9/9/12 Game Recap (5-0 Win)

Manas scores off the header

Elite capped a very productive weekend on Sunday with their second win as many games. The offense came to life, scoring 5 goals in a 5-0 win over SASC Elite Silver at the Sunnyvale Soccer Complex. The boys followed up their inaugural win on Saturday by continuing to leverage a strong team attack, which was balanced by strong passing and better formational positioning.

The scheduling oddity paired the two Alliance teams against each other in the first week of existence for both squads. Elite Black grabbed an early lead, then unloaded for 4 goals in the second half to lock up the victory.

Manas extended his team scoring lead with an incredible head ball goal in the game’s opening minute. Amit forced the ball across the goal mouth from right to left after Elite Black carried the opening kick-off up field. He sent a shot that pin-balled to the left post, where Justin H tried chipping a shot on goal. The ball floated to the center of the goal where Manas deflected it to the back of the net from the doorstep.

Ryan drives on net

Both teams would play out the half without scoring, but Elite Black kicked things into gear in the final 25 minutes.

Manas added his 4th goal of the season just 3 minutes into the 2nd half after Justin H launched a corner into the small box. The Elite striker gathered the big corner and pivoted to his right before snapping home a shot from 8 feet out.

A foul just outside the 18 on the right wing setup a free kick 4 minutes later. Taishi put a shot on net, but the Elite Silver keeper made a nice stop on the ball. With it perched precariously near the goal line, a Silver defender tried to clear the ball, but it landed right on Amit’s boot at the top of the small box. Amit hammered home the shot for his 1st goal of the season, giving Elite Black a 3-0 lead.

Ryan setup the next goal in the 38th minute, with a lovely centering feed from the right side after carrying the ball up the slot, drawing two defenders to him, and floating a pass to his left. Taishi received the pass and slipped a left-footed shot just inside the right post for his 2nd goal of the season.

Luis fights for possession

Justin W helped lock down the Elite Silver attack, running down a pair of breakaway attempts in the 2nd half of the game. Nathaniel continued to play rock-solid defense. His defensive timing snuffed out several attempts in the midfield to gain the Elite Black zone.

Amit added his 2nd goal of the game 6 minutes later. He collected a turnover at midfield, then carried the ball up field and throwing a move outside the 18 to beat the last defender. He finished the sequence off by chipping a shot into a wide open net.

For the second straight game, Elite Black’s goalie tandem turned in another blemish free performance. Josh and Jonathan held down the fort in net, extending the team shutout streak to two games.

Amit added a 5th goal in the 44th minute, carrying a centering pass up the field before beating a lone defender and chipping the ball home.

Key Accomplishments –

- Passing – The boys continuing to work well together on their passing. This has allowed them to advance the offense, rather than get bogged down in kick-ball wars.

- Scoring & Defense – The team’s ability to put the ball in the net is a direct result of the defense clamping down on the opposition and quickly moving the ball up field. Defense wins championships!

- Free Kicks - The boys recently worked on direct and indirect free kicks. Their ability to integrate this into the game so quickly has resulted in goals. Amit’s first goal was a direct result of a well placed free kick finding its way to the front of the net.

Development Areas –

- Shooting – Unselfish play is always encouraged, put the team has been guilty of too much passing and dribbling inside the 18. The boys will be encouraged to shoot more inside the “shooting zone.”

- Holding Position – Moving away from their strong positioning in the first game, the boys literally strayed from position in this game, creating traffic and eliminating some ball movement opportunities.

- Transitions – When turnovers occur (both offensively and defensively), players must learn to quickly transition. The team struggled as a whole on transitions, especially when moving from offense to defense. This is most important for midfielders, who are expected to control both ends of the field.