(Standings
are at the bottom of the page)
-
-
2007
Provincial Outdoor Championships
-
(2
Wins, 1 Loss)
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One thing previous Provincial Tournaments
have shown us is that how well you do is often dependent on the pool and
schedule you are given. You could be the second best team in the
entire province and if you end up in a pool with the best team (and lose)
you can't really do any better than 5th, and more likely than not you will
end up in 7th or 8th. Likewise, even if you are the best team but
end up playing a strong opponent when it is your second game of the day,
but only their first, you may still find yourself well down in the standings.
-
The pool and schedule we originally received
was actually quite favorable to our chances but, as luck would have it,
the ASA reseeded everyone and put us in a pool with Calgary's #1 powerhouse,
Furthermore, the revised schedule had us meeting in our second match of
the day, versus only their first, and so the challenge was a huge one to
be sure.
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The tournament started out well with a
strong 4-0 shutout win over Red Deer. It was only our second shutout
ever at a Provincials, and our first one outdoors. Rizwan and Arjun each
contributed a pair of goals, Nik was strong in goal when he had to be and,
according to Ricardo, the team really played well as a unit and he had
glowing praise for everyone.
-
The second game, against the well rested
Calgary squad, probably doesn't need a lot of analysis except to say that
it sounds like it was one of those very rare games, against an extremely
strong opponent, where frustration and fatigue mounted and things just
got away from the boys. In some 170 or so games, it's really only
the third time it has happened to that degree and what can you say?
It happens to the best of them. On another day, under different circumstances,
things would have been different.
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In typical Viper fashion, the boys got
back on the horse and put together yet another shutout victory, 3-0, over
a very strong Vegreville team. Rizwan again notched a pair of goals,
Dylan added the other, and with Marcus in goal this time the boys played
a very complete responsible game in all areas of the field. Once
again, Ricardo had a lot of praise for everyone, and I do mean he mentioned
pretty much everyone to me by name, and he really felt it was a courageous
effort after a disappointing loss the previous day. For the forth
time in our four Provincials visits, we were the top EMSA team when all
was said and done, and our two shutouts are a team best.
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All in all, it was a successful tournament
to wrap up a very successful season and I would be remiss if I didn't extend
very heartfelt thanks from Phil and myself for the way everyone stepped
up in our absence...
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To Haide and Cheryl, thank you for your
efforts helping everyone out with the accommodations and to everyone who
selflessly provided transportation or a place to sleep. To Gary and
Shelley, thank you for handling the equipment and for setting up a practice.
To Wendi, thank you for all of your trips to the bank and for all of the
short-notice cheque writing you did all year long. To Blake, John
and Esmat, I can't say enough about the way you stepped into our lineup
like pros and played like you've been with us for years - thank you for
all you brought to our team. To Arjun, thank you for your tremendous
leadership as our captain and, to Ricardo, thank you for stepping up and
bringing your many years of experience to our team, and for leading the
boys so admirably even with all of the key absences, new faces and many
obstacles.
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Lastly, thank you to the best parents
in the game for your countless hours of sacrifice and support, game after
game and year after year, and to the players of the Lakewood Vipers for
your dedication, hard work and class through all obstacles, and above all
detractors. You are the cream of the crop, the finest example of
teamwork, creative play & sportsmanship, and we are very proud of you
all. Congratulations on an amazing first season in Premier, a season
that surprised al lot of people, and, most importantly, thank you for making
the game so entertaining to watch and the team so much fun to be a part
of.
Final Standings
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| Champions:
Calgary PSA United (CMSA) |
| 2nd: |
Grande Prairie (NW/P) |
8th: |
Vegreville Knights (Lakeland) |
| 3rd: |
Sherwood Park Tier 1 (SPSA) |
9th: |
Fort Saskatchewan (Tri-County) |
| 4th: |
Camrose Selects (CASA) |
10th: |
Lethbridge Lightning (LSA) |
| 5th: |
CMCA Mavericks (CMSA) |
11th: |
Spruce Grove Saints (EMSA) |
| 6th: |
Edson (NW Central) |
12th: |
Red Deer Renegades (RDCSA) |
| 7th: |
Lakewood Vipers
(EMSA) |
13th: |
St. Paul Energy (Lakeland) |
|
Game
18 (Round 2)
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4
- Lakewood Vipers vs. Sherwood
Park United - 1
-
Although we had beaten United fairly convincingly
in our previous three games, we were concerned about this match.
Once again it was another one of those hot, humid evenings that really
slows a team down, and once again we were short a whole lot of players,
but our real worry was about motivation. With the Tier 3 silver medal
already wrapped up, and the gold medal out of reach, this match meant virtually
nothing in the standings so the question was really how driven the boys
would be on an already tough evening.
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Indeed, Sherwood Park seemed to be the
hungrier squad from the outset and they did a pretty good job of being
first on the ball. They came away with the far majority of our goal
kicks and intercepted a significant number of passes throughout the first
half. Although we enjoyed the decided advantage in ball possession,
we lacked the focus to finish our plays and United broke up a lot of our
rushes due to their determined, aggressive play. Though their offensive
rushes were generally not that threatening, they did manage to break through
for the game's first goal and we went to the half down 1-0.
-
At the break we talked about the need
to get more aggressive and the fact that we were being outworked, but there
was no sense of panic and the idea was to make a few minor positional adjustments
aimed at putting more speed up front, and more physicality into the midfield.
Almost immediately the boys seemed to respond and they began to mount
more and more pressure until, finally, Marcus got us on the board.
Our momentum grew with each rush and Arjun, Zach and Riz were all able
to add goals, thanks to very sound passing and creative playmaking.
There were a few close calls at our end, with a few dangerous long sends
into our box, but Nik was very aggressive and quickly charged out to scoop
up anything that entered his goal area.
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So that's the end to our first regular
season in Premier. Far beyond anything expected of them, the boys
won an amazing 15 games, and lead the league in both goals scored (124)
and in plus/minus (+90). They were the only team to beat the league
champions, and they were oh so close to wearing that crown themselves.
Congratulations boys on a truly outstanding debut season, on becoming the
Tier 3 SIlver Medalists, and on your first ever birth in the Tier 3 Provincial
Championships! You should all be very proud of what you have accomplished
and know that we are very proud of you! |
Game
17 (Round 2)
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2
- Lakewood Vipers vs. Fort
Saskatchewan - 3
-
This was definitely a hard loss to take
because of the number of chances we had to win and because of the dubious
way in which the winning goal was scored. We certainly can't take
anything away from Fort Saskatchewan, they played an excellent game and
the determination they showed to be first on the ball was impressive and
cost us many times when our own players would stand and wait for the ball
to arrive rather than run into it. They worked hard for their victory,
but we still know this game was very winnable.
-
Once again we found ourselves playing
in very difficult heat & humidity, minus six important players, and
we knew the game was going to be tough against such a strong opponent.
We sure had our chances though. After Rizwan had worked hard to manoeuvre
into the box and was brought down hard, we were awarded an early penalty
kick. Unfortunately we failed to capitalize and it was the first
of numerous missed opportunities. Three or four shots hit the crossbar,
breakaway shots were steered wide, promising rushes ended with soft shots
lobbed right to the keeper (from too far out), in-close shots were fired
right at the keeper, and too many shooting chances were passed up for another
one or two unnecessary moves which usually ended in loss of possession.
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Generally we don't comment on officiating
because it is a very subjective thing which one always sees from their
own point of view and because we believe that if we do our jobs the occasional
controversial call will have no effect on the outcome. Still, there
some very odd non-calls tonight including four warnings to the same Fort
player that the next time he pushed he would get carded, even though the
promised card never came, and two deliberate foot passes back to the Fort
keeper which he handled and was not penalized for.
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Most confusing was the winning goal.
