Memorial Day_Tournament 2021 Recap

 

May 29th, 2021 | Devens, MA

Day 1- Game v Old School

Lady Gunners were facing a formidable opponent, with Old School being technical, especially in scoring goals. Right from the start, the Gunners took control scoring early, established confidence, and took a 1-0 lead at the half. 

The second half was a different story altogether after we discussed improving possession. It turns out the Gunners can be as clinical scoring goals. In the end, it was a 5-1 convincing, well-deserved win for the Gunners. Off to a great start at this tournament. Outstanding Performers were Emma and Ryan who were clinical at finishing chances. 

Day 1- Game v Scorpion

A Surprising start, a complete 180-degree turn for the worse from the first game, the Lady Gunners found themselves at a 2-0 deficit in the match. Panic never set in, it was more a question of how the team would turn things around

True to the Lady Gunners' character, they scored the 3rd goal of the game, which is always the most crucial score in a 2-0 match. With complete control of the match from that point, the Gunners could have easily won the game based on the chances created. 2-2 final was a fair score, considering their opponent being resilient too. Outstanding Performers were Alyssa on defense and Zoe for her relentless hard work. 

Day 2- Game v Foundation

Once again, the Lady Gunners found themselves down a goal early in the game. The biggest concern was to shut down our opponent's center mid, who was sound at finding their fast winger on breakaways.

In the second half, the Gunners executed their defensive duties in the center of the park. Once that was taken care of, the Lady Gunners were able to find their scoring form and came back to win this one 4-2. Outstanding Performers were Aubrey and Kaleigh; taking care of business on both sides of the ball.  

Day 2- Game v Scorpion 2

The setting for this one was full of excitement. Long story short, it was a must-win for the Gunners. Since both teams had the same record, a tie would go in the opponent's advantage based on goal differential. 

Scorpions came out with absolute devotion to take an early lead and put this game away early. They had four phenomenal midfielders who were fast, skilled, and simply dangerous offensively. To weather their storm of attacks, our central midfielders had to put in extra work to sustain their pressure. At the half,  the concern was all about sustaining the defensive lockdown in the center of the park. 

To recap the level of excitement, let's focus on the scoring sequence, which illustrates the seesaw of emotions both teams experienced. Scorpions took a 1-0, then Gunners tied it at 1-1. Soon after Gunners went ahead 2-1 at the half, only to see their opponents take a 3-2 lead early in the second half. With less than 10 minutes left, the Gunners tied the match at 3-3, but then with practically no time left, ended up losing 4-3...yes it is exhilarating to recap it all. 

Outstanding Performers: 1- Maddie for her defensive work against outstanding offensive players in midfield. 2- Lexis for her defensive work also in midfield, but then also her timely goal to level the score late in the game. 3- Aurore for her heroic point-blank saves, including a penalty, to keep her team in it.  

Congrats to the entire Lady Gunners team for an outstanding tournament. You were lots of fun to watch and made everyone proud of your performance.