While we have many returning players on each team we also have a lot of new talent on the field so we needed new team names to go with our new colors, and so we are;
The U4 Grey Spiders!
The U6 Sapphire Seals!
The U10 Sapphire Bullets!
Here's a run-down of how everyone did this first week.
U4 is stronger than ever as The Spiders. Jill and Eileen ran a lot and Jill gets more involved in the game every week (and spends less time waving at her parents). Eileen, our youngest player was joined on the team by another youngster, Jeremy, whose brother plays on the U6 team. Jeremy had a great first game getting into the thick of the action right from the start. Lucas and Karolyn played hard too. Karolyn attacks the ball more aggressively each game. Noah had another strong showing with at least three goals. While he misses his partner from last session, Zach, Noah has two new players to work with; Brennen and Xavier. Xavier played with amazing energy for his first game, attacking the ball like a wild man. He had at least one goal, too! Our other new player Brennen has the same powerful right kick as his brother Alex who plays on the U6 team. With Brennen sending the ball up for them, Noah and Alex should be able to score often.
With the addition of Kevin, Luke and Carter U6 has become overwhelmingly strong. The Sapphire Seals were pretty much unstoppable once they got rolling with goals from Kevin, Owen, Kaleb and Alex. Justin was very strong in goal and in defense. We miss Ethan and Nate but Owen, Kaleb, Alex and Justin remembered how to stay spread out and work the ball in a triangle. We'll be working with Kevin, Carter and Luke on that too. Carter and Luke were also very solid in defense, stopping the blue team's attacks cold.
Kendall was great in goal and had a great game in the field, running with the ball and staying in the action. Maddie was good in goal and in the field but her most notable contribution is her attitude. Maddie is always so fired-up to play she can barely contain herself at kick-off. Our other new player, Mac, who played with us some sessions back had a good game too, staying more engaged in the action than ever before.
I knew the U10 game would be a tough one since most of the kids are new to each other and we haven't had much time to practice together but the Sapphire Bullets showed a lot of heart and toughness as well as some impressive skill and speed... lots of speed! In the second half Braden and Erika lead the attack with speed that seemed to really get the black team back on their heels. This lead to goals from Avery and Braden! If we can get Braden, Avery, Erika and the rest of our offense working on the same page we should be able to play with anybody. We also had great games from Helen, Erin and Kyle Duncan who played tirelessly and showed a lot of ball handling skill. Kyle Kruthoffer is our other speed merchant, zipping around on defense and darting up field for a little offense when needed. Nicholas had a tough time in goal in the first half facing a barrage of shots but his sense of the game is good and he's a hard worker in practice so I know he'll have better days. While we had great individual play from our defenders, including Jordan and Seth, we need to work on playing as a unit to contain the other side and protect our keeper from having to face so many one-on-ones. Seth was great in goal the second half, taking a charge on one play that, to me, looked like a yellow card offense. But Seth popped up smiling and put the ball back in play like it was all part of the plan. Jordan and Lauren played very well, crashing into the oncoming attack repeatedly. I know the score was lopsided but our defense stopped a lot of attacks. I was thrilled to see Jake have such a good game as he hasn't played in a while. And our defense is tough. Jake took a ball off the noggin in the second half and kept on going. Lauren took one in the gut and she kept going. Jordan was chasing and clearing fiercely and our two new defenders, Kathryn and David, had great games for kids new to the game.
So, while the score wasn't pretty I saw lots of potential. If everyone is interested in doing the work we'll keep practicing as long as the weather permits.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Code of conduct
If you have a player in the NKYA youth soccer league this session please take a moment to read the Parent/Spectator code of conduct. The indoor soccer session always seems to be a richer environment for contention between Parents, Coaches and Refs. Probably because the game is faster indoor, there is only one Referee on the field and the Parents are sitting so close together.
