Well well well well well well well well: both teams won today. Finally. Varsity fell behind by two, but scored three to finally get their first win. The other team had a real influential tall sweeper - I remember her from '06. I expected varsity to win handily, but the game was a near run thing. We knew the other team lost big to a team we played well against and one of the coaches - my friend - from the last game told me we should handle them. Barely.
So it was with the J-V. I really though we would do well. We ended up barely winning. But - I'm sure we have qualified for the playoffs - 3-1-1 record is the best ever for a J-V team I've coached. It was a fun game.
This game was rescheduled from one of the storm drained ones from some weeks before. Added to the schedule on a Friday, it was nice to be able to not have to worry about getting home so late. We couldn't get the field our game was originally set for -the same Marquette Park patch (alas now astroturfed over) on 71st Street that I played St. Rita football on in the 1970's. Instead it was set @ the site of the school we were playing - also in the Old Neighbourhood. I'd coached here before - in '06. As then, it is a tiny blatch of dirt and ratty rat grass. Bouncy ball, and dangerous to slide. But lined well and with nice nets - always enjoy the finer points of the game.
My kids were kinda haughty with the neighbourhood -my old 'hood. Lots and lots of locals attended the match - all crowded in the closed in pitch place. We put our bags bunchd up in a tumble top jumbled to-gether so none of the locals could steal them. Non did. We also got some students who were from the area - it was nice to see very obnoxiously loud B. and MM in that context.
And we - as in J-V - played non discript. We outplayed the other team, but the only result was a goalmouth scrum puttered in by L MF. Enough for the win, but I expected more, and cursed myself for not coaching them better before. I know, common refrain. Again, we must make more of the utter outer edges of the pitch - better to draw their defenders from the goal. And more work on corner kicks. And more work on the throw ins. No one on this level are ace @ it, so if we could harness throw ins as a weapon, we could maybe snatch an advantage in a game. Maybe advance in a close playoff match. Maybe.
L MF - she who I always would preach aggression to - was today's goal scorer. Such a soft spoken girl, it was great to see her be mobbed onfield by her teammates after the goal. Such a funny-embarrassed-proud look on her face. But I've noticed that she has taken to heart my preaching - for example, she gets to throw ins and tries to get them in quick. Good kid.
And I decided to go with Chivas instead of Green as the goalie. Chivas was last years goalie, but early in the season she coldn't be on the team. However - circumstances have changed - and she's back. But in that interval, Green had established herself as top goalie for the J-V. I played both girls for a few games -carefully playing Green in the first half, Chivas second- and two game Chivas was called up to varsity to play in the place of an injured player - meaning I only had/played Green. However, I have to make a decision - and I like Chivas in goal and Green in the field. I obliquely stated as much in one of the team talk huddles. I hope Green will be ok with it- she went from starting in goal to a player without a set position. But she wants to play the field and she will be a part of the offense.
So it was with the J-V. I really though we would do well. We ended up barely winning. But - I'm sure we have qualified for the playoffs - 3-1-1 record is the best ever for a J-V team I've coached. It was a fun game.
This game was rescheduled from one of the storm drained ones from some weeks before. Added to the schedule on a Friday, it was nice to be able to not have to worry about getting home so late. We couldn't get the field our game was originally set for -the same Marquette Park patch (alas now astroturfed over) on 71st Street that I played St. Rita football on in the 1970's. Instead it was set @ the site of the school we were playing - also in the Old Neighbourhood. I'd coached here before - in '06. As then, it is a tiny blatch of dirt and ratty rat grass. Bouncy ball, and dangerous to slide. But lined well and with nice nets - always enjoy the finer points of the game.
My kids were kinda haughty with the neighbourhood -my old 'hood. Lots and lots of locals attended the match - all crowded in the closed in pitch place. We put our bags bunchd up in a tumble top jumbled to-gether so none of the locals could steal them. Non did. We also got some students who were from the area - it was nice to see very obnoxiously loud B. and MM in that context.
And we - as in J-V - played non discript. We outplayed the other team, but the only result was a goalmouth scrum puttered in by L MF. Enough for the win, but I expected more, and cursed myself for not coaching them better before. I know, common refrain. Again, we must make more of the utter outer edges of the pitch - better to draw their defenders from the goal. And more work on corner kicks. And more work on the throw ins. No one on this level are ace @ it, so if we could harness throw ins as a weapon, we could maybe snatch an advantage in a game. Maybe advance in a close playoff match. Maybe.
L MF - she who I always would preach aggression to - was today's goal scorer. Such a soft spoken girl, it was great to see her be mobbed onfield by her teammates after the goal. Such a funny-embarrassed-proud look on her face. But I've noticed that she has taken to heart my preaching - for example, she gets to throw ins and tries to get them in quick. Good kid.
And I decided to go with Chivas instead of Green as the goalie. Chivas was last years goalie, but early in the season she coldn't be on the team. However - circumstances have changed - and she's back. But in that interval, Green had established herself as top goalie for the J-V. I played both girls for a few games -carefully playing Green in the first half, Chivas second- and two game Chivas was called up to varsity to play in the place of an injured player - meaning I only had/played Green. However, I have to make a decision - and I like Chivas in goal and Green in the field. I obliquely stated as much in one of the team talk huddles. I hope Green will be ok with it- she went from starting in goal to a player without a set position. But she wants to play the field and she will be a part of the offense.
And, finally, the self coronation of Stopper. Stopper is the kinda girl who is brash and loud and vocal and very self confident. It all serves her well on this team. The position she plays - sweeper - calls for a player to take the initiative and directly confront and disrupt the other teams offense. The position basically calls for a brash, loud vocal etc etc etc kinda player - and she's it. She's always taking change, pushing her way into and through situations, and harassing the other team. By her play she leads - and also vocally. Both before games and @ halftime I let the girls voice their opinions in the huddle, and because of her persistence, I opened up the floor always to her first: "O.K., I'm done. Stopper, what do you have to say??".
Almost from the beginning, I made C MF the captain. Several months now. But Stopper - such a positive teammate and a leader - by both example and vocally- kept wanting to go to the pregame call for captains by the refs with C MF. I had been sending C MF and another , but Stopper kept insisting non verbally. So, this game I made sure I gave my imprimatur to this behaviour by sending them both. It would be wrong otherwise.
So, we escaped with a win. Playoffs beckon. But so much work, and I am but a humble labourer in the vineyard.
So, we escaped with a win. Playoffs beckon. But so much work, and I am but a humble labourer in the vineyard.
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