Game V. WELLESLEY UNITED 9/30/18

Sunday Sept. 30, 2018
Princeton, MA

Noticeably our opponent today is a tall team collectively. Full disclosure, some of our players were intimidated by their size at first. In fact, it took some convincing from the Gunners coaching camp, to clarify  that size has little affect in soccer. Once we addressed that concern, the team performance was balanced, with better flow offensively. However, it took them giving up two goals before settling into the game; a repeating theme with the Lady Gunners.

To be fair, defensive preparation has not been covered in training, therefore the expectation for this group to perform well on that side of the ball is not totally fair. Our team priority at the moment is ball movement, possession, and more recently, wide play.

Defending will be covered towards the end of the season. The reason for prioritizing in this matter is because winning is not a focus; total soccer development is! For this age group, it's about continuing to play a balanced game.

The second half of this game was simply brilliant from the Lady Gunners. They came out in the second more confident on the ball, displayed aggression moving forward, and specifically executing wide play which generate numerous crosses and scoring opportunities.

Since our team had such a slow start, there were a few selected who worked tirelessly from start to finish.  Honorable mention for their stellar performance all game are: Gianna, who was solid at right back; Lydia, relentless at left back, toughest player out there pound for pound; Alyssa, who  shined at any position played; Bayley, getting the job done all over the field; Sophia, fearlessly engaging in all aspects of the game, giving us a much needed boost; and of course the always reliable Aurore in goal making brave, breath taking saves.

The final result was a 4-0 deserving win in Wellesley's favor. They displayed lots of the qualities we want to achieve. Skilled players, decent possession, and the ability to finish opportunities. Another fun day out on the pitch, which always gives our group an opportunity to grow by learning from the challenge. This week in training,  we will continue to focus on wide play, and some defensive transition.  Great job Ladies!