Coaches were warned this season that once a ball is in the hand of a keeper,
"even under a single finger", it would be a dead ball and kicking it would
result in a card. Late in the game, with the ball clearly under Shazeb's
hand and being pulled towards his body, a Fort player kicked both the keeper's
hand and the ball, to score the winner. It would seem to contradict
what we were told but, ultimately, we have take responsibility and learn
an important lesson. Simply put, if we had capitalized on even a
few of our missed opportunities, officiating would not have played a part
in the final outcome. I think we were the stronger team, but it was
Fort Saskatchewan's drive and hunger throughout the match that put them
in a position to profit from a non-call which, in the end, is just another
part of the game. |
Game
16 (Round 2)
-
6
- Lakewood Vipers vs. North
Xtreme - 0
-
As if its being Friday the 13th weren't
enough, the temperature soared above 32 degrees, we were short 5 regular
players, and our opponent played with no subs at all. The result
was a slow-paced match, which probably wasn't all that exciting to watch,
but I thought the boys played well and that the North Xtreme showed a lot
of courage under difficult circumstances.
-
Given the heat, we really wanted to pass
the ball around as much as possible and not waste energy in one on one
challenges. When you're losing that much fluid it is important to
let the ball do the work but we felt the boys probably didn't take that
message to heart as much as they should have in the first half. After
grabbing the early 1-0 lead, they seemed to lose sight of the game plan
and many rushes didn't pan out because solo efforts went on far too long
and then ended with weak finishes after too much energy had been expended.
After the break our second half was better, though still too individualistic
at times, and we managed to extend our lead even with the pace consistently
slowed by the Xtreme smartly playing the ball out of bounds whenever possible.
Our defenders were extremely strong tonight
and poor Shazeb probably knows how it feels to be the Maytag Repairman
by now because I don't think he saw a shot on goal at all, in fact he may
not even have touched the ball all night long. The Xtreme definitely
have some strong offensive talent, but everything was shut down confidently
by our "D" who were probably the strongest component of our team throughout
the match. Blake joined our defensive core for the first time and
he had some initial nerves but, as he settled in, he played really well
and with all of the strength and confidence we knew he had.
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This win officially guarantees us of no
worse than a silver medal finish and it extends our GF-GA to an impressive
+88 which is tops in the league and 23 goals ahead of the nearest team.
Far beyond anything we expected for our first Premier season, the boys
have done remarkably well and now we simply have to focus on mainaining
our momentum and focus as we prepare for the rematch to that classic mid-June
Fort Saskatchewan game, as well as our final meeting in Sherwood
Park, and then Provincial Championships. Good game boys, we'll see
eveyone on Sunday.
(Special thanks to
Gary Borle for filling in as a linesman tonight.) |
Game
15 (Round 2)
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11
- Lakewood Vipers vs. Mill
Woods Selects - 0
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The game plan for tonight was very much
the same as it was last Wednesday in that we had a match which, on paper,
probably wasn't going to be that close so we really wanted to concentrate
on the quality of our play. You never want to get in a state of mind
where you start to develop bad habits so it is extremely important to take
a game like this as an opportunity to really put into practice all of the
year's training. Once again the boys played a beautiful game heavy
on nice passing, patient play formation and good finishing.
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The challenge tonight was to continue
forward with OUR style of play, even in the absence of six players (including
our keeper, a key midfielder, our top goal scorer and three solid defenders).
While we have always done well when vital players are absent, six players
is a stretch and it speaks volumes about the chemistry of this team, and
the importance of every player, that they were able to rise to the challenge
as strongly as they did tonight. It was a complete effort from front
to back, and the way in which the different positions really worked together
and contributed is something the boys can be proud of.
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It was a big offensive night for Anthony,
making his Viper debut in style, and he really used his speed and game
sense to good advantage, while also showing great passing sense and touch.
Likewise, both John and Amin came in and performed wonderfully on defense
in both their positioning and challenges and they really sent some wonderful
clearing balls up very narrow lanes along the sidelines to start off a
number of important offensive rushes. Shazeb, filling in at keeper,
wasn't especially busy but he made no mistakes and his kicks were strong
and well placed, also starting off a number of good rushes.
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Spruce Grove's win over Camrose tonight
makes it pretty unlikely that we'll be able to hunt down first place now,
but our win here gives us a stranglehold on the Tier 3 Silver and continues
our growing momentum as we head towards Provincial Championships in August.
We were dealt a different hand tonight but the boys responded like they
always do, I suppose it shouldn't come as a surprise anymore, and we are
very proud of the growth they continue to show with each game - well done
boys! See you at practice on Tuesday.
Milestones: Following
our two recent offensive outbursts , this is now the boys' highest scoring
outdoor season ever - and they did it in Tier 3! (and there are still six
or seven games left in our season). Also, Willem's goal tonight was
the 1100th goal in Viper history. |
Game
14 (Round 2)
-
16
- Lakewood Vipers vs. Southeast
Storm - 0
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Games like this are neither fun nor productive,
they often lead to bad feelings, and it is just unfortunate that they have
to happen at all. The reality is that we play competitive soccer
at the Premier level, that every goal for and against counts in tight playoff
or championship races, and that we encourage players to try their very
best all the time. Sometimes it can be difficult to reconcile that
approach, the Storm coaches, for example, called us "classless" during
the post-game handshakes, but I am not entirely certain what you're supposed
to do when the other team just doesn't take the game seriously.
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Right from the opening whistle we could
hear their players continually making fun of their own team, and when they
weren't doing that they were making fun of ours - there was a lot of horseplay
and no real focused effort at all. While we were very aware that
goals would help our situation in the championship race, we really didn't
push the boys to score more, in fact several of our goals were half-hearted,
easy shots, right at the keeper, which he mishandled and steered right
into his own net. We were very quiet on the sideline, we put our
keeper in the midfield, we put strong offensive players in goal, we didn't
even object to our penalty kick being placed out at the top of the 18 yard
box, and we played a pretty non-aggressive second half. Most importantly,
we never boasted and our players never acted disrespectfully towards our
opponents. We displayed appropriate sportsmanship throughout the match.
-
As far as our own play went, we spoke
to the boys before the match about using this game to take everything they've
learned this season and putting it into a smart, mature effort. We
knew the game probably wouldn't be close so our focus was really on a complete,
well constructed game and that's exactly what the boys delivered.
Passing was smart, they moved the ball around very nicely, and there was
good effort to try things in different ways and to share the ball.
Our defenders quickly dealt with Storm rushes and limited the attack to
one good scoring chance. It was a well played, well intentioned game
that clearly showcased just how far the boys have come this season.
Well played Vipers! We'll see you at practice on Saturday. |
Game
13 (Round 2)
-
7
- Lakewood Vipers vs. Camrose
Selects - 3
-
One of the real keys to our success over
the last six seasons has been in the way that you can always count on the
boys to follow a bad game with a great one. In fact, we have never
lost two regular season games in a row so, as frustrating as our last game
was, we knew it was in the boys' nature to bounce back tonight, and that's
exactly what they did. Even with the added distraction of having
to relocate to a new field just before game time, and having to play the
game short two midfielders and a defender, the boys put together a solid
effort for a convincing win over one of the league's powerhouses.
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Winning the coin toss, Camrose chose to
take the wind for the first half and their strategy was obviously to try
and build up an insurmountable lead like they did in our first meeting.
Indeed the strong wind proved to be quite an obstacle, we spent an awful
lot of the half in our own zone desperately trying to clear the ball out,
but early goals from Rizwan and Tanvir gave us an important 2-0 lead.
As the half wore on we began to fade in the wind and Camrose replied with
two goals but, fortunately, the boys were able to hold them off for the
rest of the half, thanks largely to Nik's outstanding performance in goal.
It was the start we needed and we felt very confident taking a 2-2 tie
into the break, knowing that now we would get our turn with the wind behind
us.
