U15 GYSL Game Summaries
Alexander 0 Avon 0
Alexander closed out the season against the GYSL tournament champs looking for a win. After a sub-par 1st half, Alexander stepped up the pressure and dominated play in the 2nd half, but couldn't find the back of the net, despite at least 7 great scoring chances. In the final 5 minutes Alexander attacked the Avon net, with Sarah nearly putting on across the line, and then minutes later Julia nearly heading home a hard driven Bucky direct kick. Avon only got out of their half of the field 4 times in the entire 2nd half, having only one shot in the 2nd half as well. The midfielders really stepped up their play in the 2nd half, taking the ball away from Avon every chance they got and starting the attacks forward. Becky picked up 3 saves in net to record her 11th shutout of the summer. 1st star goes to Molly, played an awesome game at right defender, had some great crosses and didn't allow anyone past her all game long. 2nd star goes to Sarah, had another solid game at outside mid, nearly put a few shots into the back of the net. Great drives down the side and some very nice crosses. 3rd star goes to Tina, was just abusing the Avon defenders 1v1 all night long, making them look silly as they nearly fell down several times falling for the very nice moves she was giving them. Very strong performances were also turned in by Linz up front, Jess in the mid, and Cat and Bucky in the back. Great season ladies, 12-2-2 in GYSL league play, 14-4-4 overall. Thanks to all the parents for getting the girls to all the games and for cheering us on. See everyone in a few weeks as we start the JV season.
Alexander 3 Pavilion 0
Alexander faced off against GYSL tournament runner-up Pavilion on Tuesday night wanting to make a statement. The girls felt that if they had the whole team together they would have been able to make a run at the tournament title. This week they get to prove it by playing the 2nd place team (Pavilion) and the champs (Avon). Alexander came out hot, putting immediate pressure on the Pavilion net. Just over 10 minutes into the game Julia got the ball on a failed clear by Pavilion, sliced through the defense and drilled the ball in the near side of the net 1-0. That is how the score would stand at halftime after a dominant first half by Alexander. The 2nd half would start out with Alexander putting more pressure on the Pavilion net, midway through the 2nd half Molly took a long clearing pass from Alesha and poked it in the near side beating the keeper for a 2-0 Alexander lead. With just over 9 minutes left in the game, Bucky rocketed a direct kick from the 18 off a Pavilion defender and into the net to give Alexander a 3-0 lead and lock up the win. It was a superb team effort, great passing, great attacking, and solid defense in the back. We controlled the middle of the field, and out midfield outplayed Pavilion all game long. We also were winning all the 50/50 balls, and were really playing a great physical game, knocking Pavilion off the ball with great aggressive tackles. It was a solid effort from everyone on the field. 1st star goes to Julia, had a excellent game at forward and mid, picking up a goal, and moving the ball in the center of the field very well with passing and attacking runs. 2nd star goes to Kate, superb effort at outside mid, some great passing up the side and some big time one on one defending with some great tackles to get the ball off Pavilion feet. 3rd star goes to Jess, had a great game at 4 different positions, great hustle and some sweet shooting and passing from the outside. Also played some solid D when she was in the back. Very strong performances were also turned in by Tina, Sarah, and Cordes in the mid and Bucky, Maranda, and Cat in the back. Great game ladies, one more game, we need a win to get to 40 points on the summer!
