(Note: The scores
posted on this page will be the OFFICIAL game scores as
posted by EIYSA
and, as per EIYSA policy, the goal differential will never be
greater than 5 goals
(i.e. 7-0 is adjusted to 5-0, 7-1 is adjusted to 6-1, etc.). |
Game
14
-
3
- Juventus '93 (Vipers) vs.
Scottish - 3
-
This was definitely a tough result for
the boys to accept, because there is no doubt in any of their minds that
they won this game. Unfortunately some days the scoreboard just doesn't
tell the whole story and we have to keep in mind that the boys played a
really good game today and were very unfortunate not to win. It was
a tough, hard fought battle against a team that has been on a hot streak
of late, and we really felt the boys stepped up and delivered a strong,
mature effort which saw them grow stronger as the match wore on.
-
The game had it's share of action at both
ends but, for the most part, we felt Scottish were kept to much more of
a straight forward and backward game, with a lot of shots from far out,
whereas our boys showed much better passing, ball control and diagonal
movement. They had numerous excellent chances, including a really
nice but disallowed goal by Devon (incorrectly waved off by an out of position
linesman on the far side for the ball allegedly having crossed the back
line first), and we scored three very well earned goals. Unfortunately
we were undone by a few unlucky goals and a very controversial finish.
-
There were too many strong performances
to detail each individually, but it was really a good day for Max who was
excellent on "D" and contributed a goal on an outstanding free kick.
Nick had a very strong outing, leading the team with a +2, and Josh, appearing
in the final game of his seven outstanding seasons with our squad, played
with tremendous heart and determination all through the match (we especially
liked the little bump on the Scottish keeper because it was so out of character
for the nicest guy in the league!). Devon played an especially spirited
game, drawing the foul which lead to the penalty shot, and we were especially
pleased with the way he and Dylan worked and communicated so well with
each other. Ayman showed the heart and head of a leader once again,
and it is amazing to see just how much he can run and still give so much
productive effort when he is so tired.
-
There were some questions about the way
the game ended and I will try to explain this as diplomatically as possible.
It seemed clear that the ball was in John's hands as he rushed forward
and jumped to catch the ball, that there was contact with our keeper which
knocked the ball loose, and that the goal scorer, who was on the goal line
behind everyone, was offside. Since the scorer was at a right angle
to the path of the throw you would assume something had to cause it to
change direction by ninety degrees. Within the rules, there is no
such thing as offside on a throw-in so long as the offside player receives
the ball
directly. The linesman was the closest official on
the play and it was his ruling that there was no contact on our keeper,
that the throw traveled directly from the thrower's hands to the offside
scorer's foot, and that it did not touch anyone else on the way there,
not even John (otherwise it would have been offside). I will leave
it to those of you who saw it in person to decide if you agree with that
assessment or not. It was clear that there was a great deal of disagreement,
I might even say competition, between the two officials during the match
and it was unfortunate that it affected things as it did.
-
Nevertheless, the team played very well
today and in a season where we have looked for growth, we saw a lot of
positive things today. There was much more communication on the field and
a much better grasp of movement and play formation. Defensive shapes
held together very well and, for the most part, kept the Scottish side
to very manageable long range shots. There was a real intensity in
the boys' play and they showed a lot of heart which lead to what we felt
was a real domination of the second half in particular. Regardless
of what the final score says, you know what you did out there boys and
you should be very proud of the way you played today. Great job! |
Game
13
-
1
- Juventus '93 (Vipers) vs.
Red Deer Renegades - 6
-
The last time these two teams met we absolutely
owned the second half of the game but Red Deer were a little lucky to come
away with the 1-0 win after an agonizing string of goalpost hits and oh-so-close
misses. With that in mind we were very hopeful about this game, especially
given how well the boys played yesterday, but it turned into a day were
everything seemed to go very wrong, partly due to issues of "comfort",
but mostly owing to the fact that we just didn't do ourselves any favors.
-
We stressed before the game how important
it was to establish momentum early in the first half. A strong start
could well have sent the game in an entirely different direction but, unfortunately,
we came out flat and somewhat reluctant to get involved. The tremendous
defensive maturity we saw a day before was not the same, and we too often
fell into the trap of chasing the ball, but a much bigger issue had to
do with intensity. No one really seemed to want the ball, players
repeatedly let opponents step right in front of them, and there seemed
to be very little willingness to fight for the ball or the game.
We spoke about this at the half and, to
their credit, the first shift came out hard and really took it to the Renegades.
We had four great scoring chances and the boys were beginning to
believe they could do it but, just as the next shift was about to come
on, Red Deer moved forward in a seemingly harmless rush and fired a virtual
"Hail Mary" from well out that somehow fell in just under the bar.
It really was bad luck for such a well played shift but it also illustrated
the single biggest issue on the day which was finish. As with
that shift, we had more than our fair share of chances to take the lead,
or to get back into the match, but we mishandled the ball or failed to
even be there when offensive chances arose (we rarely charged to the net
or ran though for return passes). The excellent effort Rizwan put
forth to set up Willem's tap-in was nice to see, but it was all too rare
and just came too late in the game.
-
As to this issue of "comfort", which I
alluded to earlier, it was a difficult game situation for sure. The
surface, laid right on the concrete, did not have the typical padding beneath,
which created some problems since the home team would have been much more
used to playing on it. For John, diving was quite painful, and it
also caused the ball to run much faster and to bounce much more.
