2016 Coaches Comments
10/22 v Troy Christian, 13-2-2
I was a little bit concerned for several reasons. First, this is a Saturday game. I've never been a big Saturday game fan as you never really know what you are going to get. We have typically not been a Saturday game kind of team. Second, we already have played TC once this year and although we handled them fairly easily with a 3-0 win, they did have a few dangerous chances. Sometimes one goal is enough to give the other team enough confidence. Lastly, an most importantly, it is tournament time. One loss, one error, one "bad game", and you could see your season come to an end. Fortunately, the game pretty much went off without any major hitches. In the first twenty minutes or more, we really didn't play that well. Our spacing was not good pretty much all over the field - our inside mids were not balanced, our outside mids were getting too 'sucked into the middle', and our forward were not moving off the ball all that well. We scored our first goal of the half on an Alyssa Davidson shot. TC's back-up keeper made a mistake on the ball and pretty much gifted our first goal. Our second goal of the half came on a nice little bit of combination play that found Olivia Rader free in the box. She was fouled from behind and was awarded a penalty kick. Saylor Jewell stepped up and knocked goal number two home. At halftime, however, 2-0 was nothing we needed to be content about. We were one keeper save and a missed call away from being knotted up at zero. I urged the girls at halftime to correct our spacing issues and start moving with purpose. I didn't really care for our 'happy complacency' at half. We seemed too secure and I asked the girls to make sure the next forty were played with attitude that we had something to prove.
The second half was much better than the first. Granted we only scored two goals, as we did in half one, but our play was much better. Our spacing was solved and our movement off the ball was quality. Saylor Jewell scored a second goal shortly into half two and Jenna Lovely scored the fourth with ten or 15 to go on a nice through ball played by Abby Bulach. We also had a couple goals wiped off the board on some questionable calls, but in the end, it didn't matter much. We controlled the game for the second forty minutes. For the game, we limited Troy Christian to one, maybe two, shots, none of which came in the second half. The post game talk focused on Anna, our next opponent. I'm not sure we played well enough to beat a confident Anna team tonight. Maybe we did? But, bottom line, we don't want to leave anything to chance. We want to go out and play hard, smart, quick soccer. At this point in the season, there are no take backs. No room for error. Do we have a team that can win any of the next five games? Sure. Do I expect to win the next five games? I'm not sure, but I do know that I expect to win every game on that day. We've proven all year that we can compete with the best. Anna presents a challenge for us, no doubt, but they aren't a team we shouldn't have an answer for and they aren't a team we should fear. I'll throw some fuel on the fire, however. Anna voted all six players in the north one through six and the players in the south (our two included) seven through twelve on all-star voting day. So, do they respect Preble Shawnee? It certainly doesn't seem that way. Our job Tuesday night is to make sure we leave that field having earned respect. We should respect every opponent because any team could beat us on any day, but with this Shawnee team especially, I have fear of no team. We haven't "laid an egg" this year. We've had no Newton 2, Preble Shawnee 1 type games. We've not played our best in every game, but we have not played poorly in any. Every game we did what we needed to do to win. Every game, we have come out ready to play. Anna will require 80+ from us, but I think we have it in us to do just that.
Overall Grade: C+ (C first half, B second half). Enough said above.
Game balls: Riane Woodard played a solid game, especially in half two. Olivia Rader played well wherever we put her, but really did a fine job locking down TC's best player on the wing.
I was a little bit concerned for several reasons. First, this is a Saturday game. I've never been a big Saturday game fan as you never really know what you are going to get. We have typically not been a Saturday game kind of team. Second, we already have played TC once this year and although we handled them fairly easily with a 3-0 win, they did have a few dangerous chances. Sometimes one goal is enough to give the other team enough confidence. Lastly, an most importantly, it is tournament time. One loss, one error, one "bad game", and you could see your season come to an end. Fortunately, the game pretty much went off without any major hitches. In the first twenty minutes or more, we really didn't play that well. Our spacing was not good pretty much all over the field - our inside mids were not balanced, our outside mids were getting too 'sucked into the middle', and our forward were not moving off the ball all that well. We scored our first goal of the half on an Alyssa Davidson shot. TC's back-up keeper made a mistake on the ball and pretty much gifted our first goal. Our second goal of the half came on a nice little bit of combination play that found Olivia Rader free in the box. She was fouled from behind and was awarded a penalty kick. Saylor Jewell stepped up and knocked goal number two home. At halftime, however, 2-0 was nothing we needed to be content about. We were one keeper save and a missed call away from being knotted up at zero. I urged the girls at halftime to correct our spacing issues and start moving with purpose. I didn't really care for our 'happy complacency' at half. We seemed too secure and I asked the girls to make sure the next forty were played with attitude that we had something to prove.
The second half was much better than the first. Granted we only scored two goals, as we did in half one, but our play was much better. Our spacing was solved and our movement off the ball was quality. Saylor Jewell scored a second goal shortly into half two and Jenna Lovely scored the fourth with ten or 15 to go on a nice through ball played by Abby Bulach. We also had a couple goals wiped off the board on some questionable calls, but in the end, it didn't matter much. We controlled the game for the second forty minutes. For the game, we limited Troy Christian to one, maybe two, shots, none of which came in the second half. The post game talk focused on Anna, our next opponent. I'm not sure we played well enough to beat a confident Anna team tonight. Maybe we did? But, bottom line, we don't want to leave anything to chance. We want to go out and play hard, smart, quick soccer. At this point in the season, there are no take backs. No room for error. Do we have a team that can win any of the next five games? Sure. Do I expect to win the next five games? I'm not sure, but I do know that I expect to win every game on that day. We've proven all year that we can compete with the best. Anna presents a challenge for us, no doubt, but they aren't a team we shouldn't have an answer for and they aren't a team we should fear. I'll throw some fuel on the fire, however. Anna voted all six players in the north one through six and the players in the south (our two included) seven through twelve on all-star voting day. So, do they respect Preble Shawnee? It certainly doesn't seem that way. Our job Tuesday night is to make sure we leave that field having earned respect. We should respect every opponent because any team could beat us on any day, but with this Shawnee team especially, I have fear of no team. We haven't "laid an egg" this year. We've had no Newton 2, Preble Shawnee 1 type games. We've not played our best in every game, but we have not played poorly in any. Every game we did what we needed to do to win. Every game, we have come out ready to play. Anna will require 80+ from us, but I think we have it in us to do just that.
Overall Grade: C+ (C first half, B second half). Enough said above.
Game balls: Riane Woodard played a solid game, especially in half two. Olivia Rader played well wherever we put her, but really did a fine job locking down TC's best player on the wing.
10/13 v Milton-Union
This was a very interesting and emotional game both on and off the field. First off, tonight was senior night. Pre-game, during announcements, we honored our six seniors: Sam Hodge, Mackenzie Howard, Riane Woodard, Hope Ballinger, Annilou Belvo, and Brooke Kiracofe. This senior class has been incredibly awesome. Despite their unique personalities and their stubborn and emotional approach to soccer (which more often than not much appreciated =), they were always unified in the goals of the team. The core group had their difference for sure, but they were always one uniform, goal-oriented work in progress. Of all senior groups, this is the only group who maintained "oneness" and I am even more appreciative of this fact than because of their differences. So, thanks to all of you seniors. You have been a fabulous group to work with. Game time.
Talk about starting slow. In the first 15 minutes, Milton scored twice on two shots. We failed to defend appropriately and I'll offer this excuse of an emotional pre-game ceremony. Not taking anything away from Milton, however, they capitalized on their chances. At no point in half one, or two for that matter, was I ever concerned about losing the ball game. Perhaps because it was a game that didn't really mean a whole lot to us in terms of the outcome, but more likely because I thought we played fairly hard and, for the most part, quite well throughout. At halftime, the score was 3-1 and 99.9% of the time if we are down by two goals at half, I am furious and ready to explode, but I didn't get that at all. The focus at halftime was to contain better when a Milton girl had the ball, step up a bit harder on 50-50 balls, but most importantly, continue doing what we were doing. We controlled most of the game in half one. Our attack was varied - we played quickly forward, played out wide, played negatively, built with numbers. The only issue was that we weren't really being creative enough in front of the goal. So, by halves end, it was 3-1 and Milton had a total of 4 shots. We had many more.
In half two, we played considerably better. We remained poised even though we got inside fifteen minutes and the deficit remained at two. Here is where it gets interesting. We earned two PKs in the last fifteen minutes of the game. I will not argue in defense of the officiating that night. It was not good either way. But, after watching the video clips many times, I see the calls going the same way. The first PK came off of a corner kick. Not one, but two Milton defenders leaned into Saylor Jewell's back for 4-5 yards as she ran toward the taken corner. She could not attempt a play on the ball because of the contact. PK number one. PK number two came when a ball was up in the air inside the penalty box. Saylor went straight up to get a ball. A Milton player completely cleaned her out from a negative angle and with elbows up. I know everyone from Milton would disagree with both calls, but both were fouls. If you are curious, I will gladly show the videos to anyone who wants to see them. I don't like earning a point this way, but it is what it is. Also, (trying not to sound defensive of the tie here), but I think we at least earned that much. We controlled most of the game. We limited Milton to 4 shots on goal total. We created many more dangerous opportunities. We looked like the better team. Again, no offense to Milton, they are a good team, but I stand by my belief that Preble Shawnee is just a bit better all around.
At the end of this regular season...
1. Congratulations.
2. 2nd place in a VERY tough league is not a bad (or really wanted) consolation prize. The only losses the top three teams had ALL SEASON were inside the SWBL! Think about that!
3. Thank you, thank you, thank you, seniors. You have been awesome.
4. 12-2-2 is the second best regular season finish we have ever had and this is the toughest schedule a Shawnee team has ever had. Not bad!
5. I look forward to what could and should be a deep and dangerous tournament run. If we get there, we will face a tough test in a sectional final game. If we get there, we will face a tough test in a district final game. The good news? If we can we a district final game, we can beat anyone in the state. no joke.
Overall Grade: B. I liked our varied movement and style on offense. I liked our shape in the back and middle minus the first fifteen minutes. I really like our poise as the game closed out. We did not panic. We kept being Shawnee and it turned out that was good enough... as most frequently it is and will be.
Game Balls: Jenna Lovely is on a role. I like every goal we score, but the three goals that are at the top of my list, she has been a part of all of them. The assist to Rader and the two flying kung-fu style goals against Madison and Milton. On top of those three goals, her work ethic and tenacity are unparalleled. Abby Bulach continues to not only be EVERYWHERE at once, but has a wonderful eye at distributing in tight spaces. It is something that this team desperately needs moving forward. Broken record alert: Riane Woodard definitely picked it up in half two, maintained (sort of) her poise in a tense, physical game and started distributing like we need her to. Congrats to Saylor Jewell who has now scored in every game this season and has the season goal scoring record at Shawnee.
