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Fall 2009 - Game 6 Coming In To Their Own
And the answer was a resounding, "yes!" On a beautiful fall afternoon--the kind that is perfect for soccer--the Avalanche got an early lead and then hung on to upset the SYC Storm, 1-0. The early story was the offensive combination of Sammy and Steph with support from Taylor. From the opening kickoff, the attack worked a number of chances and connected on one just seven minutes into the match. As we have stressed so often in the past few seasons, an early goal is the surest way to take pressure off the defense. Who would have thought that lone goal would be the only score of the day, but it sure was. It was a tense, taut match, but our girls were good enough for the win this time. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the team today was the improved midfield.  Tyla, Caris, and Emily again were consistently strong centrally and they were ably supported by flank midfielders Holly, Steph, and Allyson. This group had big shoes to fill when Sammy moved forward, and they have done a consistently admirable job in the last five games.Also excellent in this match was the central defense. To say that Ashley saved the game in the second half would be no understatement. There were probably too many last second recoveries to count as our stalwart sweeper raced back to make the play time and again.
Anna also played a very strong, more aggressive match. Her best plays came when she supported outside defenders Jennie, Goose, Shelby, and Dana who were under constant pressure. There is no doubt that their positions are much more difficult to play at this level than in the lower divisions, but this is how real player development occurs.Our keepers had very good games as well. In the first half, Kaitlyn did not seem to be under a great deal of pressure yet that is partly because she made excellent decisions as to when to leave her line. The Storm was around the goal, but never seemed poised to get a good shot because our keeper was on the ready. Shelby, on the other hand, had a different kind of half because the pressure on the goal in the second stanza was tremendous. The second half keeper also made excellent decisions and scrambled smartly to protect the lead at least twice. Yes, it was close, but, okay, that's how we got started in our very first match in Division 3. Maybe this is the beginning of a good, new trend that we can build on for the remainder of the season. Maybe not. Either way, there was a lot to be proud of for the girls in light blue. They are coming in to their own. Think snow! | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
