OLYMPIAN

ORACLE

November 4, 2000

the back of the net on a pass from fellow striker Jamie.  The Olympian forwards, with able assistance from midfielders Devon, Emily, Erikka and Juliette kept the pressure on the Demons.  Then just after the second quarter began, the Olympians scored again, this time with a goal from winger Tiffany with another assist from Jamie.  And shortly thereafter Jordan at wing had a nice crisp shot that hit the post; unfortunately, for the Olympians the shot deflected off the post and back onto the playing field rather than into the net.  Meanwhile, the Olympian defense, backs Nora and Amanda, sweeper Casey and keeper Simone,  were able to fend off most first half challenges from the Demons.  But the Demons were able to get a score late in the first half and as the half ended the Olympians were on top 2-1.

In the second half the Demon offense came out strong, took it to the Olympians, and quickly scored the equalizer to make it 2-2.  But the Olympians fought back.  Striker Simone had several nice runs up the field that ended with shots on goal, including a beautiful one that went just a little to high over the top crossbar.  And fellow striker Amanda had a shot that looked like it would be a goal until it was blocked at the last minute.  There were also some very fine defensive efforts from stopper Casey, backs Jamie and Emily and sweeper Juliette.  For instance, Jamie   continued to challenge the Demon attackers even after being hit hard in the face by a ball kicked by one of the Demon forwards.   Fortunately, for the Olympians the midfielders and defenders were able to thwart any further Demon scores and so the Olympians held on to a 2-2 tie.

Plays of the Day

A number of "near goals" added high drama to today's game.  First, there was Jordan's shot that hit the post and deflected the wrong way.  Then there was Jamie's shot that missed the net by inches.  Also, Amanda had a shot that beat the keeper, but was kicked away at the last minute by a defender and Simone had two shots that sailed a bit high or wide of the net.

Coaches' Commentary

We almost added three new Olympians to the scorers' list this week.  Let's keep up the good work and see if we can add some new scorers to the list this coming week in our rematch with the Demons.

For the second straight week in a row, the Olympians have come out very strong during the first half of the game, scoring in one case three goals in the first half and two goals in the other.  However, we need to maintain that intensity and desire-to-win during the second half as well.  If we can, we'll come out on top in our last two games of the season.

Lastly, a note on defensive play.  For defenders there is often a tendency to back up towards the goal when the attacking team gets a breakaway.  However, it's almost always better for the defender to instead move forward and challenge the attacker.  First, by moving forward the defender is preventing the attacker from getting closer to the goal (at least without a fight!).  Second, if the defender challenges the attacker and delays her advance, there is a better chance that the defender's teammates will arrive on the scene to help out. 

Also thanks to this week's goal-keepers Simone, Amanda and Erikka.

The Olympians missed Colette and look forward to her return next week.

Next week's game is a 1:10pm  rematch against the Green Demons.  It should be a good one.