Tournament Time!!
This was a very interesting and emotional game both on and off the field. First off, tonight was senior night. Pre-game, during announcements, we honored our six seniors: Sam Hodge, Mackenzie Howard, Riane Woodard, Hope Ballinger, Annilou Belvo, and Brooke Kiracofe. This senior class has been incredibly awesome. Despite their unique personalities and their stubborn and emotional approach to soccer (which more often than not much appreciated =), they were always unified in the goals of the team. The core group had their difference for sure, but they were always one uniform, goal-oriented work in progress. Of all senior groups, this is the only group who maintained "oneness" and I am even more appreciative of this fact than because of their differences. So, thanks to all of you seniors. You have been a fabulous group to work with. Game time.
Talk about starting slow. In the first 15 minutes, Milton scored twice on two shots. We failed to defend appropriately and I'll offer this excuse of an emotional pre-game ceremony. Not taking anything away from Milton, however, they capitalized on their chances. At no point in half one, or two for that matter, was I ever concerned about losing the ball game. Perhaps because it was a game that didn't really mean a whole lot to us in terms of the outcome, but more likely because I thought we played fairly hard and, for the most part, quite well throughout. At halftime, the score was 3-1 and 99.9% of the time if we are down by two goals at half, I am furious and ready to explode, but I didn't get that at all. The focus at halftime was to contain better when a Milton girl had the ball, step up a bit harder on 50-50 balls, but most importantly, continue doing what we were doing. We controlled most of the game in half one. Our attack was varied - we played quickly forward, played out wide, played negatively, built with numbers. The only issue was that we weren't really being creative enough in front of the goal. So, by halves end, it was 3-1 and Milton had a total of 4 shots. We had many more.
In half two, we played considerably better. We remained poised even though we got inside fifteen minutes and the deficit remained at two. Here is where it gets interesting. We earned two PKs in the last fifteen minutes of the game. I will not argue in defense of the officiating that night. It was not good either way. But, after watching the video clips many times, I see the calls going the same way. The first PK came off of a corner kick. Not one, but two Milton defenders leaned into Saylor Jewell's back for 4-5 yards as she ran toward the taken corner. She could not attempt a play on the ball because of the contact. PK number one. PK number two came when a ball was up in the air inside the penalty box. Saylor went straight up to get a ball. A Milton player completely cleaned her out from a negative angle and with elbows up. I know everyone from Milton would disagree with both calls, but both were fouls. If you are curious, I will gladly show the videos to anyone who wants to see them. I don't like earning a point this way, but it is what it is. Also, (trying not to sound defensive of the tie here), but I think we at least earned that much. We controlled most of the game. We limited Milton to 4 shots on goal total. We created many more dangerous opportunities. We looked like the better team. Again, no offense to Milton, they are a good team, but I stand by my belief that Preble Shawnee is just a bit better all around.
At the end of this regular season...
1. Congratulations.
2. 2nd place in a VERY tough league is not a bad (or really wanted) consolation prize. The only losses the top three teams had ALL SEASON were inside the SWBL! Think about that!
3. Thank you, thank you, thank you, seniors. You have been awesome.
4. 12-2-2 is the second best regular season finish we have ever had and this is the toughest schedule a Shawnee team has ever had. Not bad!
5. I look forward to what could and should be a deep and dangerous tournament run. If we get there, we will face a tough test in a sectional final game. If we get there, we will face a tough test in a district final game. The good news? If we can we a district final game, we can beat anyone in the state. no joke.
Overall Grade: B. I liked our varied movement and style on offense. I liked our shape in the back and middle minus the first fifteen minutes. I really like our poise as the game closed out. We did not panic. We kept being Shawnee and it turned out that was good enough... as most frequently it is and will be.
Game Balls: Jenna Lovely is on a role. I like every goal we score, but the three goals that are at the top of my list, she has been a part of all of them. The assist to Rader and the two flying kung-fu style goals against Madison and Milton. On top of those three goals, her work ethic and tenacity are unparalleled. Abby Bulach continues to not only be EVERYWHERE at once, but has a wonderful eye at distributing in tight spaces. It is something that this team desperately needs moving forward. Broken record alert: Riane Woodard definitely picked it up in half two, maintained (sort of) her poise in a tense, physical game and started distributing like we need her to. Congrats to Saylor Jewell who has now scored in every game this season and has the season goal scoring record at Shawnee.
Tournament Time!!
10/11 v Madison, 5-0W, 12-2-1
Madison was a very different team this time around. They seemed to play harder and were more physical, which we had been warned about. In the first half, we missed countless opportunities to score, however, by being offside or just plain unlucky. The problem was that we have been so "brainwashed" to possess and control the game flow, that often when the opportunity arises to play very direct, we pass up on that chance. Frequently tonight we would make 2, 3, 4 passes in the middle of the field because we could, but the better option was to play direct immediately. Those extra passes allowed Madison to pull defenders up and "catch" us offside. When we play the elite teams on our schedule, we must make extra passes in order to build offense with numbers. These elite teams NEVER play an offside trap. That's why we do not pull an offside trap. That's why Milton, Waynesville, Cincinnati Country Day, Fenwick do not play an offside trap. It's far too easy to beat with a simple pass. This may be a good game for us to realize that Preble Shawnee does not need to over-complicate things when we play. Sometimes the best option is to play direct and simple. For most of the first half, the game was pretty stale. We would possess, we would kick, we would be offside, we defended a bit. Repeat. Near the end of the first half, we scored a second goal and the game began to get a bit chippy and we stooped to that level. It got in our heads. At halftime, the biggest focus was to play smart, hard, good, clean soccer and just be a better team. Stay level headed and keep a clear head. The second stressed point was to start playing more direct and more quickly direct.
In the second half, our requests were pretty much granted. We played a lot more effectively - that is, we played a style that was better suited to beating a team like Madison. Several times in half two, Madison seemed to stop playing because they were relying on an offsides call that never came. Again, another reason for us not to rely on an offside whistle. For every three offsides calls you might get, you are giving away one breakaway. That's what we capitalized on for much of the second half. We scored a few on breakaways and we held more possession in the attacking third of the field. We ended up scoring three in the second half. The stat line for the game is as follows: Saylor Jewell (2g, 1a), Alyssa Davidson (2g, 1a), Abby Bulach (2a), Olivia Rader (1g), Logan Hollon (1a). A couple quick notes about the goals tonight... My favorite was Olivia's goal, which was perpetuated by a ridiculous amount of hustle by Jenna Lovely who disrupted a defensive clearance, somehow beat the ball to the end line, and laid a nice 'bangu' ball back to Olivia Rader who tapped it home. Good stuff. Also, with the two goals scored by Saylor Jewell, she now holds the single season scoring record in Shawnee soccer history with 26 with a regular season game to go. Well done.
Now, Thursday is our last regular season game. The final game before a new, meaningful season begins. I want nothing more right now than to build momentum heading into the tournament, secure a lone spot at second place in a VERY tough league, and do so by honoring the seniors pre-game on what will be a moving senior night. We didn't win league. We were good enough. It's not exactly what we wanted, but this game Thursday night has a lot of important meaning to me as it should to you. It's the end of my final regular season as coach. It's the end of these wonderful seniors regular season careers at Preble Shawnee. It's a chance to earn respect in an area where evidently some schools in our area don't give to us. It's a chance to secure second in league. It's a chance to get ready for what should be a very deep run into the state tournament. No let downs. End this chapter well and get ready for a new one.
Overall Grade: C. Not great. Not hateful. Lots of things could have been done more quickly to make us more dangerous. Cooler heads should have prevailed. But, we possessed well for the most part. We recorded consecutive shutout number five. We corrected most of our first half blunders.
Game Balls: Jenna Lovely. Hard work pays off, especially when we needed to sit two yellow cards for most of the first half. Alyssa Davidson played what I think is her best game of the year, not only netting 2 goals and 1 assist, but holding possession and distributing well up top. Well played. Riane Woodard definitely picked it up in half two, maintained her poise in a tense, physical game and started distributing like we need her to.
Madison was a very different team this time around. They seemed to play harder and were more physical, which we had been warned about. In the first half, we missed countless opportunities to score, however, by being offside or just plain unlucky. The problem was that we have been so "brainwashed" to possess and control the game flow, that often when the opportunity arises to play very direct, we pass up on that chance. Frequently tonight we would make 2, 3, 4 passes in the middle of the field because we could, but the better option was to play direct immediately. Those extra passes allowed Madison to pull defenders up and "catch" us offside. When we play the elite teams on our schedule, we must make extra passes in order to build offense with numbers. These elite teams NEVER play an offside trap. That's why we do not pull an offside trap. That's why Milton, Waynesville, Cincinnati Country Day, Fenwick do not play an offside trap. It's far too easy to beat with a simple pass. This may be a good game for us to realize that Preble Shawnee does not need to over-complicate things when we play. Sometimes the best option is to play direct and simple. For most of the first half, the game was pretty stale. We would possess, we would kick, we would be offside, we defended a bit. Repeat. Near the end of the first half, we scored a second goal and the game began to get a bit chippy and we stooped to that level. It got in our heads. At halftime, the biggest focus was to play smart, hard, good, clean soccer and just be a better team. Stay level headed and keep a clear head. The second stressed point was to start playing more direct and more quickly direct.
In the second half, our requests were pretty much granted. We played a lot more effectively - that is, we played a style that was better suited to beating a team like Madison. Several times in half two, Madison seemed to stop playing because they were relying on an offsides call that never came. Again, another reason for us not to rely on an offside whistle. For every three offsides calls you might get, you are giving away one breakaway. That's what we capitalized on for much of the second half. We scored a few on breakaways and we held more possession in the attacking third of the field. We ended up scoring three in the second half. The stat line for the game is as follows: Saylor Jewell (2g, 1a), Alyssa Davidson (2g, 1a), Abby Bulach (2a), Olivia Rader (1g), Logan Hollon (1a). A couple quick notes about the goals tonight... My favorite was Olivia's goal, which was perpetuated by a ridiculous amount of hustle by Jenna Lovely who disrupted a defensive clearance, somehow beat the ball to the end line, and laid a nice 'bangu' ball back to Olivia Rader who tapped it home. Good stuff. Also, with the two goals scored by Saylor Jewell, she now holds the single season scoring record in Shawnee soccer history with 26 with a regular season game to go. Well done.