Add to that, the ball was insanely light, as seen in the long string of
free kicks that sailed far above the net, and control became a real problem
for us. I think the building was also something of a distraction in its
scale and with the very low ceiling, but in the end it boiled down to the
fact that we just lacked the drive we saw on Saturday. We had a bad
day, although I should point out how well Marcus played his corner today
and the fact the Max, Gabe and Steve did not allow a goal as a defensive
trio today, which is pretty impressive.
-
So now we take a couple or weeks off before
we wrap up the regular season schedule. It will be a busy couple
of weeks though and I urge everyone to be very aware of all of the upcoming
practices, scrimmages, registration dates and, of course, next week's
parent game. You can read more about all of this on the News
and Schedule pages. We're going to have
a little fun for the next two weeks and we look forward to seeing everyone
turn out. |
Game
12
-
3
- Juventus '93 (Vipers) vs.
Sherwood Park Rangers - 7
-
Right now two coaches are kicking themselves
because we know that the boys played a whale of a game today against the
league's number three squad and that it was a coaching error which broke
this game wide open. For 56 minutes the boys put together their most
complete, mature game of the season, and it was still a one goal match
with only four minutes left. At that point the decision was made
to switch out of 2-1-2-1, in an attempt to generate the tying goal, but
it had the completely opposite effect and left the final score looking
like a bit of a spanking when, in fact, it was anything but.
-
Right from the start we could see the
effort we were going to get from the boys today. They played the
system so well and seldomly got caught making foolish challenges.
If fact their focus on keeping their formations intact did a great job
taking away shooting lanes and frustrating the Ranger rush. As confidence
grew we began to move the ball around better and we saw the return of some
very creative play, which we've always known was still there. The
result was our staking out the 1-0 lead and then coming within a whisker
of making it 2-0 off a tremendous crossing pass from Riz. A minor
breakdown brought about the tying goal, but we felt great about going into
the break all even.
-
We came out a little flat in the early
minutes of the second half, and a couple of miscues in front of our defence
brought about a 3-1 Ranger lead, but the boys remained positive and got
back right into it with some pressure of our own that brought about yet
another of Praneil's great free kick goals. It really felt like things
were going well and even when the Rangers were able to extend their lead
to 4-2 we could sense our guys really felt it was still theirs to take.
Some strong pressure brought about that great pinch by Steve and he unloaded
that tremendous shot of his to make it 4-3. Everything looked in
place, our rotation was where it needed to be, and with just under five
minutes left we sent out a lineup we felt could generate an real offensive
surge. The flaw was that the 2-2-2 opened up the shooting lanes which
we had so successfully clogged up all game long and the one goal lead grew
to four, just like that.
-
Today we really got the game we wanted
out of our club, starting with John who gave us yet another great performance.
Defensively, Max and Marcus were extremely strong, Praneil was a powerhouse
at stopper, Steve was a monster with his physical play, and Nik had far
and away his best game of the season. Up front we saw the return
of some of our creative play, most especially with some of the great passing
work we saw from Ayman & Gabe, and Josh was extremely tenacious and
effective in his challenging. It was unfortunate that our string
of crossbars and goalposts at the worst possible times continued, but in
that final analysis, the real positive is that our boys played the system
the best they have so far this season. They stayed focused, they
were positive, they showed wonderful maturity and judgment in most situations
and, no two ways about it, they deserved at better fate today. If
they can play like that tomorrow in Red Deer the result will be different. |
Game
11
-
0
- Juventus '93 (Vipers) vs.
Edmonton Strikers - 5
-
While there have been games this season
where the boys know they didn't play up to their ability, this most certainly
was NOT one of them and we hope people won't be too quick to judge the
game by it's score. The Strikers are an immensely powerful team who
just two weeks ago knocked of the supposedly unbeatable Southwest United
squad to become the new top dogs. They are big and strong, they are
incredibly fast and deadly accurate, and they feed on teams who abandon
defensive patterns to mindlessly chase the ball. Against this bigger,
older opponent, we were proud of the boys' effort and even the Striker
coaches made a point of speaking to us at length after the game about how
far the boys have come since our previous encounter.
-
For all but one or two teams, playing
the Strikers is a little bit like being short handed. To use a hockey
analogy, where you're on the penalty kill you have to keep your box or
you're dead - or in this case your triangle. We decided to go with
a 2-1-2-1, essentially setting up two triangles, hoping to keep play to
the outsides and take away close inside chances which most powerful teams
like to setup. The Strikers, for example, were very determined to
work their corner kicks to the short side, rather than the traditional
over the top route, but our defenders held their ground very well, battled
hard, and were quite successful against their larger opponents in this
respect. In fact, they were successful all over the field when
they stuck to the game plan. There were those instances where we
surrendered goals because the system broke down when we chose to chase
the ball, partly due to some parent-side coaching to do so, but these are
tough, pressure filled, often confusing situations and our young men are
still learning, adjusting and reacting as best they can.
-
It was a tough night physically (John
was hurt in the first half and had a lot of trouble moving, while Ayman
really messed up his toe) but the boys certainly never quit during any
point of the game, and they remained very positive and supportive of each
other. We certainly weren't without our chances but the difference
between a team who can place long shots an inch below the bar, versus and
inch above it, can be quite profound on the scoreboard. There were
shots that just missed, a couple that landed on top of the goal by mere
millimeters and, of course, all those agonizing crossbar and goal post
hits. When some of those start to fall in for us, the flow of games
begin to change but, for now, we are pleased that the boys are shooting
more. We were also quite pleased that, after a lot of work, they
were beginning to set up their free kicks correctly and more effectively.