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Sure enough the second half belonged to
the Vipers and momentum seemed to build with every shift. In addition
to having the wind advantage, our team's conditioning became a real factor
as well, something the Camrose coaches have actually commented on at our
past encounters. Our midfield could have had a very challenging night
due to the short bench, they did an awful lot of running with little or
no break, but their passing game began to dominate the Camrose coverage
as the second half progressed and they showed excellent vision to spring
our forwards for some very exciting goals. We have talked a lot lately
about our inability to finish off great chances up front, but tonight the
touch was back and our forwards made the most of their chances with patient,
well placed shots. We began to pull away.
-
Whenever Camrose did mount an attack it
was dealt with confidently by our defenders. Zach and Marcus were
very strong on the outsides, while Tino and Matt had some great, aggressive
shifts in the "swiffer" position. To complete the defensive contribution
to our win, we called Marin up late in the game to take a penalty kick.
He has twice won our in-team shootout competitions and he made no mistake
tonight as he deposited a well placed strike into the back of the net for
our sixth goal. In fact, that goal probably sums up the key to this
victory. From back to front, the contribution came from everyone
tonight. No one took the night off, everyone played hard, and when
that happens, these boys are amazing to watch. It was a great win
Vipers!
Note: This win
puts us all alone in second place, in the driver's seat for a top two finish,
and within reach of first (although only with some help from other teams).
It virtually guarantees us a spot in Provincials (August 10-12). |
Game
12 (Round 2)
-
1
- Lakewood Vipers vs. Spruce
Grove Saints - 3
-
On a day where we had a chance to take
sole possession of first place, and to move into the driver's seat for
a league championship, there should have been plenty of motivation but,
for whatever reason, we came out flat and just failed to play with the
heart needed to win. Even with a lackluster performance we still
managed to generate enough chances to win the match but we were undone
by a familiar problem of late - an inability to convert on good scoring
chances. While there were certainly some costly defensive errors,
you can't beat a team like the Saints by only scoring one goal.
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The match started with our team looking
pretty tentative, but they did seem to become stronger as the first half
wore on. We surrendered the first goal of the match when a defender
moved to head the ball out of harm's way but then, for some reason, backed
off which allowed the ball to roll right in front of the goal - something
which happened several times today and cost us dearly. In reality,
Spruce Grove's attack really didn't seem all that dangerous today and all
three goals we allowed were the result of concentration related errors.
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Even so, we had our fair share of chances.
When Willem tied up the match on a very nice flick it seemed for the moment
like a very familiar script but, unlike so many games before, it only seemed
to ignite our squad for a very brief period and then we just faded out.
Several excellent chances came and went with forwards overhandling the
ball, pushing it wide, or fanning on it altogether. Losing Arjun
early on to a knee injury likely had some effect on the outcome, maybe
he could have generated some fire, but even aggressive, determined performances
by guys like Ayman and Zach didn't prove to be contagious and we watched
a seemingly winnable game slip away.
-
The loss will likely put us into a two
way tie for second place once the night's other games play out, but there
are still good possibilities for us. Some days you're up, some days
you're down, and we just didn't bring our game today. It happens.
At Monday's practice we'll break down tonight's performance and try to
take some lessons from it as we head into a huge Wednesday rematch with
the Camrose Selects that will likely determine where we will ultimately
sit at season's end. The important thing now is that we remember
who we are, what we've accomplished this season, and that we move forward
with a positive outlook and renewed determination. There's still
a long road ahead. |
Game
11 (Round 2)
-
6
- Lakewood Vipers vs. Mill
Woods Selects - 1
-
It took a little while to get going tonight
but, once the boys finally came to life, the game bore a lot of resemblance
to their very impressive effort against the Sherwood Park United squad
last week. Coming into the match the Selects were on a bit of a roll,
having outscored their competition 23-1 in their last two games, and, after
two fairly convincing losses to us previously, we knew they would be fired
up for this one and determined to get a strong start.
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Taking advantage of a very tentative start
on our part, the Selects set the pace for the first ten or fifteen minutes
and, seizing on a defensive blunder, they had us down 1-0 early thanks
to aggressive play and good midfield play formation. What surprised
us was the way in which they chose to act on their momentum by employing
an often tried strategy which, frankly, just doesn't seem very well thought
out. Many teams have made the same mistake of underestimating Nik
and shooting from anywhere, but it has never worked, and their persistence
tonight in launching "Hail Mary" shots, usually from outside the box, had
little or no effect on the game other than to repeatedly turn the ball
over.
-
Gradually our boys began to wake up, establish
good ball control, settle into our style of play and, from there on, it
became a one-sided affair. Anything the Selects did mount offensively
was dispatched by our defense who played very well tonight. Zach
had an especially good night on the right outside and his quick, aggressive
play completely dominated forwards coming down his side. Similarly,
our midfielders had another great showing. Their play lately has been so
strong, so creative, and it has lead to dozens of excellent scoring chances
in every game. Gabe was superb again, as was Ayman who, over the
last few games, has been playing his best soccer as a Viper.
-
We did again have concerns with the number
of wide open scoring chances squandered by our forwards, not to mention
some obvious overhandling of the ball, but they certainly read the play
smartly as it came up the field and did very well to get into those open
seams so often. We definitely have some work to do on accuracy in
upcoming practices, but there can be no doubt that they are putting enough
shots in the net to win games. With more concentration and a little
fine tuning, things can only get better.
-
Tonight's important win vaults us into
first place heading into the two biggest games of the season on Sunday
and Wednesday. Clearly the team is playing well and if we can come
in with focus and intensity, we have a real shot against Camrose and Spruce
Grove. Right now our fate is exactly where we want it to be... it's
in OUR hands. It will take two big efforts to get it done, but we
know the boys are up to it. Here we go Vipers! |
Game
10 (Round 2)
-
9
- Lakewood Vipers vs. Southwest
Sting - 2
-
The outcome was never in doubt, another
convincing win, and there was some very nice play on the field tonight,
especially in the way our midfield got the ball into good scoring position
over and over again, but it was another one of those games where you begin
to wonder if all of the mistakes we're making aren't going to catch up
with us very soon. The games we've lost this season have all been
ones where we had more chances to score than our opponent, but failed to
convert. With all of our great passing and mature playmaking we're
90% there, but we have to get a lot better at finishing our plays as we
head into the biggest games of the season.
-
Tonight, three breakaways ended with the
ball being fired wide, and another four with the ball being lobbed harmlessly
to the keeper without his moving an inch. There were five or six
in-close opportunities where we shot way wide, or over top, and at least
four occasions where forwards had wide open shooting lanes but chose to
deke a few more players and lost their chances. On "D", both
goals against resulted from huge errors - one where the defender passed
the ball right to a Sting forward in front of the goal, instead of playing
it out of bounds, and the other where a defender swung and completely missed
on an easy ball that was rolling right at him.
-
For both the forwards and the defenders
in these cases, the mistake is exactly the same. It it a failure
to focus and place the ball where it needs to go. In a seven
goal victory it probably seems irrelevant, but in a close game to decide
if we win Tier 3 or advance to Provincials it could be huge. Not
to downplay all of the good things that happen on the field every game,
but we are going to have to be careful that we don't lose a very well played,
crucial game because we missed a wide open net or turned the ball over
on an easy chance to clear. It's about focus and we are all capable
of more.
-
The great news is that it was our ninth
win of the regular season and, after tonight's huge upset of the Camrose
Selects by Danny's Fort Saskatchewan squad, it puts us in a position to
move into first place with a win over the MW Selects on Thursday.
All things considered, we're in pretty good shape. We are poised
to move to the top of the league, and we know we can still be even better.
We have shown so much growth this season, we are mature and well conditioned,
our creative style of play is second to none and, if we can really bear
down now and focus on eliminating our bad mistakes, imagine what is possible
in the next few weeks. Let's get it done Vipers! |
Game
9 (Round 1)
-
7
- Lakewood Vipers vs. Sherwood
Park United - 1
-
Despite our previous games with them,
the United squad have been playing well lately and had actually only lost
two regular season games coming into this match to conclude Round One.