Now, Thursday is our last regular season game. The final game before a new, meaningful season begins. I want nothing more right now than to build momentum heading into the tournament, secure a lone spot at second place in a VERY tough league, and do so by honoring the seniors pre-game on what will be a moving senior night. We didn't win league. We were good enough. It's not exactly what we wanted, but this game Thursday night has a lot of important meaning to me as it should to you. It's the end of my final regular season as coach. It's the end of these wonderful seniors regular season careers at Preble Shawnee. It's a chance to earn respect in an area where evidently some schools in our area don't give to us. It's a chance to secure second in league. It's a chance to get ready for what should be a very deep run into the state tournament. No let downs. End this chapter well and get ready for a new one.
Overall Grade: C. Not great. Not hateful. Lots of things could have been done more quickly to make us more dangerous. Cooler heads should have prevailed. But, we possessed well for the most part. We recorded consecutive shutout number five. We corrected most of our first half blunders.
Game Balls: Jenna Lovely. Hard work pays off, especially when we needed to sit two yellow cards for most of the first half. Alyssa Davidson played what I think is her best game of the year, not only netting 2 goals and 1 assist, but holding possession and distributing well up top. Well played. Riane Woodard definitely picked it up in half two, maintained her poise in a tense, physical game and started distributing like we need her to.
10/10 v Dixie, 9-0W, 11-2-1
We know what we get coming in with Dixie. I thought they Greyhounds played a little harder this time around than last, but when you outmatch a team as we did tonight, regardless of the opponents efforts, it is quite easy to not play great, meaningful soccer. We didn't play great soccer, but I definitely applaud our ability to stretch out a game and keep the score from really running away from us. We passed a ball fairly well and we looked to spread them out before throwing numbers forward. Even when I subbed in a bunch of inexperienced players, we still managed to hold possession and spread the ball over the entire field. This in itself is quite a compliment to our soccer maturity. Many teams do not know how to do this in a game like this so I am proud of our efforts here. The two best things that came from tonight were two-fold. The first was our wealth of playing time for everyone. All players played a minimum of eight minutes, most twenty. Our core 12-13 probably average 40-50 minutes total. So, by the end of the game and at the start of a three game week, all legs should be fresh for our next two match-ups. Second, we came out relatively healthy. We have a few players who are a little dinged-up and this limited time will prove to be quite helpful. Our goal this week is to build momentum heading into the tournament. We want and need three wins this week and each game gets progressively more difficult. We travel to Madison tomorrow. They are athletic enough to not be push-overs. We need to make sure we stay right between the ears. I firmly believe that the only way this team has a let down from here on out is if we have a game where we mentally are not "in it" for the required 80-minutes. Madison can hurt us if we aren't ready to play for 80-minutes. Then, on Thursday, we have a showdown for second in the league. With a win or a tie against Milton (assuming things go as planned Tuesday), we secure second place in a very tough league. Not exactly what we wanted, but it's better than third! So, we got what we needed tonight - a win and a healthier team. Tomorrow, we need to show up and take care of business. Thursday, we need to close out the regular season with a bang.
Scoring tonight for the Arrows were: Saylor Jewell (3g), Alyssa Davidson (2g, 1a), Riane Woodard (2a), Brooke Kiracofe (2a), Brenna Woodard (1g), Nicole Sims (1g), Olivia Rader (1g), Hope Ballinger (1g), and Logan Hollon (1a).
Overall Grade: C+
Game Balls: Hope Ballinger, two great shots, one very nice goal. Well played defensively, too. Jenna Lovely - hard work as always and the one player tonight who consistently won the 50/50 challenges despite the lack of urgency on the field by most.
We know what we get coming in with Dixie. I thought they Greyhounds played a little harder this time around than last, but when you outmatch a team as we did tonight, regardless of the opponents efforts, it is quite easy to not play great, meaningful soccer. We didn't play great soccer, but I definitely applaud our ability to stretch out a game and keep the score from really running away from us. We passed a ball fairly well and we looked to spread them out before throwing numbers forward. Even when I subbed in a bunch of inexperienced players, we still managed to hold possession and spread the ball over the entire field. This in itself is quite a compliment to our soccer maturity. Many teams do not know how to do this in a game like this so I am proud of our efforts here. The two best things that came from tonight were two-fold. The first was our wealth of playing time for everyone. All players played a minimum of eight minutes, most twenty. Our core 12-13 probably average 40-50 minutes total. So, by the end of the game and at the start of a three game week, all legs should be fresh for our next two match-ups. Second, we came out relatively healthy. We have a few players who are a little dinged-up and this limited time will prove to be quite helpful. Our goal this week is to build momentum heading into the tournament. We want and need three wins this week and each game gets progressively more difficult. We travel to Madison tomorrow. They are athletic enough to not be push-overs. We need to make sure we stay right between the ears. I firmly believe that the only way this team has a let down from here on out is if we have a game where we mentally are not "in it" for the required 80-minutes. Madison can hurt us if we aren't ready to play for 80-minutes. Then, on Thursday, we have a showdown for second in the league. With a win or a tie against Milton (assuming things go as planned Tuesday), we secure second place in a very tough league. Not exactly what we wanted, but it's better than third! So, we got what we needed tonight - a win and a healthier team. Tomorrow, we need to show up and take care of business. Thursday, we need to close out the regular season with a bang.
Scoring tonight for the Arrows were: Saylor Jewell (3g), Alyssa Davidson (2g, 1a), Riane Woodard (2a), Brooke Kiracofe (2a), Brenna Woodard (1g), Nicole Sims (1g), Olivia Rader (1g), Hope Ballinger (1g), and Logan Hollon (1a).
Overall Grade: C+
Game Balls: Hope Ballinger, two great shots, one very nice goal. Well played defensively, too. Jenna Lovely - hard work as always and the one player tonight who consistently won the 50/50 challenges despite the lack of urgency on the field by most.
10/6 v Xenia Christain, 4-0W, 10-2-1
Well, after the game was over, my interview with the Register-Herald writer kind of took him by surprise. My comments were almost entirely negative, but he, as did most other people that watched the game, considered our performance to be a dominant one. On the scoreboard, it sort of looks that way, but we did not show that flare and "umph" that I have seen recently from our team. We scored four, none of which was excessively well-constructed. We did pass a ball around (more like "dinked" it around) well, but once we got within 30-35 yards from goal, we lacked that killer instinct that we so desperately need. It's almost as if we are now content to just hold possession. I'm not sure if we are brain-washed or just over-emphasizing holding on to a ball... I'm not sure, but we looked complacent off the ball. There were not many dangerous runs being made, we looked backward first instead of forward, and we played like we needed an invitation to shoot and score. We also lacked aggressiveness, especially on the 50-50 balls. I told someone prior to the game, that this team, unlike any other that I have coached, has been consistent from start to finish in every game thus far. Sure, we had games where we didn't play all that well (Newton, first Waynesville game, Eaton), but our effort was commendable. Tonight, despite the win, I don't believe that it was. We had a few players that played well, namely our sophomores, but overall, it was just kind of... boring soccer? I appreciate the win over a decent team, but this kind of play will not be enough to make a deep run in the tourney. Hopefully, this effort was just a one and down and it is water under the bridge. Scoring for the Arrows were Saylor Jewell, Brenna Woodard, Nicole Sims, and Cami Hollon. The shutout in goal was split between Annilou Belvo and Brooke Kiracofe.
Overall Grade: D+
Game Balls: Nicole Sims should get two. She played really well and has been a pillar of consistency throughout the season. Brenna Woodard and Abby Bulach also carried their weight in the midfield today.
Well, after the game was over, my interview with the Register-Herald writer kind of took him by surprise. My comments were almost entirely negative, but he, as did most other people that watched the game, considered our performance to be a dominant one. On the scoreboard, it sort of looks that way, but we did not show that flare and "umph" that I have seen recently from our team. We scored four, none of which was excessively well-constructed. We did pass a ball around (more like "dinked" it around) well, but once we got within 30-35 yards from goal, we lacked that killer instinct that we so desperately need. It's almost as if we are now content to just hold possession. I'm not sure if we are brain-washed or just over-emphasizing holding on to a ball... I'm not sure, but we looked complacent off the ball. There were not many dangerous runs being made, we looked backward first instead of forward, and we played like we needed an invitation to shoot and score. We also lacked aggressiveness, especially on the 50-50 balls. I told someone prior to the game, that this team, unlike any other that I have coached, has been consistent from start to finish in every game thus far. Sure, we had games where we didn't play all that well (Newton, first Waynesville game, Eaton), but our effort was commendable. Tonight, despite the win, I don't believe that it was. We had a few players that played well, namely our sophomores, but overall, it was just kind of... boring soccer? I appreciate the win over a decent team, but this kind of play will not be enough to make a deep run in the tourney. Hopefully, this effort was just a one and down and it is water under the bridge. Scoring for the Arrows were Saylor Jewell, Brenna Woodard, Nicole Sims, and Cami Hollon. The shutout in goal was split between Annilou Belvo and Brooke Kiracofe.
Overall Grade: D+
Game Balls: Nicole Sims should get two. She played really well and has been a pillar of consistency throughout the season. Brenna Woodard and Abby Bulach also carried their weight in the midfield today.
10/3 v Bishop Fenwick, 3-0W, 9-2-1
Bishop Fenwick is having a tough run of it this year with an un-Fenwick type record of 2-7-2 now, but this in no way diminishes the danger that they pose as an opponent or the quality of the opponent that they are. They have close games with just about everyone on their schedule and their schedule consists of some of the best teams in the Cincinnati and Miami Valley area. To name a few, they lost to McNick (#1 in state, D2), LC (#3 in state, D3), and Carroll (#8 in state, D2) each by just one goal. They handed a 10-1 Monroe team their only defeat.
Before the game started, I sensed a bit of... lethargy? It was odd because I don't recall seeing that level of/lack of energy before a game. Fortunately, once the whistle blew, we were anything but lethargic. We looked pretty good for about 5-10 minutes and then fell into a boring funk between the 30-yard lines where no team really presented much danger. In the last 12-15 minutes we found a comfort zone and started settling in. Saylor Jewell scored the first goal of the match with a fairly lucky shot that glanced off of a defenders shoulder and into the side netting. I say lucky in that, after the deflection the ball really could have went anywhere. The shot itself was not lucky. It was very well struck. The assist here went to Nicole Sims. The half ended with PS up 1-0. The only major threat for Fenwick mustered came off of a couple of corner kicks they earned about half way through the half. One of the focuses that we had was to limit their chances on restarts. We knew that they would be very good and organized on set pieces and we needed to defend them well. We did that.