If you are new to the game yourself there are two aspects of the way games are refereed that you need to be aware of:
First,in NKYA youth soccer there are very few situations where a direct free kick would be allowed as the result of a penalty, such as a hand-ball, being called. Rather, when one team is called for a foul the opposing team will be awarded possession of the ball through an indirect free kick, meaning the ball must be touched by a second player before a goal could be allowed. Because of this rule penalties rarely result in goals and therefore the calls a referee makes, good, bad or indifferent, rarely affect the outcome of the game directly.
Second, Referees calling our games will identify fouls keeping both intent and advantage in mind. This means that if a Referee sees, for instance, a player touch the ball with his hand the Ref will hold off on calling a penalty if in the Ref's opinion the touch was unintentional/unavoidable. Even if the Ref believes the offense was committed intentionally he may still hold onto his whistle if it appears that the result of the offense, i.e., the direction the ball goes, is to the advantage of the opposing team. So if, for instance, little Timmy on the other team reaches out and knocks the ball down with his hand but the ball subsequently bounces right to one of our players' feet and our player then has a clear lane toward the other teams' goal, well, in this situation the Ref would correctly hold off on whistling the play dead since the foul committed by one team ended up being to the other teams advantage.
If you are new to the game yourself there are two aspects of the way games are refereed that you need to be aware of:
First,in NKYA youth soccer there are very few situations where a direct free kick would be allowed as the result of a penalty, such as a hand-ball, being called. Rather, when one team is called for a foul the opposing team will be awarded possession of the ball through an indirect free kick, meaning the ball must be touched by a second player before a goal could be allowed. Because of this rule penalties rarely result in goals and therefore the calls a referee makes, good, bad or indifferent, rarely affect the outcome of the game directly.
Second, Referees calling our games will identify fouls keeping both intent and advantage in mind. This means that if a Referee sees, for instance, a player touch the ball with his hand the Ref will hold off on calling a penalty if in the Ref's opinion the touch was unintentional/unavoidable. Even if the Ref believes the offense was committed intentionally he may still hold onto his whistle if it appears that the result of the offense, i.e., the direction the ball goes, is to the advantage of the opposing team. So if, for instance, little Timmy on the other team reaches out and knocks the ball down with his hand but the ball subsequently bounces right to one of our players' feet and our player then has a clear lane toward the other teams' goal, well, in this situation the Ref would correctly hold off on whistling the play dead since the foul committed by one team ended up being to the other teams advantage.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Gear for new players
I've received some questions from parents of first time players about the necessary gear for soccer. Sorry I didn't think to address that earlier.
The only indispensable equipment is a pair of shin guards and a pair of soccer socks to wear them in. As for shoes, any comfortable pair of athletic shoes that you can run in will do fine. Indoor or outdoor soccer shoes will work great on the Pleasure Isle field surface. No football or baseball cleats, please. Any sort of athletic shorts are good. The league provides the t-shirts and I'll have those at the first game. Good sources for gear are Meyer, Biggs, Dick's, KMart and Play it Again Sports.
Also note the updated links to the right. The newest team rosters and game schedules are up.
The only indispensable equipment is a pair of shin guards and a pair of soccer socks to wear them in. As for shoes, any comfortable pair of athletic shoes that you can run in will do fine. Indoor or outdoor soccer shoes will work great on the Pleasure Isle field surface. No football or baseball cleats, please. Any sort of athletic shorts are good. The league provides the t-shirts and I'll have those at the first game. Good sources for gear are Meyer, Biggs, Dick's, KMart and Play it Again Sports.
Also note the updated links to the right. The newest team rosters and game schedules are up.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Blueberries and Blue Jays finish on a high note
The Blueberries really missed Karolyn today but they muddled through with great efforts from everyone. Noah met his match against a player on the yellow team who seemed equally tenacious. But as the game went on Noah rose to the challenge. Zach also was improving as the game went on and given the way the session started for him I'm thrilled with his progress. Zach seems hooked on the game now.
