(Standings
are at the bottom of the page)
-
EMSA/CMSA
Inter- Cities Championships - Game 3
-
2
- Lakewood Vipers vs. CMCA
Mavericks - 7
-
Ouch! There really isn't much to
say about a game like that. After a fairly good start for us, CMCA
just took over and owned us. I suppose it's our reward for doing
better that we were supposed to following our move up to U14. CMCA
clearly had more experience, and this was definitely the clearest example
of the difference in age we have seen all season. As our inability
to clear the ball from our defensive zone became more and more of a factor,
confusion spread to our midfield and we simply collapsed from front to
back.
-
That being said, I also think we just
had a really bad day. SWU Raiders, who beat us 4-2 yesterday, blanked
CMCA 3-0 and then crushed Northmount 8-0 this morning which would seem
to suggest we are much stronger than today's game would indicate.
True, CMSA does things differently (some would say unfairly) so that their
"community" teams are as strong as most of Edmonton's club teams, but we
would have done much better than this on most days.
-
It's a tough way to end a season, but
then we never really expected to be here either. We came to U14 expecting
to see results like this much earlier in the season and we really didn't
until now. Let's not forget what a great season it was that brought
us here. There were a lot of highs, some amazing wins, and a lot
of class shown when the boys found themselves in ugly situations like our
Southwood encounters. We came to learn, and I think we did.
I can't wait to see the growth when we rejoin our own age group for Indoor.
-
Congratulations to Josh, Kyle, Matt, Gabe,
Amin, Willem, Tino, Dylan, Nik, Arjun, Zach, Riz, Ronak, Austin, Ayman,
Marin, Tanvir & Praneil - 2006 MWSA Tournament Champions / 2006 EWZSA
Spring Challenge Champions / 2006 MWSA & ESESA Zone Champions / 2006
EMSA Inter-Cities Reps.
-
And finally, for a wonderful season, thank
you to all of the amazing players and parents of the 2006 Lakewood Vipers.
We'll see you soon. |
EMSA/CMSA
Inter- Cities Championships - Game 2
-
2
- Lakewood Vipers vs. Northmount
- 4
(Shootout - No Game
Played)
-
| Shootouts are something you love if you
win and hate if you lose. Officials determined the field was too
wet to play so we headed straight to a shootout and you never know what
is going to happen. I thought Nik played each shot really well.
He did everything correctly, he challenged aggressively, he covered the
angles well and, quite frankly, he was really unlucky on two shots - one
he actually stopped, only to have it bounce back out, off the shooter's
shins, and into the goal, and another which hit the crossbar and fell in.
Those are the breaks though and you can't take it too hard. We'll
be back tomorrow morning on the same field which could mean another shootout.
Stay tuned! |
EMSA/CMSA
Inter- Cities Championships - Game 1
-
2
- Lakewood Vipers vs. SWU
Raiders - 4
-
Though not "officially" a club team, in
most ways that count SWU operates very much like one. They are also
entirely comprised of second year U14s and when you get to this level of
play, you can really see the difference it makes being the much younger
team. In addition to a decided advantage in size and strength, most
of them catch up to our fastest players without too much trouble at all
and that makes it pretty hard to get anything going offensively.
-
We hung in for a while, actually leading
for a time, but SWU controlled most of the game and there were things we
should have done better. Defensively, we continually struggled to
clear the ball and, in fact, three of four goals against resulted from
failures to put the ball out of bounds. In the midfield we should
have rushed and challenged more (that was our strategy), but it was actually
our
midfielders who never had more than a second or two before they were swarmed
by red jerseys. Up front, our forwards never really got the ball
much, but when they did they never seemed to make use of the outsides.
We will really have to improve in these areas for our final two games.
-
That all being said, I do think that it
is very important to remember we are the younger and less experienced team.
SWU is favored to win this group and, to our credit, we were able to stay
with them for most of the game - in fact there were some pretty strong
performances. Zach was absolutely huge on "D" today, as he always
is in tough games, and Tanvir did very well with the limited chances he
actually got. I warned Nik that SWU would take one look at him and
try to shoot from anywhere, which they did, and I think he really surprised
them. His angles were excellent, he read slippery bounces very well,
and he held us in the game for a long time.
-
All in all it really wasn't a bad performance
and, with a little luck, we might even have stolen a tie or a win there.
It's definitely something we can build on but we will need to bring more
intensity. We're an unorthodox team and that very often confuses
club teams. With heart and team play we win games like these. |
Edmonton
City Championship - Game 4
-
1
- Lakewood Vipers vs. Northmount
- 3
-
It would be easy to be disappointed with
this week, let's face it we're not very used to losing, but when you look
back at the huge leap our move up was, when you look back at our initial
expectations, and when you consider the load these boys have carried, and
the challenges they have faced, I think it was an extremely successful
season.
-
In the last 9 months the Vipers have played
in 57 games, scored an impressive 380 goals, won four tournaments, won
two zone championships, made cities twice, won the city championship once
and made it to provincials once. It has been an incredible ride, but an
exhausting one. As I looked at our team this afternoon I could see
there just wasn't any more left to give and I'm very proud of all they
have accomplished.
-
The game itself was similar to our other
losses this week. We came out strong and dominated the first half
but ultimately our stamina broke down and there just wasn't enough left
in the gas tank. 40 minute halves just proved to be too much against
these larger, stronger, faster, second-year U14 teams - but we sure made
a good show of it. More importantly, I think we showed class and
sportsmanship to match our ability and passion.
-
I was amazed how many people came up to
us this week to say, "So you're the Vipers. I've heard so much about
you so and I had to come over and see you play." I heard it over
a dozen times from refs, linesmen, and even from parents & coaches
who had nothing to do with our age group or pool. The West Zone vice-president
commented to me that he couldn't recall a community level team ever making
such a big splash and I think it says a great deal about what we have done
together. Gold, silver, bronze, or no medal at all, I really believe
these boys are in a class by themselves on so many levels.
-
So hold your heads up Vipers. The
experience of this week was exactly why we made our move up and exactly
why we kept our team together. Not only did we learn and grow an
awful lot this season, but I think we really exceeded everyone's expectations,
including our own. When all is said and done, you're the 2005 MWSA
Victoria Tournament Champions, the 2006 EWZSA Spring Challenge Champions,
and the 2006 MWSA & ESESA Zone Champions. Not bad at all for
a group of U12s and first-year U14s! Congratulations! |
Edmonton
City Championship - Game 3
-
2
- Lakewood Vipers vs. Duggan
- 3
-
As excited as the
boys always are to see the great fields at the ESA Complex, they have always
presented some problems for us. At a whopping 320x230 they present
difficulty for our smaller players in the amount of distance required just
to clear the ball, and for our team as a whole in the amount of distance
you need to cover. Plus, for a team used to playing on the relatively
hard, sparsely grasses surfaces in Mill Woods, it is difficult to adjust
to the way the ball dies on these soft, lush fields if you don't strike
it hard enough. We saw a lot of that this morning and for Duggan,
a team with superior size and speed, it meant an awful lot of interceptions
which killed our momentum time and time again.
-
Fair is fair, and
Duggan, on any surface, are a bigger, stronger and faster team. Whether
or not you agree with the pushing call on their penalty kick, or
the non-call on a possible offside for their third goal, the fact is that
they were all over us in the second half and you risk those sort of game
deciding calls when you don't get the ball away from your goal. To
that point, I think we saw that conditioning became a factor late in the
game again. We could point to Riz injuring himself in warm-up and
sitting out the game, or Praneil missing much of the second half with a
back injury, but Duggan had fewer subs that us and the clearly had their
legs left right up until the end. We came pretty close to winning
this one, but we just couldn't hold them off for the full 80 minutes, even
with some absolutely brilliant goal keeping by Nik.