At halftime, the demand was to play hard in half two. We didn't do much right in half one other than play hard and work hard. I was hoping the rest would fall in place, but we were a bit stale on our passing and movement off the ball. We needed to correct this in half two if we wanted to secure a win. Half two was really an incredible piece of work if I do say so myself. I'm not sure if Fenwick got flat or we just played that well - it might be a combination of the two. This was easily the best half of total soccer we have played all year. Not only did we play hard, as we did in the tie versus Cincinnati Country Day, but we also moved off the ball well and passed well - and all at a QUICK PACE!!! The pace of play and decision making we showed in half two was darn near perfect. I can count on one hand the number of errant passes. We followed the game plan to a tee in half two for the most part. I feel like if we play the way we do for 80-minutes against any team in D3, we will not just "compete" but have a more than fair chance at winning the game. I do not say this lightly, however, because a lot of pressure comes with such great expectations. With the tie versus CCD and the 2nd half performance tonight versus Fenwick, I am prepared for those expectations. I think we will meet them with flying colors. And... by the way, Saylor Jewell picked up two second half goals with assists going to Abby Bulach and Jenna Lovely. Both goals were really good combinations of passing and finishing.
Overall Grade: B+ (C+ in half one, A- in half two)
Games Balls: I'm handing them out all over the place today! The girls who found themselves in the back three (Hope, Logan, Ashton, Liv) were fabulous all night and I was especially excited to see the outside defenders start to play a key role in possessing on offense. Awesome! Any combination of Bailey, Riane, Abby, Liv, and Brenna at inside mid. After a fairly disjointed first half, our space was exceptional and our quick, interior passing was great. The best combinations I've seen to date. Our outside mids - Nicole, Brenna, Jenna, Liv, Annilou - were intelligently defending. A HUGE key to our success was the decisions the outside mids made defensively. I cannot count any times where we pressured when we shouldn't have and laid back when we should have pressured. This is absolutely remarkable because it is so incredibly tough to make those decisions. Jenna, Brenna, and Nicole deserve special commendations for their split second decisions defensively tonight! Our forwards - Saylor, Alyssa, Brenna, Liv - worked very hard tonight. Part of our game plan was to pursue their back third possession like "rabid dogs". Because our forwards did this, we were able to sag our outside mids back more and allow them NOT to have to run so much. Our forwards are to be praised not only for their possession and pace of play, but also, and probably more importantly to our success, for their high pressure in big spaces. This is a tough job, but they did really well.
We face Xenia Christian (aka Legacy Christian Academy) on Thursday. This is a game we should approach with lots of fire and after a much needed deep breath after a run of tough games. Although we have beaten them each of the last several years, it has never been an easy go of it. We tend to have a hard time scoring, for whatever reason, and we cannot afford any slip-ups/set-backs at this point in the year. We need to keep the momentum rolling forward. And, remember, they did tie Waynesville this year 0-0, so we better stick with our game plan, stay focused, and come out with intent and purpose if we want a win.
PS. I will trek back and write comments for the games I missed. Sorry!
Bishop Fenwick is having a tough run of it this year with an un-Fenwick type record of 2-7-2 now, but this in no way diminishes the danger that they pose as an opponent or the quality of the opponent that they are. They have close games with just about everyone on their schedule and their schedule consists of some of the best teams in the Cincinnati and Miami Valley area. To name a few, they lost to McNick (#1 in state, D2), LC (#3 in state, D3), and Carroll (#8 in state, D2) each by just one goal. They handed a 10-1 Monroe team their only defeat.
Before the game started, I sensed a bit of... lethargy? It was odd because I don't recall seeing that level of/lack of energy before a game. Fortunately, once the whistle blew, we were anything but lethargic. We looked pretty good for about 5-10 minutes and then fell into a boring funk between the 30-yard lines where no team really presented much danger. In the last 12-15 minutes we found a comfort zone and started settling in. Saylor Jewell scored the first goal of the match with a fairly lucky shot that glanced off of a defenders shoulder and into the side netting. I say lucky in that, after the deflection the ball really could have went anywhere. The shot itself was not lucky. It was very well struck. The assist here went to Nicole Sims. The half ended with PS up 1-0. The only major threat for Fenwick mustered came off of a couple of corner kicks they earned about half way through the half. One of the focuses that we had was to limit their chances on restarts. We knew that they would be very good and organized on set pieces and we needed to defend them well. We did that.
At halftime, the demand was to play hard in half two. We didn't do much right in half one other than play hard and work hard. I was hoping the rest would fall in place, but we were a bit stale on our passing and movement off the ball. We needed to correct this in half two if we wanted to secure a win. Half two was really an incredible piece of work if I do say so myself. I'm not sure if Fenwick got flat or we just played that well - it might be a combination of the two. This was easily the best half of total soccer we have played all year. Not only did we play hard, as we did in the tie versus Cincinnati Country Day, but we also moved off the ball well and passed well - and all at a QUICK PACE!!! The pace of play and decision making we showed in half two was darn near perfect. I can count on one hand the number of errant passes. We followed the game plan to a tee in half two for the most part. I feel like if we play the way we do for 80-minutes against any team in D3, we will not just "compete" but have a more than fair chance at winning the game. I do not say this lightly, however, because a lot of pressure comes with such great expectations. With the tie versus CCD and the 2nd half performance tonight versus Fenwick, I am prepared for those expectations. I think we will meet them with flying colors. And... by the way, Saylor Jewell picked up two second half goals with assists going to Abby Bulach and Jenna Lovely. Both goals were really good combinations of passing and finishing.
Overall Grade: B+ (C+ in half one, A- in half two)
Games Balls: I'm handing them out all over the place today! The girls who found themselves in the back three (Hope, Logan, Ashton, Liv) were fabulous all night and I was especially excited to see the outside defenders start to play a key role in possessing on offense. Awesome! Any combination of Bailey, Riane, Abby, Liv, and Brenna at inside mid. After a fairly disjointed first half, our space was exceptional and our quick, interior passing was great. The best combinations I've seen to date. Our outside mids - Nicole, Brenna, Jenna, Liv, Annilou - were intelligently defending. A HUGE key to our success was the decisions the outside mids made defensively. I cannot count any times where we pressured when we shouldn't have and laid back when we should have pressured. This is absolutely remarkable because it is so incredibly tough to make those decisions. Jenna, Brenna, and Nicole deserve special commendations for their split second decisions defensively tonight! Our forwards - Saylor, Alyssa, Brenna, Liv - worked very hard tonight. Part of our game plan was to pursue their back third possession like "rabid dogs". Because our forwards did this, we were able to sag our outside mids back more and allow them NOT to have to run so much. Our forwards are to be praised not only for their possession and pace of play, but also, and probably more importantly to our success, for their high pressure in big spaces. This is a tough job, but they did really well.
We face Xenia Christian (aka Legacy Christian Academy) on Thursday. This is a game we should approach with lots of fire and after a much needed deep breath after a run of tough games. Although we have beaten them each of the last several years, it has never been an easy go of it. We tend to have a hard time scoring, for whatever reason, and we cannot afford any slip-ups/set-backs at this point in the year. We need to keep the momentum rolling forward. And, remember, they did tie Waynesville this year 0-0, so we better stick with our game plan, stay focused, and come out with intent and purpose if we want a win.
PS. I will trek back and write comments for the games I missed. Sorry!
9/6 v Carlisle, 5-0W, 5-0-0
There are a couple things to take from this one. We'll discuss the negative first. We did not execute well, especially in the first half. We hard far too many unforced errors - errant passes, poor first touches. Another problem for a large percentage of the night was our lack of effort going to 50/50 balls. Thankfully, Carlisle didn't over-exert themselves on that front either, which is a good thing because, if they did, it might have been a much more highly contested first half. For whatever reason, we weren't really talking much on the field either. In fact, I'm not sure if I recall a whole lot of communication in any of our first five games. Perhaps I say too much on the sideline and you've assumed that responsibility is mine alone? In order for us to do what we do best - that is, possess a ball - we need to be relaxed and comfortable under pressure. We need to see the field proactively, not reactively. We need to be crisp in tight spaces. All of those things would be SO MUCH EASIER if we just talked to our teammates consistently (as well as look up and around as we are receiving passes and making runs). Those things were severely lacking for most of the eighty minutes of soccer. We also lost a bit of shape in the first twenty minutes of half one, especially in the midfield. I still can't figure that out, but we must trust me when I say that what best suits our team is the new formation we have been running since day one this year. We are skilled enough and smart enough that we should be able to flip formations on the fly or with a sub and not miss a beat. I'm not convinced we are there yet, but we certainly need to be.
The positives. Even though this might have been one of our worst performance in five regular season games, we still managed to pretty much dominate possession and opportunity against a team that has been on quite a roll to start the season. Carlisle at 5-1, with the only loss coming to Waynesville, has been scoring goals and apparently defending pretty well, too. There were also flashes in the second half of how we need to play to compete with the best in the state. When we are communicating and making the game simpler for our teammates, we are much more successful as a team. A few of the goals were wonderful little combination that were direct and executed in small spaces. We began to exploit the whole field, namely the corner flags in the offensive third. When we do the little things (which are actually the BIG things), we become a very dangerous team. But, for too much of the night, we failed to do those things which I have already mentioned above. Performances that I thought stood out tonight in a pretty lackluster game overall... Nicole Sims was a handful for anyone Indian when she had the ball or when she was defending. Saylor Jewell tormented the outside of the field pretty much at will and I like that our forwards have been changing up their runs a bit more. Ashton, Logan, and Hope continue to keep attackers in front of them, as well as Olivia when we moved her to the back line as well. Bottom line, I'm really glad weare 5-0 and now 3-0 in the league, but an overall performance like tonight will not be enough to win us league or push us deep into the state tournament. We need to get better every day, every game regardless of our opponent. We will put that to the test on Thursday versus Dixie. Play with purpose. Play with intent. Get better.
Overall Grade: C
Game Balls: Nicole Sims, Saylor Jewell, Ashton Collins, Logan Hollon.
