4/14/12 Game Recap (3-0 Win)

Christene clears a ball safely out of the back end

The Devils played their first road game of the season, traveling to Aptos to take on the Santa Cruz (SCC) Breakers at Cabrillo College. The Devils bounced back from their tough loss to SF Athena a week earlier, turning in a 3-0 win over Santa Cruz.

In a complete turnaround from a week earlier, the Devils failed to play with the panache they showed against Athena, relying on more of a brute force attack than the beautiful game they turned in 7 days before. Sunnyvale would be rewarded with a victory, but the outcome didn’t fit the performance.

Part of the issue was the early lead Sunnyvale claimed in the contest. Once they established the buffer on the scoreboard, the level of play fell off. Part of that may have been attributed to the lack of practice earlier in the week because of the nasty weather that closed the Devils training facilities.

Karsyn's free kick sailed just high

That early lead came courtesy of a pair of goals inside the first 12 minutes of the game.

Marlene drilled a shot in the 4th min after taking a lateral pass from Audrey on the left side. The shot knuckled a bit, crossing up the Breakers goal keeper who dove over the ball as it headed to the back of the net.

Anna made it 2-0 in the 11th minute, taking a diagonal feed from Audrey. Anna received it on her right boot, carried it forward two steps then ripped a shot that caught the inside of the left corner.

She just missed on a one time chance in the air after Marlene sent a cross from the left corner in the 31st minute.

Audrey fights for position

Audrey missed on a breakaway in the 37th min pushing a shot wide right after Kelly sent a pass up the left side.

Audrey was fouled in the box in the 56th min after she gained a step on a Breakers defender and carried the ball into the box. A tackle from behind brought down the Devils striker, setting up a free shot that Anna deposited for the 3-0 lead.

Hazel posted her second shutout of the season, making several saves in the 2nd half that could have been trouble for Sunnyvale. Her best save came on a crossing attempt that was launched on goal from the top of the 18.

Game Positives --

- The girls put the ball on goal and were rewarded

- The backline was solid all game, controlling the front of their own goal

- The goaltending was solid

Development areas--

- Possession play was not the top priority

- Communication was lacking, which resulted in several turnovers

- There was a let down in intensity in the 2nd half, which allowed the opponent to generate several scoring chances.

Devils take 4th at Spring D2 Cup - Gold Division

The Devils wrapped up the Spring soccer season with an impressive showing at the D2 Cup Tournament this past weekend, taking 4th place. The girls landed a spot in the Consolation Final on Sunday night and would battle to a 2-2 draw with the Alpine Bobcats, before losing 3-2 in the shootout on a dark Mountain View High School field.

The Devils seemed poised to make a dent in the Gold flight of the U13 Girls tournament, but a rough start prevented the girls from qualifying for the Championship game. Sunnyvale dominated play in the tournament opener against the Los Gatos Wildcats, but they couldn’t capitalize on several chances in front of the Los Gatos goal.

Courtney missed what should have been a gimee in the fifth minute of the game after a shot slipped past the Los Gatos keeper, but her shot on an empty net sailed wide of the goal. Audrey missed on another golden chance in the 18th min putting a shot from the top of the box into the keepers chest.

Los Gatos scored in the 45th minute on a free kick from just outside the 18 after the Devils were whistled for a foul.

The girls would bounce back in Saturday’s nightcap, taking a 2-0 decision over the Santa Cruz Breakers. Audrey chipped home a deflection in the 45th min after E started a run on the left side to provide the Devils with all the scoring they would need.

Christene punched home a second goal in the 54th min after a throw in. Audrey worked the ball from right to left, slipping a pass to Christene near the top of the 6. The subsequent shot hit the diving Breakers keeper in the hands before deflecting in to the goal.

The Devils secured their spot in the Consolation Final with an exciting 1-0 win over the MVLA Typhoons on a late goal.

The scoreless opening half was controlled by MVLA, but the game was reminiscent of the Devils opening round loss 24 hours earlier. The Devils started to turn things on at the 40 min mark, creating a series of scoring chances.