This was going to take a more focused effort than we have been seeing recently
and that's exactly what the boys delivered tonight. It was a sharp,
cohesive, team performance with contribution from all zones. They
way in which they constructed their plays was really exciting to watch,
and it was encouraging to see ball movement and goal production so evenly
spread around the team.
-
Our opponent's strategy was to blast the
ball out of bounds anytime we moved the ball into their half, but our ability
to maintain possession for long periods in between those clears allowed
us to sustain momentum. After a brief feeling out shift, the boys
quickly scored twice following our first substitution and then twice again
after our second. With a comfortable lead we were able to settle
into a groove and really work on ball movement and play formulation.
Like last game, the passing of our midfielders was simply outstanding and
they gave Sherwood Park very little time to adjust to what we were doing.
-
One of the unusual things about this game
was the way the ref allowed virtually unlimited substitutions for the United
coach. It came to the point where they had one player at the flag
at all times and substituted nearly every single time the ball went out
of bounds, presumably in and attempt to slow the game down. Honestly, we
felt it was detrimental to their team to be in a constant state of rotation,
and it felt like all they were doing was attempting to hold us off rather
than to actually trying to compete. In the end the disruptions had
no effect and the boys just carried on playing the Viper game.
-
The one goal against was an unusual situation.
It is our team's policy, and the policy of most teams, to play the ball
out of bounds when an opposing player goes down injured but, with Riz down
for over two minutes, United seized the opportunity to push hard for a
goal and, even though we did gain possession three or four times in that
time, the whistle never sounded and we were unable to get the ball out
of bounds. They scored but we can't hold that goal against our defenders
who played an otherwise spotless game tonight.
-
Perhaps feeling the effects of some mid-season
doldrums lately, we've been looking for an effort to give us back our momentum
and it felt like this was it. The boys really played a beautiful
game tonight, as only they can. It was a mature, intelligent game
full of good positioning and creative passing which allowed us to completely
dictate the pace and direction of the game. Phil's guys on "D" kept
things nice & clean and transitioned the ball well to the mids who
were always in control and confidently moved the ball into scoring position
for the forwards. From back to front, it was a complete team effort
and a very satisfying night. Excellent job boys, see you Thursday! |
Game
8 (Round 1)
-
4
- Lakewood Vipers vs. Fort
Saskatchewan - 3
-
That was certainly one of the most exciting
finishes we've ever seen, but the game was really one of positives and
negatives. Specifically, the majority of the game featured more blown
opportunities than we can afford at this level of play but, in the end,
the boys somehow found the heart to mount a spectacular late comeback and
win the game with less than 30 seconds left (it was 39:40 on my stopwatch)
and they deserve a lot of credit for that.
-
The early part of the game was fairly
even, but then the boys began to find their feet and to maintain a healthy
majority of ball possession. The defenders did their job very well, limiting
Fort to a single goal in the first half, and the "mids" played a masterful
game. Not enough can be said about their sharp passing, creative
playmaking and their aggression. Unfortunately, their great work
too often went for not with our offensive leaders repeatedly missing great
chances by blasting the ball wide, way over top, or right to the
keeper. If we'd converted on even half of our "gimmes", the game
wouldn't have been close.
-
The flip side, however, is that the boys
didn't quit. When we fell behind 3-2 it looked pretty bleak, but
our midfielders kept working hard to keep creating chances, knowing that
eventually something had to go in. Over the last ten minutes we must
have had 90% ball possession and chances were coming fast and furious until,
finally, we got our break and evened things up with under three minutes
left. By then it was all Vipers and the only question was whether
or not the clock would run out. Dropping Riz back into an outside
Mid position and sliding Praneil into inside Mid, we made one last charge.
Amid furious activity in the Fort Saskatchewan box, and with the referee
getting ready to blow the final whistle, Praneil slipped through the slot
and struck a beautiful bending ball into the top left corner for the win.
-
It was a great moment, total pandemonium
on the sidelines, and it's one we'll remember for a long time and, while
the credit always seems to go to those who put the ball into the net, it
should be made clear that it was the unsung heroes of our midfield who
deserve recognition tonight. Their unselfish play and their perseverance
led the way and won the match. They set up so many great chances
and when those chances didn't pan out, they showed great maturity to reset
the play, never getting discouraged, and they did it all over again.
It was one of their finest nights and they should be very proud of their
performance. Well done midfielders and congratulations Vipers! |
Game
7 (Round 1)
-
7
- Lakewood Vipers vs. North
Xtreme - 4
-
One of the difficult things in our move
up this season has been trying to find a balance between recognizing that
we're really doing quite well, certainly better than many said we would,
and addressing our desire to keep improving by pointing out the things
we did wrong and, hopefully, correcting them. I worry that the latter
sometimes makes these summaries come across as negative when, in fact,
the real intent is to crtically analyze our performance in terms of what
we did well, what we didn't, and where we need to get better.
-
The reality is that tonight's game was
another victory over a Premier Division opponent and that we currently
find ourselves in a three way tie which, based on goals for and against,
puts us in first place by 5 goals over Camrose, and by 7 goals over Spruce
Grove. That is the result of some very fine play by the boys this
season and they should be very proud of it. Another reality however,
is that we really did not play as well as we should have tonight, mainly
in the way we failed to finish off well constructed plays, and that we
have been pretty sloppy over the last three or four games in that respect.
-
In the first twenty minutes of this match
we probably had ball possession for a solid eighteen minutes. That
aspect of our game was wonderful and the boys dominated the Xtreme squad
in almost every possible way. The problem was that after all of that
very smart play, we would move the ball into perfect scoring position and
then completely blow what should have been a "gimme". There were
four or five clean breakaways, plus several in-close, wide open shooting
chances where we missed the net, hit the post, rolled the ball into the
keeper, or fanned on the shot. On the defensive side of the ball,
we messed up on two or three easy chances to clear the ball and we allowed
bad goals which should never have had a chance in the first place.
-
Against the top teams, those sorts of
mistakes would be VERY costly and on this night we could easily have taken
a seven or eight goal lead into the break. Instead we found ourselves
in a tight battle, falling behind 2-0 and then holding a slim 4-3 lead
late into the second half before we finally woke up and put the game away.
Ultimately, the boys got the job done again and they held onto first place,
but we have a lot to cover at practice this Saturday in preparation of
Monday's important match against a skilled, well coached Fort Saskatchewan
team. They have been getting stronger and stronger all season and
they will present a major challenge for us. We'll see you at practice. |
Game
6 (Round 1)
-
6
- Lakewood Vipers vs. MW Selects
- 3
-
When we met this Selects team at the Duggan
Tournament we felt that their style of play was probably hampered by the
inclusion of some guest players who didn't seem to fit into a team play
concept, so it didn't really come as a surprise that we saw a much stronger
Selects squad tonight playing with their normal lineup. They showed
more heart on this night, and displayed a much more cohesive passing game
through the middle of the field which did find us chasing the ball more
than usual.
-
We played this game missing two key defenders
and our keeper, which meant putting a key midfielder in goal, and we seemed
a little disorganized at times as we attempted to compensate for the vacancies.
It stretched us a little thin, and we were certainly short on the bench,
so there were times tonight where we seemed to lose our direction and bad
plays resulted. In particular, several big defensive giveaways were
especially troubling and very costly.
-
Further up the field, at mid and forward,
we certainly didn't play poorly, but we lacked a our usual polish and it
really showed in the way we failed to properly finish off a good number
of great scoring opportunities. Realistically, the goal difference
probably should have been greater than it was but we give credit for the
way the Selects capitalized on our mistakes as well as giving credit to
our boys for the fact that that was a good team they beat out their tonight.
-
Tanvir had a big offensive might, but
we should also point to some of the nice plays which lead to his goals,
especially great anticipation by Gabriel, a really nice challenge and setup
by WIllem, and an incredible lobbing send by John. Plays like those
remind us that a lot of good stuff is happening out there, even on the
nights we know we could have been sharper and, in the final analysis, it
was a decisive win over a good opponent. The victory actually vaults
us into first place now (based on goals for and against), so it was an
important win and one the boys can be very proud of.
