U12 Game Summaries
GYSL 2006
Kendall 2 Alexander 1
Alexander's great run in the tournament would come to an end after a hard fought game against Kendall to determine who advanced to the playoffs. With only one sub Alexander wasn't afraid and went right for the kill early on in the game. Julia took a pass from Sydney and buried it into the net to make it 1-0 early in the game. Alexander's defense (Kaleigh, Sarah, and Burgandy) had their 2nd straight game of dominance in the back allowing virtually nothing by them all game long. Kendall would get a great cross and shot to score a goal late in the half to make it 1-1. Alexander wasn't phased and came out in the 2nd half applying instant pressure. Just over 2 minutes into the half Julia went free on a breakaway and beat the goalie with her shot, but the shot hit the bottom of the post and rebounded out to the side to keep the game at 1-1. The girls began to wear down and bunch a bit and it would end up in a great set of passes that found a Kendall player open on the back post and she put the shot home to put Alexander down 2-1. Alexander never quit and continued to move the ball forward. Jess and Sydney both found seams and had shots on goal that were saved by the Kendall keeper. Julia had a break that was run down from behind by a Kendall defender. Alexander's last chance came with under a minute left when they had 2 corner kicks and pulled everyone forward. The first one made it to the middle and the shot went off a leg and out of bounds for a 2nd corner. This one didn't get into the middle and was cleared out and the game ended 2-1 in favor of Kendall. Alexander played an excellent game and finished up in 5th place (just a couple points out of the playoffs) and should be very proud of how they played. All the girls (Chrissy, Burgandy, Sarah, Kaleigh, Maria, Amanda, Julia, Sydney, and Jess) played their hearts (1st star to everyone) out and improved a great deal all summer. I hope to see all of them on the field again next year either back with the U12 team or on the U14 team for those that graduate to the next age division next year. Awesome job ladies.
Alexander 2 Elba 0
Alexander got a rematch with Elba who they had lost to 2-1 in their last game of the season. This time around it would be a much different game with Alexander controlling the midfield and dominating the game from start to finish. Alexander would pick up their first goal when Maria would cross the ball to Julia who would bury it in the back of the net to give Alexander the 1-0 lead. Alexander would hold that lead in the 1st half thanks to some great defensive work by Sarah, Kaleigh, and Burgandy with Chrissy stopping everything that came her way in the net. Alexander would continue their defensive dominance in the 2nd half with the same 3 defenders clamping down on the Elba forwards again in the 2nd half. Amanda stood tall in net in the 2nd half and had a couple great saves (including one nice diving (kinda falling, but we will call it diving) save). Julia would put the game away late in the 2nd half as Rebecca hit her with a pass through the middle and she raced in on goal and beat the goalie to make it 2-0. Alexander would continue to dominate the rest of the way and come away with the win. It set up a game with Kendall Sunday morning to determine who went to the playoffs. 1st star in the game went to Kaleigh, absolutely shut down the girl who scored both goals in our 2-1 loss to Elba. 2nd star to Sarah who was dominant in the middle of the defense. 3rd star to Julia who picked up both goals and worked her butt off all game long. Fantastic games by everyone else (Chrissy, Burgandy, Jess, Maria, Amanda, Rebecca, Desiree, and Sydney)
Alexander 3 Bergen 0
Alexander opened the tournament with a forfeit win over Bergen who didn't show up for the game. It got the girls off to a good start on what would be a fantastic weekend of soccer.