Marlene deposited the game’s lone goal off a corner kick in the 58th minute, after the ball was chipped across the middle of the big box.

The Devils were forced to play an abridged game to decide who would take the 3rd spot in the tournament after the Championship game ran late. With darkness approaching, the Devils and Bobcats played two 20-minute halves.

Sunnyvale took the early lead after Courtney ripped a shot from 15-feet out after chipping the ball past a defender past midfield and racing in on net. Alpine countered in the 2nd half streaking past the Devils defense before chipping a break into the net in the 31st minute.

It looked as if Sunnyvale would take the game in regulation, when Audrey punched home a goal with under 5 minutes to play, but the Bobcats converted a long shot with 2 minutes left in regulation.

Overcast skies and a setting sun denied the two teams from setting things in an overtime session, so the two teams immediately went to the shootout, where the Bobcats converted on 4 of 5 shots. The Devils converted on 3 of 4, before their final shot hit the crossbar to end the tournament.

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.

9/12/10 Game Recap (0-0 Tie)

Akayla moving the ball up field

The Devils played their first road game of the season on a blustery day in Santa Cruz on Saturday. The girls turned in a solid performance to tie the host SCC Breakers 0-0 at Cabrillo College. The girls had plenty of scoring chances, but just couldn’t get the goal needed to grab their first victory of the season.

A hot Breakers goaltender was the star of the game, denying several chances in the offensive zone. The Devils controlled the tempo of the game for much of the first half, keeping the ball pinned in the Breakers zone.

Marlene and Audrey teamed up for a pair of scoring opportunities in the first half, but the ball would be smothered by the Breakers goal keeper on both occasions.
The midfield play was exceptional for the Devils, who kept the pressure on the Breakers with several feeds up both sidelines. Grace, Kelly and Clara had nice performances patrolling the middle of the field and sending nice leading passes when the situation warranted it.

Kelly & Courtney attack

The Breakers had a quick sweeper who contained the deep ball threats with her quickness and ability to clear away most of the dangerous balls that were sent across the mid-line. The first half would end without any scoring.

In typical fashion, the Devils turned up the heat in the second half. Sustained pressure deep in the Breakers zone would provide the first big chance for the Sunnyvale squad. A hand-ball call inside the Breakers 18 resulted in a penalty shot for the Devils, but the field was not properly marked. The referee paced off the yardage for the shot, but the ball was placed a good 6 feet beyond where the mark should have been painted.

Courtney would uncork a blast that was headed high center, but the extended length of the shot allowed the Breakers keeper to track the ball easily, knocking it down then pouncing on it.

Audrey fights for possession

Another call gave the Devils a free kick in the 53rd minute from 70 feet out. Karsyn put a big foot on the ensuing kick, launching a ball that found a seam in the defense and bounced six feet in front of the goal line. The Breakers keeper deflected the ball, but couldn’t control it. As it rolled through the box, she pounced on it before a Devils player could reach it.

The Devils defense played superbly, led by Lindsay’s strong showing on the outside. Ruhi and Christene did a great job of locking down the back end.

The offense literally took a hit in the last 4 minutes of the contest, when Courtney was forced off by a bloody nose as a result of an errant elbow.

Game Positives—

Implementing Skills: The team did a great job of infusing overlap runs, wall passes and more advanced passing sequences in their game, which resulted in better ball control.

Communication: The back liners are starting to orchestrate from their vantage point, which is helping to setup attacks and establish better defensive positioning. We’re discovering that several players actually have voices!

Development Areas-

Going in the Kill: The Devils had a few opportunities to establish more control in the offensive zone, but couldn’t generate the necessary scoring.

Swarming: Most of the quality scoring chances could have paid bigger dividends if there was follow through on the plays by the outside forwards. The Breakers keeper had some issue handling the ball on occasion, but there was no follow up pressure to take advantage of the situation.