-
Tomorrow night (Wednesday), weather permitting,
we meet up with the North Xtreme at the North Side ESA Complex (traffic
will be heavy so leave early!!). We're getting into that time of
year where the weather could begin to cause problems with our schedule,
so please keep an eye on the site for last minute changes or games rescheduled
on very short notice. Until then, good work tonight boys and congratulations. |
Game
5 (Round 1)
-
9
- Lakewood Vipers vs. MW Selects
- 1
-
The weaker of the two MW Selects squads
in U14, the team we faced tonight isn't very strong and this is something
the boys were quite aware of prior to the match. Historically we
haven't always come out at our sharpest when meeting these sorts of teams
so it wasn't unexpected that, despite how the final score may make it appear,
we seemed off of our game tonight. There were certainly positives
but, in the final analysis, we lacked our usual focus and that is mainly
owing to the fact that the boys really didn't expect a challenge.
-
Before the game we stressed that we wanted
to use this match to work on maintaining ball possession and, from that
point of view, the boys completely dominated. We didn't make a point
of clocking the minutes, but we must have held the ball for a good 80%
of the game which, in itself, is pretty impressive. What wasn't as
impressive was the way we finished plays, and there were a lot of sloppy
passes and well over a dozen wide open chances to score which, because
we weren't focused, went wide, over the net, through legs, onto the post,
straight to the keeper, or whatever the case may be.
-
It is really a difficult game to analyze
and we probably shouldn't make too a big a deal out of anything that happened
tonight because the teams were just at two different ends of the spectrum.
The boys were given the task of holding onto the ball as much as possible,
and they did exactly that. On a warm, lazy evening there wasn't a
great deal of challenge for them, so the minds began to wander, but it
has been a hectic month of May for us, this was our 15th game already,
and maybe it was just an overdue "night off".
-
This Saturday we'll have a special shared
practice with the Burnewood Devils and then, next week, we head into games
on Tuesday and Wednesday against the MW Selects and North Xtreme
respectively. Two wins would quite likely move us into a three way
tie for first place so it is going to be a big week and we'll have to be
sharp. We'll see you on the weekend boys! |
Sherwood
Park Optimist Classic Tournament - Final
-
1
- Lakewood Vipers vs. Camrose
Selects - 3
-
In end the outcome was the same, but this
was a very different game from the one we played against the same Camrose
squad yesterday morning. The boys gave a much better effort and,
between 3 or 4 crossbars and some bad luck out there, we could have won
this game. While there may be some who are unable to see the big
picture, this is a game the boys should be very proud of and our success
so far this season has been beyond anything we expected for our first season
in Premier. Frankly, teams like Camrose, Spruce Grove, and the Tier
1 SW Sting, were supposed to destroy us, and they haven't. This was our
second appearance in a Premier tournament final in only two weeks, and
we're still going to get much better.
-
One of the unfortunate things about a
loss like this is that fingers can incorrectly be pointed at our defenders,
but the reality is that Camrose are a big, powerful, skilled squad.
Three goals is the fewest they have scored all season long and, frankly,
they were a little lucky to get a couple of those. Our defenders
faced this game with courage and determination, and they limited the Camrose
rush enough to give us a chance if we had been able to generate more offence
up front and bury our chances. When you're more than three quarters
of the way through a match and you've limited the most powerful team in
the league to only two goals, you've done your job! Sure mistakes
were made, but they were made at both ends. Missing the net by 10
or 20 feet on a wide open chance to score is as big a mistake as missing
your defensive coverage and allowing a scoring opportunity. A bad
pass & giveaway in the defensive zone is as bad as a bad pass &
giveaway in the forward zone. We win and lose as a team and today,
despite playing a pretty good game, we lost together.
-
The first half of the game was a pretty
tough battle because we were playing into a very strong headwind and it
was difficult to move the ball up field. We were really just hoping
to get out of the half without an insurmountable lead to overcome.
When we finally got the wind at our backs, we dominated and we had more
than enough chances to grab the lead. We were pleased with the pressure
the boys applied, and the way they consistently rushed the Camrose players
into bad passes and turnovers. We were running more than they were
by that point and, after the game, the Camrose coaches really marveled
at our team's stamina. Full credit to our boys for their dedication
this season to our conditioning regiment. In a full 80 minute game
(this one was only 60 minutes long) we would only have grown stronger and
stronger.
-
As coaches, we look at this silver medal
with a lot of pride because it took more effort and determination than
many of our golds in the past and because of the way the boys learned an
evolved through the weekend. Sure it's always disappointing when
you come up a little short, but we knew from season's start that this was
a transitional season, one which would require a lot of hard work, a lot
of learning, and a lot of growth. This was a our twelfth championship
final appearance in the twelve tournaments we've entered, and that is a
testament to these boys and their commitment. Congratulations Vipers
on a hard fought tournament and another well deserved medal.
-
(Thanks to Burnewood
Devils coach Nick Ferenac for letting John join us as a guest player this
weekend, and special thanks to John for coming out and playing so well
all weekend long!) |
Sherwood
Park Optimist Classic Tournament - Semifinal
-
6
- Lakewood Vipers vs. Calgary
Springbank Strikers - 1
-
Just like yesterday's game with St. Paul,
the tone was set early in this game with the amount of communicating the
boys were doing on the field. We're at our best best we do that and
it really contributes to our energy and our flow. It was a hot morning,
with a short bench, and so the mission was to move the ball around as much
as possible and make Calgary chase it. We thought the boys did very
well in this respect and it wasn't long before the Striker coach was on
his team for consistently being outrun. Clearly conditioning was
a factor today and by the end Calgary players were regularly asking to
come off.
-
We were very pleased with the strong performance
of our defenders today. They really played their positions smartly.
Their angles were excellent and they jockeyed well to force attackers onto
the outside of the pitch, rather than just recklessly challenging with
no backup behind them if they missed (John was especially strong in this
regard and his positioning was outstanding). It can be confusing
for them at times with some of the over-coaching coming from the parent
side, especially when it contradicts what they've been taught to do, so
we have to give them full credit for their focus in sticking to the game
plan and really limiting the Calgary attack to very few chances.
-
We were also pleased with the play of
our midfield. We really have to keep focusing on the width of our
positioning because positive things happen when we do. Our forwards
kept good offensive pressure on throughout the game with their short passing
and it seemed to confuse the Calgary defenders and draw them out of position
quite regularly. When the criss-cross passing mixed up their defensive
assignments they often began to follow the ball in groups of three or four,
and this lead to most of our goals today. When we work as a unit
in this way, we have a great chance against any team so now the challenge
is to keep it going into the gold medal final this afternoon. It
was a well earned win Vipers. Get rested, get hydrated, and we'll
see you at 3:30. |
Sherwood
Park Optimist Classic Tournament - Game 2
-
5
- Lakewood Vipers vs. St.
Paul Energy - 1
-
Before the game Phil read the team a passage
about simply having the skill required to play soccer versus having the
heart to play soccer. We've all seen this team win games on skill
alone, but our greatest triumphs have always been when we've beaten more
skilled teams with teamwork and with heart. That's what was so troubling
about the early game today. At this level we completely expected
to lose games to better teams, but we never expected to lose games on effort
(or lack thereof). That's never been our way so it was very important
that this game put us back on the right track.
-
We touched again on the need to communicate
and we were happy to hear the boys being very vocal throughout the match.
It's a fast, congested game out there and it really makes all the difference
in the world when you have your teammates eyes and ears helping you out.
We also stressed the damage it does to our system when our midfielders
all compress inward to the center third of the field and it was good to
see them using the whole width of the field again. Likewise our forwards,
had really clogged things up this morning by coming too far back all the
time and dragging their double coverage into the midfield traffic.
That didn't happen this time and it really helped. Clearly, our thought
process was much better in this game.