Elba 2 Alexander 1
Alexander closed out the regular season with a tough 2-1 loss to Elba. Elba had a sideline full of subs while Alexander had only 2, but that didn't stop Alexander from jumping out to a 1-0 lead thanks to a great goal from Maria. The defense was strong once again with Sarah, Burgandy, Korie, and Kaleigh all working hard in the back. Rebecca, Amanda, Jess, and Kaleigh all moved the ball well in the midfield while Maria, Sydney, Desiree, and Chrissy all had good chances to score up top. Elba would tie the game at 1 before halftime. The 3rd quarter was scoreless and it would come down to the 4th quarter again for the girls. The girls were exhausted but continued to battle hard. Kaleigh nearly put us ahead but the ball trickled just wide of the post. Jess had a great shot that hit the near post just moments later. With time winding down Elba got a breakaway and ripped a shot into the net to make the final 2-1. Alexander played hard and did a nice job with their passing throughout the game. The defense was awesome once again and the forwards and midfield created a lot of scoring chances up top. Given a couple more subs Alexander probably would have put this one away. 1st star went to Sarah, was absolutely awesome in the back once again stopping nearly everything that came near her. 2nd star went to Maria who picked up the goal and was excellent at outside mid the rest of the game. 3rd star went to Kaleigh who did a great job at defense and midfield working hard all game long. Great game girls. We get a rematch with Elba and Kendall at the tournament this weekend.
Kendall 3 Alexander 2
Alexander faced off against the 2nd place team from Kendall and gave them a scare but wore down in the end and fell in their best played game of the season 3-2. Kendall jumped out to an early lead but Alexander would answer right back as Julia put home a shot to tie it at one. Kendall would get another goal just before halftime to make it 2-1. Julia would help Alexander answer back in the 3rd quarter tieing the game at 2. Alexander's defense of Kaleigh, Sarah, Ashlee, and Korie had Kendall shut down throughout the 4th quarter, but with under 2 minutes left Kendall got a ball in deep and got a shot off before the Alexander defense could get to the Kendall player and the ball found the net to give Kendall a 3-2 lead. Alexander charged down the field but was unable to tie the game a 3rd time. Alexander's spacing was superb as Rebecca, Maria, Amanda, and Sydney all did a great job at midfield staying spread out and passing the ball around. Julia, Maria, and Desiree all did a great job up top as well with some nice passing and having some great shots on goal. Amanda, Korie, and Sydney all did a great job in net with each having several saves. Alexander played excellent, especially considering they only had one sub while Kendall had 2 whole teams of players. 1st star in the game went to Rebecca who played nearly the entire game at center mid and was up and down the field. Had some great passing and got back on defense throughout the game. 2nd star went to Sarah and Kaleigh who were superb in the back shutting Kendall down throughout the game. 3rd star went to Julia who picked up 2 goals and had some nice runs up top. Great job to everyone, our best game of the season.
Alexander 8 Batavia 1
Alexander picked up their 2nd win in a row and evened their record at 5-5 on the season with an 8-1 win over Batavia. Alexander got off to a quick start as Maria scored on a pass from Amanda to make it 1-0 3 minutes in. Maria put a shot in off the far post with 3 minutes left in the first quarter to make it 2-0. Batavia would get a goal early in the 2nd quarter to make it 2-1. Alexander would take over from there. Sydney would score a goal on a cross from Julia and Maria to make it 3-1. 5 minutes later Kaleigh took a throw in from Sarah and blasted it in the goal to make it 4-1. Julia would score on a pass from Maria early in the 3rd quarter to make it 5-1. Ashlee scored on a PK to make it 6-1. Julia took a ball down field and ripped a shot in to make it 7-1 and would score a minute later on a nice pass from Rebecca to make it 8-1. There were not goals scored in the 4th quarter. Alexander's defense was lead by Sarah, Ashlee, and Burgandy and allowed very few shots. Chrissy had 2 shutout quarters, Jess had a shutout in the 3rd quarter, and Amanda had 3 saves in the 2nd quarter. It was a very well played game by Alexander as they continue to improve their spacing and passing. Desiree had some nice passing and movement up top as well to contribute to the offense. 1st star in the game went to Maria, had a very good game up front and had 2 goals and 2 assists. Nice passing throughout the game. 2nd star went to Rebecca who was very good in the middle of the field. Had some great passes and came back on defense throughout the game. 3rd star went to Sarah who was excellent in the center of the defense clearing out anything that came her way. Great games were also turned in by Burgandy in the back, Kaleigh in the midfield, and Julia up top. Nice job girls.
