Sorry we had to miss the U4 games this week but the conditions early Saturday were just too slippery to risk it. That cancelation did create a unique opportunity though; Ruby, of the U4 Lakers, got the chance to play up with one of the U6 teams. Zychik had to miss his game with the Bears due to the weather so Ruby came out to cover for him and get a feel for what U6 is like. For her it was like every other soccer game...you take the ball to the goal. Ruby's instincts and natural skills are fantastic and she was a great addition to the team for this game. Jackson and Micah were on the attack all game too and so the Bears put on their most impressive performance yet. As a group, the Bears played well but they are still a team that sees the entire game through the ball. The next big step for all of these players is to begin to see the game as it happens all over the field, not just around the ball. We'll be on the lookout for that development.
The U6 Sharks were showing in this week's game how a team can take that next step. They are all developing rapidly in terms of their skills and with greater confidence in their skills comes an ability to anticipate the action in the game. Three of the Sharks had real break-out games this week. Trey simply had his best game ever. He got a goal, which was a beauty on a short pass across the middle from Karolyn, but his performance overall was marked by great patience and imagination with the ball. He was possessing the ball, not just kicking it and as a result he had repeated runs toward the goal that could all have ended in scores. McKenzie showed some great anticipation on the field. In her best moment I saw her run back into a defensive position when the other team got a break-away opportunity. She didn't chase the ball but rather took the shortcut toward the goal so as to cut-off the attack and as she fell into position she kept her eye on the ball, turning to take her last few steps backward so as to be ready. She looked like a pro right then. And finally we had Ava back from a week off and she was amazing. She wanted to start out in defense and the way she played across the field, keeping herself between the ball and the goal, never getting trapped into chasing the ball, was just brilliant. She played with so much intelligence and anticipation, and then, when the opportunity presented itself, with such fierce determination that she really was controlling the flow of the game from that full-back position. It occurs to me now that if we play her and Karolyn in the right positions in each game we should be able to hold every opponent scoreless.
Diego and Samuel led the attack, as usual, and they are both rapidly developing their ball skills now that the team has to rely on them so much. Diego had his goals and then Samuel made a few slick moves with the ball that were fantastic. I see Ashley beginning to follow their lead and I'm sure she'll be in the scoring mix soon. Great work from everyone this week.
They call it the beautiful game and the U8 Sharks showed us why this week. The first quarter line-up was all speed and power with Kaleb in at keeper setting his teammates up for attacking with some beautiful punts. Conner, Addie and Aiden were in the lead up front with Zach holding the middle while Jaden and Nathan covered on defense. That line-up was very effective. Conner and Aiden both scored. Conner had three goals. Addie was playing with great patience on the ball, possessing it and trying out her moves. Zach smothered nearly every breakaway the other team got and did great work distributing the ball up to the front three. He is so fast and runs into the crowd so fearlessly I'm sure the other team was really annoyed by him. Nathan and Jaden were solid in defense with Nathan especially taking control of the field and making some very smart plays, even settling the ball a few times before clearing it out. I love seeing that sort of confidence. It was a great start to the game.
Then in the second quarter things changed. In the first the Sharks were all speed. In the second they were all grace, poise and control. Sam E., Austin and Elizabeth were up front. Sam A. and Jackson were in mid and Owen was holding the line as sweeper. Right from the start they seemed to be playing in slow motion, settling the ball, looking around, moving confidently then passing sharply. It was beautiful to watch. Elizabeth managed two goals in that quarter, one of which was a powerful strike on a ball that came loose in the penalty area. Jackson was dribbling in close and had a good chance but one of the defenders stepped up to strip the ball away. Elizabeth saw the chance and streaked in from behind Jackson and blasted the ball right off the defender's feet and into the net.
Sam A. was holding firm in the mid and over and over again he collected the ball and brought it confidently out into the open before delivering his pass. Austin and Sam E. did great work maintaining their spacing and both of them fearlessly tried to get their dribbling moves working. Owen was the anchor for this line-up and I was so proud of the way he calmly controlled the flow of the game, looking up before settling the ball then making smart passes off the dribble.
On the bench we tried to get the rest of the Sharks to see how their teammates were playing and they did take that to heart. They came back out in the third and with Kaleb now in the field that group, too, showed some great patience and imagination, confidently possessing the ball more often than they were kicking it away. Nathan managed his first goal! Then they were saved from a few defensive blunders by the wonderfully tough goal-keeping of Addie.
When the second line came back in the fourth it was finally time for Sam E. to get that first U8 goal. Jackson was holding things down in defense as keeper and even on the bigger field showed all of his typical confidence. He strolls around the box like it's his living room. Owen was up in front with Sam E. and Austin and Sam A. and Elizabeth were in mid. Sam E. got the chance to make one run after another into the other team's goal and he never gave up on trying to use his skills to get around other players. There was a great moment where Sam had made a few moves to get around two defenders then as he entered the penalty area he ran into the other team's tallest player. He tried a shot but she blocked it and then he hilariously strolled out of the box alongside her, talking to her about how she'd just blocked his shot. The height difference between them was such that Sam had to practically look straight up to see her. A few minutes later he charged in again and made the moves he needed to get around the defense, took his shot and put it in the net. Seeing him and Elizabeth get those first goals was spectacular. I'm sure that Sam A, Austin and Jackson will all get theirs too soon.
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