Girl Power vs White Tigers.

     I've been coaching soccer since my oldest was three...so...that's eleven years now.  During that time I've also been a league administrator.  I've seen a lot of soccer.  The quality of play that we saw last Wednesday night from two U8 girls teams was kind of astounding.  Control, skill, purposefulness.  Patience...and then speed.  Toughness...but grace and creativity too.  Man, do I love watching these girls play! 
     Can you believe how much Ron's Tigers have improved?  They are fierce and they play with plenty of skill.  I'd say ball possession in that game was just about 50/50 despite the outcome.  Each player has improved so dramatically since last fall.  Girl Power got to face the toughest team in the league every week at practice.  What a luxury that has been!
     As for Girl Power...what can I say about them.  Their confidence with the ball has become almost nonchalant at this point.  But to see them maintain that same calm attitude about ball possession while dealing with the fierce pressure that the White Tigers were putting them under was truly amazing.  Both teams were dribbling rather than kicking so the game was an exhausting battle of short runs back and forth, every player on both squads getting and relishing the chance to carry the ball through heavy traffic.  And both teams were showing their new found understanding of how to maintain just enough space.  That awareness of their spacing resulted in many exchanges for both teams that looked suspiciously like overlaps and give-and-gos.  I think these girls are on the cusp of a whole new dimension of play.