-
After we had taken a 2-0 lead, the ref
became adamant that Tanvir not play because of his sore ankle and, although
Tanvir insisted he could play, we agreed to pull him rather than upset
the official. That could have hurt us, but Rizwan really picked up
the slack and played a great game. Riz can get into trouble when
he tries to do too much himself, taking on too many players with too many
moves, but this was a brilliant game in the way he mixed it up with so
much of the short give 'n go passing. He was looking around, he was
making clever, unselfish passes, it kept the opposing "D" guessing, and
it resulted in more room and a great 3 goal performance. Well done
Riz!
-
From a team standpoint the biggest difference
was in the way we challenged for the ball and the way we returned to our
short, sharp passing. Nobody does that stuff better than us and when
you add to it how much better our positional play was, it was a completely
different team. After the mess this morning was, it makes a coach
awfully proud when the opposing coach and the ref both rave about how well
our boys know and play their positions. What a difference a few hours
can make. Well done boys!
-
The win earns us a crossover playoff birth
which means we still have a chance to make it to the gold medal final.
We play the Calgary Strikers in the morning semifinal and we'll have to
be equally sharp in that game because they're a very solid team.
Get a good rest guys and be ready to work hard on Sunday. We'll see
you all at 10:30 AM on the same field (SAP 'E'). |
Sherwood
Park Optimist Classic Tournament - Game 1
-
1
- Lakewood Vipers vs. Camrose
Selects - 4
-
You can lose a game in one of two ways.
You can try your very best and simply get beaten by a better team, or you
can give the game away through a lack of effort and commitment. There
is no doubt that we have to give Camrose credit for their many strengths.
They are bigger than we are, they are faster, and they play their positions
VERY well. They are not unbeatable though, and we have beaten many
similar teams in the past using OUR strengths. Unfortunately today,
for the second time in as many meetings, we did not seem willing to put
in the work necessary to compete at Camrose's level.
-
Gone was the communication we saw last
game - there was no talk out there. Gone was the patience to look
for plays rather than just sending the ball "that way". Time and
time again we let opponents step right in front of us and take the ball,
yet we rarely tried to step in front of them. Passes were repeatedly
understruck, overhead sends were too low, we were constantly out of position,
and we exerted no pressure on our opponents. In short, we were unwilling
to put in the extra effort today. Even so, it is difficult to point
to any Camrose goal and say, "wow, that was a beautiful play". As
good as they are, they aren't beating us with great plays. They're
beating us on our own silly mistakes. Full credit to them for doing
so, but it points to the fact that we can compete and even win against
this team if we work harder.
-
We knew there would be big challenges
this year, and we knew there would be setbacks along the way. It
is only one game, and we have to take this lesson to heart. As poorly
as we have played them, Camrose have yet to blow us out. Imagine
what we're capable of if we meet them at our best! We know we have
the ability to outrun & outwork teams so, starting with our match against
St. Paul, we have to get back to the heart & determination that are
basis of our Viper game. We have to show the pride to play up to
our ability. |
Game
4 (Round 1)
-
15
- Lakewood Vipers vs. Southeast
Storm - 0
-
In many ways this game was reminiscent
of a first round game back in community, but it was probably much needed
after last week's performance. Before the game we discussed the final
15 minutes of last game, a 15 minutes in which we were excited, communicating,
hungry for the ball, and we focused on how to bring that drive into every
game we play. While a game like this one can definitely bring out
the bad habits in a team, we were looking for improvement in a few key
areas and, for the most part, we that's what we saw.
-
Perhaps the biggest disappointment last
week was the way in which we didn't really take part in our own corner
kicks. Great kicks were sent into the box and, time and time again,
we watched them sail on by without any effort at all. We really worked
on that at our last two practices and tonight we saw players moving well
to get to the ball, we made good, controlled contact on the huge majority
of our kicks, and we even converted nicely for goals a few times.
Much better Vipers!
-
There was also an improved sense of patience
in the way we played tonight. We still have a long way to go in this
area, but tonight saw a great improvement in the way we set plays up, sent
the ball back to reset when things weren't right, and in the way our defenders
showed more control in moving the ball up, rather than just blasting it
aimlessly. We're still guilty of too many one man rushes (trying
to deke too many players one on one), so we'll have to work on that some
more.
-
It is difficult to assess a game like
this, when the two teams are clearly at opposite ends of the spectrum,
but the boys did well to improve on the things we asked of them and that
will be valuable against opponents of any ability. We'll get a chance
to see if we can put it into action Saturday morning at the Sherwood Park
Optimist Tournament when we get a rematch with the Camrose Selects.
Until then, it was a much better effort tonight boys. It moves
us up into third place, ahead of the MW Selects, and within striking distance
of the top two spots. Now let's see if we can carry this attitude
forward and keep it going the rest of the way.
-
Milestone: When
Gabriel scored the 11th goal in tonight's game, it was the 1000th goal
in Viper team history. |
Game
3 (Round 1)
-
6
- Lakewood Vipers vs. Camrose
Selects - 7
-
To put it mildly, it was a very strange
evening. I can't recall another game which more clearly showed us
at both our very worst and our very best. The team that walked onto
the field was not the same team that walked off, and this game will be
very valuable in its unique ability to illustrate, all in one nutshell,
our greatest strengths and our worst habits.
-
Perhaps we were still feeling some of
the effects of the weekend, but the first half was probably as bad a half
as we have ever played. Examples are too numerous to mention, but
it could be summed up by simply saying we were completely uninterested
and uncommitted. We came out asleep and all of us, players and coaches,
have to accept responsibility for that. We knew there would be ups
and downs this season, we knew there would be hard lessons, and this is
one of many - at this level, we can't any take nights off.
-
I said that this game also showed our
greatest strengths and, after spotting our opponent a stunning 5 goal lead,
we did almost manage to salvage the game. After a very serious talk
at halftime the boys began to focus and began to put back together what
it is that makes this team work. For that they deserve a lot of credit.
Even with the setbacks of a sixth and seventh goal against, they got progressively
stronger, the excitement returned and, for the last ten or fifteen minutes,
it was more than Camrose could handle.
-
Attempting to shake things up a bit we
put Dylan in at right midfield and he responded brilliantly, most notably
with one of those outstanding short forward feeds he has become so good
at this year and it resulted in a tremendously uplifting goal. After
that Riz began to mix up his game and when defenders converged on him,
expecting him to try and deke through, he smartly sent some very nice feeds
of his own through the line and made a beautiful setup on a goal by Tanvir
while also scoring one of his own.
-
At that point our midfield began to come
alive, the defenders began to control their forward passes, and everything
began to gel again. Camrose, in panic mode, took every opportunity
to send the ball as far out of bounds as possible but the Vipers just kept
coming. In the end, with constant, frantic action at the Camrose
end, the clock just ran out on us but it almost doesn't matter. Losses
can have real value if we are willing to learn from them, and this game
should teach us a lot about ourselves and what we need to do to improve.
We'll get into that at Thursday night's practice so we'll see you all then. |
Duggan/Empire
Park Tournament - Final
-
2
- Lakewood Vipers vs. Southwest
Sting - 4
-
In the end, 5 games in three days was
probably just too much. We are a very well conditioned team so the
issue wasn't so much physical fatigue as it was mental fatigue. That
can probably be said for both teams, we played the same number of games
at the exact same times, but it likely had a more profound effect on our
team because of our style of play. We rely on quick inside work,
sharp passing and well formulated plays, so when the mind begins to lose
focus the game quickly evolves into a more straight forward and backward
affair which, in this case, clearly favored the Sting who had a considerable
advantage in size, strength and speed. They were just bigger than
us.
-
A game like this has real value for us
though because it illustrates our potential in a truly positive way, while
still giving us a very clear picture of the things our opponent does better
than us. We were very impressed, for example, with their skill in
playing the ball out of the air and with the way they aggressively pursued
potential headers 100% of the time. Those are things we can most
definitely work on. Having said all that, we certainly held our own
against a very big, skilled, Tier 1 team, and that gives us real cause
for optimism. We are the new kids on this block, and the learning
curve is pretty steep, but we're doing fine and things will only get better.