Alexander 7 Bergen 0
Alexander picked up their 4th win of the season with a convincing win over Bergen Friday night. Alexander had only 9 players and played a player down most of the game so they could have a sub but it didn't seem to matter. Alexander picked up 7 goals on the day with Julia netting 6 and Rebecca putting in the final one. Kaliegh, Rebecca, and Chrissy all picked up assists in the game as well with some nice passes. Chrissy, Jess, and Julia all played in the goal and made a few saves to help keep Bergen off the score board. All players in the game did a great job throughout the game. Burgandy, Rebecca, Chrissy, Jess, Desiree, Kaliegh, Sarah, Julia, and Ashlee all get 1st star in the game for picking up the big win. Nice job girls.
Albion 6 Alexander 1
Alexander faced off against the undefeated Albion team (we were reminded of that by their fans throughout the game) and fell by a 6-1 score. Alexander struggled a bit with the heat, but Albion had no subs (Alexander had 1) so both teams had trouble with the heat. Alexander got behind early in the game thanks to some great shots by Albion that found the back of the net. Alexander was moving the ball around the field with some great passing, probably the best passing all season but was having some bad luck with their shots going wide of the net. Alexander got a goal from Becca as she dribbled past the defense and punched it home for Alexander's only goal of the game. It was a solid performance by Alexander as they played the 1st place team pretty tough throughout the game. Perhaps we will get another chance to play them in the tournament. 1st star in the game went to Burgandy who was awesome at outside defense all game long. 2nd star went to Kaleigh who was excellent in several positions, especially at outside mid where she beat the defense down the side several times and looked to get the cross off. 3rd star went to Amanda who played a great game at midfield and had a couple shots that nearly got by the keeper. Great game girls.
Bergen 3 Alexander 2
Alexander started off strong in their game against Bergen, but was unable to hold the lead wearing out towards the end with only 2 subs through the first 3 quarters and then only 1 in the last quarter due to an injury. Alexander jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the 1st quarter as Maria finished off a cross from Jess. Alexander went up 2-0 as Maria punched in a goal in the 2nd quarter. Bergen got within 2-1 on a goal inside of the final 2 minutes of the 1st half. Bergen tied the score at 2 in the 3rd when they scored on a questionable goal where the ball appeared to be kicked out of the goalie's hands, but it tied the score at 2. Alexander was wearing down in the end and Bergen fired a hard shot in the corner in the final minutes of the 4th quarter to go ahead 3-2. Alexander outshot Bergen all game but was just unable to solve the Bergen goalie for the 3rd goal. It was a great game for Alexander, the spacing and passing was excellent and the defense was great in the back. 1st star in the game went to Jess who did a great job on outside mid, picking up an assist, having a couple great head balls and playing solid in the goal. 2nd star went to Maria who was great up top picking up 2 goals and having some great passing throughout the game. 3rd star went to Burgandy and Sarah who were great in the back all game long. Nice job girls, we will get them in the tournament.
Pavilion 5 Alexander 3
Alexander struggled in their game against Pavilion and came away with a tough loss. Pavilion jumped out to a big lead early on scoring a couple goals quickly. Julia got one back for Alexander and the score was 3-1 at halftime. Pavilion scored early in the 3rd quarter to go back up 4-1. Julia drew a goal back to make it 4-2. Pavilion would score again to make it 5-2, but Julia would pick up the hat trick to make it 5-3. Alexander was unable to get any closer throughout the game and would lose the game in the end. Alexander had several shots that just trickled wide or were saved by the goalie and easily could have been on top in this game. 1st star in the game went to Julia who was strong up top picking up 3 goals in the game. 2nd star went to Maria who was solid up top as well and had a couple shots that just missed. 3rd star went to Burgandy who was solid in the back and also in the midfield with some nice passing and a couple good shots as well.