-
At both ends we were pleased with the
effort. Offensively we saw some good things. Riz had some close
calls, and Devon and Dylan really did a fantastic job in their speed of
transition. We have been urging both to get away from "stopping an
going" (stopping passes dead in the midfield, then trying to turn around
in coverage and continue on with it) and the way they flicked and tipped
balls over and through to each other tonight was absolutely great to see
and will become more effective as they continue to work more at it.
Similarly, the defenders really had their hands full but worked so hard
right up to the end. Marcus had maybe the finest game he's ever played
for us, he was amazing, and Steve did very well using his size and speed
to defend against the faster Striker forwards (and they are FAST!).
-
In the end we did a lot right today but
couldn't escape the odd breakdown and the fact that the Strikers are simply
a great team. They have been together a long time, they have been
carefully recruited, they have loads of talent, and they are well coached.
Above all, they are dedicated and they have a lot of class. In many
ways they look a lot like we did at our previous levels (and will again)
and we certainly respect them for that. Against one of the best teams
in the province, the country for that matter, our boys really gave it a
good effort and we have to be able to see that, no matter what the final
score says. |
Game
10
-
1
- Juventus '93 (Vipers) vs.
Internazionale - 2
-
An earlier summary alluded to the many
elements that have to come together to play effective games at this level,
and I think this game really illustrates that point. While there
were things that were done very well throughout this game, other tendencies
surfaced which worked against our positives.
-
In terms of positives, we got exactly
the game we needed out of our keeper. John was simply outstanding
and our confidence in him meant we could allow more of Inter's long shots
and focus more on keeping them from getting in close. Frankly, we
believe that if John sees it with time to react he will stop it and, to
that end, our defenders did a pretty good job of keeping Inter firing from
a distance. Marcus had an especially strong afternoon and we give
him a lot of credit for playing such a smart, patient game even with a
lot of sideline calls for him to do otherwise. Gabe was another player
who really did well in terms of carrying out the game plan and playing
a responsible game. As a team, the boys only allowed two goals so,
defensively, they got the job done.
-
Where we came up short can be summed up
in terms of our inability to finish good chances and in the way we became
so easily frustrated long before it was justified. Considering we
were never out of this one on the scoreboard, there seemed to be
an awful lot of looking to blame other things, the ref for example, for
a game we hadn't even lost yet. No matter how some may feel about
calls that were or were not made, the fact is that we had more than enough
good chances to put the ball in the net. Furthermore, many calls
that were argued on the field were correct calls. It is out of character
for our team and, while we understand that it is born of frustration, we
have to get back to the belief that we win or lose based on our own ability
and effort - no excuses. Bad calls can be overcome, last weekend's
game proved that, and getting too upset over them only takes the wind out
of our own sails.
-
In terms of our ability to finish, there
are really two sides to the issue. Some things we can point to, free
kicks not being set up correctly for example, are the result of poor focus
on the field, but other timing related issues do result from the fact that
we aren't getting the amount of work other teams do. Most teams get
way more practice than us, mainly due the fact that they have more money
at their disposal (something that will change dramatically next season),
and so we just have to make the most of the time we do get (this Saturday
morning for example). Without a doubt this was a tough loss, but
we had a our chances and that is a positive in it's own way. A loss
like this isn't a question of being in over our heads, it is a question
of execution and we know we can do something about that if we work hard
at it. |
Game
9
-
6
- Juventus '93 (Vipers) vs.
St. Albert Impact - 4
-
Right from the time we arrived at practice
this morning, it just seemed like a good day for the team and I think it
would be safe to say that today was easily the most fun we've had since
our move to EIYSA. We've never liked practices falling on game days,
it has always seemed to hurt us having too much soccer in one day, so we
switched things up and just played basketball instead this morning.
It was an escape from all the pressure this season has brought and we had
a lot of fun which seemed to carry over into this evening's game.
-
The game itself had a little of everything,
ups and downs, and it was an intense, emotional battle right to the very
end. It began with a breakdown that saw us fall behind 1-0, but it
wasn't long before our patience paid off. Ayman, playing his first
game as co-captain, charged the net to tap in a rebound and get us on the
board, and then Josh (who had an incredible game) placed a nice shot into
the bottom left corner for our first lead of the game. Before we
could get out of the half, Praneil was hurt on a bad foul (no red card?)
and we seemed to lose our focus for a few minutes. After doing so
much right, we very suddenly found ourselves down 3-2 at the half.
-
It's a situation we have done so well
in so many times in the past, and we only needed to remind the boys at
that we were down by a goal at halftime to the very same team at the Polar
Cup but pulled out the win. We were clearly the better team in the
second half and our play led to an opportunity which saw Steve tie the
game up on what was a bit of a lucky goal but it just goes to show that
it never hurts to shoot. From that point on it was emotional, physical,
and furiously paced, and I can't say enough about the way the boys elevated
their game. Unfortunately, just when you could see confidence and pride
beginning to grow in our team we were hit with a bad call which could well
have brought us tumbling down (but probably inspired us instead).
-
A St. Albert free kick struck our wall
outside
the box. The laws of the game state that
a "handball" must be intentional to be an offence, and that shooting the
ball directly into a player's hand should not be considered an offence,
but the ref saw fit to call it "hands" in this case. What defied
reason however was that he wrongly awarded a penalty kick for what clearly
took place outside of the box. Even the linesman was bewildered,
but the kick took place anyway. John made an outstanding read of
the kicker and dove hard to get his hand on most of the ball, but it unfortunately
slid just inside the post. We have spoken so much over the years
about never using bad calls as excuses and we are so proud of the boys
for the way they responded. It was a character moment and they took
their anger over the bad call and used it as their motivation. From
then on the result was never in doubt.