Luke had a goal and was proud to tell me that when I arrived late. Jill was more energetic and engaged than ever. And then there is Eileen who just loves her "tocca team".
The Blue Jays were unbelievably poised today, playing every position well. Alex thrilled us with some crazy powerful kicks and then in the second half he and Owen, Nate and Justin all showed us how to get the offensive triangle working. These guys play so well together, Kaleb included, and it is making them each develop so rapidly. It is really fun to watch. Ethan played in defense for me all game and he was a wall the other team couldn't get past. Frequently putting his backwards-running skills to good use, Ethan didn't let the ball get past him even once. Solid.
Kendall was moving in and out of the action better than I've ever seen her and again as over the last few games she showed flashes of really starting to take control of the ball and run with it. Kendra had a great game too and was really in the thick of it a lot and so was Maddie who was solid in goal for us during the first quarter.
I'll admit that of the three teams I coach I'm especially proud of the the Blue Jays. They are something else.
Thanks to Ben Lighthall for his help coaching and also to Chris Meaghers, Chris Michels and Mike Ramsdell for all of their help. And thanks to all of the parents for getting snacks, bringing the kids out in questionable weather for practice and for your general support. It's an honor to coach your kids.
Luke had a goal and was proud to tell me that when I arrived late. Jill was more energetic and engaged than ever. And then there is Eileen who just loves her "tocca team".
The Blue Jays were unbelievably poised today, playing every position well. Alex thrilled us with some crazy powerful kicks and then in the second half he and Owen, Nate and Justin all showed us how to get the offensive triangle working. These guys play so well together, Kaleb included, and it is making them each develop so rapidly. It is really fun to watch. Ethan played in defense for me all game and he was a wall the other team couldn't get past. Frequently putting his backwards-running skills to good use, Ethan didn't let the ball get past him even once. Solid.
Kendall was moving in and out of the action better than I've ever seen her and again as over the last few games she showed flashes of really starting to take control of the ball and run with it. Kendra had a great game too and was really in the thick of it a lot and so was Maddie who was solid in goal for us during the first quarter.
I'll admit that of the three teams I coach I'm especially proud of the the Blue Jays. They are something else.
Thanks to Ben Lighthall for his help coaching and also to Chris Meaghers, Chris Michels and Mike Ramsdell for all of their help. And thanks to all of the parents for getting snacks, bringing the kids out in questionable weather for practice and for your general support. It's an honor to coach your kids.
One session ends...
Saturday's Tsunami game was much better than the score would indicate. We had a lot of shots on goal but just couldn't find the net. And all in all the kids adapted to the indoor field quickly. I want to thank each player for the work they did this session and I want to congratulate them all for the amount of progress they made.
In the last game William and Nick both showed, again, that they are poised and fearless keepers. William had the benefit of being protected by Nick at fullback in the first half and I'm sorry that in the second half I left Nick less well protected. He had to stand in there and take a lot of shots, including a loose shoe, and he took it all like a man.
Lauren helped out in defense most of the game along with Jordan and Madison and all three of them have shown remarkable improvement throughout the session. Lauren especially, being new to the game, really worked hard at it at every practice.
Justin and Bryce had good games and certainly seemed to be enjoying themselves. They worked hard at practice and always had great attitudes. Justin in particular carries himself with a bit of "Joe cool" swagger. Bryce claimed to have a special move, the "triple kick", in reserve but unfortunately we never got to see it. Maybe next year.
My midfield corps was led, again, by Olivia and Maddie who both have just amazing endurance and quickness. And Liz and Avery led the offense again and had some beautiful scoring attempts with some good passing. Avery made sure that I noticed the passing by pointing out to me "see we did the triangle thing just like in practice".
And the other point on that triangle was usually Erin who was firing shots from the right and the left as the situation demanded and with equal ferocity. Backing up our offensive triangle and sending the ball back up for another try was Helen. She played Saturday with great grace and imagination and really surprised herself with her ball handling skills, fearlessly attempting to dribble through traffic a number of times.