-
There was some great effort out there
though, and it is important to remember that this is much better than we
were supposed to do this season. I thought Zach had an amazing day
quarterbacking the "D" and logging a ton of field time. Arjun fought
so hard on every play against much bigger opponents and certainly won his
fair share of confrontations. Gabriel was his usual tenacious self...
really, when I think about it, the whole team fought very hard today (those
were some awfully big players they were bumping and pushing against) and
we just came up a little short. The last five minutes was as hard
as I have ever seen this team try, and there is no reason to hang our heads
about that.
-
So we will not qualify for ASA Provincials
this time around, but we will be at Inter-Cities in September. Honestly,
if you'd have told me that in April I would have jumped at it. For
now though, we have one more game to focus on. This afternoon it's
Northmount and a battle for the Bronze Medal. Heck, we've never won
a bronze medal, so this will complete our collection! Good effort
this morning guys... let's get it done this afternoon! |
Edmonton
City Championship - Game 2
-
4
- Lakewood Vipers vs. Southwood
- 3
-
How great was that!!!
At the risk of taking this grudge too seriously, Cities will have been
worth the trip if only for the chance to beat Southwood in that way.
As usual it was a circus on the Southwood bench and, between their coaches,
players and parents, they proved once again that class is an alien concept
to them. Complaining, insults, intimidation, obscene gestures - it
was the same old story. Once again I am very proud of our boys for
the way they conducted themselves and the way they remained focused on
the game.
-
The first half was
entirely ours and, although it took a long time to record our first goal,
we had chances galore and the ball rarely left the Southwood zone.
(That one goal by the way, a nice conversion by Ayman, was the team's 700th
since our Viper adventure began.) Our passing was great, Dylan had
a very strong night in that regard, we worked the ball well to the outside,
there were plenty of good crosses, but but a combination of good goal keeping
on their part, and a lack of finishing touch on ours, kept the game close.
-
By the second half
you could see fatigue start to set in again. Short by three players,
and with too few well-attended practices in which to work on our team conditioning,
we hit a wall again and Southwood seized the opportunity. Play moved
more and more into our end and we began to make simple mistakes.
Under intense pressure, Zach & Amin made some great clears and Nik
made several amazing saves just to keep us in the game. Then, when
it was most needed, the Vipers found their stride again, the teamwork kicked
in, and they responded with a little razzle-dazzle in the game's crucial
final moments.
-
Great passing had
just moved the ball upfield and a foul on Dylan lined us up for a free
kick in the middle from around 20 yards out. A set play was sent
in from the bench which saw Arjun fake right and run over the ball, Praneil
fake left and run over the ball, and then, with the keeper frozen, Tanvir
punched in the winning goal. Set play or not, his kick was amazing.
It got up over the wall, bent to the left and passed a few inches inside
the post, hitting the side of the mesh rather than the back. No keeper
on the planet would have stopped that one and it was a thrilling moment
for all of us.
-
Full credit to everyone
for their effort tonight. This is serious competition, the circumstances
aren't ideal, you bounced back whenever Southwood scored, and you really
came through with a great game. (Note: That big kid running all over
the field in a fit of excitement was actually Phillip!) I don't know
where you'd have to go to find a more exciting game than that one.
Congratulations Vipers and we'll see you back for more on Saturday morning. |
Edmonton
City Championship - Game 1
-
2
- Lakewood Vipers vs. Glenora
- 4
-
This was a game
I have mixed feelings about. One the one hand, we weren't really
expected to be in Glenora's league, they are supposed to the the top T4
team in the city, entirely made up of second year U14's, and yet we were
in this game right up until the end. On the other hand, it was a
game we controlled for long stretches and probably could have won.
It's a better result than expected but, in hindsight, not quite the result
we were capable of.
-
To be fair, there
were certainly factors working against us. It was very hot, the worst
situation in which to be short so many players, and fatigue really became
an issue later in the game. Matt came back early from his surgery's
recovery period but, after seeing him in a pretty solid collision, it wasn't
a situation I was comfortable putting him in so we basically played with
only three subs.
-
As the game progressed,
aggressive kicks to the knees and ankles knocked Gabriel, Willem &
Kyle out of commission for various periods of time (the latter out of the
game completely), a reckless hit from behind sidelined Ayman for a few
crucial shifts, a huge collision caused Marin to sit out for almost half
of the game, and these fouls further reduced our ability to sub as much
as needed. You could see fatigue set in and the team hit its wall.
-
If I'm being honest,
another factor was rust and simply being a step or two from being able
to finish a lot of great set ups. It's been a long time since we
had a decent turnout at practice, our last one had only four boys, and
some of areas we most needed to work on were definitely factors tonight.
There has been an awful lot of soccer played in a relatively short period
of time, and burnout is an inevitable result of that, but when interest
and commitment wane, it becomes more difficult to just "turn it on" as
needed and, with too few chances to fine tune things in practice, we were
missing much of the polish that would usually allow us to finish some of
the great work that was done tonight.
-
The game was not
without its high points though. Praneil had an outstanding night
on the right outside, maybe the best we've seen from him. He absolutely
owned his defensive coverage and sent in great crosses time and time again
throughout the match. Tanvir had a very impressive first half, although
the heat and an excess of playing time hit him pretty hard in the second
half, and Zach had a great night at middle "D" - his speed, leg and endurance
to play most of the game, gave us a fighting chance in the backfield.
Gabriel had an extremely strong night as well, his tenacity at midfield
was a huge factor in the momentum swinging our way after our slow start,
and I thought Ayman really looked sharp with his positioning and passing
up front.
-
The positive in
all of this is that we just met number one and we know we could have won.
It's a powerful thing to remember in our next three games because it lets
us know that we definitely have the ability to achieve a top two finish
and advance to Provincials. When the season first began in April,
I'm not sure any of us would have believed that possible so this isn't
a devastating loss by any stretch of the imagination. A big effort
Thursday against Southwood will put us right back on track to achieve our
goal. Let's go Vipers! |
Game
15 (Round Three, Group A)
-
1
- Lakewood Vipers vs. Bonnie
Doon - 2
-
For the second time
in a row we ended a round by beating the top team one night, and then losing
to the bottom team the next. For whatever reason, big games continue
to be followed by lackluster efforts, and we could tell right from our
opening huddle that there seemed to be very little interest in listening
or in focusing on the task at hand. Perhaps owing to the fact that
our spot in Tier 4 Cities was already wrapped up, they just didn't take
this game seriously. For a coach it is frustrating, not because of
the final score, but because of the effort. If Bonnie Doon came out
and beat us with a brilliant game that would be fine, but this was a game
were the Vipers just didn't seem to care.
-
We tried to set
some objectives, such as getting goals for two players who have fallen
into mainly defensive roles this season, but it was obvious that we were
in trouble right from the start. Despite our pleas, the ball was
repeatedly played straight up the middle of the field, instead of out to
the sides, on goal kicks, free kicks & clearing attempts. Too
many players tried to beat too many opponents one on one, instead of playing
our usual passing game, there was an explosion of goal attempts from ridiculously
far distances, and instead of using their bodies to bring down high balls,
players kept trying to use their feet (except when they ducked out of the
way to avoid the ball altogether).
-
Meanwhile, passes
were consistently understruck and, when they weren't, the receivers would
often just watch as opposing players stepped right in front and took the
ball with no resistance. There was a noticeable return to toe-punting
for a few players, many balls were badly shanked as a result, and I don't
recall a corner kick getting higher than four or five feet in the air,
which meant that they were usually intercepted. Our biggest problem
though was that we were repeatedly caught with our defenders too high on
the parent side of the field. Almost all of Bonnie Doon's rushes
started there, with four attackers bearing down on two defenders, as our
third defender struggled to catch up. When our midfielders began
to compensate more and more to the backfield, our control of the midfield
collapsed and it was all over from that point. It was really only
through Nik's sharp play in goal that it stayed as close as it did.