There are a couple things to take from this one. We'll discuss the negative first. We did not execute well, especially in the first half. We hard far too many unforced errors - errant passes, poor first touches. Another problem for a large percentage of the night was our lack of effort going to 50/50 balls. Thankfully, Carlisle didn't over-exert themselves on that front either, which is a good thing because, if they did, it might have been a much more highly contested first half. For whatever reason, we weren't really talking much on the field either. In fact, I'm not sure if I recall a whole lot of communication in any of our first five games. Perhaps I say too much on the sideline and you've assumed that responsibility is mine alone? In order for us to do what we do best - that is, possess a ball - we need to be relaxed and comfortable under pressure. We need to see the field proactively, not reactively. We need to be crisp in tight spaces. All of those things would be SO MUCH EASIER if we just talked to our teammates consistently (as well as look up and around as we are receiving passes and making runs). Those things were severely lacking for most of the eighty minutes of soccer. We also lost a bit of shape in the first twenty minutes of half one, especially in the midfield. I still can't figure that out, but we must trust me when I say that what best suits our team is the new formation we have been running since day one this year. We are skilled enough and smart enough that we should be able to flip formations on the fly or with a sub and not miss a beat. I'm not convinced we are there yet, but we certainly need to be.
The positives. Even though this might have been one of our worst performance in five regular season games, we still managed to pretty much dominate possession and opportunity against a team that has been on quite a roll to start the season. Carlisle at 5-1, with the only loss coming to Waynesville, has been scoring goals and apparently defending pretty well, too. There were also flashes in the second half of how we need to play to compete with the best in the state. When we are communicating and making the game simpler for our teammates, we are much more successful as a team. A few of the goals were wonderful little combination that were direct and executed in small spaces. We began to exploit the whole field, namely the corner flags in the offensive third. When we do the little things (which are actually the BIG things), we become a very dangerous team. But, for too much of the night, we failed to do those things which I have already mentioned above. Performances that I thought stood out tonight in a pretty lackluster game overall... Nicole Sims was a handful for anyone Indian when she had the ball or when she was defending. Saylor Jewell tormented the outside of the field pretty much at will and I like that our forwards have been changing up their runs a bit more. Ashton, Logan, and Hope continue to keep attackers in front of them, as well as Olivia when we moved her to the back line as well. Bottom line, I'm really glad weare 5-0 and now 3-0 in the league, but an overall performance like tonight will not be enough to win us league or push us deep into the state tournament. We need to get better every day, every game regardless of our opponent. We will put that to the test on Thursday versus Dixie. Play with purpose. Play with intent. Get better.
Overall Grade: C
Game Balls: Nicole Sims, Saylor Jewell, Ashton Collins, Logan Hollon.
9/1 v Milton Union, 2-1W, 4-0-0
I am so glad this one is over. This has been a game that has been circled on our calendar for a full year. Our league is so competitive, especially with the emergence of Carlisle, who we face off against this Tuesday. Each game in our league feels like a must win game. The bottleneck for the top spot in our league is really a four way crap shoot right now. Milton has two excellent forwards. Waynesville is pretty solid all-around with a couple really good players in each position. Carlisle is healthy and young and hungry to prove that they belong at the top. And, Preble Shawnee may not be the most athletic of those four, most likely plays the best soccer of those four. We pride ourselves on possession, build-up, and creating opportunities through combination play. Most schools on our schedule I think are quick strike type teams with superior athletes. After playing Milton, I still believe that.
Milton is an incredibly athletic team. We knew going in that we must be wary of their two excellent forwards and solid goalkeeping. We got exactly what we expected. The two girls up top were certainly a handful and their keeper made some good saves to keep it close. She also managed an assist in the game... More on that later! In the first half, we weathered a few attempts by Milton before settling into what we do best. We began spreading the ball around, focusing on getting the ball wide to Nicole Sims and Brenna Woodard. We had several excellent chances attacking the wings as Nicole and Saylor threatened in the attacking third pretty much at will in the first half. Despite the danger we posed, we still had trouble finishing off those kinds of opportunities. We either played too deep which Milton's solid keeper gobbled up, or played too many across the end line to award Milton a goal kick. Fortunately, late in half one, we broke the 0-0 tie with a type of goal that we don't really have in our arsenal. Riane Woodard played a nice, long through ball out of the back and Saylor Jewell did the rest. Saylor wriggled her way about 40 yards downfield with a Milton defender in her hip pocket. She managed to get a shot off that beat the keeper to the near side top post. We went into half up 1-0.
At half, I was pleased with our play for the most part, but the danger of the quick transition goal was still a threat for Milton. We spoke mostly of limiting transition by dropping a midfield defender back deeper to run what turned out to be a 3-1-4-2 formation. At the beginning of the second half, the Milton keeper took a long punt that our central defender had to step up and play because our mids got pushed a bit too high. We misplayed it a bit and the race was on. Milton scored on a breakaway on a keeper punt. This CANNOT happen in the future. So far, three of the four goals we have surrendered have come in similar fashion. Long balls in transition that we didn't read properly. Thankfully this is an easy problem to fix and I do not expect it to be a problem moving forward. The rest of the second half was fairly uneventful as we created a few more dangerous opportunities than Milton, but overall, it was pretty even. For a lot of the half, I felt that we, especially Saylor Jewell, was getting fouled from behind when receiving the ball. Those fouls came to fruition when Milton was called for a shove in the back at the edge of the penalty box. We were rewarded a penalty kick. Bailey Downard hit the top crossbar and it rebounded back out into the field. Jenna Lovely got a foot on it and scored a goal to make it 2-1. Milton had a couple chances late that we defended and the game ended 2-1.
This was a HUGE league win that could have ended a lot of ways, but the bottom line is that we have started the season 4-0-0 and 2-0-0 in the league. We face a much improved and dangerous Carlisle team this Tuesday. It will also prove to be a very important game which is made more important in that Waynesville has already edged Carlisle in a close match-up earlier this week. Tonight was not our best soccer, but I felt that we played in such a manner that we willed ourselves into a victory. We wanted it and our hard work paid off. We certainly need to work on transitioning into our defense more efficiently and we definitely need to work on finishing off the many crosses we have sent in over the last four games. I truly feel like we could double our goal output if we could capitalize on our opportunities that we create as we build numbers coming out of the midfield. We have a nice long weekend to recuperate before Monday's practice. Tuesday will be yet another stiff test for our program, but it is a test that, if we play well and work hard, should be able to pass.
Overall Grade: B (with an A in heart)
Game Balls: Logan Hollon, Saylor "I Need an Ice Bath" Jewell
I am so glad this one is over. This has been a game that has been circled on our calendar for a full year. Our league is so competitive, especially with the emergence of Carlisle, who we face off against this Tuesday. Each game in our league feels like a must win game. The bottleneck for the top spot in our league is really a four way crap shoot right now. Milton has two excellent forwards. Waynesville is pretty solid all-around with a couple really good players in each position. Carlisle is healthy and young and hungry to prove that they belong at the top. And, Preble Shawnee may not be the most athletic of those four, most likely plays the best soccer of those four. We pride ourselves on possession, build-up, and creating opportunities through combination play. Most schools on our schedule I think are quick strike type teams with superior athletes. After playing Milton, I still believe that.
Milton is an incredibly athletic team. We knew going in that we must be wary of their two excellent forwards and solid goalkeeping. We got exactly what we expected. The two girls up top were certainly a handful and their keeper made some good saves to keep it close. She also managed an assist in the game... More on that later! In the first half, we weathered a few attempts by Milton before settling into what we do best. We began spreading the ball around, focusing on getting the ball wide to Nicole Sims and Brenna Woodard. We had several excellent chances attacking the wings as Nicole and Saylor threatened in the attacking third pretty much at will in the first half. Despite the danger we posed, we still had trouble finishing off those kinds of opportunities. We either played too deep which Milton's solid keeper gobbled up, or played too many across the end line to award Milton a goal kick. Fortunately, late in half one, we broke the 0-0 tie with a type of goal that we don't really have in our arsenal. Riane Woodard played a nice, long through ball out of the back and Saylor Jewell did the rest. Saylor wriggled her way about 40 yards downfield with a Milton defender in her hip pocket. She managed to get a shot off that beat the keeper to the near side top post. We went into half up 1-0.
At half, I was pleased with our play for the most part, but the danger of the quick transition goal was still a threat for Milton. We spoke mostly of limiting transition by dropping a midfield defender back deeper to run what turned out to be a 3-1-4-2 formation. At the beginning of the second half, the Milton keeper took a long punt that our central defender had to step up and play because our mids got pushed a bit too high. We misplayed it a bit and the race was on. Milton scored on a breakaway on a keeper punt. This CANNOT happen in the future. So far, three of the four goals we have surrendered have come in similar fashion. Long balls in transition that we didn't read properly. Thankfully this is an easy problem to fix and I do not expect it to be a problem moving forward. The rest of the second half was fairly uneventful as we created a few more dangerous opportunities than Milton, but overall, it was pretty even. For a lot of the half, I felt that we, especially Saylor Jewell, was getting fouled from behind when receiving the ball. Those fouls came to fruition when Milton was called for a shove in the back at the edge of the penalty box. We were rewarded a penalty kick. Bailey Downard hit the top crossbar and it rebounded back out into the field. Jenna Lovely got a foot on it and scored a goal to make it 2-1. Milton had a couple chances late that we defended and the game ended 2-1.
This was a HUGE league win that could have ended a lot of ways, but the bottom line is that we have started the season 4-0-0 and 2-0-0 in the league. We face a much improved and dangerous Carlisle team this Tuesday. It will also prove to be a very important game which is made more important in that Waynesville has already edged Carlisle in a close match-up earlier this week. Tonight was not our best soccer, but I felt that we played in such a manner that we willed ourselves into a victory. We wanted it and our hard work paid off. We certainly need to work on transitioning into our defense more efficiently and we definitely need to work on finishing off the many crosses we have sent in over the last four games. I truly feel like we could double our goal output if we could capitalize on our opportunities that we create as we build numbers coming out of the midfield. We have a nice long weekend to recuperate before Monday's practice. Tuesday will be yet another stiff test for our program, but it is a test that, if we play well and work hard, should be able to pass.
Overall Grade: B (with an A in heart)
Game Balls: Logan Hollon, Saylor "I Need an Ice Bath" Jewell
8/30 v Madison, 7-0W, 3-0-0
We started off the evening slow, as usual. Fortunately, it only lasted about four minutes. Between the 35:30 mark and the 30:30 mark we scored three quick, nice goals. Alyssa Davidson scored the first two goals of the match with assists going to Saylor Jewell and Nicole Sims. Brenna Woodard scored the third with an assist going to Bailey Downard. All three were similar in fashion. We pinged the ball around, created space behind their defenders and threaded a quick, short pass between two defenders. After the third goal, you could see the urgency kind of go by the wayside. We played the next twenty minutes in a state of lethargy. We played lots of long balls and abandoned what we do best when we play well. That is, short, quick passing and solid movement off the ball. We did score a "less-than-team" type goal when we played a long ball through the middle that Saylor Jewell scored on a nice, long pass from Riane Woodard.
