Eliot River Ramblers Soccer Club © 2024
Game 6: Ramblers vs Ramblers - Win 3-2
What a hard fought game that seemed to have more heart played in it than any other. Playing close friends that practice together and then find themselves posed against each other in a league game as opposed to a game at practice, had mixed feelings for some players. Some girls were determined to win with large grins on their faces, others were nervous about hurting friends feelings over who won and who lost. My advice, have fun, good friends are there for you no matter what. It is a game, so go out and play to your best. They all played hard and I was proud to watch all of the girls on both teams out there playing their hearts out. They were very well matched.
As I have said before, the goals scored against us did nothing to dishearten the team. They came back with grit and focus and did a smashing job with 3 goals. Each goal the product of teamwork.
Sydney & Gray were given MVP. Sydney for her Goal keeping AND mid-forward work. I watched Sydney stop the ball from coming through the middle to make smart passes up and to the sides. Gray for never giving up. She sprinted at every moment in this game and all the girls were cheering watching. She pressured hard, either chasing them to a teammate or overcoming them to win the ball. Great work girls!
Sutton went out in second half determined to get a goal. I have never seen her play left wing as well as she did this game. She was relentless in winning the ball and taking shot after shot after shot with furious legs flying to make her goal come true. She did not get a goal but she was one of the main reasons the ball was heavy in front of the net second half. Sutton I want to see this from you every time you play forward! You were a wild women. Amazing job!
Arya, Addison, Leila & Riley all performed at their best. They truly showed off their triangle passing in the right corner in second half, I had all the girls on the side watching it. My heart skipped a few beats every time they passed it amongst themselves looking for those openings to get the ball back towards the net. It was something! Riley had numerous well executed passes up to Addison for 2 goals. Arya surprised me with her mid-forward skill. She said she wanted to try mid, I reminded her the mid position is a cog, they have to react fast and pass a lot in all directions. The mid-forward can be key in order to switch the point of attack. If the game is heavy on one side of the field, moving the ball to the other side will give us the advantage to quickly make a move up the field. And that is what she did.I believe Arya had one of the goals. Leila runs and passes with grace. She is smooth and confident in her movements. Tremendous work girls!
Bridget & Sienna also played very well as mid-forwards. Sienna is strong and competitive and Bridget a go-getter. Amazing qualities that will take them far in life. Bridget played goalie in second half. Bridget when playing striker run hard and don't hesitate when you meet the opposition all by yourself up front. Push the ball to the side, sprint and shoot. You grow with each game. Great job!
Scarlett is a joy in every way. She was more excited about his game than any other. She was fired up to play against friends, possibly a comfort zone. Scarlett really gave it on the wing running after the ball. She always makes great passes and probably has the best chats on the sideline. You will always see her big grin as she cheers and talks with teammates. To the point she forgets she's supposed to be on the field with a penny on, and when reminded, laughs big and out loud as she jogs out onto the field. I love this carefree kind spirit of hers, happy is her place, and that's a great place to be. Scarlett, always play to have fun, an active lifestyle with friends is one of the best kinds.
Meredith & Janessa had a lot of hard work in this game. The other team had some fast players and you two did an outstanding job on defence. Janessa also played in the forwards, no matter where she plays it's always well done. Meredith played defence only, the game was so close her defence skills were seriously key!
A reminder to everyone that when playing defence, if your defence partner is busy fighting hard on one side of the field, you need to move to the middle in order to protect the net should the opposition win. So if your right defender is very far on the right side, left defence needs to move to the middle to defend. Also, when our team moves up the field, so do our defence. Defence does not just hang out in front of their own net, they follow the game up the field at a distance to support their forwards should they need to pass back. A pass back to defence allows your team a few extra seconds to switch the point of attack or draw the opposition towards them where they can pass back to their now open wing.
Keep up the amazing work girls, your game gets better every week. I do suggest bring the grit from the start as opposed to after being scored on ;)
Emily & Stefanie