-
So another lesson
learned. Unlike the lower age groups, every team in U14 is capable
of beating us under the right circumstances and this is what happens when
you don't come to play. Sure they're young, and we are all suffering
from a little bit of burnout I think, but the danger, as I've alluded to
before, is that we may not be able to break this habit and find the focus
to put together a string of complete 80 minute efforts like we'll need
at Cities, and possibly beyond. It is probably a positive that we have
some off time from games before then and we can work on a few things in
practice (next one Monday). |
Game
14 (Round Three, Group A)
-
4
- Lakewood Vipers vs. Southwood
- 2
-
Tonight was the
match to decide a zone champion, with the winner all but guaranteed the
top spot for Mill Woods & Southeast. Ever since Southwood humbled
us 5-1 in our first meeting, we have dominated our head to head contests
with them (four wins & one tie) but they have all been very tight,
hard fought matches, often ugly affairs, and this one was no different.
-
While I respect
the ability of the Southwood team, it grows increasingly hard to respect
their maturity and sportsmanship. Every game comes with its antics,
disrespect for the officials, attempts to intimidate, and verbal assaults
- it's a disgrace. I won't dwell on tonight's circus except to say
that there is always a danger you could allow yourself to be pulled down
to the level of an immature opponent, to get caught up in the negativity,
and to forget your game plan - but our boys had none of it. For that
I give them full credit. They came to win a title tonight, they stayed
focused, and it makes me very proud of them when I see them demonstrate
class and maturity above and beyond that of an older, more experienced
team. Well done boys!
-
As for the game
itself, I thought our team showed maturity & responsibility in their
play and positioning. Despite two Southwood goals, it never really
felt like we were in much trouble, and the margin of victory could have
been two or three goals greater. I was thrilled to see another goal
resulting from a corner kick, plus excellent effort and a very near miss
by Dylan on another one. I was also very happy with the way our midfield
picked it up tonight, and they won a lot of challenges which prevented
Southwood from breaking out and setting up. Gabriel had a tremendous
game tonight in that respect, and Josh also showed great speed & tenacity
(and some nifty footwork as well).
-
Defensively, we
were short two players tonight and I thought Tino and Zach both did excellent
work as defenders, controlling the ball well, and reliably clearing it
out of potentially dangerous situations time and time again. Willem
also had a good night, winning a good majority of key one-on-one challenges
in the high defensive zone, while Marin and Amin were rock solid and quickly
worked the ball out of bounds at any sign of trouble.
-
For your effort
and maturity tonight, congratulations Vipers! You showed once again
why you always seem to improve beyond your competition every season and
land firmly at the top. Great job! (Thanks, by the way, to
Matt for dropping by to cheer us on. It's great to see you feeling
well.) So, Thursday night we make up our game with Bonnie Doon, one
last chance to improve on a few things, and then we begin getting ready
for City Championships in July. |
Game
13 (Round Three, Group A)
-
5
- Lakewood Vipers vs. Hardisty
- 2
-
There are times
when I think we can see the fatigue of an awful lot of soccer in a relatively
short time. Tonight, owing to the long indoor season, Provincials,
and virtually no break between seasons, we actually played our 51st game
in under 8 months (with another 6 to 12 games yet to come this season).
Add to that, yet another game in the Southeast Zone with no officials provided,
the resulting late start, a dreary night to begin with, and the distraction
of another Oilers game. It's easy to see why it can be hard to focus
on a game that isn't expected to provide a lot challenge. To that
end, I do give the boys credit for playing well enough, even though it
certainly wasn't our best effort.
-
To be fair, Hardisty
is a better squad than their record would indicate, and the narrower than
usual field did affect our outside game, but the adrenaline wasn't flowing
tonight and there was a fair bit of careless passing and reluctance to
challenge for the ball which kept our opponent closer than they would otherwise
have been. For his part, I thought Tanvir worked hard and did his
best to send a lot of nice crosses into the box, and Arjun, who hasn't
been feeling his best lately, covered a lot of ground and showed some pretty
fancy moves running through the entire Hardisty midfield and defence to
score his goal.
-
Among the positives
was yet another corner kick goal, I think that's four games in a row now,
and a hard earned goal by Tino that resulted from his rushing the opposition
keeper who was fighting a lively rebound off the crossbar. Far too
many times we are guilty of not rushing the box at all, so that was a very
good example of why we should. For the most part, our defenders did
a good job of preventing, or at least clearing, good scoring chances in
our goal area, which was important because we seemed to give away the midfield
area an awful lot. Still, despite everything, the Vipers were definitely
the better team tonight, and it was an important win that allows us to
keep pace with Southwood, and puts us one step closer to City Championships.
-
Next up we are scheduled
to meet Bonnie Doon again but, if the Oilers make it to Game 7, there is
a possibility that the game could be rescheduled for a date later in the
week, possibly Thursday or Friday. Check the site on Sunday.
(Thanks to Ned for
filling in as ref!) |
Game
12 (Round Three, Group A)
-
4
- Lakewood Vipers vs. Southwood
- 4
-
After building up
a 4-2 lead we let this one get away from us, but I think we can still take
something positive from the knowledge that we definitely outplayed Southwood
and that they had to get a little bit lucky just to pull out the tie.
The Southwood squad are a strong team, in fact they are supposed to be
the top team, and that is four consecutive games now that they have failed
to defeat us so I think we still have momentum on our side. We do,
however, have to look at the things we did, or didn't do, to allow the
comeback.
-
Early in the game
we had a number of glorious scoring chances on which we failed to convert
- three or four in-close shots fired right into the keepers chest, for
example. We also blasted way too many shots high and long when we
know full well the keeper can be beaten low. We have to improve our
focus in these situations because we are allowing teams to stay in the
game for too long and we know we have the ability to finish them off much
earlier.
-
Defensively, we
had several cases where our defenders were caught up a bit to high, challenging
two attackers head on without the speed to recover, and it created a number
of very close calls. We also didn't take full advantage of the room
Southwood gave us in the midfield and between defenders. Too often
the ball was just handled for too long, instead of quickly sending the
ball up into the open lanes for a few more breaks, there were a lot of
errant passes, to no one in particular, and we turned over too many goal
kicks again.
-
So where are the
positives? As I said, we did outplay our opponent tonight - even
with the issues I outlined. Dylan, for example, had a very strong
game, especially on the right side where he fought through all of the physical
contact and generated a number of good chances. Zach & Tino both
had very strong games in the midfield, and I think our speed and passing
was better than theirs. Bottom line, we outran them, we outpassed
them, and we had more chances. The positive is in knowing that all of the
little mistakes we did make are within our power to fix and we now control
our own outcome.
-
On the 21st we play
Southwood one last time, and it looks like that game will decide the league
champion. We are confident that we have grown into the better team
over the course of the season and, if we can take care of the little things,
while working hard and keeping our focus, we know we can win. |
Game
11 (Round Three, Group A)
-
7
- Lakewood Vipers vs. Bonnie
Doon - 1
-
The score would
probably suggest a different story than what we saw out there tonight.
I think we were all still a little worn out and I think the boys sensed
from the start that this wasn't going to be a huge challenge so they came
out a bit flat again, especially in the first half. Clearly we were
strong enough to pop in goals when we needed to, but there was an overall
lack of drive on our part which lead to far too many opportunities for
Bonnie Doon, and allowed them to stay with us into the second half.
-
Nik did well in
goal, especially early on, to keep us from digging ourselves a deep a hole,
and Matt & Marin had strong moments on "D" to that effect as well,
but it really took until the last 25 minutes or so for us to even get close
to matching our usual intensity and put the game away. Until then
we did a lot of watching the play, rather than challenging, there was an
overall lack of vision and imagination, and we just seemed a couple of
steps too slow, in most cases, to beat Bonnie Doon to the ball.
-
When we finally
did step up there was some very nice ball work by Tanvir and Ayman up front,
and much better support in the midfield. In the end it wasn't a crisis
of any sort, we were clearly the better team, but I worry about settling
into the habit of playing hard for parts of games, and not so much for
others. Against Southwood, who we face next, it could be a problem.