-
The boys came alive like never before
this season. They were loud, they were tenacious, they wanted the ball,
and they refused to lose. Their pace confused the Impact and constant pressure
lead to that tremendous free kick which saw Praneil bend the ball around
the wall, picking the top right corner to even up the match. It was
a huge moment for us and the momentum kept going. Within a minute
we were back for more when Praneil knocked in another one, and then within
the next minute Devon burst though the defense to give us the two goal
lead and that was it - a great win.
-
From start to finish it was a fun, positive
day and all credit to the boys for their effort. Hats off to the
captains, Praneil and Ayman, for the way they led their teammates, to John
for his great saves at the right times, to our defenders for playing so
hard through a grueling three man rotation (one of whom was quite sick),
and to our midfield and strikers for their physical, emotional play.
They supported each other out there, they never quit, they had fun, and
this is one they should really be proud of. Well done boys! |
Game
8
-
2
- Juventus '93 (Vipers) vs.
Scottish - 4
-
More than anything, as a team I think
we all feel very disappointed about this one. Today represented such
a great chance to get ourselves on a roll but the day was decided by questionable
decision making against an opponent who wanted this game very badly - probably
more than we did.
-
We talked before the game about the importance
of communication, and we felt the boys were certainly more vocal out there,
but it was offset by a definite lack of focus. Balls were passed,
headed and thrown in with no real target or purpose in mind, passes were
consistently over or understruck and, too often, possession was turned
over on the sidelines because we simply knocked the ball out without even
being pressured. Most noticeably, there seemed to be a determination
on our part to get things done in as few steps and passes as possible and
our offence suffered due to this impatience and lack of a plan as we moved
the ball forward. It was just a very unpolished effort and the result
was the loss of a game we all felt we should have won.
-
In the midst of it all there were some
efforts well worth mention. Dylan really battled very hard throughout
this game, paying for it in fact with a nasty knock to the head, and Praneil
went +1 on the day thanks to his desire and tenacity. The real star
of the day in our minds though was Ayman who continues to play extremely
well and who is really leading the way with his effort, consistency and
communication on the field. In the dying minutes of the game, with
the loss all but assured, he took the ball forward into a seam, he communicated
with the wingers, he pointed and quarterbacked the play upfield, and fed
the pass that lead to a goal. It was a great left footed strike by
Rizwan that hit the back of the net, but it would not have happened if
not for Ayman's never giving up and the way he used all he has learned
to create the play. It was a great example and hopefully something
that can carry forward into next week's match.
-
As far as another loss goes, we said right
from the day we moved up that this was going to be a very tough season,
and some people probably took that warning with a grain of salt, but there
is clearly still a lot we have to learn. So many elements have to
come together to play at this level, and we know they will in time, but
for now there will be good days and bad days. Today was a bad day
but it certainly isn't the end of the world. We will continue to
expand each player's basic understanding of his position and continue to
encourage better communication which should result in more instinctive,
effective play development. Chins up, there are better days ahead
boys. |
Game
7
-
0
- Juventus '93 (Vipers) vs.
Victoria S.C. - 5
-
Our first game of 2008 was really a mixed
bag. For the most part we felt that the team worked pretty hard out
there, and we didn't feel the gap between the two teams was anywhere near
as big as the standings would suggest, but we came up short when it came
to decision making and willingness to do the little extras that are needed.
That was the real difference.
-
In terms of decision making, most of the
goals against us were the result of good coverage gone wrong when individuals
made bad choices. Even while being audibly coached to jockey against
the players they were covering in man to man (to take away their lanes
and options), our players would choose slide or fish at the ball.
Effectively falling for the attacker's bate, they would commit, get deked
out, and allow a goal. When we stayed in our roles and jockeyed correctly,
our opponent threw away a lot of bad passes and ineffective shots, but
when impatience overruled discipline we got burned.
-
As far as "little extras" are concerned,
the single biggest issue was our lack of communication. We floated
through this one and no one spoke up when things were not being done correctly.
We are trying step back as coaches to get to a point where things get done
instinctively by the boys, without the our yelling in instructions,
but we did not set up our much-practiced free kick formation once today
because no one took the lead. We faced a free kick without setting
up a wall and no one said a word. When we had a crucial indirect
free kick from a great position, it was misplayed because there was no
communication of any sort between the players nearest to the ball.
Despite a pretty good physical effort on the day, we fell silent and failed
to take charge.
-
This game represents the halfway point
to our season and it is pretty close to where we expected to be.
The schedule had us in tough over these first seven games, we played each
of the top six teams, but we should be ready to get on a roll now and our
goal of making it into the top six is still there. The next three
games represent a great opportunity to make real progress but it starts
with a willingness to do everything it takes. Next weekend we will
need to be excited, we will need to be disciplined, and we will need to
be vocal. Every player on this team can be a leader so the big question
is, who will step up? It is in your hands guys. Take all you
have learned and seize the opportunity. |
Polar
Cup - Game 3
-
2
- Juventus '93 (Vipers) vs.
St. Albert Impact - 1
-
It has been a very eventful 2007 for our
team (more about that in News), and an especially
tough December, so it was really great to be able to finish off the year
with a victory. Although we really felt we were the stronger team
coming into the match, the game was a tough one for the boys in a number
of ways. There were still players hurting from last night's ugly
affair, there seemed to be a lot of mental fatigue, and I think the team
felt a little unsure of themselves and struggled to find a rhythm, especially
in the first half.
