It's been a rocky season so far if you look at the end game point total for Coach Pat's and my U12 team. However, speaking for myself, I am very impressed with with how much this group has come together over the last 3-4 games. There has been so much effort to learn, individual skill and collaboration in these few games it has been fun to watch.
Certainly, I bark a lot at them on the sideline to help them see the things I do, but at the end of the day, I love watching them play and have those explosions of working together and realizations of individual confidence.
Coach Mark was able to get some video from this past Saturday's match and he and Coach Pat shared it with the players yesterday. While there were teaching moments, it was a great review and really highlighted how much more skill they have compared to their peers. If you have a chance to watch it, remember it is the first half when I as a coach felt a little like we were on our heels until we took over and dominated in the second half...but the video shows how much better we actually were. https://youtu.be/-0D-wEHf12g
Similarly tonight, we poured on some serious skill versus an ISC team who probably has been flirting with select play for some time. Why would I say that? Because of the things I overheard the coach and team say like yelling at their teammates to stop playing kickball (sound familiar) or their coach commenting to his players on how well we were able to individually beat their players in every 1v1 situation (good teams and coaches appreciate their opponents). The only reason they had the drop on us a couple times was because we either collapsed on ourselves with too many players in the same space, vacated space and all moved to the ball versus having patient discipline to maintain our positions, and lastly understanding the need to move with the play as it begins to change direction rather than try and catch up.
Individually, I was really proud of how well Camryn and Morgan our youngest (from time with Legends) played tonight. Camryn showed so much confidence with the ball at her feet tonight and such presence of mind to slow herself down and beat her opposing defenders, I had little butterflies in my stomach watching her. Morgan has become so much more aware of where she is on the field and how she can get the ball to stay at her feet without feeling she needs to give it up immediately. It was apparent how far she has come this season when she showed up to my U10 Jrs training and I could tell was a little disappointed with their work ethic and the ability to challenge her even though she is under a year older than most of them.
I'd also like to recognize how much Mary has begun feeling her groove on this team. Early on she was having trouble understanding her role on a team who's skill matches her own and now is becoming fluid with every play and back to her aggressive self, which I have come to know over the past few years.
Our communication was a bit soft tonight, but like his dad, I can always count on Kaleb to bark out where he is, if he can effectively help his team, and where his teammates should move to on the field. Kudos too on his two great grabs to bring opposing high flying keeper punts out of the air and right to his feet; it even got the bench excited.
So many other goods things from this evening happened, Maddie B pushing through the middle toward the goal, crashing the net (and goalie) continuously and ultimately being in place to pop one in...Madison M manhandling players and causing havoc with her graceful footskill...Isabella always being right where she needs to capture the ball and begin a counter attack...Abby's relentless ability to fear no player regardless of size and bump them off of the ball...Drew's crazy unpredictable skilled nutmeg...Owen's cool confidence, analysis of his opponent and desire to not only beat them, but try to make them hang their heads once he's done...and lastly Nick, the silent Ninja, who's size is dwarfed by his soft touch and newly found desire to want to score every time he has the ball now.
I know we don't recap much, but again I wanted to let you know how pleased I am with the progression of this team this season and how much we need to pay attention to and appreciate the small steps which occur in such a short period of time for these young players.
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