I believe we have grown into the stronger team since our first humbling
loss to them, but anything less than a full 80 minute effort could leave
us short of our goal. |
Game
10 (Round Three, Group A)
-
6
- Lakewood Vipers vs. Hardisty
- 3
-
After four games
in the previous two days, under a hot sun, and a big come from behind win,
it was pretty much expected that we'd be a bit flat today. We recognized
that from the start though, so the challenge today was just to make sure
we didn't give away a game we'll probably need later on in the standings.
Fortunately for us, the schedule maker didn't deliver Southwood to us on
this day! With the added distraction of an Oilers game, to an already
tired team, it was a bit of a down tempo affair but we played well enough
to win.
-
The grass on the
field was fairly long, and it was wet, so our passing game was disrupted
a bit. Some of the time long, low balls would skid too far, other
times shorter passes would simply die in the rough. Hardisty seemed
to have a pretty good passing game of their own, but part of that owes
to the fact that our coverage was just a little bit too slow in this game.
-
There were a few
bright spots though. For the second game in as many days we converted
perfectly on a corner kick - this time Praneil headed in a great kick.
Nik stopped yet another penalty kick, Willem continued to demonstrate his
strength in one-on-one challenges, and Kyle showed good game sense again
with good positioning and some nice sends. In the midfield Josh and
Gabriel continued their hard working ways, covering an awful lot of ground,
and up front, Rizwan crossed a lot of great passes into the box.
If we had been a bit sharper, there could easily have been another 5 or
6 goals.
-
I think we all felt
a little down today, coaches included, so it was a pretty good result and
we know we can do much better against Hardisty next time. Our next
opponent is Bonnie Doon, the stronger of the two teams who moved up into
our tier for this round, so it's back to business on Wednesday Vipers!
(Thanks to Gary for
filling in as ref!) |
EWZSA
Spring Challenge - Gold Medal Game
-
8
- Lakewood Vipers vs. Britannia
- 3
-
It was another case
of two different Viper teams for two different halves. We've seen
it before, but I was a little surprised at just how tight they were in
the first half. When it comes right down to it, it's a kids game,
not the World Cup, and they were just feeling way too much pressure - the
kind that kills creativity. It was this uncharacteristic frustration
which lead to a brief sense of panic and some confusion over what they
needed to do.
-
Still, when a parent
asked how worried I was about being down 2-0 at halftime, I could honestly
say that I wasn't at all. We've seen it too many times and I have
complete belief in their heart and ability. When they are beating
themselves, it never comes down to drilling them on strategy, positioning
or the urgency of the moment - in fact you need to take your hands off
the steering wheel. The job is to lighten things up, remove the load
and let them roll. Halftime was light, it was loose, we did a little
hopping around, Praneil reminded us to "believe in the shorts", and off
they went. When they're having fun, they're unstoppable and boy did
they have fun in the second half!
-
In an eight goal,
second half explosion they ran, passed, crossed, anticipated, improvised,
and left their opponents virtually standing still. It was one of
their biggest offensive halves ever, and against Britannia of all teams.
-
Defensively, our
backline shut down rush after rush in an almost perfect second half.
Willem had a very strong match, decisively winning at least 90% of his
one-on-one challenges, and Ronak repeatedly fought off the very aggressive,
physical challenges of the Britannia forwards. At midfield, Zach
had a very strong game, sending the ball well to the outsides and faithfully
staying within his area of coverage, while Tino dominated with the ball
and even contributed often to the forward line without compromising his
defensive responsibilities. Kyle played probably his best half of
the year, especially on the left side, and his game sense in the second
frame was outstanding. He covered well, he controlled well, and he
sent through some brilliant forward passes.
-
Up front, Praneil
and Ayman created a wealth of scoring opportunities through their aggressive
sprints down the sidelines, while Rizwan continued to feed strong crosses
into the box. As prolific a goal scorer as he has been, this is one
of the most important additions to our team's arsenal in quite some time
and it will be exciting to see our squad improve as their timing and accuracy
on these cross passes improves.
-
So we don't have
a whole lot of time to savor this one, we're back at it again tomorrow
night, but it was a thrilling comeback, a great victory, entertaining to
watch and, most importantly, it was a lot of fun. Congratulations
Vipers! |
EWZSA
Spring Challenge - Game 3
-
4
- Lakewood Vipers vs. Britannia
- 1
-
The game itself
didn't really mean anything in terms of the actual tournament standings
because both teams were already guaranteed a spot in the gold medal game.
What was on the line was pride, momentum and, of course, a few hours bragging
rights in our ongoing series of battles with Britannia. The boys
were pretty loose to start the match and, for the most part, our play was
fast, aggressive and wide open.
-
Britannia has always
been a well coached team, as proven by how consistently they end up in
Tier 4 even with an everchanging lineup, but today there was an assistant
coach who rode his team pretty hard all game long and we felt that it may
have contributed negatively to their performance. You could see them
deflate a little bit more every time he yelled at them, and everytime they
ran past him the strides grew shorter and the shoulders slouched lower
until it just didn't seem like they had enough gas left in the tank.
It is a complete myth that browbeating players makes them respond, and
it is tragic how many coaches don't understand the value of simple support
and praise.
-
For our part, I
thought the boys really executed the game plan well. We are a fast,
creative team with good instincts and, when we slip into that easy-flowing
style, it is great to watch. Rizwan continues to grow into a fantastic
crosser and he set up a lot of great chances, plus a couple of important
goals. Ayman also stepped it up quite a bit today and it was great
to see him using his speed & moves so effectively and really playing
a great passing game. Dylan had to fight a very physical battle today
and he responded with some great diagonal feeds (both inside and to the
wings), while Tanvir exploded with a high energy game that Britannia simply
couldn't keep up with.
-
In the midfield,
Tino played one of his better games this season. He controlled the
ball well and, throughout the game, he seamlessly transitioned from being
one of the defenders to being one of the forwards as needed. Arjun
was just incredible this morning and I can't begin to calculate the amount
of ground he covered during the game. He was always exactly where
he needed to be, the ball seemed to be following him and, whenever he got
it, he absolutely owned it. Gabe also played a fantastic game at
mid, reading the play very well, and his aggressive play was a huge factor
in our win.
-
Defensively, I thought
Marin & Matt were really sharp, rarely getting caught too high, and
Amin had a huge game. In fact, he was in complete control every second
he was out there and I can't say enough about the "down to business" way
he plays the game. Never worrying about the flashy stuff, he anticipates
attackers very well, plays angles intelligently, and has deceiving strength
when it comes to physical play and clearing the ball hard. All in
all, I felt our defence played an excellent game against a larger team
and showed some much improved confidence and chemistry. Great Job! |
EWZSA
Spring Challenge - Game 2
-
14
- Lakewood Vipers vs. Crestwood
- 0
-
I'm not sure what
Crestwood was doing in this group, I know they were short players and I
suppose they could have been their key players, but it is hard to believe
that a full bench would have made a difference. I know they did their
best, I thought they showed class and sportsmanship under the circumstances,
but it certainly was not meant to be much of a contest. If there
was a value to us, it would have been in that fact that it gave us a chance
to focus on the team concept and try to setup goals for those important
players on our squad who unselfishly play their defensive and midfield
roles, game after game, without ever worrying about goals or points.
-
Firstly, it was
great of Matt Chafe to come out as a guest player and make sure Nik got
the chance to stretch his legs (even if our opponent had been tougher).
It was a real treat to watch him too, although he didn't get much of a
workout. His positioning is fantastic and his confidence to come
out when unchallenged and set up plays is something we don't often see.
Thanks Matt!
-
The other nice thing,
I suppose, is that we don't often get to play games without a lot of pressure
anymore so it is nice to see the boys just playing for fun again, without
any stress, and maybe the exercise of trying to set up certain players
opens our eyes again to our passing game. Hopefully there will be
some lasting benefit that will be evident future games.
-
In all, 11 different
players scored (including first goals of the season for four of our defenders).
