Black Berries. Week Six.

At the start of the game the Black Berries had some trouble finding the right goal but once they got going in the right direction it was one goal after another. In the first quarter set Carson and Ashley were doing great work possessing the ball even if they did have some trouble getting it into the actual goal. When their group came back out in the third quarter they had settled down a bit and did a better job of controlling the ball in the goal area. They had great help from Eileen, Jagger and Austin. Eileen and Austin both were getting into the right spot and had chances on goal but couldn't connect. Jagger managed a couple of goals when he played with the other set in the fourth quarter. That other set featured Diego, Ethan, Dominic and Samuel and they were all three on fire in this game. After taking the ball straight to the goal for his own shots several times, Samuel began to patiently try to pass the ball in to his team mates. The result was a real barrage of goals as the Black Berries were constantly crashing into the goal like a wave.

Ethan was especially energetic in this game and in addition to his goals he did some great work getting back on defense and preventing the other team from even getting close to our goal. On the offensive side he was trying hard to be more patient and dribble in closer and he was much more aware of his teammates in this game than he has been.

Diego had a wonderful close-in shot where, after picking up the ball near midfield, he dribbled patiently around two defenders and then made a quick cut to his left to skirt the last defender. At that point he was only about two yards out. Having cut to his left he had to either circle around the ball to line up with his right foot or take the shot with his left foot. Most kids would have circled. Diego simply made a graceful little chop with his left foot and drove the ball home. He looked like a pro.

Dominic had the other real beauty of the day on a play where he came swooping in from the right midfield while Samuel brought the ball around the left perimeter. When Samuel passed the ball across the goal from the left Dominic was already charging in from the right and had a clear shot which he took great advantage of, driving the ball high into the net, a real blast!

These Black Berries are a really formidable group and I'm lucky to be coaching such an enthusiastic group. The quality of their play as a team, not just as individuals, is quite remarkable. You should all be proud of them. Thanks to Carson's mom for the snack. See you all next week.