into the box.

Courtney would cap the game’s scoring when she knocked home a 20-foot blast from the top of the box. r Audrey carried the ball up the left side before sliding a pass to her right. Courtney carried the ball up the middle, before firing a shot that sailed over the Blizzard keeper’s head.

The Devils turned in more great soccer on Sunday, but they came up short in the single elimination playoff round. Facing the same Tremors team that they beat in the last regular season game three weeks earlier, Hollister had revenge in mind.

The games were similar in that the Devils held the ball in the Hollister zone for 70% of the game, but Hollister would take advantage of their lone chance deep in the Devils zone. The Devils had plenty of shots on goal, but the Tremors keeper played a huge game.

Jojo would open the shot-fest with a nice attempt from the right side that was gloved in the 3rd minute. Another shot attempt from the right corner that straddled the goal line before hitting the left post 2 minutes later.

Hollister would strike with the game’s only goal on a series of pin balling shots that landed on a right wings foot for a 15 foot bullet 10 minutes into the game. The Devils would put 4 shots on goal before the half closed out, but the Tremor’s keeper stopped everything that came her way.

The Devils continued to control the ball in the 2nd half, but the Tremors played their mids back to preserve the slim lead.

The Devils would get their best chance to score with 3 minutes to play when Grace took a pass at midfield and raced up the gut before putting a 20-foot shot on goal. The shot was a bullet, but once again the Tremors keeper knocked the head-high shot down before snagging the ball to squelch the scoring chance.

The final whistle would sound, ending the Devils run, but the tournament was a big success for the girls. They allowed a paltry 3 goals in 3 games during the weekend, continuing their fantastic defense play. The offense also started to work well with each other, stringing together legitimate scoring chances by placing the ball with precision passing. A fantastic showing all around.

5/9/09 Game Recap (1-0 Win)

The Devils hosted the MCFC Blizzards on Saturday, taking a 1-0 decision in one of the most lopsided wins in the team’s short history. Controlling the ball for a majority of the contest, the Devils kept the ball in the offensive zone, peppering the Blizzards net with shots that did everything except cross the goal line.

The offense put had more than a dozen quality scoring chances, stringing together well placed passes while grabbing the initiative from the opening whistle.

Grace opened the shot fest with a blast from the center of the box in the first two minutes of the game. The shot was slowed down by the goal keeper, who got a glove on the shot, but allowed it to trickle past. Only a diving stop as the ball headed toward the goal line kept the game scoreless.

The Devils midfielder would create the Devils next scoring chance two minutes later, by sending a crossing pass from the left side, which landed on Jessica’s boot right in front of the goal line. A scrum in the front of the net ended with the Blizzards goal keeper pouncing on the ball to smother the chance.

The offensive onslaught would continue later in the first half after the Devils were awarded a corner kick. The shot form the left side that feathered past two players, right to Shivani who cranked a shot that sailed over the cross bar, just missing the net.

While the offense was pressing the play in the Blizzards zone, the defense was squelching any runs attempted by Salinas, suppressing most attempts to move on the Sunnyvale net at the midfield line. Ruhi, Lindsay, Karsyn , Jess and Clara put the clamps on the Blizzards offense, allowing only one shot on goal the entire game.

Marlene started in goal and had to handle the ball once in the first half. Clara followed her up and never touched the ball.

The opening 20 minutes would be capped with a 40-foot shot from Sammie that the lizards goal keeper snared right before the end of the half.

The 2nd half started with more of the scoring frustration. Audrey maneuvered in tight, before getting off a shot from 15 ft that drilled the goal keeper in the chest. The shot was a pretty chance, but once again the goal keeper was in the right place at the right time.

The Devils finally broke through at the 30 min mark. Karsyn sent a corner to the box where it pin-balled off two players, before landing on Christene's boot for the chip shot that finally found the back of the net.

Game Positives –

Offensive Pressure: The Devils smelled blood and kept up the offensive pressure all game.

Impenetrable Defense: The backs snuffed out every run the Blizzards tried throwing at the Devils. The solid play by the back-liners was one of the most impressive performances of the season.

Development Areas—

Shot Strength: Developing stronger shot strength continues to be a key area of development for the girls. This could have easily been a 5 goal game had there been a little more velocity and height on some of the shots that were directed on goal.

Shot Placement: We need to work on where shots are directed, given the positioning of the goal keeper and other defenders.

11/1/08 Game Recap (1-0 Win)

“Memorable” isn’t typically synonymous with 1-0 soccer games, but Saturday’s lone-goal game between the Devils and MCFC Blizzards may go down as one of those “remember that time” games in the annals of Devils soccer. Not even a rain soaked day could dampen the Devils winning ways, as they continued their hot streak to stay unbeaten this season.

With a constant stream of water falling on the Sunnyvale Soccer Complex, it would have been easy for the girls to find lots of reasons not to bring their A game. Facing an unknown opponent was also another challenge for the girls, but they put a defensive clamp on the Blizzards.

Courtney would provide the Devils with all the offense they would need early in the 1st half. After accepting a centering pass from Kelly, she raced up the right wing then popped a shot that sailed over the Blizzard goaltender’s head.

Kelly would almost score herself on the next possession, ringing a shot off the right post.

Defensively, the girls put on the most impressive performance of the season on that side of the ball. The stranglehold resulted in zero shots on goal the entire game. The weather certainly played a role in that statistic, but it was impressive nonetheless. Jessica was only required to handle the ball once in the second half after a centering attempt sputtered into the box. Lindsay didn’t need to handle the ball at all in the first half as the goal keeper.

Offensively, the shots were plentiful. Time after time, the ball would find itself perched in the Blizzards box, but the shots were sailing wide. On one sequence, the Devils squeezed off 5 shots that bounced off the goaltender or post before finally get pushed over the end line.

If the girls convert on 1 in 10 of those shots, the score would have been much higher. Credit the Blizzard defense for clogging the lanes and clearing many attempts in or around the box. It would have been interesting to see how this gamer played out on a dry field.

Game Positives--

Defensive Clampdown: impressive play on the defensive side of the ball was spectacular. Zero shots on goal by the opposition speaks for itself.

Pass Backs: Very nice use of back passing helped control the ball. It was great to see the poise that many of the girls were showing, especially given the field conditions. You have to trust that a) you will make a good pass, and b) the player you’re passing to is prepared to receive the pass. If those two things don’t synch, it’s off to the races for the other team.

Defensive Switching: Clearing space while trying to move the ball out of the defensive zone was something the team has started to work on in practice, and was used in game a several occasions.

Areas of Improvement--

Quick releases: The girls were holding the ball far too long on many occasions, especially as they zeroed in on the opponent’s goal. This was giving the Blizzard defense too much time to react and anticipate the play.

Too Many Touches: Similar to the length of time the ball was being held, many of the forwards were taking too many touches on the ball in order to setup the perfect shot. In a game where the footing is poor and the ball is slippery, you just need to unleash the shot. Putting a wet ball on goal is difficult for a goal keeper to handle, and we failed to capitalize on that advantage.

Vision: There is still a tendency for some players to try and drive the ball through a defender rather than making square passes over to a teammate.