9/8/12 Game Recap (3-0 Win)

Amit winds up to shoot

The Elite 03 Black era kicked off with a resounding victory at the Sunnyvale Soccer Complex on Saturday. The eleven-man squad made the jump to competitive soccer and started things with a resounding 3-0 victory over the North Valley YSL United. Having made the jump from the recreational ranks this season, the Elite squad performed as if they were a seasoned group that had been playing together for years.

The boys controlled the tempo for most of the game by playing an exceptional possession game. The boys passing and vision were far more advanced than what’s to be expected from a newly formed copper level team.

Nathaniel and Taishi patrolled the backline in the first half, preventing any semblance of an attack in the Elite zone. There timing was impeccable, denying any attack at the midline to keep the ball away from the Sunnyvale net.

Justin W generated the opening half’s biggest scoring threat by racing past two defenders on the right side, before cutting to his left and pumping a shot that narrowly missed outside the left post. Justin H sent a constant stream of through balls to the box from the left side, setting up a number of scoring chances. He and Luis kept the field wide by holding position from their midfield spots. This allowed the other mids and backs to move the ball laterally, which created more chances up the wings.

Celebrating Manas' goal

Elite controlled the ball for the majority of the first half of play. Working the ball in deep on several occasions, the boys traversed the United defense to create several scoring chances, but an absence of shots kept the game scoreless through the first 25 minutes of play.

That would all change after halftime, when Manas took a centering feed from Amit at the top of the 18 and rifled a shot past the United goal keeper in the 28th minute. Perched at the top of the big box, Manas turned after receiving the ball with his back to the net and deposited Elite’s first ever goal.

Luis generated a chance from in tight 4 minutes later, but the United keeper pounced on the ball to deny the Elite forward.

Manas slipped another ball inside the right post in the 37th minute to push Elite’s lead to two-goals. Ryan gained possession of the ball on the left side and slid a pass from his midfield position. Manas gathered the feed then deeked a defender with a move to his left before slipping home his 2nd goal of the contest.

Taishi capped the game’s scoring with a goal in the 46th minute. He carried the ball up the slot from the midline before snapping a 15-yard shot to the lower right corner.

Taishi drives with his head up

Jonathan and Josh patrolled the backline in the second half, denying any chances on their own net.

The 50-minute contest came to an end, and Elite had secured its first win in team history. Both coaches praised the boy’s play, citing a willingness to play a team game as the primary reason for the game’s positive outcome.

Ryan and Nathaniel were credited with the shared shutout.

As will become standard practice for all game recaps, the coaches will provide a set of key accomplishments as well as areas that require development attention. The coaches ask that parents stress these points with their player as a way to reinforce the team’s philosophy and approach to the game.

Key Accomplishments –

- Overall team play was phenomenal. In general, most players unselfishly, which allowed the team to maintain possession of the ball, create offensive chances and deny offensive attacks by the opposition.

- Passing was excellent. Players utilized passing as a way to open up the field, which allowed them to be more creative both offensively as well as defensively.

- Field vision allowed the boys to better anticipate where passes needed to be made, and where to target attacks on the opposing net.

Development Areas –

- Shooting in the first half was almost non-existent. The boys did a great job of penetrating into the offensive zone, but they failed to get shots off when in the “shooting zone.”

- Several players lost sight of the bigger picture in terms of holding position. This led to an imbalance in the way players stood on the field. In a possession game, players must maintain a zone, so that their teammates may release the ball to them. Bunching around the ball is one of the most difficult habits for rec players to break, but this will come in time.

- Establishing a first touch is vital to winning possession and getting a jump on your opponent. Elite is blessed with team speed, but the boys need to utilize that by establishing a better first touch and controlling the ball.