At halftime, the conversation was about getting back to Shawnee form. The majority of the half was very boring and we were not playing with intent and purpose. I know it sounds nit-picky, but we always have to become better and for most of the half, we were not getting better. I stressed with them that this is a long week. If we continued playing long we were going to sprint, recover, sprint, recover. Repeat. We could not afford to play like this with a huge league match-up versus Milton Union on Thursday. So, our goal was to get back to short passing with short movement off the ball. The second half was wonderful.
In the second half, we played the best soccer of the season. We scored quickly from a long shot from Bailey Downard at the 37 minute mark. We continued to work possession and attack in tight spaces. This is something we MUST be good at when we play the tougher teams on our schedule. Alyssa Davidson assisted a Brenna Woodard goal with 28 remaining and Abby Bulach assisted a Saylor Jewell goal. With 16 minutes left in the game, the game was called because of lighting in the area. The final score was 7-0.
Overall, I was pleased with our team performance. The question I had after the game was, is Madison just not very good or are we capable of being that good. I honestly believe that Madison is a pretty good team. Their defensive shape is better than last year. They've added some skilled freshmen to a group of players that have some skill. The best thing about tonight was that we made what I thought (and still think) was a dangerous team that has been scoring quite a few goals a complete non-threat. That is directly related to how dominant of a team that we can be. We will certainly put our team to the test in a huge league match-up this Thursday at Milton-Union.
Overall Grade: B (with several flashes of A)
Game Ball: Alyssa Davidson, Saylor Jewell, Hope Ballinger, Ashton Collins
We started off the evening slow, as usual. Fortunately, it only lasted about four minutes. Between the 35:30 mark and the 30:30 mark we scored three quick, nice goals. Alyssa Davidson scored the first two goals of the match with assists going to Saylor Jewell and Nicole Sims. Brenna Woodard scored the third with an assist going to Bailey Downard. All three were similar in fashion. We pinged the ball around, created space behind their defenders and threaded a quick, short pass between two defenders. After the third goal, you could see the urgency kind of go by the wayside. We played the next twenty minutes in a state of lethargy. We played lots of long balls and abandoned what we do best when we play well. That is, short, quick passing and solid movement off the ball. We did score a "less-than-team" type goal when we played a long ball through the middle that Saylor Jewell scored on a nice, long pass from Riane Woodard.
At halftime, the conversation was about getting back to Shawnee form. The majority of the half was very boring and we were not playing with intent and purpose. I know it sounds nit-picky, but we always have to become better and for most of the half, we were not getting better. I stressed with them that this is a long week. If we continued playing long we were going to sprint, recover, sprint, recover. Repeat. We could not afford to play like this with a huge league match-up versus Milton Union on Thursday. So, our goal was to get back to short passing with short movement off the ball. The second half was wonderful.
In the second half, we played the best soccer of the season. We scored quickly from a long shot from Bailey Downard at the 37 minute mark. We continued to work possession and attack in tight spaces. This is something we MUST be good at when we play the tougher teams on our schedule. Alyssa Davidson assisted a Brenna Woodard goal with 28 remaining and Abby Bulach assisted a Saylor Jewell goal. With 16 minutes left in the game, the game was called because of lighting in the area. The final score was 7-0.
Overall, I was pleased with our team performance. The question I had after the game was, is Madison just not very good or are we capable of being that good. I honestly believe that Madison is a pretty good team. Their defensive shape is better than last year. They've added some skilled freshmen to a group of players that have some skill. The best thing about tonight was that we made what I thought (and still think) was a dangerous team that has been scoring quite a few goals a complete non-threat. That is directly related to how dominant of a team that we can be. We will certainly put our team to the test in a huge league match-up this Thursday at Milton-Union.
Overall Grade: B (with several flashes of A)
Game Ball: Alyssa Davidson, Saylor Jewell, Hope Ballinger, Ashton Collins
8/29 v Newton, 5-2W, 2-0-0
Oh my. This was an interesting game. Competitive. Physical. A bit of back and forth. Simple errors. Spectacular play.
We started the game slow. After having an early chance, we allowed Newton to counter us seven minutes in and we found ourselves down 1-0 for the second game in a row. The first goal scored was a two-fold error. Our midfielders got caught flat forward and allowed a Newton midfielder to dribble thirty yards uncontested down the middle of the field from the defensive third to the midfield. Problem number one. Problem number two, we got isolated in a 1v1 foot race against their forward and couldn't close space. The Newton forward made a nice chip shot that sailed over our keeper's head and into the goal. Just as we did in the Eaton game, we made a substitution about fifteen minutes in and all of the sudden, we found ourselves back in firm control. Those subs entailed moving Bailey Downard and Abby Bulach into the midfield. At this point we pretty much dominated play through the middle. Our possession was good and we won the majority of 50/50 balls. With 13:37 remaining in half number one, Brenna Woodard scored her first goal of the season to bring the score to 1-1. Goal two for PS came minutes later when Bailey played a perfect ball over the defenders that Saylor finished off on a break-away. Unfortunately, we had a second mental lapse when we failed to gather the ball in on a shot and an unmarked outside mid tapped it in with a header. We went into half 2-2.
In the second half, we pretty much dominated from start to finish although we were a little clumsy in the attacking third. We spent much of the second half taking shots directly at the keeper (although she did make 3-4 really nice saves) and failing to get on the end of multiple crosses into the box. At the twenty-five minute mark, Saylor served a ball across the box and Jenna finished off an ESPN-type highlight goal with a full volley on the back post. The game stayed 3-2 until the final ten minutes. During that time, I was moderately pleased with our soccer performance. We definitely dominated 50/50 balls, much like Eaton, but our possession was a 'bit' better, too. Again, however, we were a little inconsistent in the final third and at times our midfield shape was not good. But, at least, it was better than the first half and this allowed us to really limit any dangerous chance Newton might get. In the final ten minutes we were able to breathe a little easier when Saylor Jewell finished off two more chances with assists from Alyssa Davidson and Abby Bulach. I also should mention that our back three, sometimes four (Hope, Olivia, Logan, Ashton), played a much more solid second half.
All-in-all, the game was physical on both ends and a little 'chippy', but never dangerously aggressive or flagrant. I thought the players handled themselves well in a game that could have gotten way out of hand. A note to players, parents, fans, and myself... we always must have a unified effort to achieve our team goals, which does not include giving the officials a hard time regardless of how we may feel he/she are doing their job. Bottom line, I can promise that the official will never lose a game for us. If we lose and the official was, in our eyes, unjust, we probably could have done more during the game to win. Period. So, all of us, focus on what is important - encouragement, correcting our own errors, hard work, game planning, and mental preparation.
We open up league play tomorrow night versus what is believed to be a much improved Madison team. I'm guessing we will not be gifted a bunch of goals like we were last year, but instead will have to create opportunities to score. We also need to be aware of the talent Madison has up top. With the addition of a couple of skilled freshmen in combination with some returning skill, we need to be prepared to defend well, too. A new season is upon us and starting strong is way more important than anything we've done to this point. The slow starts, the lack of shape, the mental lapses need to stop now. If they don'I fear that we will find ourselves at the losing end of a game when it really matters. We must be ready to play and win. 80+
Overall Grade: B-
Game Balls: Sayju, Abby Feet, and "Blender" Downard
Oh my. This was an interesting game. Competitive. Physical. A bit of back and forth. Simple errors. Spectacular play.
We started the game slow. After having an early chance, we allowed Newton to counter us seven minutes in and we found ourselves down 1-0 for the second game in a row. The first goal scored was a two-fold error. Our midfielders got caught flat forward and allowed a Newton midfielder to dribble thirty yards uncontested down the middle of the field from the defensive third to the midfield. Problem number one. Problem number two, we got isolated in a 1v1 foot race against their forward and couldn't close space. The Newton forward made a nice chip shot that sailed over our keeper's head and into the goal. Just as we did in the Eaton game, we made a substitution about fifteen minutes in and all of the sudden, we found ourselves back in firm control. Those subs entailed moving Bailey Downard and Abby Bulach into the midfield. At this point we pretty much dominated play through the middle. Our possession was good and we won the majority of 50/50 balls. With 13:37 remaining in half number one, Brenna Woodard scored her first goal of the season to bring the score to 1-1. Goal two for PS came minutes later when Bailey played a perfect ball over the defenders that Saylor finished off on a break-away. Unfortunately, we had a second mental lapse when we failed to gather the ball in on a shot and an unmarked outside mid tapped it in with a header. We went into half 2-2.
In the second half, we pretty much dominated from start to finish although we were a little clumsy in the attacking third. We spent much of the second half taking shots directly at the keeper (although she did make 3-4 really nice saves) and failing to get on the end of multiple crosses into the box. At the twenty-five minute mark, Saylor served a ball across the box and Jenna finished off an ESPN-type highlight goal with a full volley on the back post. The game stayed 3-2 until the final ten minutes. During that time, I was moderately pleased with our soccer performance. We definitely dominated 50/50 balls, much like Eaton, but our possession was a 'bit' better, too. Again, however, we were a little inconsistent in the final third and at times our midfield shape was not good. But, at least, it was better than the first half and this allowed us to really limit any dangerous chance Newton might get. In the final ten minutes we were able to breathe a little easier when Saylor Jewell finished off two more chances with assists from Alyssa Davidson and Abby Bulach. I also should mention that our back three, sometimes four (Hope, Olivia, Logan, Ashton), played a much more solid second half.
All-in-all, the game was physical on both ends and a little 'chippy', but never dangerously aggressive or flagrant. I thought the players handled themselves well in a game that could have gotten way out of hand. A note to players, parents, fans, and myself... we always must have a unified effort to achieve our team goals, which does not include giving the officials a hard time regardless of how we may feel he/she are doing their job. Bottom line, I can promise that the official will never lose a game for us. If we lose and the official was, in our eyes, unjust, we probably could have done more during the game to win. Period. So, all of us, focus on what is important - encouragement, correcting our own errors, hard work, game planning, and mental preparation.
We open up league play tomorrow night versus what is believed to be a much improved Madison team. I'm guessing we will not be gifted a bunch of goals like we were last year, but instead will have to create opportunities to score. We also need to be aware of the talent Madison has up top. With the addition of a couple of skilled freshmen in combination with some returning skill, we need to be prepared to defend well, too. A new season is upon us and starting strong is way more important than anything we've done to this point. The slow starts, the lack of shape, the mental lapses need to stop now. If they don'I fear that we will find ourselves at the losing end of a game when it really matters. We must be ready to play and win. 80+
Overall Grade: B-
Game Balls: Sayju, Abby Feet, and "Blender" Downard
8/25 v Eaton, 4-1W, 1-0-0
I had a very hard time convincing the players today to calm down. Let's wait until our thirty minute mark to start knocking the ball around pre-game. Hang out in the shade until the very last minute. Just relax... That didn't happen.