-
I don't think I've ever had as much to
say about officiating as I have this week, and I honestly don't know how
to explain what was going on out there. It sure seemed like identical
fouls were met with cautions for one team and penalties for the other,
but it probably makes the win more special because the boys know how hard
they had to work for it, with so many things stacked against them.
Unlike Game 1, they took matters into their own hands and the game was
won on effort and not by outside influence. It is a game they should
be very proud of, and one which they can build on as we head into 2008.
-
In every way this was a team effort but,
with apologies to anyone whose name isn't mentioned, there are a few individuals
whose roles in this victory should be noted. It was a game in which
confidence and momentum grew slowly, shift by shift, and John really did
great in goal to keep us in the game during that time. We felt Gabe
did a great job as a defender and showed, as he so often does, what intelligent
play and good body position can do even against much larger opponents.
Max worked tenaciously today and blocked more shots than we could count,
while Ayman, as both forward and defender today, showed his usual smart
consistency. Praneil demonstrated the heart of a leader with that
huge first goal to get us rolling, and Dylan chose the best possible time
to charge the net and score that huge winning goal. In fact, his
consistent play over the past three games also allowed him to edge out
Gabe and Willem as our tournament plus/minus leader and win our Galaxyland
day passes.
-
So well done boys. It takes real
character and courage to bounce back like you did today, and it felt like
a good old Viper win from days gone by. We'll meet this opponent
again back in 7v7 but, for now, congratulations and thank you for all of
your hard work throughout this most challenging year. Have a great
New Year everyone and we'll see you all back on January 5th. |
Polar
Cup - Game 2
-
0
- Juventus '93 (Vipers) vs.
Sherwood Park Rangers - 5
-
Not a lot of technical summary is needed
for this game. It was one of those nights where everything that could
go wrong did, and where we simply lost to a better team. The match
was fast, physical and it left a lot of bruised egos and battered bodies
in its wake . We took a big gamble on a defensive strategy, one that
was meant to be in line with what we are progressively teaching in our
7v7 league, and it simply didn't translate to the boarded game. In
virtually no time at all, the game was out of reach and confidence was
shattered.
-
To make matters worse, the referee turned
a blind eye to many minor fouls, which became steadily more serious as
Ranger players saw they were getting away with them, and it was only a
matter of time before things got out of hand. There was a period
where we felt the boys were getting their composure back but then a rash
of foul related injuries halted us in our tracks. One player not
showing up was trouble enough for us, but then a second pulled himself
from the game shortly after halftime, and that was followed by fairly serious
injuries to Devon and Max, and a series of scrapes, cuts and banged up
noses that left us applying first aid rather than coaching. It turned
our bench and our shifts completely upside down and, from that point on,
it mainly became a matter of just getting out of the game without anything
more serious happening.
-
I did want to speak to the courage of
the two young men I mentioned in the last paragraph... Devon endured
an extremely painful shot block, followed by that kick to the nose and
mouth. In both cases he showed a great deal of courage to fight through
the pain and he wanted nothing more than to get back out there and work
harder. It's certainly not something we demand of anyone, but he
responded with determination and I think we all admired him for that.
-
As for Max, it was a very scary moment.
The hit into the boards was about as ugly as they come and the Ranger red
card was very warranted. It took far too long for the refs to grant
permission for coaches to enter the field and when we finally got there
we found him in excruciating pain. In fact it took a while to ascertain
that difficulty in communicating was due to the level of back pain and
not to any concussion type of injury. Max was very brave though and
he fought hard to focus on what we were saying and to push through the
worst of it - in fact he tried too hard to get up too soon. Throughout
the game tonight he was such a positive force on our bench, which takes
real character on a such bad day, and even after the injury it was all
we could do to keep him from going back on the field too soon.
-
In the end, we are thankful that everyone
is OK. It was a very difficult night for everyone, it's not very
often we've been on this end of it, but we are going to learn from this
and we will be a better team for it. It will be a different team
that takes to the field against the St. Albert Impact tomorrow. |
Polar
Cup - Game 1
-
2
- Juventus '93 (Vipers) vs.
Southwest Sting - 4
-
After such a strong effort in our last
match, this game was very disappointing. In a nutshell, this was
a case of a weaker team beating a stronger team due to the fact that the
weaker team wanted the win more and was willing to work a lot harder to
get it. We knew that we would be at something of a disadvantage since
the Sting play boarded indoor all the time and we haven't played it since
last winter, but the real issue was that for nearly 40 minutes tonight
we played with a near total lack of urgency. Frankly, if we had played
the first 40 like we played the final 10, we would have won the game.
-
Offensively we were able to generate a
number of chances. Devon & Willem set each other up for our two
goals, Zach had some close calls on free kicks, and there were a few other
good chances, but any momentum we could have hoped to generate was undone
by our state of total confusion over coverage and this is proving to be
quite a difficult concept for many.
-
The problem stems from a few tendencies
that were obvious tonight. For one, there are individuals who are
waiting too long to decide to get into coverage. By the time they decide
there is a problem and react, it is too late. From that, a chain
of errors occurs as players leave who they're supposed to be covering and
pick up the open man. Now their man is open and someone else makes
the same mistake to cover the new open man, and so on. Before we
know it there are wide open opponents all over the place, other opponents
with two or three guys following them, and our total unwillingness to communicate
vocally on the field makes it impossible to recover.
-
Now there were some comments about the
officiating and there were certainly things that were hard to explain.
