Under 12 Girls Division 1

09/05/2016

9th April AC UNITED.

Our first hit out and not the result we were looking for. The team rallied and showed some positive signs against quality opposition. Possession was fairly even in the first half as our girls tried hard but two break away plays by AC United both lead to goals. Despite these two earlier setbacks our girls did not give up. They showed a lot of courage and got one back, having been awarded a free kick just outside the box. Stephanie struck a screamer into the top left corner that an A-League player would have been proud of. That put us back into the game just before the second half.

Unfortunately AC United put two more goals on us before we came back late in the second half with some strong attack that forced an own-goal. Overall our positional play off the ball and lack of communication let us down and resulted in AC United dominating. There were definitely a lot of positive signs and I'm sure the girls are in for a great season of competitive soccer.

Player of the Match - Stephanie

Well done - STEPHANIE. A great performance from our centre back. AC United gave our backs plenty of work to do and Stephanie definitely stepped up to the challenge with some strong clearing kicks and diligent workload.

Stephanie never gave up and put in 100% all game. A great goal in the first half capped off a solid performance.

16th April - Bossley Park

What a GREAT GAME.. WELL DONE GIRLS…!!!

The Girls put in a great effort with a resounding 1-0 victory playing in the heat with only 10 players in the first half, down to 9 players at one stage and no reserves the entire game. The girls played more as a team this week which enabled them to dominate. I aim to keep stats of the game each week and this week’s stats showed 68% possession 300 touches on the ball, 171 passes and 27 string passes. (3 passes equals 1 string). Bossley showed to be a lot more physical and stronger on the ball which definitely pushed us. They gave us a couple of scares with zero results. The defence showed a greater understanding of positional play this week backing up and covering each other. The pushing forward and dropping back in the midfield was also better.

Player of the Match - Lara

Well done - LARA. Your positional play and situational awareness ensured not a lot got passed you. You never stopped fighting for the ball the entire game showing courage and determination throughout. Whenever the attack was in your zone you ran in bravely confident in winning the ball. The opposition never had a chance.

I hope to see you maintain this high standard of play all year. Your commitment was second to none.

There is still room for improvement in relation to our positional play and communication and further work at training in this area will see us become an even stronger side.

Remember to talk girls and call for the ball..! What you do OFF the ball is even more important than on the ball. Space creates time, time creates less pressure.

Overall a very exciting game indeed, well done to each and every one of you!!

23rd April - Southern Districts

Southern Districts are one of the best teams in the competition and this game was always going to be a difficult one. Lack of training and girls away didn’t help on the day and they are a team we can beat without a doubt!! Southern Districts displayed sound positional play and were extremely strong on the ball. One of the main differences between the sides were that SD did not just simply kick the ball forward but often looked to make a pass. They were even willing to pass the ball back before moving forward again. We would have to say not one of our best games. We were very much bunched and lacking in enthusiasm at times. We have a tendency to wait for the ball to come to us which resulted in a lot of possession given away too freely. Girls we need to remember to talk on the field and call for the ball. Be aware of where you are and the play that is going on around you. Game stats this week, 59% possession (down 9%) 209 touches on the ball (down by 91) 98 passes (down by 73) and only 10 string passes (down by 17) 6 shots for us resulting in 1 goal. SD had 7 shots resulting in 3. Girls the stats speak for themselves.

A special request to our ever so enthusiastic parents cheering the girls to what we would all like to be victory every game. There is some confusion at times regarding players positions and the role they are expected to play in that position. May I put all the parents minds at ease in saying I am always confident in your childs ability to perform as I have requested on any given day. Rest assured at any time should there be a lacking in what is required I will address it with the player one on one. Unfortunately as parents you don’t have the luxury of knowing these instructions and therefore can often be expecting something different and or more from your daughter. Please believe in them as I do and trust they are following the direction they have been given. They are an amazingly responsive team, we just need to be patient. Please by all means feel free to encourage them to be first to the ball and to be aware of their surroundings.

Player of the Match -Alana

Our player of the match was deservedly, Alana Well done - ALANA. Southern Districts certainly gave Alana plenty of work to do but Alana was equal to the task. She displayed great dedication and she injected herself into the game and shut down a large number of S/Districts attacking plays. She attacked the ball and was determined to win the ball every time she played at it, her performance was faultless. Great Game Alana!!!!

30th April - Chipping Norton

WELL DONE GIRLS…!!!

Although Chipping Norton are trailing at the bottom of the table, they came out firing and gave us a run for our money particularly in the first half only allowing us to score 2 goals. The field position issue is still a little disappointing but it was great to see more talking between the girls. It is always difficult to play against a side that is less structured as we tend to fall back into old bad ball watching habits. Our passing and positioning in the second half was much better resulting in 5 goals. Well done girls. Game stats this week, 60% possession (up by 1) 338 touches on the ball (up by 129) 170 passes (up by 72) and only 17 string passes (up by 7) 18 shots resulting in 7 goals.

A great attitude resulted in a great win.

Player of the Match –Claire

Congratulations Claire. Claire was asked to play a position in a manner that goes against her comfort zone. She showed an understanding of what was required followed instructions and saw the rewards. Claire is a great team player who possesses a great attitude and temperament for team sport. She exemplifies all that's best in a team player. She is determined and reliable. It was her determination that saw her play so well and she sets a fine example for everyone else to follow. Well-deserved Claire, another consistent, strong performance. Well done Claire!!!

7th May - Kemps Creek

Well Done Girls…! Another exciting 7-0 Victory.

This game goes down as another good win for our girls. Like Chippo, Kemps Creek are trailing at the bottom of the table. They were however more structured than Chippo which allowed us to play our game. We still need to work on looking for the better option. We waste far too many opportunities trying to kick through the legs of the opposition instead of passing back out and moving into space. More work on this at training will result in becoming a more natural response. Our midfield tracked back nicely and the communication in the backline was outstanding. We were also most encouraged and excited by the fast breaks made by our forwards. We had several brilliant fast breaks which although many didn't quite come off I'm sure with a bit more practice we'll see some spectacular goals scored from this tactic. Stats for this week.. 64% Possession (up another 3%) 460 touches on the ball... Wow, imagine when we make these touches work more in our favour!! 229 passes and 23 string passes JJ ... ok now here is where we have work to do girls. 19 shots resulting in only 7 goals. This is a problem as all the work is being done to get to goal which is great but we are letting ourselves down where it counts... let’s work on looking up to make the pass. We have to go around the defence because we sure proved we can’t go through them no matter how hard we kick. We still have a lot of work to do but all in all the tactical understanding is improving each week. Keep up the hard work girls. At this rate the final series is definitely ours!!!

Player of the Match – Kayla.

Congratulations Kayla. Wow! What a star this week! Kayla put in a great performance as our Right Back. Her first half was particularly brilliant and she backed it up with a solid second half. A little one on one training with striking technique definitely showed this week. I gave you an objective and you followed through with it beautifully. Well Done !!! If you back yourself and believe in yourself, you can do anything! What a strong right boot you have.. ! Kayla fully committed herself in everything she did. Well done Kayla. Looking forward to watching you develop even further. You go girl!

Great Game Kayla!!!!