-
In terms of this game, it wasn't our day
but I think that if we look at the past five days together there is a lot
to be proud of. We began on Wednesday with a great win over the Indoor
Tier 2 champs, we followed that up this weekend with a convincing win over
the Tier 3 Sherwood Park United squad and another over the MW Selects who
probably should be a Tier 2 squad. We rounded that out by more than
holding our own against a legitimate Tier 1 team, mounting a great comeback
in the semifinal, and by winning a Tier2/3 Silver Medal in our first Premier
division tournament. I'd say it was a pretty good week!
Special thanks to
John who joined us for two games and played like a pro!
-
Very special thanks
to all of the Viper mothers who gave up their Mothers Day to come and cheer
on the boys this weekend. (The coaches will look more carefully at the
calendar next time!) We're in your debt. |
Duggan/Empire
Park Tournament - Semifinal
-
11
- Lakewood Vipers vs. Duggan
- 5
-
The Duggan team is made up of many of
the boys who formed the Duggan team we lost to at last year's Outdoor City
Championships (they ultimately went on to become City Champs). They
are a well-coached community squad who are having a very strong season
and wanted to challenge themselves against Tier 3 competition. To
that end, they did very well for themselves, advancing to the tournament
semifinal and causing us absolute fits for a large part of this game with
their ability and their determination. We certainly have to respect
what they did out there today.
-
Already our fourth game in three days,
you could see the fatigue setting in and the minds beginning to wander
as we scored first, but then quickly fell behind 4-1. We were settling
into the old trap of just kicking the ball with no real thought as to where
it was going while, at the same time, letting opposition forwards go virtually
unmarked and unchallenged. It wasn't pretty and the Duggan squad
were hungry enough to pounce on every mistake we made.
-
One of the many weapons our team has in
its arsenal however is the maturity not to panic and slowly we began to
play a ball control game, making Duggan run for a change. In particular,
our quick inside/outside passing began to take over and the Duggan forwards
saw less and less of the ball. We still had a tendency to go for
the over-ambitious "long send" too often, but it was certainly better in
the second half and, after surrendering that 4-1 lead, we were able to
take control and outscore our opponent 10-1.
-
One of the real bright spots was the play
of Vishal who, after a year away from the game, is getting more and more
comfortable with the ball and he really showed excellent patience and decision
making in the second half. That's the beauty of this team - anyone
can step up at anytime. Of course we had to rely on a usual suspect
as well and Tanvir, after struggling to find his accuracy early on, came
to life and found the open seams with dogged determination. It was
a great show on his birthday weekend.
-
This win puts us in the Gold Medal Final
and, win or lose, already makes us more successful than we thought we'd
be this early in the season. The boys have worked hard in practice
and in games, they have listened to constructive criticism, they have grown
stronger and smarter, and this is their reward. It's been an amazing
week already boys. and you can still make it even better. Good luck
in the final Vipers! |
Duggan/Empire
Park Tournament - Game 3
-
3
- Lakewood Vipers vs. Southwest
Sting - 3
-
I've said it in many summaries before,
and I have to say it again today. It has always been hard to play
games right after big, emotional victories. After such a great win in the
noon game we suspected the boys could come out flat in the second game
so, from that perspective, I guess it is a positive that we could squeak
out a tie against a Tier 1 club when we actually didn't play all that well.
That could be very useful knowledge in a possible rematch if we are fortunate
enough to advance past tomorrow morning's semi-final match.
-
As far as this game goes, there were flashes
of our usual good stuff, enough to tie anyway, but we looked tired and
our focus was not always there. That's understandable, given how
much soccer gets played in a few short days, and we have to be happy with
the overall quality of play this week and with the way we were able to
come back every time we fell behind in this game. The goals from
Riz, Zach, and that hugely important third one from Josh, all arrived just
when needed and the resilience we showed under trying circumstances gives
us good reason for optimism on Sunday.
-
More than anything, I think this game
probably served to remove any remaining doubts the boys may have had about
competing at this level, especially since we know there is still room much
for improvement, and it should serve as good motivation for all that remains
ahead. You've beaten two Tier 2 teams this week, that was a Tier
1 squad this afternoon, and we all know we can still get better. That's
certainly great news heading into Sunday morning's semifinal. You
can all be very proud of what you accomplished today boys. |
Duggan/Empire
Park Tournament - Game 2
-
5
- Lakewood Vipers vs. Mill
Woods Selects - 1
-
We knew that the big story of this game
was going to be the presence of our old Woodvale rivals in the Selects
lineup but, ultimately, that may have played in our favour because it gave
us a much clearer idea of what our game plan would be. As we've seen
in the past, there is a lot of talent on the Snipers squad, but
not always a lot of system, and it felt like that spread through the Selects
team, who are usually a better team than we saw today.
-
From a Viper standpoint, the boys really
played the game with a lot of maturity today. There was no sense
of panic, they played every minute like it was a tie game, and they steered
clear of the yapping that came their way. They really focused on
the job at hand and played responsibly at both ends of the field.
-
In terms of the game plan, we have a lot
of respect for Ricky's class and his ability, and we felt that if our opponent
fell into the usual strategy of trying to feed the ball to one player all
the time, we just had to make sure he was kept under guard. To that
end, Zach did a sensational job and allowed the rest of the team to feel
comfortable enough to play our game. Great work Z!
-
Outside of that one tip of the hat, I
don't want want to single out any players because of the total-team nature
of this win. Everyone really played to their best, with no selfish
play and with a lot of very smart decision making. From keeper, to
"D", to mid, to forward, this was a complete effort which, yet again, showed
real maturity and focus. There just isn't enough praise for the way
the boys have played this week. We are VERY proud of them.
-
This game automatically puts us in the
semi-finals tomorrow at 9:00AM, which certainly takes some of the pressure
off of us in this afternoon's match. The Tier 1 SW Sting club present
another tremendous opportunity to grow and to learn so it should be a very
exciting game. See you then guys! |
Duggan/Empire
Park Tournament - Game 1
-
10
- Lakewood Vipers vs. Sherwood
Park United - 3
-
The biggest issue facing us this game
was the absence of 5 key players but, once we knew we would have enough
to take the field, it was just a matter of playing Viper ball as usual.
Even with the big guns away, the boys showed us again just how deep the
team is, and what it can do with teamwork.
-
Like every game so far this season, we
were completely thrilled with the start the boys made for themselves.
They immediately seized control and charged out to a commanding 4-0 lead
in practically no time at all. From there on we had a few lulls,
but every Sherwood Park goal was answered quickly and we continued to stretch
our lead. There are clearly still times where we just aren't aggressive
enough in fighting for the ball but, obviously, that didn't end up being
a deciding factor tonight.
-
It was definitely a big night for Dylan.
In addition to a four goal night, he had a fifth goal allowed and then
weirdly disallowed a minute later, and also sent through some of absolutely
beautiful passes - easily the most improved part of his game. Likewise,
Zach was a real presence tonight. Wearing the captain's armband he
lead by example and was a real offensive and defensive force. John
and Daniel, joining us to cover our absences, had really strong games as
well. After some strong "D" shifts, John came within inches of notching
a great goal at forward, while Daniel set up the game's first goal on a
very strong corner kick and then scored the second with a nice header.
-
While it definitely felt sloppy at times,
this was a convincing win with a very short bench and we have to be very
pleased with that. Tomorrow in the noon match we come up against
a Mill Woods Selects/Woodvale Snipers alliance which will be a massive
challenge for us. We come to these tournaments to gather experience
so this should be an excellent opportunity for us to grow. Great
job tonight Vipers. We'll see you all tomorrow! |
Game
2 (Round 1)
-
3-
Lakewood
Vipers vs. Spruce Grove Saints
- 1
-
Coming into this match we were very aware
that this Spruce Grove squad had finished first in Premier B (Tier 2) during
the indoor season. Knowing that, we expected quite a match, and our
expectation was only heightened when we saw that they had since acquired
the keeper from our very respected Tier 4 Spruce Grove rivals. He
is a classy young man, and a tremendous competitor who always makes his
team much stronger. He usually forces us to be at our best and we
knew that was exactly what we'd need to be tonight.
