We had a lot of success winning the Beach tournament a few weeks back and our girls were excited for more of the same. It was our 1st time on the big grass field and proved to be a much tougher environment for us. 11 vs 11 against some great competition on Saturday.
We faced Palos Verdes in our 11:15 game on Saturday. They were a tough team with some big girls, but we played them pretty well. We were strong on "D", but just couldn't get any shots on goal. Taylor had one of the only breakaways, but missed on the shot and we lost 1-0.
Game #2 was against a strong Arsenal team led by several girls from an old Hawks team. We were tied at the half 0-0, but really played to their tempo. Our girls were just reacting most of the time rather than controlling the play. Arsenal scored in the 2nd half and we started to crumble, losing with a final of 3-0. Even with the first 2 games ending this way, it taught our girls a lot. They are so used to winning and I sometimes think they fell they have nothing left to learn. This weekend proved to them that they need to work on several aspects of their game- conditioning, 1st touch, talking, passing and their technical skills.
Matt and Allison taking a break in the sun between games.
Even with the losses, the girls are all smiles off the field.This morning, we were up early for an 8:00 game against San Juan Capistrano's United FC. This game didn't have any meaning as far as the standings were concerned, but we were hoping to see some better soccer from our girls and we did. We were more evenly matched with this team and looked much better. Taylor had a beautiful chip cross which led to Jessica's shot and goal. We tied 1-1, but left the tournament with lessons learned and more soccer memories for this team.
Taylor and Demi were so excited to take off their soccer gear and start their summer break together. Demi's family invited Taylor to go beach camping for the next 3 days at Carlsbad State Beach. The weather is perfect and their sore little legs can't wait to hit the water!