Alexander 1 Pembroke 1 (GYSL Tournament)
Alexander came into this game needing a win or a 0-0 tie to advance to the playoff round in the tournament. Unfortunately, the result of the game would not allow Alexander into the playoffs, despite not losing a game at the tournament all weekend. We came into the game with a solid gameplan, we needed to shut down their top scorer, and get the ball forward to put pressure on a defense that has holes. The 1st half was all Alexander, as we spent most of the time in their half of the field, but couldn't capitalize on the opportunities we had to score. The score was 0-0 at half, with our defense just shutting them down. The 2nd half didn't start out well, with Pembroke beating us to the ball and getting a couple nice shots off that thankfully didn't find their way into the net. Midway through the 2nd half we made our only real mistake of the day on defense, and as it normally does, it cost us. For only a short moment, we over-pursued the far side the field and left a mark open on the back post, after nearly clearing the ball out on the initial save it was knocked into our net to give Pembroke a 1-0 lead. Showing the heart of a champion Alexander went back to work. With just over 6 minutes left in the game, Pembroke misplayed a ball and the keeper couldn't handle it. Linz was right there to put it in their net to tie the game at one. The final 6 minutes of the game saw Alexander get some opportunities to win the game, but none went in the net and the game ended in a 1-1 tie, allowing Kendall to make the playoffs instead of us due to the fact that they beat Bergen 7-0 while we only beat them 4-0. But unfortunately those are the breaks that happen often times in tournaments. The defense had a great day, as did the mids and the forwards. We just didn't finish enough of our shots to pick up the win. Becky made 3 big saves in net to keep us in the game. 1st star goes to Molly, did a great job working in the middle of the field and working with Cordes to get the ball up the field. 2nd star goes to Alesha, absolutely shut down Pembroke's main forward all game long, not allowing her any shots or decent passing opportunities. 3rd star goes to Tina, finished out a strong weekend with some great play in the center of the field, had great passing and some great runs off the ball as well. Strong performances were also turned in by Sarah up front, and Carissa and Cordes at the mids. It was a bittersweet end to a good weekend of soccer. Avon beat Pavilion in the final after everyone went home, at least we get to play them both in our last two games of the season.
Alexander 4 Bergen 0 (GYSL Tournament)
Alexander came into this game needing a win, and they started out on fire. Lindsay put a goal in the Bergen net just over 2 minutes into the game. Alexander would dominate from there, as Carissa, Molly, and Kelly L would all put goals in for us before the game was over. Bergen only crossed midfield a handful of times, and Becky didn't have to record a save on the day, but picked up the shutout anyways. It was a strong team effort, we dominated play and got a solid win heading into the final day of the tournament. 1st star goes to Sarah, played a very strong game on the right side of the field, pushed forward well, and had some great crosses and shots. 2nd star goes to Molly, had a very strong game at stopper and picked up a goal while she was at it. 3rd star goes to Carissa, played a very good game, had some great passing, solid defense, and picked up her first goal one the season. Strong performances were also turned in by Linz up front, Tina in the mid, and Alesha on defense. Great game to everyone.
Alexander 0 Kendall 0 (GYSL Tournament)
Alexander opened up the GYSL tournament versus a very tough Kendall team. The first half was a very even game, with the ball going back and forth up and down the field. Neither team was able to put the ball in the net in the 1st half, with both teams having some good opportunities. 2nd half play was dominated by Alexander, keeping the ball in Kendall's end for 2/3 of the 2nd half. Unfortunately we weren't able to get a ball into their net and it would end in a 0-0 tie. The team played a very good overall game, having only two subs and playing on a fairly hot night. The defense did a great job of holding Kendall out of the net, and played very strong all night long. The mids had some great passing, and the forwards played a tough game up front. 1st star goes to Jess, was all over the field, had great passing and superb defense, great all around game. 2nd star goes to Carissa, played a very nice game at outside mid, tough defense and some nice passes up the sidelines to get our offense moving. 3rd star goes to Sarah, played an excellent game at forward and center mid, very strong pressure, and some great attacks up the side of the field. Strong performances were also turned in by the defense (Alesha, Maranda, Cat, Molly), Tina and Cordes in the mid, and Linz up front. Great game girls.
Albion 3 Alexander 1
Albion had their entire team there and Alexander for the first time all season had no subs. We played a great overall game, but fatigue and players playing in different positions that normal eventually did us in. Alesha blasted a goal in from out near midfield to give us a 1-0 lead about 20 minutes into the game. The lead wouldn't last long as Albion poked in a goal after a crowd of people and Becky all collided at the penalty line. A few minutes later Albion put a goal in on a nice far post shot to go ahead 2-1. Shortly after halftime Albion would get a breakaway on the left side of the field and punch the ball in the near side for a 3-1 lead. We played a strong game, had good passing, and a nice game from our defense, but we just didn't have enough to get the win. 1st star goes to Cat, played very well in the back with some new people in front of her. Had some very nice decisions on when to clear the ball and when to make a pass. 2nd star goes to Tina, had a very nice game of centermid, great passing, and some good movement off the ball. 3rd star goes to Maranda, the ball was on her side of the field for a good deal of the game and she came up big on several of the stops. Strong performances were also turned in by Alesha in the back, and Jess in the mid. Great job girls.