That actually ties a Viper team record set in indoor, I think it's a healthy
sign, and there was some really creative passing tonight, even if our opponent
wasn't exactly Southwood. It sets us up quite nicely for our morning
match with our old arch rivals from Britannia, whose stats in the first
two games are nearly identical to ours, plus we'll be meeting them again
in the gold medal game as well. We've got our own little "Battle
of Alberta" going here and it promises to be yet another Britannia/Viper
classic! |
EWZSA
Spring Challenge - Game 1
-
6
- Lakewood Vipers vs. Spruce
Grove - 1
-
That's certainly
more like it. Spruce Grove would appear to be about a Tier 5 team,
but they had a fantastic keeper - otherwise the score would have been much
more one-sided. Playing in their new Viper shorts the boys seemed
to have more jump today than they did on Wednesday, and were better able
to use the width of the field to move the ball more effectively.
-
Our midfield was
much better at challenging today. Josh, Arjun and Gabriel were all
very aggressive in their play, while Zach showed good vision in finding
both forward and outward passing options. Austin also had a strong day
today, making some nice moves and some confident passes while, back on
"D", Tino showed very confident ball control as he transitioned the ball
forward, most especially on the outsides of the field. Marin also
really asserted himself and shut down quite a few Spruce Grove rushes before
they got going.
-
Tanvir and Dylan
both came to play today and it was very nice to see the determination they
both showed fighting for the ball up front. Praneil also had a good
day up front and potted his first goal of the season. Above all,
I was absolutely thrilled with the effort Rizwan put into getting wide,
using his speed, and crossing the ball today. He's the type of player
who can win games just with assists, and there must have been a dozen great
chances that came directly off of his crosses. If we can continue
that way, and the boys become better at reading and converting on those
crosses, it will elevate our game to a new level and we will be a handful,
even for the very best teams.
-
It was a great start
Vipers, and a nice way to bounce back from our last game. Next up
Crestwood - lets keep it rolling! |
Game
9 (Round Two, Group A)
-
2
- Lakewood Vipers vs. Woodvale
- 4
-
I guess the bottom
line is that you have to learn some lessons more than once and we certainly
got schooled tonight. At the risk of sounding like a broken record
(that's an old folks analogy there boys), we moved up so that we could
learn by facing stronger competition. Tonight, as always, we faced
a bigger, stronger, older team - albeit, one that we have beaten twice
this season. To really learn from this we have to look honestly at
our faults, and I almost don't know where to begin with this game.
To put it bluntly, we were beaten, we were beaten up, and we acted like
the younger team.
-
The first big issue
is that we are really seeing the effects of so many players regularly missing
practice. On corner kicks, throw-ins and free kicks, there is total
chaos stemming from the fact that those who come to practice are trying
to set things up as they've been taught, and those who've missed are just
going to the wrong places and doing the wrong things. Add to that,
camaraderie and team play break down when a team doesn't practice together
and some may even come to resent that they "do the time" while others do
not. We looked like 18 individuals tonight, not a whole team.
-
Next, it is a growing
concern that we have a tendency to follow a big effort with a small one.
Big wins, like the one over Southwood on Monday take a lot of effort, discipline
and they're emotionally draining. I'm not suggesting that boys at
this age can attack every game with the sort of intensity that we see when
we play a Southwood, Twin Brooks or Britannia, but every game is BIG from
now on and we need to find the formula for stringing together consecutive
"big games" if we're going to grow in this age group. Tonight, above
all else, we simply did not come prepared to play.
-
Age and maturity
really came to the forefront today as well. The sideline was abuzz
with, "they're cheaters", "they're too rough", "they keep pushing us" and,
let's not forget, "that stupid ref!" It's playground mentality and
we should be too old for it by now. The reality is that that opponents
are going to do whatever they can to win and, tonight, I give them full
credit. They got inside our heads, they beat us up and we caved in.
Life isn't always fair and we have to learn that if it isn't called,
it isn't a penalty - move on. I know the ref was terrible, maybe
the worst yet. No one can honestly tell me, though, that he decided
the outcome of this game. Anyone who has been around us long enough
knows that we control our outcomes. Only the Vipers can beat the
Vipers.
-
So it was a hard
lesson tonight, and these were the sort of lessons I think we felt were
needed when we moved up. Woodvale desperately wanted this game, especially
against us. They ran, they challenged, they were first to the ball,
they blocked shots and they showed how much they were willing to give to
win. Afterwards, there was frustration and anger, there were tears
and there were excuses. I think, for the most part, we were mostly
disappointed with ourselves though. It isn't really about the score,
it isn't the win or the loss, it's the knowledge that we just didn't do
our best. Since we don't seem to like this feeling very much, we're
going to have to learn how to give more effort when it is needed and we
have to get back to being a team. |
Game
8 (Round Two, Group A)
-
2-
Lakewood
Vipers vs. Southwood - 1
-
Given our own pre-season
predictions about how we would do in this U14 age group, it seems a little
surreal to think that we have just declared ourselves as the team to beat
in both Mill Woods and Southeast... and the good news is we can still improve
on our positioning and a lot of missed opportunities. It should really
be an amazing third round in June.
-
The game itself
was kind of an ugly affair. Southwood are not a pleasant lot, their
behavior and their treatment of game officials is truly offensive, and
my biggest fear is always that we will get drawn into it and sink to their
level. All credit to the boys though, they kept their class.
Our message has always been that we will just worry about our game, not
worry how the other team acts, and I'm proud of all of them for doing
exactly that.
-
I have to give full
credit to our five defenders tonight - they really faced a lot of pressure
back there. They made some great plays, a few mistakes, and they
had a little luck, but they worked their butts off and they found a way
to get it done. Only allowing one goal against a team like Southwood
(again!) is a huge accomplishment for a bunch who are still getting used
to new defensive partners, and it is a real testament to their effort tonight.
Congratulations to Amin, Marin, Matt, Ronak, Willem and, of course, Niklas.
-
Our mids also played
a huge part in this affair and fought a very rough battle in the midfield.
They played with a lot of fire, but they were also very disciplined and
very unselfish. I thought Josh gave every bit he had to give tonight
and it was that sort of tenacity among all of our midfielders that was
the difference. It crept up to our forwards, who had to fight for
every single inch, and both Dylan & Rizwan's goals were the result
of battling hard through all of the intense pushing and pulling of Southwood's
physical coverage.
-
Not only was that
a big win, but it opens up some unexpected possibilities for much later
in the season. For now though, we need focus on the present.
There are some tough games ahead and and we need to take each one as a
chance to see how far we can push ourselves. There is still work
to be done on positioning and widening our game, we still need to perfect
our set plays, and we can't have so many players regularly absent from
practices - we see it in too many things that half of the team knows and
the other half missed. Let's make the most of this opportunity.
See you Wednesday! |
Game
7 (Round Two, Group A)
-
10
- Lakewood Vipers vs. Avonmore
- 3
-
One thing that has
always intrigued me about our team is that when they meet the same opponent
a few times they seem to pull away from them over the course of those games.
For example, the first time they met Avonmore it was a tie game, the second
time it was a two goal victory, and this time it was a seven goal victory.
It is a real testament to the way they continue to push and improve themselves
and it bodes very well for the rest of our season.
-
The challenge tonight
was to come out ready to play after a huge gold medal win on Sunday and,
in fact, we felt we played a pretty bad game in the first half. This
was basically a six point game though (we'd be tied at 6 points if Avonmore
won, or six points ahead, at 9 points to 3, if we won), and a win would
guarantee us a top two finish in the round, so we had to impress on the
boys how important the game was. They certainly responded.
-
In a 7-1 second
half, the Vipers came to life and it sort of felt like indoor for a while
there. Six different players scored, four with two goal games, and
many of the setups were nicer than the goals. Dylan has shown great
patience so far this season, playing a very mature team game, and he was
finally rewarded with two well earned goals tonight. Rizwan also
played an outstanding game, most notably his powerful crosses which set
up a few goals and really got us rolling. When he plays wide and
fast like that we're almost unbeatable. Ayman really kicked it up
a notch tonight, working very hard out there, and he was instrumental in
a couple of goals, plus one of his own.