I've never had a team so eager and "chomping at the bit" to get a game underway. I was a bit afraid that our anxious build-up would take away from our effectiveness on the pitch. For about 25 minutes of the first half I was exactly right. We played hard at the start of the game but we definitely did not look like the Preble Shawnee Girls Soccer Team that I was used to seeing so far in 2016. Our touches were poor. We were rushing things when there was no need to. We were not going to any 50/50 balls. Our spacing was non-existent. There were lots of things we did poorly at the start that we really don't do nor I expect to do for the next fifteen-plus games. Eaton scored their lone goal about twenty minutes because we failed on a 50/50 ball at midfield (which we rarely do), lunged at a dribbling player (which our defensive members never do), misjudged a save attempt (which I don't expect to happen from our quality keepers), and then failed to continue marking up on the back post after the initial save by the keeper. I was concerned at this point, despite feeling like we already had and would continue to get tons of opportunities because this was the first goal surrendered since we started competitive matches this season (totaling eight games). How would we respond giving up our first goal this season? How would we respond being down?
Prior to the first twenty minutes, our forward were not moving much. Perhaps they were too eager to score, score, score. But, we were offsides numerous times and we made ourselves far too easy to mark as we transitioned out of the back. Also, our midfielders were not spacing themselves out properly and were not winning any 50/50 balls. I moved Abby Bulach up top primarily because she is a pure thinker. I know she would move when needed and create space with her 1v1 skills. We also added Bailey Downard into the midfield because she is a bruiser who specializes in 50/50 ball and possession in the middle. Those two gave us the combination we needed in a dreary first half. Bailey started dominating 50s on the ground and in the air and Abby was moving and aware of spacing up front. Things started to settle back to the Shawnee-style of soccer. Our possession still wasn't great but at least we started playing with a little more physicality and movement off the ball. It didn't take long for us to get our first goal and knot the game back at 1-1. Brenna Woodard assisted a goal to Abby Bulach. We headed into half time tied.
At halftime the focus was to keep our spacing in the middle and move more off the ball up top, but the number one priority was to get to the ball first. Half two was a lot like half one except we did win just about every 50/50 ball. Our passing was a little better, but when you couple our 50/50 dominance with just decent passing, we are a pretty good team. We outshot Eaton a lot to a very little in half two, but continued to pump the ball right at the Eaton keeper. Fortunately, we were able to find the back of the net three more times in the second half. The first came off a corner kick that Alyssa Davidson headed back to the near post and Saylor Jewell finished off with a header of her own. The second came off of a through ball from Brenna Woodard that Alyssa Davidson tucked into the near post. The final goal came off of a deflection from a corner kick that Olivia Rader volleyed out of the air with a nice strike. The game ended 4-1.
Despite the slow start and the miscues in our possession game, a few very bright points came from game one. One, We are skilled deep into our "bench". We have at least 15 or 16 very skilled players that can make a huge impact on the game. We probably should call them starters and finishers rather than starters and non-starters. Abby Bulach, Bailey Downard, Annilou Belvo, and Jenna Lovely all contributed greatly to the victory tonight, arguably each could have been a game MVP, and each of them either came in to the game or were switched to a different spot in our eleven after the starting whistle. Two, we are resilient. We have had teams out here in the past (last year for example) that very well could have collapsed. Namely, last year versus Eaton in game one where we almost had a meltdown and ended up winning 3-2. Also, our Newton game that we lost 2-1 and never should have. Third, the Waynesville game where we failed three or four times miserably in areas that we typically excel and lost 2-0. This team I think is a little different in this regard. I don't foresee us panicking or melting down if we have one bad episode or half. We stuck to our guns, changed our mentality, and won a game with relative ease tonight. Third, we can win a game against a decent opponent without playing well by our standards. I told the girls that to be a serious contender in the state, we need to not have any slip ups. A tie or loss, or even a less than dominating performance against some of the weaker opponents on our schedule this year will put doubts in a lot of people's minds about how good we can be and should be this year. This is a year that we need to prove to everyone that Preble Shawnee Girls Soccer is a serious threat to whoever we may be facing that night. Tonight, despite our sub-par performance, we still managed to get a win and look a better team than a much improved Eaton squad from a year ago.
Next week is a huge week for us. We face Newton on Monday. This is a game that has been stuck in our throat for a full year. After our meltdown loss last season, 2-1, we have been very eager to redeem ourselves. On Tuesday, we open up league play against an apparently much improved Madison team who currently sits at 1-2 but has scored quite a few goals. We close the week on Thursday against one of the league favorites in Milton-Union in what certainly will be a big result when looking back at league standings on October 13th. Time to prove ourselves, ladies.
Overall Grade: C-
Game Ball: Abby B, Bailey D, Annilou B
I had a very hard time convincing the players today to calm down. Let's wait until our thirty minute mark to start knocking the ball around pre-game. Hang out in the shade until the very last minute. Just relax... That didn't happen.
I've never had a team so eager and "chomping at the bit" to get a game underway. I was a bit afraid that our anxious build-up would take away from our effectiveness on the pitch. For about 25 minutes of the first half I was exactly right. We played hard at the start of the game but we definitely did not look like the Preble Shawnee Girls Soccer Team that I was used to seeing so far in 2016. Our touches were poor. We were rushing things when there was no need to. We were not going to any 50/50 balls. Our spacing was non-existent. There were lots of things we did poorly at the start that we really don't do nor I expect to do for the next fifteen-plus games. Eaton scored their lone goal about twenty minutes because we failed on a 50/50 ball at midfield (which we rarely do), lunged at a dribbling player (which our defensive members never do), misjudged a save attempt (which I don't expect to happen from our quality keepers), and then failed to continue marking up on the back post after the initial save by the keeper. I was concerned at this point, despite feeling like we already had and would continue to get tons of opportunities because this was the first goal surrendered since we started competitive matches this season (totaling eight games). How would we respond giving up our first goal this season? How would we respond being down?
Prior to the first twenty minutes, our forward were not moving much. Perhaps they were too eager to score, score, score. But, we were offsides numerous times and we made ourselves far too easy to mark as we transitioned out of the back. Also, our midfielders were not spacing themselves out properly and were not winning any 50/50 balls. I moved Abby Bulach up top primarily because she is a pure thinker. I know she would move when needed and create space with her 1v1 skills. We also added Bailey Downard into the midfield because she is a bruiser who specializes in 50/50 ball and possession in the middle. Those two gave us the combination we needed in a dreary first half. Bailey started dominating 50s on the ground and in the air and Abby was moving and aware of spacing up front. Things started to settle back to the Shawnee-style of soccer. Our possession still wasn't great but at least we started playing with a little more physicality and movement off the ball. It didn't take long for us to get our first goal and knot the game back at 1-1. Brenna Woodard assisted a goal to Abby Bulach. We headed into half time tied.
At halftime the focus was to keep our spacing in the middle and move more off the ball up top, but the number one priority was to get to the ball first. Half two was a lot like half one except we did win just about every 50/50 ball. Our passing was a little better, but when you couple our 50/50 dominance with just decent passing, we are a pretty good team. We outshot Eaton a lot to a very little in half two, but continued to pump the ball right at the Eaton keeper. Fortunately, we were able to find the back of the net three more times in the second half. The first came off a corner kick that Alyssa Davidson headed back to the near post and Saylor Jewell finished off with a header of her own. The second came off of a through ball from Brenna Woodard that Alyssa Davidson tucked into the near post. The final goal came off of a deflection from a corner kick that Olivia Rader volleyed out of the air with a nice strike. The game ended 4-1.
Despite the slow start and the miscues in our possession game, a few very bright points came from game one. One, We are skilled deep into our "bench". We have at least 15 or 16 very skilled players that can make a huge impact on the game. We probably should call them starters and finishers rather than starters and non-starters. Abby Bulach, Bailey Downard, Annilou Belvo, and Jenna Lovely all contributed greatly to the victory tonight, arguably each could have been a game MVP, and each of them either came in to the game or were switched to a different spot in our eleven after the starting whistle. Two, we are resilient. We have had teams out here in the past (last year for example) that very well could have collapsed. Namely, last year versus Eaton in game one where we almost had a meltdown and ended up winning 3-2. Also, our Newton game that we lost 2-1 and never should have. Third, the Waynesville game where we failed three or four times miserably in areas that we typically excel and lost 2-0. This team I think is a little different in this regard. I don't foresee us panicking or melting down if we have one bad episode or half. We stuck to our guns, changed our mentality, and won a game with relative ease tonight. Third, we can win a game against a decent opponent without playing well by our standards. I told the girls that to be a serious contender in the state, we need to not have any slip ups. A tie or loss, or even a less than dominating performance against some of the weaker opponents on our schedule this year will put doubts in a lot of people's minds about how good we can be and should be this year. This is a year that we need to prove to everyone that Preble Shawnee Girls Soccer is a serious threat to whoever we may be facing that night. Tonight, despite our sub-par performance, we still managed to get a win and look a better team than a much improved Eaton squad from a year ago.
Next week is a huge week for us. We face Newton on Monday. This is a game that has been stuck in our throat for a full year. After our meltdown loss last season, 2-1, we have been very eager to redeem ourselves. On Tuesday, we open up league play against an apparently much improved Madison team who currently sits at 1-2 but has scored quite a few goals. We close the week on Thursday against one of the league favorites in Milton-Union in what certainly will be a big result when looking back at league standings on October 13th. Time to prove ourselves, ladies.
Overall Grade: C-
Game Ball: Abby B, Bailey D, Annilou B
8/13 v Charleston Catholic (WV), Scrimmage
We played sixty minutes of varsity v varsity and 20 minutes of JV v JV. The JV group was MUCH improved since Thursday. They did the simple things right, which is what I was looking for. They contained and played smart. Their spacing was much better and their decision making also improved greatly. I'm looking forward to seeing them continue to improve throughout the season.
The first thirty minutes of varsity was not very good. We never really got threatened by CC, but we didn't play much soccer against them (you know what I mean). Perhaps it was the long drive or the first time on turf this year, but our first touches, which are usually very good, were horrendous. After a bad first touch, a pressuring opponent will turn everything into a 50/50 ball. We also weren't moving off the ball. Very stagnant. All in all, the first 30 were pretty frustrating but thankfully uneventful on the scoreboard as no team really developed many chances.