-
In our previous two contests we had been
missing some very key players and, while we certainly don't want to be
in that position very often, it probably had some positive effects.
Because we were so successful while short, I think it reaffirmed the importance
and ability of every player, while driving home the idea that it is our
teamwork which has always made us so successful. I think we really
saw that illustrated beautifully tonight.
-
Like our previous matches, we were very
pleased with the way the boys started strong again and really set the tone
early. While we didn't enjoy quite the same speed advantage in this
game as we had in the last two, the mids & forwards really worked well
together and relied on well conceived playmaking to work towards certain
matchups where our speed could drive through the seams. Similarly,
our defenders played very well positionally against the fastest opposing
forwards we have seen so far this season. Front and back, there were
a lot of smart, mature plays made tonight.
-
Tanvir, finally back in the lineup, scored
twice to stake out a lead which allowed us to play our game for most of
the night, and then Arjun came through with a HUGE goal later on to give
us the breathing room we needed to close this one out. Still, three
goals wouldn't always be enough. This was a very skilled affair and
we can't say enough about the outstanding work of our midfielders and defenders.
Marcus had another great game, this time on the defensive corner, and our
midfielders looked razor sharp amidst the pinball paced inside work that
was going on throughout the center lanes.
-
We should also point out the very aggressive
play of Nik tonight. Well aware of his ability, we have really been
urging him to to play this way a lot more and, while he did get a little
banged up tonight, if he can play that way consistently, it really becomes
the final piece of our defensive puzzle and bodes very well for us in the
future. Well done Nik!
-
This one certainly qualifies as an upset
and you can all be very proud of your effort tonight - well played Vipers!
You were aggressive, determined, patient, mature, and you showed, once
again, that when it comes to this team and your potential, the sky really
is the limit. We'll see you this Friday at 6:00 for our first tournament
match of the season. |
Game
1 (Round 1)
-
5
- Lakewood Vipers vs. Southwest
Sting - 1
-
Shaking hands at the end of the game the
opposing coach said to me, "if your guys ever learn to shoot low you're
going to be unstoppable", and that really sums this one up. From
a coaching perspective it was both a very satisfying performance, and a
very frustrating one. In terms of all the hard work we have done
on play making and using the whole field, this was a great game.
Clearly the Vipers were in another league altogether, and the other team
knew it. The sheer number of great chances we missed however, was
hard to stomach, and the goal against we allowed was an absolutely terrible
play. There are going to be games this season where those sorts of
mistakes will kill us.
-
Right from the opening whistle the boys
controlled the play. They were smart, they were patient, and they
utilized every player and every part of the field to move the ball around.
Unfortunately, what happened when we finally got into position to score
was that we continuously made a mistake we should have outgrown long ago
- we shot the ball way too hard and, way too high. It shows a lack
of focus at a crucial moment and, clearly, more work is needed there.
-
On the flip side of the coin when we did
keep it low, good things happened. Case in point... Zach. Playing
from our newly created "swiffer" position he delivered good shots to the
lower half of the net time and time again, and was rewarded with our team's
first ever defensive hat trick. Great work Zach! Likewise,
I thought our midfield as absolutely brilliant today. We were so
impressed with the sharp inside & outside passing, and with the way
they played up so aggressively while still managing to recover defensively.
They showed excellent conditioning and outstanding determination all night.
-
Our defenders had a pretty solid night
as well, other than that horrible goal against (we will be breaking that
one down in practice tomorrow). For the most part the "D" played
smartly and covered their angles well. SW really didn't threaten
much and Nik had a relatively light evening. We still have some conditioning
and focus issues in back, but we're getting there. Forwards, the
passing was really great, even if the finishes weren't. Dylan, in
particular, had an exceptional game win terms of the quality and maturity
of his passing.
-
When all is said and done, it was a convincing
win in our first regular season game as a Premier Division team.
We can really see the concepts we have worked on beginning to sink in,
and there is no doubt all of the conditioning time is paying off.
It was a strong start, but there are much stronger teams ahead beginning
with a powerhouse Spruce Grove Saints squad this week. Good game
today Vipers - we'll see you at practice on Monday. |
Exhibition
Match
-
6
- Lakewood Vipers vs. Sherwood
Park United - 1
-
Officially it was only an exhibition game,
but it was a very important one for us (being our first game as a Tier
3 team). There were bound to be some self doubts, but the boys faced
the game with a lot of maturity and did exceptionally well putting into
practice all that they've learned in our very aggressive training sessions.
The conditioning we've worked on really paid off, even with a very short
bench today the boys weren't tired at all, and we were very happy with
the thought and patience that went into their playmaking.
-
There was definitely a feeling out period
today, it took us a few shifts to really get comfortable, and then there
was a period were we had a few unlucky breaks but, for the most part, we
looked sharp for a first game.
-
Defensively I thought we looked solid.
We covered well in most situations, and the defenders' maturity in sending
the ball back to reset when lanes weren't open lead directly to three of
our goals. John, joining us for this match as a "trialist", played an outstanding
game. His speed & aggressiveness, coupled with sound decision
making and excellent forward passes, gave us a real boost. Tino was
very strong as well, logging a lot of playing time, and Marcus, playing
at our new "Swiffer" position, had one of his best games as a Viper.
-
At midfield we were completely dominant.
Gabe and Josh were really great in getting to the ball and making good
plays, Willem showed good footwork and nice passing through the middle,
and Arjun displayed excellent forward speed and playmaking while always
managing to recover defensively and set the play up all over again.
Likewise our forwards, Riz, Praneil, & Dylan, did excellent work on
the outsides and showed excellent vision with their through and cross passes.
In fact we felt that their highlights today weren't the goals so much as
the passes which lead to them. We will have to be more careful about
going offside so much, and we need to show more confidence in our speed,
instead of cutting so much, but it really was a good performance up front.
-
All in all, it was an excellent start
and very satisfying in the way the things we've worked on so hard in practice
paid off so obviously for us. There's still a lot to do, but things
will only improve as we continue to work. We'll see everyone at practice
on Monday as we prepare for our Tier 3 season opener against the Mill Woods
Selects. Excellent work today Vipers - all of you! |
- -
| EMSA
U14 Premier League - Final Standings (Tier 3) |
| Team |
GP |
W |
L |
T |
GF |
GA |
+/- |
Pts |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Sp.
Grove Saints (Adamson) |
18 |
17 |
1 |
0 |
96 |
13 |
+83 |
51 |
| Lakewood
Vipers |
18 |
15 |
3 |
0 |
124 |
34 |
+90 |
45 |
| Camrose
Selects (Bridger) |
18 |
14 |
4 |
0 |
115 |
38 |
+77 |
42 |
| Ft.
Saskatchewan (Thurston) |
18 |
13 |
4 |
1 |
75 |
30 |
+45 |
40 |
| MW
Selects (Kuban) |
18 |
9 |
8 |
1 |
93 |
61 |
+32 |
28 |
| Sh.
Park United (Biletski) |
18 |
6 |
9 |
3 |
44 |
66 |
-22 |
21 |
| North
Xtreme (Grunling) |
18 |
7 |
8 |
1 |
64 |
77 |
-13 |
19 |
| SW
Sting (Embleton) |
18 |
4 |
13 |
1 |
42 |
83 |
-41 |
13 |
| MW
Selects (Spence) |
18 |
1 |
15 |
2 |
19 |
131 |
-112 |
5 |
| SE
Storm (Collinge) |
18 |
0 |
17 |
1 |
6 |
145 |
-139 |
1 |
-
-
Standings Sorted by:
1. Points
2. Head to Head
3. Plus/Minus
4. Goals Against
5. Goals For
- |
