OLYMPIAN

ORACLE

October 7, 2000

Yellow and Green forwards and slowing their rushes. Sweeper Amanda provided reliable backup for the defense, capturing the ball and turning it out to the side or back up the field. Solid behind the defense was keeper Simone, who made several nice saves on close-in shots, and then punted the ball out to the midfielders. Luck was also on the side of the Olympians, as three opponent shots in the first half struck the goal posts or crossbar.

At midfield, Jamie roamed the length of the field, back defending when needed, and then supporting the offense with long rushes downfield. Midfielders Devon and Jordan also played strong, supporting the defense and then sending the ball ahead to the forwards. Several rushes by the Yellow and Green were thwarted by strong challenges and crisp tackles at midfield. The Olympian offense remained active, and midway through the first half, striker Colette scored the game’s first goal on an excellent pass from winger

Erikka. The offense continued to challenge; a strong shot by winger Tiffany was blocked hard by a Yellow and Green defender, sending the ball high into the air. Striker Casey also had several good shots on goal, and passes out to the wings to maintain ball control. As the first half ended, the Olympians were on top 1-0.

The second half saw more balanced play, with good scoring chances by both teams. Wingers Nora and Emily fought to maintain ball possession, often taking a tumble in the process. Striker Simone had several nice long rushes up the field, using excellent dribbling skills to maintain ball control. Striker Amanda had several good opportunities to score, requiring tough saves by the Yellow and Green keeper. Midfielders Jamie, Devon, and Tiffany again supported both the offensive attack but remembered to come back to lend numbers to the defense. Center midfielder Juliette played the stopper role perfectly; hanging back during Olympian offensive rushes, and capturing errant clearing passes from the Yellow and Green.

On defense, Colette and Erikka played their positions well, initially containing the opponent forwards and then looking for a tackle as they moved inside the Olympian penalty area. Casey played tough at sweeper, sending the ball well downfield with strong, accurate kicks. In net, Jordan handled the keeper role with skill. She made several difficult saves, and then hurled the ball out to the side and out of harm's way.

With about 5 minutes left in the game, however, the Olympian luck ran out. A strong rush by the Yellow and Green put a good shot on net. Jordan made the initial save, and then a subsequent one, but the opponents had numbers and finally scored the equalizer. Both teams had a few good chances in the final minutes, but when the whistle blew, the game ended as a hard-fought tie, 1-1.

Next week's game is against "Untitled --- Too Good to be Named"; we'll have to see about that this coming week!

Plays of the Day

This week's "Plays of the Day" go to keepers Simone and Jordan. Both were excellent ‘between the posts’ this past week. They each fielded several hard shots, and often had to capture a quick rebound shot as well. They both moved the ball to their teammates after controlling it, and both maintained their ‘cool’ in the net, while the ‘balls were flying’.

Coaches' Commentary

This was the Olympians toughest game of this young season. Several of the girls on Yellow and Green were much bigger than most of the Olympians. Nonetheless, you played hard, challenged fearlessly, and bounced back from numerous spills onto the grass of the North Meadow (sure beats the dirt of Riverside!).

The Olympians continue to have a great fall season. Congratulations to Colette for this week’s goal, now over half the team has scored at least once this season. Remember our quest to see if we can get every player to score at least one goal before the season ends.

Our practice this week will be at the normal time, 9:30 am Saturday morning, at the East Meadow (5^th Ave. and 97^th St.). At practice, we will work moving up the wing and making long crossing passes into the middle. One of the secrets of soccer is using the whole field. This ‘spreads’ out the play, and opens more lanes for successful passes. A classic offensive rush in soccer is for a winger to carry the ball wide, down the sidelines, and then cross it into the middle to an arriving striker or midfielder.

The team missed both Sarah and Coach Dave and looks forward to seeing them this weekend. The team also wishes a speedy recovery to Tiffany, who hurt her toe on her hard shot on goal.

Team Pictures Reminder

Our game this weekend is at 3:30 pm at the North Meadow (either field D or E). Since team photos are this weekend, please plan to be at the field an hour before game time, at 2:30 pm.