Alexander 2 Batavia 0
Alexander was coming off a loss in GYSL play for the first time this summer and they played a very solid all around game. The passing was superb, and the defense was playing very strong. Batavia was short players, but the players they had at the game were very strong. Alexander did take long to put a goal in the net and take the lead in the game. Julia finished off a cross just over 3 minutes into the game to give Alexander the 1-0 lead. That is how it would stand at the half. In the 2nd half Alexander had a large number of opportunities but just couldn't get the ball past the keeper and into the net. Midway through the 2nd half Tina banged in a rebound and put Alexander up 2-0. From there, Alexander kept attacking the goal, but the Batavia keeper kept making the saves. Alexander's defense did an excellent job squashing any Batavia attacks to earn the shutout. Becky had 4 saves in a fairly easy shutout. Everyone played a very strong game, hopefully we can carry this over into the tournament this weekend. 1st star goes to Bucky, great all around game, strong defense, good passing, and excellent direct kicks (and goal kicks). 2nd star goes to Jess, very nice game at outside mid, great runs forward, great passing, and a handful of very nice shots. 3rd star goes to Julia, picked up the game winning goal and had some great movement in the middle of the field. Very strong games were also turned in by Linz up front, Cordes in the mid, and Cat in the back.
Attica 2 Alexander 0
It was cold, rainy, and Alexander did not start the game playing good soccer. Attica was awarded a penalty kick midway through the first half and put it in the net to get a 1-0 lead, and for the first time in a GYSL game, Alexander was behind. The first half continued with Alexander not playing up to their typical standards, and they would be behind 1-0 at the half. The 2nd half was played with much more intensity and much more skill. Attica got a weird goal shortly into the 2nd half after several players ran into each other and the only one left standing was an Attica player who went in on goal and put the ball in the far corner. Alexander played tough the 2nd half, but couldn't get the ball in the net, as the Attica keeper made at least 10 saves in the 2nd half, including stopping a penalty kick. Even though we suffered our first loss of the season, it was nice to see the team bounce back after a sub-par first half, and keep battling throughout the game. 1st star goes to Alesha, by far the best player on the field for either team. Had a couple shots, some great clears, and continues to completely shut down her side of the field. 2nd star goes to Cordes, put it at least 70 minutes and was all over the field. Had some great passing, and some solid defense in the middle of the field. 3rd star goes to Bucky, had a really strong game playing both sweeper and stopper, very nice looking direct kicks, and strong one on one defending. Strong performances were also turned in by Stacey who played both sweeper and forward, and Sarah, Jess, and Tina who worked hard in the midfield.
Alexander 2 Avon 0
Avon came into the game as the 2nd place team behind us with only one loss. After the night was done they had fallen to 3rd place and had two losses. Stacey got us on the board early as she took a pass from Maranda, beat the defenders down the side of the field and her cross went into the far corner of the net for a 1-0 lead. That was how the first half would end. Midway through the 2nd half Lindsay crossed the ball across the front of the net, Tina just missed the ball on the near post. It came to Stacey who didn't make solid contact on the shot, the ball rolled to Tina who buried it in the back of the net for a 2-0 lead. Avon was a very tough team, and our defense played a strong game in the back to keep Avon off the score board. Becky made 8 saves in net to pick up another shutout, her 6th of the season. 1st star goes to Becky, probably her most challenging game in net all season and she came up huge, stopping several difficult shots, including stoning the Avon wing on a breakaway. 2nd star goes to Bucky, played a very strong game on top of the defense, pushed up really well, and played tough all game long. 3rd star goes to Tina, picked up a huge goal to give us a 2-0 lead and basically put the game away. Had strong passing in the middle of the field, and good touch on the ball. Strong performances were also turned in by Cat in the back, and Stacey up front. Great game ladies!