We're not sure why a ref would say "play on" when a ball has hit the mesh
(resulting in a goal), or why our powerplay did not carry over into the
second half, or why a keeper would be allowed to handle a ball outside
of the crease, or a number of other confusing things. However, as
we've said for years now, that is the risk you run when, by lack of effort,
you leave things up to chance. Refs, like players, make mistakes
or just plain bad decisions sometimes. The only way to make sure
those mistakes don't kill you is to take care of business yourself.
Today we didn't. |
Game
6
-
2
- Juventus '93 (Vipers) vs.
Southwest United - 7
-
In the final analysis, the score is probably
a little unfair to us because the boys really fought a hard game today
against the best team in the league and one of the very top teams in the
country (2nd at the last Nationals). Southwest is a team which has
been most carefully recruited and cultivated for many years. They
have money and good coaching. They feature star members of Team Alberta,
they are even scouted by professional teams and, as you all saw, many of
them are men already - not by age of course, but by physical size and maturity.
Just last week the formerly undefeated powerhouse Victoria S.C. squad fell
to them by a final score well in excess of 10-0, as so many teams do, but
our boys put that sort of possibility out of their heads today and gave
it an effort to be proud of.
-
More than anything we saw this game as
a chance to really measure ourselves against the best and for about 52
minutes of the affair we hung right in there. There were two small
lapses, about four minutes each, which contributed 6 goals to Southwest's
total, that's how explosive they can be, but for the rest of the match
we met them head on and you could see they were really becoming frustrated.
For starters, no one scores twice against SWU (well done Devon), but we
also did very well in our 1-2-3 and 1-2-2-1 format to take away the lanes
they wanted and they were forced into taking a lot of shots from well out.
For most of this game our man-to-man coverage was excellent and they boys
even held their own physically and stood up for themselves (bad boy Nik!).
-
Individually some boys found themselves
in unfamiliar positions but did very well just the same. Neil was
really strong as a sweeper today and Steve, playing as a defender, had
his best game yet. There were a few boys not feeling all that well,
among them Zach who moved up to Midfield and did a pretty good job covering
the best player in the province. Quite remarkably, Dylan finished the match
at +1, Gabe at a sparkling +2, and we can't say enough about Matt who came
in on short notice to play goal for us, after five months without a game,
and fought so hard. He anticipated and charged well, we retained
possession on a healthy percentage of his throws and kicks, and he was
very unlucky on two goals, one of which we know for certain did not completely
cross the line and another where we didn't feel the ref was in an ideal
position to make the call he did. Those are the breaks though.
-
After the game the mood was pretty upbeat
because I think we all felt that the boys did very well. Take away
a couple of questionable goals, have Neil's crossbar shot fall in, improve
on our two mental lapses and suddenly the final score would look very different
. The gap between teams was not as great as many would have imagined
and if the boys can consistently play like they did today, it could be
a great 2008 with the hardest part of our schedule behind us.
Very well done today boys. We'll see you at Polar Cup! |
Game
5
-
3
- Juventus '93 (Vipers) vs.
Edmonton Drillers X - 7
-
We knew there would be highs and lows
this season, we knew there could be some days where we would get it taken
to us pretty good, but what is so very disappointing about this game in
particular is that we gave it away. It was not a matter
of losing to superior skill. It was a matter of commitment. This
was a game we were in control of, a game we were poised to win, and then
we just stopped working. For some inexplicable reason we stopped
thinking, we gave up on coverage, two and three Drillers were wide open
at any given time, and the wheels fell off. Today we beat ourselves
and what makes it all the more unfortunate is that there were individuals
who actually performed well today. In a four goal loss, Ayman, Marcus
and Willem finished at +2 on the day, but that was offset by several strong
players who went -6.
-
In recent seasons we had a few elite-minded
individuals who made a point of setting themselves apart from the rest
of the team because of their scoring feats, and maybe that has allowed
us to lose site of a message that has been central to this team since day
one. We don't succeed because one or two players lead the way.
We succeed when every single player accepts his basic individual responsibilities
and the whole team plays as a group. No job is too insignificant.
The basic job of sticking to your man like glue is as important as scoring.
That is the point of our plus/minus stats. Any number of goals from
any individual, or line, are irrelevant if they allow twice as many goals
to be scored against. It is a two way game and many of us forgot
that today.
-
The point has been made before, and it
needs to be made again. At this level it takes a FULL 60 minutes.
There is no time to coast, and no lead that is safe if you decide to stop
working. Last week, and even the week before (although we were a
little unlucky in that one), we saw it through right to the end.
This week we did not. Recent games have proven that we can excel
at this level if we focus and work. It doesn't require anyone to
play above their ability and it doesn't take luck or a weak opponent.
It starts inside with a desire to improve and a willingness to work hard.
This Saturday we have practice and then we have an exhibition match against
Juventus '94. It is a perfect opportunity to put forth a solid effort,
without having to worry about the standings, and I hope we will see everyone
prepared to give it their very best. |
Game
4
-
6
- Juventus '93 (Vipers) vs.
Edmonton Drillers Y - 4
-
Our continually stated message this season
has been that it is going to be a year of learning where our biggest goal
is to see improvement each week and, sure enough, through our first three
games, we have seen steady progression from the boys to the point were
they nearly pulled off an upset last weekend. From that close call
to this week, there really was no doubt in any of our minds that, in order
to keep our forward momentum going, we really needed to win this game.
Like the team they've always been, the boys fought hard for this one and
earned themselves their first EIYSA victory (of many to come).