The second thirty minutes, we finally got settled into our game. Our touches were better, our movement was more fluid and we were more proactive, rather than reactive. We pretty much dominated possession for the second half and imposed our will. Jenna Lovely scored the first goal on a wonderfully persistent bit of work from Saylor Jewell. The second goal came about five minutes later when Brenna Woodard scored after Annilou Belvo and Saylor Jewell pressured the defenders into making mistakes. Brenna tucked it away from about twelve yards out. The varsity portion of the game ended 2-0. So in seven "games" this season (4 at Northmont, alumni game, DC, and CC), the varsity group is now 7-0, outscoring opponents thirty-five to zero... Whoa! Think about that.
Now, let's put this in perspective. CC was missing two of their goal scorers. CC was 23-1-1 last season and were ranked #1 in all divisions in West Virginia. Who knows what they graduated. CC won state last season in WV, winning the final game 9-1! We need to be a bit realistic though. West Virginia girls soccer is not on par with Ohio girls soccer. But... they definitely were a good team. With their two forwards, I believe they would have been very similar to a Waynesville or a Milton-Union. I think, and I hope, that even with their two forwards, we still would have dominated possession and had more dangerous opportunities. Before the game started, I said that you were not just representing "little, ol'" Preble Shawnee but you were representing Ohio soccer to the West Virginia state champions. You represented us and our state quite well.
KEEP IN MIND, we will only measure success twice this year. October 13th and November 11th. So far, we have only made steps toward our goals without accomplishing anything other than climbing those steps.
Shawnee complacency equals Newton 2, Preble Shawnee 1. Please remember that. If you do, I truly believe you can beat anyone. Anyone.
As far as the trip went, I LOVED it. Make sure you thank a chaperone again and again. They were wonderful. You were wonderful - on and off the field. You all represented Preble Shawnee with class and dignity. We had a great time and your efforts this weekend really make me proud to be an Arrow. You should always try and step back and look at the big picture. We are hard workers. We are a great soccer team. We appreciate our team and teammates. We play 80+. We are Shawnee.
We played sixty minutes of varsity v varsity and 20 minutes of JV v JV. The JV group was MUCH improved since Thursday. They did the simple things right, which is what I was looking for. They contained and played smart. Their spacing was much better and their decision making also improved greatly. I'm looking forward to seeing them continue to improve throughout the season.
The first thirty minutes of varsity was not very good. We never really got threatened by CC, but we didn't play much soccer against them (you know what I mean). Perhaps it was the long drive or the first time on turf this year, but our first touches, which are usually very good, were horrendous. After a bad first touch, a pressuring opponent will turn everything into a 50/50 ball. We also weren't moving off the ball. Very stagnant. All in all, the first 30 were pretty frustrating but thankfully uneventful on the scoreboard as no team really developed many chances.
The second thirty minutes, we finally got settled into our game. Our touches were better, our movement was more fluid and we were more proactive, rather than reactive. We pretty much dominated possession for the second half and imposed our will. Jenna Lovely scored the first goal on a wonderfully persistent bit of work from Saylor Jewell. The second goal came about five minutes later when Brenna Woodard scored after Annilou Belvo and Saylor Jewell pressured the defenders into making mistakes. Brenna tucked it away from about twelve yards out. The varsity portion of the game ended 2-0. So in seven "games" this season (4 at Northmont, alumni game, DC, and CC), the varsity group is now 7-0, outscoring opponents thirty-five to zero... Whoa! Think about that.
Now, let's put this in perspective. CC was missing two of their goal scorers. CC was 23-1-1 last season and were ranked #1 in all divisions in West Virginia. Who knows what they graduated. CC won state last season in WV, winning the final game 9-1! We need to be a bit realistic though. West Virginia girls soccer is not on par with Ohio girls soccer. But... they definitely were a good team. With their two forwards, I believe they would have been very similar to a Waynesville or a Milton-Union. I think, and I hope, that even with their two forwards, we still would have dominated possession and had more dangerous opportunities. Before the game started, I said that you were not just representing "little, ol'" Preble Shawnee but you were representing Ohio soccer to the West Virginia state champions. You represented us and our state quite well.
KEEP IN MIND, we will only measure success twice this year. October 13th and November 11th. So far, we have only made steps toward our goals without accomplishing anything other than climbing those steps.
Shawnee complacency equals Newton 2, Preble Shawnee 1. Please remember that. If you do, I truly believe you can beat anyone. Anyone.
As far as the trip went, I LOVED it. Make sure you thank a chaperone again and again. They were wonderful. You were wonderful - on and off the field. You all represented Preble Shawnee with class and dignity. We had a great time and your efforts this weekend really make me proud to be an Arrow. You should always try and step back and look at the big picture. We are hard workers. We are a great soccer team. We appreciate our team and teammates. We play 80+. We are Shawnee.
8/11 v Dayton Christian, Scrimmage
Yowzer.
The question I asked post-game was 'Are we that good, was Dayton Christian that bad tonight?' I know what I want to say, but I won't. I definitely think that Dayton Christian has some pretty good athletes and I do NOT think that they are a bad team. In fact, I have a pretty strong opinion that they will have a solid chance to win their league. How good are we? Well, it looked pretty good tonight. No, not "pretty" good. We looked very good. The question remains, however, what will happen when we face a state contender like Waynesville, Milton-Union, Bishop Fenwick, or Cincinnati Country Day? Thankfully, we will find out before it really matters. This weekend we travel to Charleston, West Virginia to play the 2015 #1 ranked team, Charleston Catholic. I've only seen a few videos of their game play, so I can't make great guesses, but they will be very athletic, strong, and fast. On the plus side, I think they don't quite play possession style soccer like a Badin, Summit Country Day, or a Preble Shawnee. So, this weekend, we will likely see a team that is a bit more athletic than us, but MIGHT lack the possession that some teams we've seen show as strengths. Regardless of how CC will play, this WILL be a test of our new formation, especially the defensive unit and the rotations. Expect length and long field changes.
Pros of tonight: Very quick possession and controlled passing. Our forwards up top were in sync and looked very good together. For most of the night, our pressure remained high, which is ESSENTIAL in our formation. The back three were very solid yet again and their spacing was just about perfect. We had a lot of different scorers which is a huge goal of our new formation - attack can come from about 8 positions on the field. Our keepers were active despite a lack of action for most of the night. And, maybe most importantly, we went to the ball. Come to think of it, I didn't have to remind anyone all night to do that. Bravo!
Cons of tonight: Not many. Our spacing in the middle of the pitch was often (in the first half) not real good. Thankfully, for most of the second half that was corrected. I'd like to see more square passes coming out of the middle to wing defenders. This is a nice option that is very hard to defend. At times, we lost soccer focus - we got a little flat, stopped moving to get open for teammates, and our pressure dropped. I'm not too disappointed at this, however, because in a lopsided game, I realize it's easy to lose focus. But, remember, we always must try to improve under all circumstances.
Something to keep in mind... we will only measure our accomplishments on October 13 and also when we lose, or win, our final game. That is something we need to keep at the forefront of our soccer thoughts - we haven't accomplished anything yet. Nothing.
Players of the Match: Saylor Jewell, Alyssa Davidson, Bailey Downard, Hope Ballinger, Nicole Sims... pretty much everyone. Nice job, ladies. Overall, A- performance!
Yowzer.
The question I asked post-game was 'Are we that good, was Dayton Christian that bad tonight?' I know what I want to say, but I won't. I definitely think that Dayton Christian has some pretty good athletes and I do NOT think that they are a bad team. In fact, I have a pretty strong opinion that they will have a solid chance to win their league. How good are we? Well, it looked pretty good tonight. No, not "pretty" good. We looked very good. The question remains, however, what will happen when we face a state contender like Waynesville, Milton-Union, Bishop Fenwick, or Cincinnati Country Day? Thankfully, we will find out before it really matters. This weekend we travel to Charleston, West Virginia to play the 2015 #1 ranked team, Charleston Catholic. I've only seen a few videos of their game play, so I can't make great guesses, but they will be very athletic, strong, and fast. On the plus side, I think they don't quite play possession style soccer like a Badin, Summit Country Day, or a Preble Shawnee. So, this weekend, we will likely see a team that is a bit more athletic than us, but MIGHT lack the possession that some teams we've seen show as strengths. Regardless of how CC will play, this WILL be a test of our new formation, especially the defensive unit and the rotations. Expect length and long field changes.
Pros of tonight: Very quick possession and controlled passing. Our forwards up top were in sync and looked very good together. For most of the night, our pressure remained high, which is ESSENTIAL in our formation. The back three were very solid yet again and their spacing was just about perfect. We had a lot of different scorers which is a huge goal of our new formation - attack can come from about 8 positions on the field. Our keepers were active despite a lack of action for most of the night. And, maybe most importantly, we went to the ball. Come to think of it, I didn't have to remind anyone all night to do that. Bravo!
Cons of tonight: Not many. Our spacing in the middle of the pitch was often (in the first half) not real good. Thankfully, for most of the second half that was corrected. I'd like to see more square passes coming out of the middle to wing defenders. This is a nice option that is very hard to defend. At times, we lost soccer focus - we got a little flat, stopped moving to get open for teammates, and our pressure dropped. I'm not too disappointed at this, however, because in a lopsided game, I realize it's easy to lose focus. But, remember, we always must try to improve under all circumstances.
Something to keep in mind... we will only measure our accomplishments on October 13 and also when we lose, or win, our final game. That is something we need to keep at the forefront of our soccer thoughts - we haven't accomplished anything yet. Nothing.
Players of the Match: Saylor Jewell, Alyssa Davidson, Bailey Downard, Hope Ballinger, Nicole Sims... pretty much everyone. Nice job, ladies. Overall, A- performance!
Northmont Soccer Classic
Over the weekend, we went 4-0, outscoring our opponents in four matches 19-0. Those opponents included Wayne, Fairborn, Defiance, and Richmond (IN). We certainly were a better team than whoever we faced this weekend, but it was nice to see that we didn't just go through the motions when we certainly could have. For most of the weekend, we were on point with our passing and moving off the ball. Being the dominant team, we were able to possess at will, sometimes even for several minutes at a time. I liked that we started playing our keepers as "sweeper-keepers" forcing the opponents to try and defend eleven possession players. I look forward to the true tests that will begin July 31st (alumni game) and our scrimmages in August, including a monster test when we travel to West Virginia to face Charleston Catholic (West Virginia's #1 overall ranked girls soccer team). I could name many players of the tournament for us because everyone really did do a great job, even better than expected. I hope to continue get the patient play out of the midfield, the high pressure and movement from our forwards, and our spacing from our defenders as we test our new formation. Overall, B+ for the weekend. Keep up the great work!