Alexander 1 Batavia 0
Forfeit win!
Chili 2 Alexander 1 (Batavia Tournament)
Alexander came into this game fired up and it showed. Missy broke free from the defense just over a minute into the game and nearly made it 1-0 early. Alexander played strong in the back, with Bucky, Irena, Alesha, Kim, and Molly all turning in huge games. Becky made 8 saves in net, and played her best game of the summer. Julia hit Missy on a nice through ball, which Missy battled with the goalie and drilled it into the net to give Alexander the 1-0 lead. That was the game stayed for the 1st half. At halftime we got fired back up and came out strong in the 2nd half. We had some great chances in the 2nd half but didn't manage to punch one in. Missy hit a cross to Linz, Linz fired it on net, but it just missed making it 2-0. Chili then got a ball about 25 yards out and fired a shot in the upper corner to tie it at 1. 3 minutes later they hit a long shot that took an odd bounce and found its way into the net to make it 2-1. Everyone turned in a great game when we needed it, clearly we were on the same level of Chili skill wise, and that is something to be proud of. 1st star goes to Irena, played a great game in the back, and moved the ball well up the field when she got the chance. 2nd star goes to Missy, really got in there and played physical game today. Showed that she isn't going to get pushed around by defenders. 3rd star goes to Alesha and Becky, Alesha played her 3rd straight game of great lock down defense, with some great passes up the side. Becky had a huge game in net, really kept us in the game in the 1st half with big time saves. Solid performances were also turned in by Bucky at stopper, Cat at center mid, Kim at outside defender, and also, the rest of the team. Everyone played very well. It was a very impressive weekend, a few bounces go the other way and we could have won the whole thing. Great weekend ladies!
Albion 1 Alexander 0 (Batavia Tournament)
Our 2nd game of the Batavia tournament was a well played game on both sides. It was back and forth, up and down the field, with neither team scoring in the first half. The Alexander defense held strong and didn't allow Albion any good looks at the goal, but Albion's D was equally as tough, frustrating the Alexander forwards all game long. In the 2nd half Alexander continued to play tough, and passed the ball well, but couldn't get a decent shot off. Albion broke free through the Alexander defense with about 12 minutes left in the game, but Irena ran the play down and cleared the ball away. With just over 7 minutes in the game, Albion got another ball over the defense's heads, Becky came out and had a good angle on the ball, but it found its way into the near side of the goal to give Albion on the 1-0 lead. Alexander was worn down at the end, but continued to battle the last 7 minutes of the game to try to get the tieing goal, but it didn't happen. Despite having only two subs to Albion's 6, Alexander had the upper hand for a good portion of this game, but couldn't put the ball away. We wore down toward the end, but didn't give up. It was a good battle. Becky picked up 5 saves in a strong effort in the net. 1st star goes to Irena, had a great game of sweeper, shut down Albion attacks several times. Had some very nice passing out of the back. 2nd star goes to Alesha, another solid game of outside defender. Didn't give up much on her side of the field. 3rd star goes to Jess, played a very nice game at the other side on defense. Had some good pushes forward, and some very nice passing. Strong performances were also turned in by Bucky at stopper and Becky in goal. Great game to everyone, we will hopefully get them next time around when we play them in our league game.
Alexander 2 Pembroke 0 (Batavia Tournament)
The first game of the Batavia tournament was an impressive one. The first half was scoreless, but we dominated the ball and just pounded it in their end. The midfield was strong and passed the ball well up the sides and through the middle. It didn't take long in the 2nd half for Alexander to find the net, as Julia hit Missy on a great through ball and Missy buried it in the far side of the net. Shortly after that, Irena found Missy again, and she buried it in the far corner again. From there it was just Alexander moving the ball around the field. Pembroke only had two shots in the game, one hit off the top of the cross bar, and one was saved by our intern goalie Sarah. The defense played strong again, with great performances turned in by Alesha and Maranda on the outsides. Alexander came ready to play and thoroughly dominated the game. 1st star goes to Missy, had a great game up front, when she got the ball she attacked the opposing goal. 2nd star goes to Irena, had a great game of center mid, moved the ball well and had some great ball distribution. 3rd star goes to Alesha, great game at outside defender, just shut down that side of the field the entire day. Strong performances were also turned in by Julia at center mid, Jess at outside mid, forward, and defender, and Maranda at outside defender.