-
Our midfield was
really sharp this evening. Praneil, in particular, had some great
rushes to the corner. Defensively, however, we ran into trouble a
few times, especially on the far side where I suspect the defenders were
often being encouraged from the sidelines to come up too far and we were
burned, or nearly burned, by Avonmore's speed on several occasions.
We have a great defensive core, but we're not deep on speed so we'll have
to be careful with that stuff in the future. All in all though, I
felt the defense did a good job keeping Avonmore to the outside, keeping
chances to a minimum and clearing the ball when things got tense.
Kyle had a really solid first half on "D" and Ronak showed a lot of control
using his physical size and strength to consistently outplay and angle
off attacking forwards.
-
Next up it's Woodvale
on Friday, and a chance to keep pace with Southwood as we prepare for our
final second round meeting with them next week. Well done, Vipers...
let's keep it going! |
Victoria
Weekend Tournament - Gold Medal game
-
6
- Lakewood Vipers vs. Southwood
- 5
-
Although the outcome
was the same, this was a much tougher match than yesterday and Southwood
came in determined to get to us mentally today. Before the game they
came over to where we were kicking the ball around and started doing their
warm-ups right in the middle of ours, they kicked some of our balls away
as they walked past us, and they engaged in trash talk and childish threats
towards some of our players. Fortunately, the game is played on the
field and, even though they were more tenacious today (and much more physical),
we were able to come through at the right times.
-
The biggest issue
for us today was speed. Southwood's players are much older, and their
fastest are simply faster than our fastest. With Dylan not feeling
well (but still potting a couple of goals), and several players looking
tired, we were having lot of trouble. In the 3-4-3 they seemed able
to beat us through the lanes and on the outside, especially since our midfield
was often unable to get back in time. It left us down 2-1 at the
half, but we had noticed by then that when their breaking forwards came
up against the three defenders and a back midfielder, they seemed to slow
up just a bit and wait for backup which gave us time to recover.
-
Adding a bit more
muscle to the "D" in the second half, we switched to a 4-4-2, with the
defenders hanging back, knowing that it would open up the middle more for
both teams, but we felt that we had more offensive ability than they did.
It was a gamble, one that at least one parent strongly questioned after
the game, but it worked out this time. We were able to score five
second half goals to pull off the win, thanks in large part to some very
diligent work from Tanvir, an aggressive charge and resulting goal by Austin,
and a monstrous game-winning clutch shot by Arjun that dipped in just under
the bar.
-
Throughout the second
half, our defenders did their best under relentless pressure, Zach &
Amin were fantastic, and all seven fought off quite a charge from our Southwood
opponents. A lucky, bad angle goal from Southwood late in the match
really did not do justice to the fact that were were a minute away from
a 5-2 half. We put a lot of trust in our defenders in the second
half and they fought very hard to hold on. I guess it just goes to
show you that, even in a 6-5 "shoot'em up", defence can still win you games.
-
Congratulations
Vipers, you always seem to find a way! |
Victoria
Weekend Tournament - Game 3
-
3
- Lakewood Vipers vs. Southwood
- 1
-
Thankfully the wind
diminished, the skies cleared, and we were able to get down to business
today. The last time we met Southwood, we knew we were the better
team, but we just didn't play like it and they abruptly put an end to a
fifty game undefeated streak by handing us our first regular season loss
ever. Even though we were still short 4 key players, today was much
different and we were clearly the more aggressive and organized team.
-
Our forwards moved
the ball around much more today and it was very effective against a large
Southwood squad who has more success when the game is kept up and down
the center lanes. I was happy with the way we moved the ball out
to the side more and with the way we made many more attempts to advance
the ball along the sidelines. There was a lot more tenacity today
as well, and it was especially encouraging to see Tanvir pushing himself
harder (and recovering from Brazil getting their butts kicked on Friday
night!).
-
In the midfield
the story was much the same, and there was some excellent play out to the
sides, including some some wonderfully aggressive two way play by Josh.
I love it when we see his speed like that. Dylan made several strong
dashes through the forward zone and Gabriel was outstanding today as well,
very tenacious in his coverage & challenges, and I think it was certainly
his best game of the year - he dominated in the midfield.
-
When the ball did
get through, our "D" was really solid. Even when play was scrambling,
they seemed to find a way to get the ball out of harm's way and the large
Southwood forwards really seemed to have trouble working the ball around
or penetrating into the box. Willem made some very good challenges,
especially against that huge winger who continually charged down the right
side, and Ronak made some brilliant sends up the sideline to quickly transition
the ball from the defensive zone and into the opposition half.
-
There were a few
minor issues, such as a few too many far out shots (against a tall keeper
who wouldn't likely be beaten from that range), and too many goal kicks
down the middle rather than out to the sides, but today's effort was much
more along the lines of what we're used to and, if we can step it up a
little bit more, we stand an excellent chance in tomorrow's Gold Medal
Match. |
Victoria
Weekend Tournament - Games 1 & 2
-
10
- Lakewood Vipers vs. Knottwood
- 1
7
- Lakewood Vipers vs. Woodvale-
1
-
As if being short
six key players wasn't bad enough, it was extremely windy today and I find
it hard to comment on games like these because the wind really messes things
up out there. Passes don't go where they're supposed to, crosses
are very unpredictable, shots sail too far in one direction and get hung
up in the other, communication is difficult, players become disoriented,
and the flow & momentum of a team, who usually plays best as a unit,
gets interrupted. Play becomes very sloppy and it almost forces players
to undo what they have learned because you end up having to forget about
team play and just plow ahead as hard and fast as you can.
-
Game one featured
a Knottwood squad which is no where near a Tier 4 team, probably T7 or
T8 at most, and I'm not sure why they saw fit to enter at this level.
On a nicer day it would have been 6 or 7 goals worse. Game two matched
us up with Woodvale who, according to their coach, have not really recovered
from our recent upset win over them and they seemed even more messed up
by the wind than we were. It was mainly through speed on the outside
from Arjun, Rizwan and especially Dylan, our lightning-fast guest player,
that both games became so one-sided. Nothing fancy, just straight
ahead running and simple, low crosses.
-
In the midst of
the blustery weather I do have to give credit to our defenders today.
Amin, Matt, Ronak, & Zach (along from a few "D" shifts from Kyle, Josh
& Ayman) did a great job of preventing shots from actually reaching
our goal even when were under heavy pressure deep in our zone for extended
periods of time. With balls flying high or dropping short, crazy
bounces all around, and difficulty communicating in the wind, they really
made the best of a difficult situation It was messy, scrambled play,
but they got it done.
-
Here's hoping for
better weather tomorrow! |
Game
6 (Round Two, Group A)
-
1
- Lakewood Vipers vs. Southwood
- 5
-
We were never under
the illusion that we were going to come up to U14 and put together another
undefeated season, but this was still a disheartening loss because we know
we gave this one away. When we talked after the game, we couldn't
really point to anything Southwood did which was just "too good" for us.
We scored one goal on ourselves, one came on a penalty kick (after what
both teams agreed was a very bad call), one was a misjudged bounce by the
keeper, and two were careless mistakes on balls that should have been easy
to clear. In fact, quite honestly, that was very a beatable team
out there tonight and every coach and player will admit to it. So
the good news is that we know we can play much better - and we will.
-
It has always been
our way that we seem to suffer a letdown after a big win like the upset
on Monday. Add to that the heat, the buzz about the Oilers game,
and maybe it was inevitable (if not overdue). Those aren't excuses,
because the truth is that there was just no sense of urgency tonight, in
fact many players seemed uninterested, and we were completely flat.
Defenders struggled to clear the ball, or even make contact with it.