-
Quite honestly, we weren't as sharp in
today's first half as we were last week. We were sloppy in our ball
handling, a lot of plays came to a screeching halt because of overstruck
passes or careless first touches, and there were some costly defensive
blunders which saw us head to halftime down 3-2. We are a team who
expects a lot of ourselves though, and sometimes we only need to look down
at the other team to realize that, even though we aren't playing to our
highest expectations, we are succeeding and getting to the other team.
We didn't have to spell it out. The boys saw and commented at the
break that the other team looked tired and was becoming frustrated.
This halftime felt just like so many in the past where we have been down
a goal or two but knew it was ours if we wanted it. These boys wanted
it badly.
-
The team took to the field in the second
half and played with maturity and determination. After tying the match,
a defensive miscue saw us down 4-3 but from then on it was all Vipers.
Our "D" tightened up and our mids and strikers FINALLY heeded our pleas
to stop looking for the perfect opportunity and just start shooting.
With relentless pressure they caused numerous turnovers and with growing
belief in themselves the unleashed a flurry of shots that saw the Drillers
fall behind our pace. Once again the post was not our friend, three
in the second half, but it didn't matter. Goals from Nik, Praneil,
Steve, Dylan, and a pair from Devon, were all we needed in front of good
man-to-man coverage from everyone and excellent goal keeping from John.
-
So there it is boys. We're on the
board and this is a great achievement for our team. To use the overused
cliché, the monkey is off our back now and we can really start to
focus on the job of improving and growing into the force we know we can
become. Each game from here on in is a stepping stone to the next
level. Next week we face the Drillers X in what promises to be a
hard fought, physical match but with effort and teamwork you're up to any
challenge. Well done boys and congratulations! We are all very
proud of you. |
Game
3
-
0
- Juventus '93 (Vipers) vs.
Red Deer Renegades - 1
-
After a game like this it is very important
that we keep things in perspective, remembering where we are and what our
message about this season has been from the beginning. A one goal loss
can be pretty tough to swallow when you've worked as hard as our young
men did out there today, and when they came soooo close, but we have to
see the bigger picture. Our biggest goal has always been to get better,
and there can be absolutely no doubt that the boys were better AGAIN today.
Through three games now we've seen more growth than we've seen through
some entire seasons in the past, and this was just a tremendous match against
a legitimate top-five EIYSA team. We should be very proud of how
well we played.
-
Defensively, it is hard to believe this
is the same team we saw against the Strikers two weeks ago. We have
really been driving home the message that we are now at a level where can
no longer afford periods, however brief, where we coast. Through
our best seasons and our biggest wins, we have always had a tendency to
fall into lulls during games but today we saw an entire sixty minutes,
from start to finish, at peak intensity. Our man-to-man coverage
was simply outstanding and, but for one minor miscue that lead to the lone
goal, we held the Renegades closely in check.
-
Offensively we saw again that our rhythm
is somewhat disrupted by our focus on man-to-man, and surely affected by
the rust of two weeks without practice, but the game was not without its
chances. In particular, the last six minutes were sheer dominance
on our part and it is still hard to believe the ball didn't go in.
That's the way it goes some days, but it was reassuring to see that when
we pressed hard for the equalizer, it seemed to come back to the boys like
it always used to be. A narrow miss over the crossbar, a shot just
wide, so many scrambles in their box, and yet another goal post... so close!
We absolutely owned the last shift and it just didn't bounce our way.
We hold our heads high though because we know we're on the right track.
-
We knew from the start that things wouldn't
come immediately, that the season would be about progressing in steps and,
as coaches, we are very proud of what we've seen so far. These are tough,
physical, mental battles but the boys are working so hard and they're eager
to get better. They've learned quickly, their improvement is simply
unmistakable, and they're playing with so much maturity. You've played
three good games Vipers, all against top-five teams, and each game you've
been progressively better than the last. You played a great match
out there today and next week you're going to win. We'll see you
all at Sunday practice (King's College - 4:30pm). |
Game
2
-
2
- Juventus '93 (Vipers) vs.
Sherwood Park Rangers - 7
-
Based on the standings from the previous
two seasons, the Rangers would be the number two team in our group, slightly
stronger than last week's opponent, and so we expected a bigger challenge
today. The first thing that can be said is that the boys were much
better today. In fact they were in this match most of the way. They
were better defensively, and their man-to-man coverage had vastly improved
in the space of a week. Clearly there were stretches where they held
the momentum and applied sustained pressure that got the Rangers scrambling,
and they were a little unfortunate to not score a few more times on some
of those very close misses.
-
Missing one of our defenders for this
match, we brought Ayman back and he played a tremendous game for us.
He was positionally solid and his decision making was excellent - he really
looked like a natural defender. Marcus was also really strong today
and, once again, Max really lead the way in back. We can't say enough about
the work he has done in the last two games, both in the way he plays and
the way he leads (now if he can just remember to bring his shoes!).
No doubt, our defenders were much improved this week
-
Likewise, we felt our Mids were much more
aware of the rhythm of the game and their individual responsibilities today.
In particular, we really felt positive about the performance of Devon,
Willem and Gabriel as a midfield trio. They were aggressive, but
smart, they brought about most of our offensive chances, and they were
only burned twice for goals. At striker we're still not taking as
many shots as we need to, but Dylan notched a really nice goal through
some good, diligent work, As was the case last week, John was really
great for us in goal. He got fooled on the first goal, but he was
rock solid the rest of the way and didn't have much chance on the other
six Ranger goals, which all came about from some very nice plays.
-
Overall we felt good about today's game
and the fact that we saw significant improvement from last week in some
key areas. One thing we can see is that our current focus on the
defensive fine points of the EIYSA game detracts, for now, from our offense.