I want to thank Lisa Roedig, Amy Holthaus, Chris Holthaus, Roz and Dale Forshee and Dale Mahaney who all helped out at our practices and games. With their help we were able to get a lot of work done. Thanks to Nancy Roether for photographing the team in action. Thanks to all of the parents for helping out with snacks and for bringing the kids out to practice so consistently. And thanks for letting me share the game with your kids. I'm proud of each of them and it was an honor to coach them.
In the last game William and Nick both showed, again, that they are poised and fearless keepers. William had the benefit of being protected by Nick at fullback in the first half and I'm sorry that in the second half I left Nick less well protected. He had to stand in there and take a lot of shots, including a loose shoe, and he took it all like a man.
Lauren helped out in defense most of the game along with Jordan and Madison and all three of them have shown remarkable improvement throughout the session. Lauren especially, being new to the game, really worked hard at it at every practice.
Justin and Bryce had good games and certainly seemed to be enjoying themselves. They worked hard at practice and always had great attitudes. Justin in particular carries himself with a bit of "Joe cool" swagger. Bryce claimed to have a special move, the "triple kick", in reserve but unfortunately we never got to see it. Maybe next year.
My midfield corps was led, again, by Olivia and Maddie who both have just amazing endurance and quickness. And Liz and Avery led the offense again and had some beautiful scoring attempts with some good passing. Avery made sure that I noticed the passing by pointing out to me "see we did the triangle thing just like in practice".
And the other point on that triangle was usually Erin who was firing shots from the right and the left as the situation demanded and with equal ferocity. Backing up our offensive triangle and sending the ball back up for another try was Helen. She played Saturday with great grace and imagination and really surprised herself with her ball handling skills, fearlessly attempting to dribble through traffic a number of times.
I want to thank Lisa Roedig, Amy Holthaus, Chris Holthaus, Roz and Dale Forshee and Dale Mahaney who all helped out at our practices and games. With their help we were able to get a lot of work done. Thanks to Nancy Roether for photographing the team in action. Thanks to all of the parents for helping out with snacks and for bringing the kids out to practice so consistently. And thanks for letting me share the game with your kids. I'm proud of each of them and it was an honor to coach them.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Looks Like We're Moving Inside
As of last night the fields at Richardson Road were still unplayable. I'll get final confirmation later today but it seems certain that we will be playing at Pleasure Isle this weekend.
12:25 PM Update: All games moved to Pleasure Isle.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Rain-out Plan
The forecast for this weekend doesn't look good so we have a "plan b" schedule ready. If the Richardson Road fields are unplayable we will move to Pleasure Isle to play.
U10 Tsunami will play Saturday at 12:00, same as the outdoor schedule.
Unfortunately we can't get all of the games in on Saturday if we play at Pleasure Isle so the U4 and U6 games will be played on Sunday afternoon. The U4 Blueberries will play at 1:00 PM and the U6 Blue Jays will play at 2:00 PM. I know this could be inconvenient if you have church to attend or perhaps if you have been tricked into climbing back onto the Bengals band wagon (the game will be on at Pleasure Isle, by the way). If that is the case and you can't make the game let me know and please know that I do apologize for the way the end of the season has kind of spun out of control. The outdoor session is the most fun of the year, I think. But when we play outdoors we are always at the mercy of the elements and we have to deal with that as best we can.
If you've signed up for the next session the first games will be the weekend of October 24th. I don't have the rosters and schedules yet but I expect the U4 and U6 games to be on Saturday mornings and the U10 games to be on Sunday afternoons.
See you all Saturday. Go USA v Costa Rica! ESPN2 at 8:00.
U10 Tsunami will play Saturday at 12:00, same as the outdoor schedule.