Midfielders, again, showed a tendency to forget about the sides of the
field, and took way too many random "shots" with no real targets or plays
in mind, while the forwards bunched up and failed to find any real passing
rhythm.
-
This is, I suppose,
a pretty negative assessment of things, but we have been together for a
long time and we're at the point where we, as a team, can be honest about
our highs and lows. The above comments really all point to
the fact that there was a general lack of team play and team spirit tonight,
which we all understood and admitted to after the game. We lacked
effort. As I've said many times before, this is why we came up in
level, and we have to view this as an opportunity to learn & grow.
It's not a disaster, it's just one of those kicks in the butt you need
from time to time, and we will have plenty more chances against the Southwood
squad and other strong opponents.
-
One final bright
note. We were very happy with the way Nik was so vocal in calling
"keeper!" when he wanted the ball to come through to him. That was
a real breakthrough, and it will help us to cut down on confusion, careless
errors and weak goals in the future. Chins up guys, there will be
plenty more great games to come so let's take what we learned today and
start off on our next winning streak. We'll see most of you at the
Brazil game! |
Game
5 (Round Two, Group A)
-
4
- Lakewood Vipers vs. Woodvale
- 3
-
We saw two very
different Viper teams tonight. In the first half they were intimidated,
easily rattled and too concerned with how rough the other team was.
Complaining gets you nowhere though, and rough play is only relevant if
the ref calls it, so you either suck it up or you quit. After a little
tough love at half-time, and a switch to the 4-4-2 we've been promising
for a while, the boys took to the field, stopped focusing on what they
couldn't control, exploded out of the gates and took over. I thought
they grew up a lot in the second half.
-
Down 3-1 at the
end of the first half, we were suffering from several issues we've been
dealing with lately, especially in the midfield where the tendency was
to head straight to the middle, ignoring wide open wings, even though our
whole game plan was to play the match on the outsides. The reality
of being badly outplayed for much of the half really sank in though, and
this is the sort of thing we hoped we'd have to deal with at U14.
The character that has always been such a huge Viper component came through
and the boys showed composure & determination throughout the second
half. The opposing coach, in his own words, told me, "I'm stunned".
It was a great comeback.
-
Though the goals
were scored by most of the names we'd usually expect, the real battle was
fought by those guys who become role players when we most need them to
be and I can't say enough about the tenacity of Gabriel, Amin, Matt, Praneil
& Ronak. It was a trench war and they battled against size and
physical play all night long. Ayman & Austin really stepped it
up at "mid" in the second half as well, and Nik topped off the night with
one of those "you've got to be kidding me", highlight reel, game saving
stops. It really couldn't have been more exciting and I'm proud of
the way everyone dug down, showed pride in their team, and battled through
to win a very tough game.
-
So that was the
#2 team. Next up, it is the mighty Southwood squad who have owned
this '92/'93 age group for years, in much the same way that we have dominated
the '93/'94 group. They are big, talented and very experienced.
It will be a great opportunity to see what we learned tonight, put it up
against the very best, and hopefully grow a great deal. Congratulations
on a great effort and a huge upset tonight Vipers! We'll see you
all Wednesday. |
Game
4 (Round Two, Group A)
-
5
- Lakewood Vipers vs. Avonmore
- 3
-
The feeling a week ago was that we tied
a game we probably should have won because we came out flat. One
week later, it was great to see the boys come up with a much better effort.
The biggest thing we pushed before this game was the need to come out with
a strong start and that's exactly what we got. Before long we had
built up a 3-0 lead and, even though Avonmore woke up and fought a hard
game after that, it was really just a matter of our playing smart soccer
and working hard for 80 minutes.
-
With Arjun back in the lineup, our midfield
was re-energized and played with more discipline than last week, although
there is still too much roaming well outside of assigned positions and
trying to beat too many men one on one. His presence also seemed
to spark Tanvir who worked hard and dominated up front. I was extremely
pleased with Dylan's game tonight. He showed real determination and
his passing was excellent. He has been a prolific goal scorer for
the last three seasons, and it shows a lot of maturity to accept how very
different the situation is here in U14 and to make whatever play, or play
whatever role, is best for his team.
-
From a more defensive perspective, Josh
& Gabriel showed a lot of vision in quickly covering up when midfield
partners wandered too far out of their zone, and Marin showed good hustle
to recover strongly when Avonmore forwards managed to get past him.
Praneil & Ronak came back often from midfield to effectively clear
the ball in dangerous situations and Amin, despite one minor mistake, played
a very strong game on defense and stepped up to clear the ball with a lot
of conviction at several key points in the game.
-
All in all, this was a much better effort.
We still have a little work to do on some of the minor mistakes we make
to give up weak goals, but it was promising to see a lot more jump in the
boys tonight. Next we move on to play the number two & number
one ranked teams (Woodvale & Southwood), in that order, so next week
promises to be a huge challenge for us. I hope we'll see everyone
at practice this weekend because we have some very important strategies
to go through before we meet up with next week's opponents.
(Thank you to Gary
for calling the lines, and to Pradeep for refereeing the game. Frankly,
I think it was the best officiating we've had this season!) |
Game
3 (Round One, Group B)
-
2
- Lakewood Vipers vs. Avonmore
- 2
-
Coming into this game we knew that Avonmore
would be a big challenge, and they certainly lived up to the expectation,
but it was a game that we probably should have won. It wasn't so
much a poor performance, in fact there were some good things happening
out there, but we lacked our usual flow & vision at times, and there
was impatience in the way we moved the ball forward.
-
From the start we could see the midfield
was pushing pretty far forward and then lagging behind when it came time
to get back and cover. Avonmore moved the ball from "D" to midfield
really well and, too often, we just didn't react quickly enough.
When it came time for us to move forward into the offensive zone there
were a lot of wayward balls sent way too high and far for any forward to
get to them - essentially they were voluntary turnovers and we seemed a
little "blast-happy" in the midfield. Other times, obvious passes
to open wingers were completely ignored in favor of a straight line path
toward the goal that closed up almost immediately.
-
Defensively, Marin had several aggressive
challenges which turned the play back nicely and prevented scoring chances,
and Matt made a couple of huge defensive plays to the outside when he was
caught as the only man back, but there was a big problem tonight in that
we got caught with only two defenders back on three or four occasions,
Caught short on defenders, and with the midfielders caught high, Nik was
called on to make a number of huge saves earlier in the game (plus one
on a penalty kick!) and we allowed Avonmore to gather much more momentum
than we should have.
-
It may seem like a negative assessment,
but this is exactly why we came to U14. Games like this allow us
to see where we need to improve. Admittedly, part of tonight's problem
was that we just came out a little flat, it happens, but we also got a
good look at a number of things we need to fix before the next round and
I know the boys are up to the challenge. Now we'll wait and see if
this tie puts us in Tier 4 or 5. Please don't forget we have a very
important practice this Saturday. We'll see you then Vipers. |
Game
2 (Round One, Group B)
-
5
- Lakewood Vipers vs. Knottwood
B - 1
-
C-C-C-COLD! Yikes, I knew
there was a reason why I like indoor soccer so much! It was a pretty
miserable evening, and I have to give the boys credit for running as much
as they did and for not letting the cold affect their game too much.
Knottwood isn't exactly the strongest team we're going to meet this season
but that certainly doesn't diminish tonight's effort.
-
In the first half we did surprisingly
well into the wind, in fact the score wasn't very representative of the
game because the ball spent most of the half in the Knottwood Zone.
I was very impressed with the running Gabriel did to get back and cover,
or even overtake, rushing forwards when our midfielders were caught too
far forward. That sort of effort and defensive thinking will be very
valuable when we start facing the stronger squads. Ronak also did
very well in this regard and stopped several threatening rushes before
they got started. When they did get through, Nik made some key saves
that even had the Knottwood coach raving about him. Tino also had
a very impressive outing tonight with some great moves, strong passing
& aggressive play.