However, as these things become more second nature, we will see our offensive
strengths start to shine through fairly soon. For today we wanted
to see growth, and we absolutely did. From here on in, we're not
only looking to keep up with teams, but we will also be looking to win
some of these games. You really did well today boys, and we saw once
again that you are a stronger squad now than you were last season.
With continued practice and experience, great things will start to happen
soon. |
Game
1
-
3
- Juventus '93 (Vipers) vs.
Edmonton Strikers - 8
-
I think the first thing that needs to
be said about today's game is that we came away feeling pretty positive
about it, despite the score. The Strikers are one of the top three teams
in our age group and it truly was a case of initiation by fire because
there is still so much that needs to be learned in order to play such a
team. We had spoken a lot to the boys about what to expect, but we
knew they wouldn't be able to truly comprehend it until they experienced
it first hand. After today we have no doubt that we are a stronger team
than we were last season, but one parent summed it up best when he said
that it will take some time for the boys to get into the "rhythm" of this
game.
-
We have played EMSA Tier 1 teams before,
and done pretty well, but EMSA simply doesn't compare to this level of
play. This is truly elite soccer, due not only to ability, but also
to game sense, creativity, aggression, and quickness of thought and reaction.
These are things that will come with time and patience, now that we are
playing amongst the best, and we have absolutely no doubt that we will
see improvement from game to game.
-
The match started off pretty well for
us and the first shift saw Devon muscle his way through for our first EIYSA
goal and the quick 1-0 lead. When our second shift took to the field,
having seen how well first shift did, I think they probably took things
too lightly and there was a real delayed reaction in their transition to
defence. Simply put, they were too slow in coming back and, by the
time they got the message, the Strikers had potted four goals. It
rattled the boys, it took a little while to get back into the swing of
things, and we had to get back to the very most basic concepts of picking
a man ("find your number"), keeping track of him, and reacting quickly
to cover him.
-
In the second half we thought the boys
were much better in their man to man coverage, and probably a little unlucky
to get burned on one or two goals that slipped inside the post by mere
millimeters. We found ourselves scrambling from time to time, but
it really owes to the fact that the boys are not very used to having to
work and think at that speed for every single minute of a game.
It is a long time to remain at peak levels of effort and concentration,
and there really is no good time to coast out there anymore.
-
Ultimately, the final score probably wasn't
completely indicative of the game. Admittedly there were things we
did as coaches to test our strengths and weaknesses that we wouldn't normally
do, and there are some very little things the boys will learn that will
make games like this winnable. For one, we will need to stop looking
for the perfect shot and start firing some balls at the net. The
Strikers did and we saw the result. We have to get better at coming
up with the ball when we have throw-ins and free kicks. Not enough
motion meant too many turnovers. We will definitely have to learn
to be more physical! Too many years in EMSA getting penalized for
every little bump (because we were the top team) meant we never really
could develop these skills - but we will now. Little things like
that, things that are well within our power to improve, will make a huge
difference.
-
As I started off saying, we saw enough
positive things to feel pretty good about our chances to grow and compete
this season. For one, our conditioning was right where it needed
to be, and it will only get better. We managed to get some things
done offensively and, when we were focusing, for all but two very
undisciplined shifts, we did not too badly defensively. Most importantly
there wasn't any sense that the boys were especially down about the result,
in fact they seemed reassured that they will be able to play at this level.
-
Individually we saw some very strong efforts.
Praneil, named team captain just before game time, played a really strong
game, as did Devon who actually scored twice, and Ayman who really worked
hard. Max had a very solid debut for us on "D", he blocked a lot
of shots, and John was terrific in goal with his acrobatics and his game
sense. In the final analysis, there were little things we could have
done which could easily have meant another couple of goals for us, things
we will learn which would have prevented 3 or 4 goals against, and when
that happens it becomes very different game. Heads up Vipers.
It was a fair start, better than expected actually, and we are going to
improve by leaps and bounds in the coming months. |
-
| Stats will be updated
weekly after they are officially posted by EIYSA |
-
EIYSA
U16 Boys Silver Standings
- |
| Team |
GP |
W |
L |
T |
GF |
GA |
+/- |
Pts |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Edmonton
Strikers |
12
|
12
|
0
|
0
|
64
|
27
|
+37
|
36
|
| Southwest United |
11 |
9 |
2* |
0 |
55 |
21 |
+34 |
27 |
| Sh. Park Rangers |
12 |
9 |
3 |
0 |
55 |
29 |
+26 |
27 |
| Red Deer Renegades |
13 |
9* |
4 |
0 |
58 |
40 |
+13 |
27 |
| Victoria S.C. |
12 |
7 |
5* |
0 |
45 |
40 |
+5 |
21 |
| Edmonton
Drillers "X" |
12
|
6
|
5
|
1
|
29
|
39
|
-10
|
19
|
| St.
Albert Impact |
12
|
3
|
7
|
2
|
49
|
59
|
-10
|
11
|
| Internazionale |
11 |
3* |
7 |
1 |
36 |
54 |
-18 |
10 |
| Juventus 93
(Vipers) |
13 |
2 |
11 |
0 |
29 |
67 |
-38 |
6 |
| Scottish United |
12 |
1 |
9* |
2 |
34 |
53 |
-19 |
5 |
| Edmonton
Drillers "Y" |
12 |
1
|
9 |
2
|
45 |
70 |
-25
|
5
|
- -
An asterisk (*)
means the team has won or lost games by default.
As per EIYSA rules,
the defaulting team loses by a score of 5-0. |
- |