Spring 2010 Game 4 Photos

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4/17/10 Game Recap (5-0 Win)

Courtney bags her 4th goal

The Devils made it three wins in a row on Saturday afternoon, with a resounding 5-0 victory over the SCC Breakers in beautiful Aptos CA . The scoring barrage was led by Courtney, who set a team record with four goals in a regular season league game.

All ten field players put on a passing display in the first half, controlling the ball throughout the first 30 minutes of play. Much of that time was spent in the offensive zone, pressing the Breakers with continuous pressure near the box.

Part of that was attributed to the backline play, which prevented any penetration into the Devils zone. Ruhi played her typical outstanding game, sweeping anything that made its way past Karsyn, Lindsay or Jess Jess.

Ruhi sweeps the ball clear

The midfielders dominated the middle by continuously feeding balls up the lanes for offensive chances. Grace would preview the offensive fireworks with a 30-foot shot at the 5 minute mark that seemed to test how the Breakers would defend against the Devils attack. E played her best game of the season and Katrina continued to frustrate opposing defenders with her footwork in tight quarters.

Courtney would open the game’s scoring by burying a 16-foot shot from the right side of the box after E pushed the ball to Marlene near the semi circle from the right side. With her back tot eh goal, Marlene received the pass, pivoted to her left and sent a diagonal pass to the right side of the box where Courtney finished it off.

E played her strongest game of the season

E would setup the next goal 2 minutes later from the left side with a lofting ball from 40 feet out. Marlene redirected the pass with a beautiful head-ball that hit the back of the net for the 2-0 lead.

Starting in goal, Kelly touched the ball two times in the first half and never faced a serious threat. Christene and Ruhi made the defensive plays of the half by snuffing out possible drives. Ruhi eliminated one chance with a slide tackle and Christene turned on the jets to run down a potential strike from the left side just before the half-time whistle.

The score was only 2-0 at halftime, so the Devils anticipated a push by the opposition to start the second half. The Breakers did exactly that, forcing the issue, by driving the ball deep into the Devils zone. Lindsay picked up the keeper responsibilities in the half and immediately snared a Breakers shot to preserve the shutout.

Jess Jess shuts down the opposition

Courtney would push the Devils lead to 3-0 at the 44 min mark. Kelly took a long cross and cut across the grain before feeding the ball to Marlene who sent a 15-foot pass across the top of the box. Courtney gathered it in and snapped a shot that sailed just under the crossbar.

She would complete the hat-trick in the 52nd minute. Carrying the ball up the right side, the striker ripped another shot that sailed over the goaltender’s outstretched hands for the 4-0 lead.

Audrey helped ice the game by sending a crossing pass from the left side with 5 minutes to play. The ball floated over the keeper and two defenders before landing on Courtney’s boot. She lunged for the ball, striking it before it hit the ground, stretching the back of the net with the shot.

Game Positives—-

Offensive Prowess: There was no doubt that the girls are clicking in the offensive zone right now. They’re reading each other like a veteran team, anticipating what each other is going to do and reacting accordingly. The team has converted a hat-trick in the last three games…by three different players.

Foot Skills: It’s no surprise that all the juggling the girls do is starting to pay dividends. Several lofting passes, followed by controlled touches doesn’t just happen. The girls are employing much of these foot skills into real game situations, and their control of the ball is starting to pay dividends.

Silent but Deadly: They say that great defenders are the ones you never hear about. A defender’s name usually comes up when they get beat. Our backline doesn’t get the accolades that the goal scorers do, so it’s important to call out the fact that they’ve been flat out shutting down every team they’ve played this season. No two girls have the same playing style, but as a unit they are a force to be reckoned with.


Development Areas--

Quicker Releases: With success can come the opportunity to forget about basic fundamentals. The girls can get caught in the moment and forget to take advantage of the things that make them successful. One of those strengths is great ball movement. Holding the ball, especially on rushes with numerical superiority is something the girls need to evaluate as the play is evolving.