Alexander 3 Kendall 2
It was incredibly hot out, and that would end up playing a role in this game. Alexander came out strong, keeping the ball in Kendall's end for most of the first 20 minutes of the game. Kendall was a very young team, but a very good passing team, and very fast. Stacey took a cross from Sarah with about 10 minutes left in the first half and drilled it in the near side to give Alexander a 1-0 lead at the half. Alexander started the game with only three subs, and that number would drop to two as one of our captains did a little too much in the first half and the heat got the best of her. Alexander came out strong in the 2nd half as Stacey would get in behind the defense two more times and give Alexander a 3-0 lead midway through the 2nd half. That was when the heat started to catch up to us. As we started to get tired, Kendall pushed forward. They crossed a ball into the center of the field, and with 4 white shirts standing on the six, the ball found its way into the net, ending a streak of 430 scoreless minutes that we had been on, giving up our last goal over 4 games ago. The ref would start blowing his whistle the rest of the game, giving Kendall two PKs, one of which found the net making it 3-2. Kendall was called offsides (finally) with just over a minute left when it appeared they had tied the game. The last seven minutes of the game was a battle, as the ball wouldn't go out so we could get any subs in, and we were forced to play with tired players who were just trying to get the ball away from our goal. It was a very impressive finish, because I know how tired everyone was. 1st star goes to Stacey, three goals, two more breakaways that just missed the net. Great game of forward. 2nd star goes to Molly, really stepped in and played a great game at defensive center-mid, we were getting killed in the center until she went in and helped with the marks. 3rd star goes to Becky, who made 8 saves to preserve the win. Her first real test of the season and she came up big time, stopping a penalty kick, flipping one shot over the cross bar that was on its way in, coming out and knocking Kendall players off the ball before diving on it, and making several other big time saves to keep us in the game. Good performances were also turned in by Cat, who returned in the back and organized things, Jess, who was all over the field at forward and mid, and Sarah, who played one heck of a 1st half before getting overheated. Great job ladies...lets do a great job at the tournament this weekend!
Alexander 0 Pembroke 0
Pembroke came out playing very hard, while Alexander got off to a slow start in this game. Pembroke had two very good scoring chances in the first half while Alexander was struggling to find their game. Bucky and the defense had to battle all day long to hold the strong Pembroke attack out of the Alexander goal. Sarah Ferry made two saves in the first 7 minutes playing goalie, which kept Alexander in the game. After making those two saves, Sarah went back to her usual forward position, and had two beautiful shots in the first half that nearly went in. The 2nd half was a different story, as Alexander spread the field, and played good solid soccer, not allowing Pembroke many opportunities to get inside their 18. Stacey shut down their top striker for the entire 2nd half, with a short break when Jess filled in nicely. Alesha did a great job on the other side, while Bucky cleaned up anything that go through. Maranda had a strong game, punching the ball back into Pembrokes end whenever it found its way out. In the mid, Cordes, Jess, and Tina all had very strong games passing the ball, and moving it from side to side. Becky had 3 strong saves in net to preserve the shutout that Sarah started. Everyone else played a very strong 2nd half, as we had several chances to put one in, but we just couldn't find the net. Bucky hit the crossbar on her last direct kick of the game, which came with just over 6 minutes left. After that it was a little more solid defense to get out of the game with a 0-0 tie. 1st star goes to Stacey, absolutely shut down Pembrokes top forward for the entire 2nd half. Great marking and good clearances when we needed them. 2nd star goes to Cordes, played a very strong game in the middle, had some great passing and a couple nice shots...and played strong defense in the 2nd half when we needed it. 3rd star goes to Alesha, did a great job defending the right side of the field. Great performances were also turned in by Sarah, Tina, Jess, and Bucky...who all played a big time roll in us getting the tie instead of the loss. We get these girls again on Friday in the tournament...lets be ready.
