Is this further evidence that the mid-season break is beneficial?

I missed writing a report about the last game before spring break.  But perhaps that wasn't so bad as we had a torrid experience and lost very heavily to a good team that really didn't show any class or sportsmanship.  Still, that is now water under the bridge, or so they say.

So this week we returned to the Soccerdome, refreshed after Spring Break. Well at least the kids appeared to benefit from the break. There were several parents watching who looked like they needed a further "staycation" in STL to recover from some very long drives.  I feel your pain people. I arrived back in Kirkwood at 7pm last night after driving up from Florida.

And I believe we did benefit from the break.  Alright, so we lost again, but this was by far our best performance as a team. We used the walls, made some great tackles and were committed throughout! Jack Lester made some great saves in goal and we really enjoyed his big clearances down field. We want more of those! Our forwards played and hustled hard and our efforts were rewarded as both Nicholas and Easton scored. Our defending was stout too. Everyone played their part and it was terrific to see!

If we play like that again we will start to win games I have no doubt!

Man of the match: AJ Wallach. For his anticipation and reading of the game, his awareness to make the right tackle and knowing where his team mates were to pass to. Well done AJ!

We scored!

Oh dear! It happened again. We lost by letting in more than we scored! Actually quite a lot more as it turns out. I think the final tally was 11-1 which has a rather ugly symmetry about it.

But at least we scored.  Well done Ben Axlerod for the goal and Matthew Ewing for the assist!  I think the reason we scored was that we showed persistence in attaching their defenders and goalkeeper. We hustled them and put them under a lot of pressure and they made a mistake. Matthew hit the ball against the wall and across the goal and after a couple of missed clearances Ben scored.  I think if we cross the ball in front of the goal and use the walls more often we will score more! It was an excellent move!

But we still need to "show up" when we tackle. What do I mean?  Well, too many times we make a half hearted attempt to get the ball. We often turn our backs into a tackle. It's like we're somehow afraid of the ball!  Be strong! Watch the ball not the player and use your foot to get the ball. That's the only way to tackle! You don't do it with your back or backside!

But full marks and well done to everyone. I'm proud of the way you really enjoy yourselves and have so much fun on the pitch/field. 

Man of the match: Ben Axlerod for a great goal!