Unfortunately we can't get all of the games in on Saturday if we play at Pleasure Isle so the U4 and U6 games will be played on Sunday afternoon. The U4 Blueberries will play at 1:00 PM and the U6 Blue Jays will play at 2:00 PM. I know this could be inconvenient if you have church to attend or perhaps if you have been tricked into climbing back onto the Bengals band wagon (the game will be on at Pleasure Isle, by the way). If that is the case and you can't make the game let me know and please know that I do apologize for the way the end of the season has kind of spun out of control. The outdoor session is the most fun of the year, I think. But when we play outdoors we are always at the mercy of the elements and we have to deal with that as best we can.
If you've signed up for the next session the first games will be the weekend of October 24th. I don't have the rosters and schedules yet but I expect the U4 and U6 games to be on Saturday mornings and the U10 games to be on Sunday afternoons.
See you all Saturday. Go USA v Costa Rica! ESPN2 at 8:00.
Monday, October 5, 2009
October 3rd
It was a bit chilly to start but the Blueberries had a great game. Lots of running but a little less focus than last game. Eileen had a great (if unintentional) header off of a throw-in from Noah who also had a pair of goals. Zack made two great throw-ins. The Blueberries seemed to really enjoy the game.
The Blue Jays were dominant in this game with great goalie play from Kendall, Kaleb, Maddie and Kendra. While in goal Kendall made some good stops followed by good throws. Back on the field Kendra made a stunning ninja-like stop on a well struck kick-off. We had great field play from everyone including three goals from Owen and two from Alex. I was so glad to see the kids slapping hands and celebrating after the goals. They play more like a team together than any other team in the league and that's a big step. I've got to mention a run on goal that Kendall had while in the field. She took the ball out of the pack at about midfield and headed right for the goal. I think she was about one step from a shot when the other players caught up to her and kicked the ball out. It was a great moment for Kendall and I know she'll get a goal soon.
A brilliant game from the Tsunami in a 1-1 tie. Our lone goal was from Olivia off a pass from Erin. Throughout the game I saw many of the things we've worked on in practice being put into play, especially some aggressive ball stealing by Erin, Helen, Justin, Nick and Jordan. Jordan was especially solid for us in defense and she is clearly getting a real sense of how to play that position, moving up and down the field as needed. I saw real toughness on display, especially from Lauren, Olivia and Helen who all took some hard hits but kept going. Nick and William were great in goal as usual and William has become our smoothest ball handler. He's showing great confidence dribbling one-on-one against opponents and plays like he thinks he can get past anyone. And they played the whole 50 minutes with no subs. It was a great game.
The Blue Jays were dominant in this game with great goalie play from Kendall, Kaleb, Maddie and Kendra. While in goal Kendall made some good stops followed by good throws. Back on the field Kendra made a stunning ninja-like stop on a well struck kick-off. We had great field play from everyone including three goals from Owen and two from Alex. I was so glad to see the kids slapping hands and celebrating after the goals. They play more like a team together than any other team in the league and that's a big step. I've got to mention a run on goal that Kendall had while in the field. She took the ball out of the pack at about midfield and headed right for the goal. I think she was about one step from a shot when the other players caught up to her and kicked the ball out. It was a great moment for Kendall and I know she'll get a goal soon.
A brilliant game from the Tsunami in a 1-1 tie. Our lone goal was from Olivia off a pass from Erin. Throughout the game I saw many of the things we've worked on in practice being put into play, especially some aggressive ball stealing by Erin, Helen, Justin, Nick and Jordan. Jordan was especially solid for us in defense and she is clearly getting a real sense of how to play that position, moving up and down the field as needed. I saw real toughness on display, especially from Lauren, Olivia and Helen who all took some hard hits but kept going. Nick and William were great in goal as usual and William has become our smoothest ball handler. He's showing great confidence dribbling one-on-one against opponents and plays like he thinks he can get past anyone. And they played the whole 50 minutes with no subs. It was a great game.
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