Alexander 1 Attica 0
Alexander came into this game after having two straight "days off" in their previous two games. It took us a while to get going, as Attica put the pressure on early. Midway through the first half, Tara hit a perfect pass to Tina, who drilled it in the far corner. From there, the game got physical, with Attica losing their composure and Alexander shutting down the few offensive attempts that Attica could muster. Julia had a couple beautiful runs through the middle, but just couldn't find the net. The defense played very strong in the back, facing one of the better offenses they have seen all day long. It was very impressive how Alexander picked up the level of their game and their intensity as it got later in the game. 1st star goes to Molly, played a great game, pressing the ball forward whenever she got it, and not getting bumped off the ball. 2nd star goes to Cat, who played her best game of the summer, had 3 great head balls, and controlled a defense who held a 1-0 lead and made it stand up. 3rd star goes to Tina, big time game winning goal, and some great passing during the rest of the game. Strong performances were also turned in by Becky in net, Sarah up front, and Julia at center mid. Nice job ladies, seven in a row now.
Alexander 6 Bergen 0
From the opening kickoff of this game it was clear who the dominate team was. We completely dominated the ball, basically standing around their goal firing shots at them. We scored 6, and had at least 20 other shots that just missed or we kicked right at the goalie. Bergen was a young team, but we showed how strong a team we are by barely letting the ball out of their half of the field. Tina gave us a 1-0 lead on a pass from Lindsay. Tara poked in the 2nd goal of the game with Julia's assist. Later in the game, Cordes would punch in her first two goals of the summer, while Julia and Linz would both add scores to make it a 6-0 game. Becky picked up the shutout in net, not making a save, and only touching the ball 3 times. Our midfield played very strong, giving our defense the day off in the back. A strong game was turned in by the entire team. 1st star goes to Cordes, played her best game of the summer, had 2 goals, several big time headers, and strong passing all game long. 2nd star goes to Eesh, had a nice game playing in a few different positions and a couple very nice hits :-). 3rd star goes to Julia, another solid game in the mid, great passing and punched in another goal. Great job to everyone who played out of position, it was a very nice overall game.
Alexander 6 Holley 0
Alexander runs their undefeated streak to 5 games with a very dominate win over Holley on a field that had several swimming pools on it. Surprisingly, only Bucky decided to take a swim during the game. On the day, Linz, Julia, and Tara would each score two goals, while Cordes, Linz, Kate, and Maranda would pick up assists on the game. The defense did a great job in back, as Becky only had to make one save (and didn't get her jersey dirty) to get the shutout in net. The field was small, but we used every inch of it as we attacked the goal all game long, and right up to the final seconds of the game, as Tara, Linz, and Stacey all had scoring chances in the final minute. We out-played, out-hustled, and out-worked them all game long, it was a very well played game. 1st star goes to Tara, played really tough up front, knocked in two goals, and had two or three great shots that didn't find the net. 2nd star goes to Kate, did a really nice job playing both outside mid slots, as well as some right defender during the game. Won a lot of 50/50 balls and went into the mud to dig the ball out and pass it up the line. 3rd star goes to Julia, picked up two goals, and started really attacking the middle of the field when it was open. Very nice game girls, Bergen and Attica next week as we continue to tune up for the Batavia tournament which is under two weeks away.
