BAYS UNITED FURY 1 - GORGE FC 1

Jonathan letting the opposition know "I am HERE"

A tough game again. Muddy field. Questionable calls (and non-calls) by the referee. But despite all this, I think today was a game where we again showed that once we get into a rhythm, we can play good soccer.

We started off with a shock goal in the first minute. While we attacked, Gorge's center back kicked the ball forward. The clearance went over our defenders who were on the half way line. Gorge's main striker took the ball and quickly went past Brandon, then headed to goal. As he got close to the net, he ran away at an angle from Aaron and as he began to run out of room used his left to put the ball in the opposite side of the net. Aaron slipped while trying to position himself during the first break-away of the game which was unfortunate - yet, we cannot take anything away from Gorge's striker. He pulled away fast from Brandon so that he had lots of room to run into. Aaron's positioning was off and that, combined with his slip, was the space the striker needed to score; and boy did he take it. The game had barely started and we were already one goal down. Yes, it was a difficult start that shocked the boys.

Brandon dealing with Gorge's main striker Patrick

During the first 15 minutes of the game we couldn't get our game going. We seemed desperate and rushed. Our first touch was off too - this was actually a major part of the reason why we were having a hard time maintaining possession. However, we did have two great things going: we fought hard for the ball every time. I was happy about that. The other was that we kept our positive attitude and despite some scary moments, we kept applying our system.

Koby fighting hard to win the ball

In the second half we came out with more conviction. We still met tough play from Gorge but as the game wore on, we began to have more and more possession of the ball. We came close to scoring after Mathew dribbled his way through the left wing into the box and made a great pass to Robbie only to see him stretch his leg to make contact but send the ball above the net.

Robbie putting on the moves on Noah while Thomas begins to look for space

Yet, we kept going. Mathew and Tyler were combining well on the wing while Marcel began to impose himself with speed and astute movement. At the back, Pierce and Jonathan put on a clinic on how to defend against fast strong players. Our center mids kept fighting for every ball and distributing well and all of our strikers were much more mobile, exploiting spaces and pushing Gorge's defenders. Yes, we still had turn overs, but overall, we were running the game.

One of the best players of the day, Pierce, shows Patrick that going by him is not going to be easy - ever

Finally, with about 10 minutes to go, we mounted another attack that proved effective. Gabriel took the ball on the right side after Marcel set it in front of him. Gabriel took it down the line and passed the ball along the ground to Robbie who let it go. Finn, who at this time was playing up front, controlled the ball, set himself up and with a strong definitive blast put the ball on the top part of the back of the net ~ a great goal!

Another one of Gabriel's runs and his cross looking to give his teammates a chance to score

The relief was palpable and the momentum shifted. We kept pressing and continued to have control. But towards the end, Gorge began to rally back and put pressure on our players. Yet, we kept the door closed. When the final whistle blew, both teams looked spent but seemed to feel that the end result was just.

Mathew taking the space in front of him and leading another attack

In my view, we had the clearer chances to win the game. However, as always, we must give credit where credit is due and it is important to remember that Gorge is without a doubt a team to respect.

Last comment? Points aside, I truly believe that the boys are improving, are playing with a style of their own and are understanding that once on the field, a big part of winning is not fitness or skill, but heart and the desire to win. My hat is off to you boys - All of you!

See you at practice!

Roberto

Marcel splitting the defence with a great pass