Alexander 3 Batavia 0
Alexander picked up another win with only 9 players playing a player down in a lightning shortened game. Julia would score in the 1st quarter to put Alexander up. Kaleigh would score in the 2nd off an assist from Chrissy to put Alexander up 2-0. Julia would put in a 2nd goal to increase Alexander's lead to 3-0. The game would end just after halftime due to lightning. Amanda and Chrissy both had a shutout quarter in goal. 1st star in the game went to Julia who was all over up top once again and picked up 2 more goals. 2nd star went to Kaleigh who picked up a goal and played great at defense and midfield. 3rd star went to Sarah who was rock solid in the back once again helping the team pick up its first shutout.
Alexander 5 Holley 1
Alexander only had 9 players at the game and played a player down the whole game so they could have a sub, but it didn't matter in the end as they played fantastic soccer and came away with a 5-1 win. Julia and Rebecca both put 2 goals into the net while Maria added one for the Alexander scoring. The defense played great throughout the game keeping Holley away from the net most of the game and stepping up into the offense when it was needed. Alexander's offense was clicking throughout the game as they continued to pound away at Holley's net throughout the game and easily could have scored several more goals. 1st star went to Julia who was all over the field and had some great passes to go along with her two shots that found the net. 2nd star went to Sarah who was fanstastic in the back again allowing very little to get through the defense and near the goal. 3rd star went to Rebecca who was fantastic in the middle of the field and picked up a couple goals with her hard work on the offensive end.
Leroy 3 Alexander 2
Many of Alexander's players barely made it to the game on time but the team got off to a good start anyways with Maria converting a pass from Sydney to put Alexander up 1-0. It would remain that way until halftime. Right after halftime Leroy got a goal to tie the game at 1-1. Chrissy would then score with less than a minute left in the 3rd quarter to put Alexander back up 2-1. Entering the 4th quarter Alexander was wearing out due to only having 2 subs, while Leroy had a ton of subs on their side and managed to stay fresh. Leroy tied the game up midway through the 4th quarter and then scored a goal with under a minute left to go ahead. Alexander had a ton of shots but was unable to solve the Leroy defense or goalie throughout the game. 1st star in the game went to Kaleigh who did a great job at outside mid getting the ball up field and crossing it into the center. 2nd star went to Burgandy who had a very good game in the back allowing nothing down her side of the field. 3rd star went to Chrissy who scored a goal and had a fantastic 1st quarter in the net. Nice job girls, you all played very well.
Alexander 4 Pembroke 2
Alexander picked up a win in their 2nd game of the year. Alexander jumped out early with 2 goals in the 1st quarter (Maria and Rebecca with one each). Pembroke would pull back even in the 2nd quarter to tie it at 2. Alexander would get another goal from Maria and one more from Rebecca to go up 4-2 and would hold on from there. The defense played very well throughout the game. 1st star went to Sarah who was fantastic in the back allowing very little past the defense. 2nd star went to Rebecca who was great in the center of the field and worked hard all game. 3rd star went to Ashlee and Burgandy who played great at outside defense allowing very few open players in the back. Nice job girls.
Leroy 7 Alexander 3
In their first game of the year the Alexander U12 girls faced off against a tough Leroy team and fell by a 6-3 score. Alexander fell behind 5-1 during the 1st 3 quarters and was still working out the kinks. Rebecca picked up Alexander's 1st goal which tied the game at 1 in the 1st quarter. Alexander stormed back scoring 2 times to pull within 5-3 late in the game on goals by Maria and Julia in the 4th quarter. Alexander had 2 more chances just after Julia's goal and could have easily tied the game. Leroy would put the game away with a goal with 5 minutes left. 1st star in the game went to Rebecca who had the 1st goal of the game and was solid in the midfield all day. 2nd star went to Julia who had a great game up top, dribbled well, solid all around game. 3rd star went to Kaliegh who did a nice job in the middle of the field and also at outside mid.