Alexander 3 Batavia 1
Batavia came out playing rough soccer, and the ref was letting everything go. We came out strong in the first half and took an early 1-0 lead on Linz's 4th goal of the season that beat the goalie. We held the ball in their end for most of the first 20 minutes of the game. They broke out of their end for the first time, got loose down the left side of the field, hit a nice cross and buried the shot to tie the game at 1. Things started to unravel at this point in the game, we started to bunch, we were dropping marks all over the place, it wasn't pretty. We escaped from the 1st half tied at one. After regrouping at halftime we came out strong in the 2nd half and picked up the pace. We started giving back the physical play and beating them to the ball. Our passing and spacing was excellent in the first half, and about 6 minutes into the half, Cordes hit a nice pass to Linz and she beat the defender and buried it in the corner for a 2-1 lead. Cat, Bucky, Eesh, Maranda, Alesha, and Duval played strong in the back to preserve the lead for the rest of the game along with some strong play in the midfield by Jess, Cordes, Julia, Kate, Carissa, and Stacey. In the final minute of the game, Stacey hit a ball across the front of the net and Jess buried it in the near side to give Alexander the 3-1 lead. The offense kept the pressure on all game long, with Linz, Sarah, Molly and Tara providing most of the punch up front. Becky made 8 saves in net to keep Batavia off the board in the 2nd half. We out shot, and out played Batavia for most of the game, especially in the 2nd half. Very impressive win. 1st star goes to Linz, beat her defender cold all game long, punched two into the net, and had a handful of great crosses that we just couldn't seem to get a foot on. 2nd star goes to Julia, up and down the field all game long, great passing, a handful of good attacks on net, very strong game. 3rd star to Bucky and Cat, really settled the defense down in the 2nd half and didn't allow Batavia near the goal. Talked and communicated well, and didn't leave anyone open. Awesome game girls, lets keep this undefeated streak going.
Alexander 3 Leroy 1
Alexander came into this game hungry and dominated from the opening whistle. Midway through the first quarter, the ball was sent wide to Linz who crossed it in to Tara. Tara smacked a shot into the back of the net to give Alexander a 1-0 lead. Alexander dominated play in the 1st half, the defense held strong, and Becky made a few key saves to keep Leroy out of the net. Alexander started out the 2nd half strong, holding the ball for long periods of time. Just over 10 minutes in, Missy sent a shot at the far post, the goalie made the save, but Sarah was following on the play and blasted a shot that beat the goalie and gave Alexander a 2-0 lead. Shortly after that Leroy would get lose behind the defense, Becky made the first save, but the rebound found the net and Leroy cut the Alexander lead to 2-1. We made some changes to the lineup to hold the lead, but Carissa would hit a nice pass to Linz, who beat her defender and drilled a shot in the far post for a 3-1 lead. Alexander would hold off Leroy attacks for the rest of the game and win 3-1. A great overall effort by everyone. The defense held strong in the back, lead by captains Bucky and Catherine, with some strong play from Alesha, Eesh, Maranda, and Duval. Jessie was all over the field, playing at least 5 different positions throughout the game. 1st star goes to Jessie, was up and down the sidelines as an outside mid, had some great attacks and shots as a center mid, and shut down the right side of the field for the last 20 minutes of the game as a defender. 2nd star goes to Alesha, played a super solid game of defense, and had a couple offensive attacks into the other teams 18, great all around game. 3rd star goes to Missy and Linz, both played strong up front and had some great passing. Missy helped preserve the lead by playing 20 minutes of stopper towards the end when people had to leave to go to the awards. Great game girls.
Alexander 1 Batavia 0
Forfeit win for us!
Alexander 3 Pavilion 0
Alexander came into this game with all 18 players able to make the game. The downpours stopped just in time for the game, and very early in the game Alexander went to work. Julia threaded a pass to Lindsay who went in on goal and ripped on in the net and Alexander held an early 1-0 lead. The defense held strong in the back lead by the sweeper Catherine, and strong play from Becky in the net. Nearing the middle of the 1st half Molly drew a penalty kick and Stacey punched it in giving Alexander a 2-0 lead. In the 2nd half it was more of the same as we dominated possession of the ball and the flow of the game. Molly played a great through ball to Lindsay who went in one on one with the goalie and beat her near post for a 3-0 lead. That was more than enough for the defense who held Pavilion scoreless as the final whistle sounded. Very nice game, very nice way to start the season. 1st star goes to Linz who scored twice, and was giving the Pavilion defense fits all game long. 2nd star goes to Julia, who was just tearing the middle of the field up all game long, and nearly had a goal on a clean break in on net. 3rd star goes to the entire defense who played great as a unit in the back and pitched the shutout. Everyone played well, very impressive for our first game.