Well the ice storm took a toll on our numbers today at
indoor. We had 4 Legends players and St.
Agnes was nice enough to lend us a couple players so the game could go on.
We got off to a rocky start ball possession wise. We played a little bit of kick ball and we
did some chasing. I will say that some
of the chasing that was done today was out of confusion. It seemed hard for both our players and the
guest players to keep track of who was
on whose team. Over the course of the
game we settled down and started to control the ball and try to keep it close. I would have liked to see some more
"moves" but dribbling and
keeping it close is always preferable to kickball. I do believe I saw every player on the
Legends side possess the ball and dribble out of the back.
Lucas had several
runs down the middle, penetrating the defense.
He was rewarded with his perseverance by finding the back of the
net. He was also on the side of a little
bad luck. He had a strike that hit both
"posts" but didn't cross the goal line :( . He played with his usual aggressive attitude
but I was impressed at how he adjusted his stride while going into the boards
and more often than not he took possession of the ball. Lucas' first touch can be heavy at times and
we will continue to address it because is a very dangerous player when he keeps
the ball close. I would also be remiss if I didn't mention his awesome save in
goal where he sacrificed his body to dive on the ball. Nice job.
Gavin prefers defense.
That is not a shock to anyone. I
am going to continue to push him forward and get him out of his comfort
zone. I saw him dribble forward on numerous
occasions. At least on one occasion I
saw him positioned perfectly for a "poach" goal. I will continually talk to all the boys about
these situational positions. These are
the areas that are the most beneficial to their teammates. We are an offensive team and these are prime
scoring areas for players that don't have the ball. All year Gavin bemoaned being put in goal, so
I hadn't put him in. With only 4 players
everyone took their turn. Gavin played
very well. I was impressed with his decision making
about when to come out and when to stay in.
Very smart play. He also had a
great assist. A fantastic soccer play on
all counts. Gavin punted the ball down
just shy of 3 lines, it bounced once and Logan hit a half-volley into the back
of the net.
Logan played well today.
He started off a little shaky, a little too many clearing kicks and not
enough dribbling. Once out of defense,
he started keeping the ball close and making some runs. As I said before he had a great half-volley
goal and also a goal off of a free kick.
It was beautifully placed. He also assumed good position on offense in
support of the ball carrier. Logan's shooting strike has been progressing
all year. It is very fun to watch.
At times it was a little trying playing with guest
players. On more than one occasion we
had a guest player steal a ball from us, trying to clear it. From the start of
the game I tried to explain to these guys that it was okay to dribble, but old
habits die hard. Overall, the boys
played well. All of our Legends players played the entire game, and every one
of them improved their play over the course of the game.
We play again on the 18th on the large field where our ball
possession style will work in our favor and it will be much more difficult for
other teams to beat us with kickball. I can't wait.
