Girl Power!!!

     The girls had easily their best performance of the session playing for the first time on the large field.  As we went out onto the field before the game they were all excited about the prospect of playing in such a large space.  Abby even asked me "is this as big as a football field?"  So while they were focused on the size of the field they didn't take much note of the size of the other team which was a great thing.  Our girls aren't so impressed anymore by the appearance of their opponents.
     At the start of play Hailey H. ended up back in defense and after the first thirty seconds or so I noticed that while Ashley and Kelsey had gotten the ball way up into the other team's half Hailey and Maya were playing way too deep in defense.  That's a function of not being used to the large field so I called out to Hailey to move up some in order to contain the ball if the other team managed to boot it up to the half line.  She pointed at the yellow "attacking" line as if to say "I'm in defense and I'm supposed to stay here."  I kept encouraging her to come up toward the half line but I think she thought I meant that I just wanted her to go on up and join the attack so she did.  She got to the ball while it was still in the other team's third and she took control, started dribbling around players and got us our first chance at a shot.  Well even though Kelsey, Asley and Ava had all been very active to that point the confident display of skill they saw from Hailey really seemed to convince them that they could do that too and for most of the game our girls were playing the way we want to play.  They trap the ball, get control then dribble...from anywhere including our own goal box.  They dribble with their heads up seeing the next opponent and then using their skills to get around them.
     So what you see then are really two different games being played on the same field.  As I told the girls last night, the other team came to play some kick-ball but we came to play soccer.  The other team got lucky a few times and managed to kick the ball over our players leaving one of theirs in a one on one with our keeper but more often then not when they would kick the ball away they were just giving it back to us so we could dribble up again.  I'm so proud of these girls.  They're fearless and they are clearly enjoying their skillfulness.  They play the beautiful game, the in-your-face "if you want the ball you have to come and get it no matter how big you are" game.  Ole.
     Quick highlights:
     Hailey H. dribbling all over the place and even throwing in a move that she made up on the spot (she was very proud of that).  It was a kind of step-over, hip-fake and it was just comical the way it froze the two closest defenders.
     Ashley scoring yet again with her left foot.  She saves us some chances we might otherwise miss by being able to come from the right of the goal toward center and still get off a shot.  One thing I talk to players about often is that when you get around a defender using a move you need to break quickly into open space and if possible cut back toward the defender so that you get behind them, that is, so that you are now shielding the ball from them with your body.  If you break to the left and get past a defender you should immediately cut back to the right a little so that if they pursue you they will be behind you and have to run around to reach the ball.  Ashley did just that  neatly a couple of times last night.
     Ava was a dribbling machine.  She, along with Kelsey, Abby and Hailey H., attempted the Puskas move they had learned at skills training with Coach Jeremy this week.  Most impressive was that she had so many good get-aways in this game where she made a move to get some space and then really took off when she saw green grass in front of her.
     Hailey B. has grown so much both in her skill and in her confidence that each game is a revelation.  Last night on that big field she was able to display her great speed too.  I had no idea she was so fast.
     Abby is still our most committed dribbler.  She is just positive she can dribble out of any jam and she proved herself right over and over again last night.  You have to see how that wears another team down.  It may make you tense watching her or any of our players possessing the ball tenaciously in spots where you really wish they'd just clear it out with a big kick but every second that our girls possess the ball is time that the other team is losing.
     Anna and Eileen were both showing some great skill too and I was especially impressed with Anna's ability to look up and see the opening she wanted to get into as she approached defenders.  Eileen had one very lovely run to goal from one of the corners where her ball control was excellent.
     Maya was a real revelation in at keeper!  She'll be moving up to play U10 during the spring outdoor session and her team will be grateful to be getting such a good goalie.  Her dribbling skills in the first half were excellent too.
     Kelsey is another player who will be joining one of our U10 teams in the spring and she has found a new level of confidence in her dribble skills.  She was very proud of herself last night for trying to use that puskas move in the game and it really is a big deal.  Kelsey has a really strong shooting stroke and she has tended to play impatiently, shooting early and from too far away.  But now she is starting to slow down a bit and play more dynamically, changing speed and direction, throwing in some real deceptive moves and really taking control of the game.  That's what a player with her natural ability should be doing rather than reacting to the game.
     Hajar had an excellent game and made real progress in terms of starting to move quickly after using that great first touch she has.  And like all of the girls she makes that first touch without seeming in any way hurried by the proximity of the other team.  Cool heads.
     Avery is another player whose first touch is excellent but who is still trying to find that good get away touch to take advantage of her ball control.  But she is solid as a rock when it comes to stealing the ball away from other players.  She's got a big kick but has become much more selective with when to use it lately.  Remarkably she saved her biggest kick for just the right moment last night.  Right when it seemed the other team would get one final break-away Avery was there to intercept the ball and send it deep into their end.  Game over.
     Erin had a couple of good chances in front of the goal but couldn't get off a shot quick enough.  She was in the right spot though and that is definitely her strong suit.  Her field awareness is quite good.
     Finally, Kennedy had trouble getting close to the ball most of the game but late in the second half she saved a goal for us when the ball came to her at the eighteen and she calmly trapped it, took two dribble steps then passed it off to a teammate.  If she'd taken a wild swing at the ball and missed it would have resulted in a goal for sure for the other team but by doing the more difficult thing, by getting control of the ball even as the other team was rushing toward her, she took away their scoring opportunity.  That's good soccer.

     So, just a wonderful game.  They play their last one next week on the big field too.  I can't wait to see what beautiful soccer they'll have for us then.