News Detail
SG Soccer @ MVR: Not Always the Beautiful Game
There was a little bit of everything last Friday when your Spartans travelled to Cowansville to take on Massey-Vanier in another critical ETIAC league game.
The Ugly
- our communication
- our throw-in coverage AND our goal-side defence on corner kicks
- milling aimlessly about like sheep grazing on dead ball situations
- did I mention our communication? goodness gracious…
The Bad
- our possession, or lack thereof, in the midfield, i.e., it was tough sledding out there against a tough, spirited Massey team that contested everything and got the better of us on 50/50 balls
- “holding the 18”
- a too-short warmup due to our bus being late
- sore ankles, bad enough to take both Jade and Keshia out of the game
The Good
- passing into space in the second half instead of always passing to feet, a critical adjustment
- Gabby Leroux’s and Sofia Martinez’s best games of the season at defensive midfield
- Jana Loparic smartly stealing a goalkick and forcing the Massey keeper to make a strong save
- Lana Peasley’s best game at striker; active, purposeful, and threatening
The Great
- The Play Of The Game: Lana aggressively forechecking a Viking defender, forcing her to kick it out of bounds, where Carolyn Berkling Drouin takes a quick throwin (the second time this season a quick Carolyn throw-in has led to a huge goal, is this a thing?!) to an open Camryn Moore, who switches play beautifully all the way across to Gloria Riddell on the right wing, who takes a perfect touch, settles the ball and from a difficult angle beats the excellent Massey keeper left bottom corner for the only goal of the game – what a play!
- the overall play of the back four – Nya, Avah, Valerie and Maddie – who pretty much stole this game for us
- Gloria Riddell’s play on both ends of the field, including a defensive play with 10 minutes left that was just as important as her goal
- Maddie’s one-arm save on a close-in, low shot
- and, finally, Player Of The Game Valerie Lin, whose positioning and decisiveness were razor sharp, and whose communication and left foot continue to improve – great game, Val!
Not all games are beautiful. Not all wins are pretty. This was a gutsy, ugly victory. We didn’t have our best stuff, but we found just enough within ourselves to get it done, to keep the Banner in our sights.
Which is its own kind of “beautiful.”
- Coaches VD & K
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