A new year, a new challenge

Thomas, starting things up right

So here we are, almost at the end of January with two games under our belt facing the prospects of Provincial play and moving up into the VIPL.

Our first game of the year was a tough one: Bays vs Saanich Fusion. The boys dominated the game but it was clear that in terms of scoring it was not going to be our day. We had many opportunities to score, to take the game and make it our own. Yet, despite creating many opportunities, we could not find the back of the net. It was both frustrating and at times disheartening. As the game went on, near the middle of the first half, our talented striker Thomas cleverly chipped the ball over the goalkeeper from Saanich to finally get us on the score sheet. Thomas showed us once again that he is not only skillful but also has a natural instinct for scoring.

Thomas' great skill settled us down and gave us something to work with. However, our woes in front of the net continued. Shots hit the posts, many went over the net and most went directly to the keeper. I see this as a consequence of two things: one was our frustration turning into hesitation within our players. Not wanting to 'screw up' became a weight too heavy to carry. The second was a problem that all teams go through: the frustration of not scoring despite great pressure can turn against the team dominating and can render their confidence to zero. It happens, it's part of the game.

Mathew looking to create a chance up front

In the second half we scored again. After a great pass from the midfield, Robbie took the ball to the wing and made a tight cross that the defenders from Saanich could not handle. In a rushed moved to defend, the Saanich defender tried to chest the ball but it ricocheted off him and went to the back of the net. This goal gave us the momentum we needed. Yet, despite our drive, we again kept failing to find the back of the net. Adding to our frustration, Saanich scored a late goal on a corner kick. It was a scary moment but we managed to win in the end.

Koby setting up his attackers

Lessons? Yes, several but the main one was that we need to be better at finishing. It was clear that we need to be more calm and sure to finish when opportunities arise. I will add this though: despite our difficulties up front, we did maintain a high level of possession, a good degree of accurate passing and were positive. It is important to remember too that games like this will happen and that they are actually important because they remind us that no matter who we play, we must always maintain a high level of play.

Soccer is a mental game as much as it is a physical game. Learning from our mistakes and implementing our lessons is what makes will takes us far. I have every bit of confidence that the boys learned that valuable lesson during our first game of 2013.