-
Congratulations to Kyle who notched his
first goal as a Viper. Seeing the potential for a cross or a rebound
developing, he drove as hard as he could to the far side of the goal and
struck the ball at a full run to capitalize on an all around perfect play.
Austin made some nice little pulls & dekes while crossing into the
offensive zone, and Dylan continued to excellent show growth in his passing
with some really nice, unpredictable little out-passes and diagonal sends.
In fact, the forwards as a group passed very well tonight, especially in
the second half as our opponent, short on subs, began to wear out.
-
It was another entertaining match, even
in the freezing cold, and a good effort. We do have to be careful
not to get too far ahead of ourselves though. This is the first round
only and these are certainly not the best teams we will play this season.
On Wednesday evening (6:00PM) we meet Avonmore, definitely our strongest
competition in Group B, and if we win it will mean moving in with the big
teams and then every game will be a huge challenge. For now though,
congratulations on a strong performance Vipers! |
Game
1 (Round One, Group B)
-
4
- Lakewood Vipers vs. Ottewell
- 1
-
It's a big adjustment moving from indoor
to outdoor, it takes a while to find your groove, and so, knowing the days
of 16-0 blowouts are behind us, this was as good as we could have hoped
for. For one thing, positioning and focus were already much improved
since our exhibition match. Ottewell's movement was largely limited
to the outsides and most of their shots came from angles that made Nik's
work a little bit easier - not that he didn't make some great saves!
There are a few concerns, things to be addressed, but nothing major.
-
What I was happiest with was the creativity
we showed in the midfield and inside their zone. Ball movement was
anything but predictable, moving forward, backward, diagonally and cross
field - the boys were really seeing their teammates well and Ottewell just
couldn't sort it all out. Even many of the passes that didn't work
showed good imagination. As conditioning improves, and as we sharpen
our timing, things can only get better.
-
Riz had another strong game today and
showed more growth in his passing and ability to set up goals. The
more he continues to develop that part of his game, the more he will dominate.
Ayman's game was cut short by an injury, but not before he scored his first
goal as a Viper. Tanvir also had a strong game. In addition
to a goal, he unloaded some huge shots which just missed. Praneil
had some close calls as well and, as the two of them find their timing
and get more used to the size 5 ball, I think they are going to spell big
trouble for opposition keepers. Arjun had a huge game today and showed
amazing fitness and drive (even 15 & 20 minutes into a shift), while
Josh looked very comfortable at midfield and did some strong inside work.
-
The "D" was very solid in back.
There were some minor issues, but this is new territory for them.
Both Tino & Zach showed excellent composure and control, and Matt made
some really nice choices in his angling and turning the ball out of dangerous
situations. The five of them collectively did very well to challenge
appropriately, and to fill in and cover quickly when some challenges were
unsuccessful. It is our "D" who will have the biggest learning
curve, in terms of adapting to U14 soccer, and this was an excellent start
for them.
-
In fact, it was an excellent start for
the whole team. Make no mistake, there will be much tougher teams
ahead, but tonight we showed that we can play in U14. We also learned
that it won't come quite so easily anymore. How hard the boys are
willing to work, and how eager they are to improve, will decide what kind
of a season they have. There will be plenty of challenge ahead, plenty
of opportunity to grow, and that's why we made this move. |
Exhibition
Game
-
4
- Lakewood Vipers vs. Mill
Woods Selects - 3
-
Games like this are valuable because they
allow us to assess where we are as a team without having to worry about
the score or the standings. This game showed us some very positive
signs, but there are definitely some things we need to work on in terms
of positioning, conditioning and focus.
-
In the first half the boys played their
positions well, spent most of the half in the Selects' zone, and generated
lots of opportunities. Most misses were due to timing (rust) and,
if they were in mid-season form, they could have scored 7 or 8 goals in
the first half. I was thrilled to see Rizwan charging down the sides,
using his long stride to beat defenders, and crossing the ball so well.
Last year his instinct was to head to the middle, so this is a sign of
maturity which will add a new dimension to his game and to the team if
it continues.
-
In the second half there was a noticeable
loss of focus. Several boys, when asked their positions (after being
on the field a while), had actually forgotten. You could see it in
their bunching up and in the way the Selects' goals came about. The
defense was caught forward a few times and there was awkward clearing in
front of our goal, including scoring on our own net. It's something
that will take time, after all it is a big change to go from 25 minute
halves & four minute shifts to 40 minute halves &15-20 minute shifts,
but it will come.
-
I was very impressed with Kyle's game
sense & play, and he actually creates a dilemma for us. He was
so strong on "D" in the second half, and yet we really seemed to miss him
at midfield when we moved him back at the end of the first half - it's
a good problem to have though. Amin was also very strong on defense,
playing a smart game, and Arjun was excellent in the midfield, as always.
Up front, Dylan had a good game, playing confidently and charging the goal
aggressively. All in all, it was a good start but we have some growing
to do in the next few games. Ottewell will be a big challenge on
Wednesday.
-
(Thank you to Gary
for filling in as ref!) |
-
-
EMSA
City Championships Final Standings (Tier 4)
- |
| Team |
GP |
W |
L |
T |
GF |
GA |
+/- |
Pts |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Duggan
(Greenlaw) |
4 |
3 |
0 |
1 |
12 |
7 |
+5 |
10 |
| Glenora
(Shillabeer) |
4 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
10 |
5 |
+5 |
9 |
| Northmount
(McDonald) |
4 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
8 |
6 |
+2 |
7 |
| Lakewood Vipers |
4 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
9 |
13 |
-4 |
3 |
| Southwood
(Patel) |
4 |
0 |
4 |
0 |
8 |
16 |
-8 |
0 |
| Vipers
qualify for Inter-Cities "A" (September 16th & 17th, 2006) |
--
-
-
MWSA/ESESA
Outdoor League - Round 3 (Pool A)
- |
| Team |
GP |
W |
L |
T |
GF |
GA |
+/- |
Pts |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Lakewood Vipers |
6 |
4 |
1 |
1 |
27 |
14 |
+13 |
13 |
| Southwood
(Patel) |
6 |
3 |
1 |
2 |
27 |
13 |
+14 |
11 |
| Bonnie Doon
(Good) |
6 |
2 |
4 |
0 |
13 |
27 |
-14 |
6 |
| Hardisty
(Nunes) |
6 |
1 |
4 |
1 |
10 |
23 |
-13 |
4 |
| -Vipers
finish first overall / Vipers & Southwood advance to Tier 4 Cities- |
--
-
-
MWSA/ESESA
Outdoor League - Round 2 (Pool A)
- |
| Team |
GP |
W |
L |
T |
GF |
GA |
+/- |
Pts |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Southwood
(Patel) |
6 |
5 |
1 |
0 |
17 |
6 |
+11 |
15 |
| Lakewood Vipers |
6 |
4 |
2 |
0 |
24 |
19 |
+5 |
12 |
| Avonmore
(Hoy) |
6
|
2
|
4
|
0
|
17
|
23
|
-6
|
6
|
| Woodvale
(Reddy) |
6 |
1 |
5 |
0 |
13 |
25 |
-12 |
3 |
| -Vipers
& Southwood remain in Group A for Round 3- |
- --
-
-
MWSA/ESESA
Outdoor League - Round 1 (Pool B)
- |
| Team |
GP |
W |
L |
T |
GF |
GA |
+/- |
Pts |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Lakewood
Vipers |
3
|
2
|
0
|
1
|
11
|
4
|
+7
|
7
|
| Avonmore
(Hoy) |
3 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
8 |
4 |
+4 |
7 |
| Ottewell
(Stannard) |
3 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
3 |
7 |
-4 |
1 |
| Knottwood
B (Edling) |
3
|
0
|
2
|
1
|
5
|
12
|
-7
|
1
|
| -Vipers
& Avonmore promoted to Group A for Round 2- |
-
-
Standings Sorted by:
1. Points
2. Head to Head
3. Plus/Minus
4. Goals Against
5. Goals For
|
