U16 Session II Game Summaries
2008
Alexander 2 Tri-Town 0
Alexander was looking to pick up their 1st title for this group of players at Sahlen's. Alexander's previous regime had won 2 titles over the years and finished 2nd several other times - but this group had never been in a final before. First time in the final - first title at Sahlen's. With the snow coming down everyone was a little nervous that Alexander would be short players but thanks to the coaches getting all the players there Alexander was there in full force with 95% of their team there for the first time all season. Alexander moved the ball well throughout the game and dominated possession for the majority of the game. Midway through the 1st half Alexander went on top as Rach shot a ball that rebounded off the keeper and Anna slammed it home to make it 1-0. The 1st half finished off that way despite Alexander having a couple good chances to go up 2-0. Alexander was a big sluggish to start off the 2nd half but it didn't cost them as Tri-Town was unable to capitalize on a couple chances to tie the game. Alexander would put the game away with under 10 minutes left as Rach fired a shot off the bottom of the cross bar that bounced around for a second before Anna came in and fired it into the back of the net for her 2nd goal of the game. The defense was stellar throughout the game with Sid, Autumn, and Jamie limiting Tri-Town to only a handful of shots and none that were all that dangerous. Hannah had 6 saves in net for the shutout. The mids and the forwards did a great job winning the balls in the air and keeping the ball moving on the ground to create the chances. 1st star in the game went to Rach and Anna who were brilliant with the ball all night long, had some great passes, and had combined for the games 2 goals. 2nd star went to Sid, Jamie, and Autumn who had the game locked down in the back and won all the balls anywhere around them. 3rd star went to Tessa and Alyssa who did a lot of little things in the midfield that helped keep the ball out of trouble in the back. Great game everyone - not a bad way to finish off the Sahlen's season.
Alexander 2 Lancaster 1
Alexander had just arriven from the Houghton Tournament and were looking to get a spot in the finals next week and a chance for their first Sahlen's title for this group of players. Alexander definitely was showing signs of fatigue but battled through it and just before halftime Alyssa got a breakaway and slipped the ball under the keeper's hand and into the left corner of the net to make it 1-0 at halftime. Alexander came out in the 2nd half and played some solid defense and also created a couple scoring chances but couldn't find the net. Halfway through the 2nd half a high ball just got over Hannah's hands and into the net to make it 1-1. For the final 9 minutes of the game Alexander's D played tough, and Hannah came up huge two separate times to send the game to a shootout. Lancaster had a shot from 30 yards that was ripped to the far left side but a diving Hannah got both hands on it and punched it wide. She managed to top that save with an incredible kick save with around 3 minutes left as a Lancaster player shot a low ball in from 10 yards out but Hannah did a sort of split and kicked the ball out of the net. Alexander went to the shootout and got to shoot first. Captain C.Hodge stepped up and drilled the ball in the left corner. Lancaster's shooter stepped up and shot it down the middle - Hannah was moving to her left and the ball slipped through her hands - but hit her right in the face and she caught it off her nose to win the game in the golden goal shootout. Alexander earned their first final berth and will look to win the title next week. It was a great performance by everyone involved - many of the girls had played 4 and a half games down at Houghton and played hard despite being tired. Thanks to the U14 players who stayed to help us out with a couple subs here and there - it really helped out. 1st star in the game was definitely Hannah - we don't make it to the shootout without her two saves late in the 2nd half and without her face save in the shootout we may not have pulled it out. 2nd star goes to Court who had a solid game up top - played a lot of minutes because everyone was tired, and hammered home her PK. 3rd star goes to everyone else who worked hard to get us into the finals. Great game girls.
Alexander 2 Lancaster 0
Alexander picked up their 2nd straight win over the Lancaster and in the process moved into 2nd place in the league. If Tri-Town doesn't win both of their last 2 games Alexander would finish in 1st place. Alexander go ahead late in the 1st half as Tessa finished off a pass from Court in the middle of the field to make it 1-0. The score stayed that way with the defense playing well throughout the game. Late in the game Court hit Abby with a pass and Abby beat the keeper 1v1 to make it 2-0. The score stood up from there and Alexander picked up the 2-0 win. Hannah made 10 saves in net and picked up her first win and shutout of the 2nd session in the U16 division. 1st star in the game went to Tessa who was strong in the middle of the field and picked up a nice goal in the 1st half. 2nd star went to Alyssa who had a very strong game on the outside of the field. 3rd star went to Alyssa Reeb who had a great game in the back and won everything on her side of the field. Great game girls.
Alexander 1 Lancaster 0
Alexander played a strong game with only a couple subs due to the Albion tournament and ended their 3 game winless streak with a 1-0 win over 1st place Lancaster. Abby picked up the games only goal in the last five minutes of the game. Alyssa did a great job filling in for Hannah making 10 saves for her 2nd win and 2nd shutout of the session. Great job girls.
Tri-Town 4 Alexander 1
As bad as the last game was for the U16s this one ended up quite a bit worse. Alexander dug and early hole and never recovered. A lack of communication and winning the ball left Alexander chasing marks all game long and struggling to get any kind of attack going up top. Alyssa had a nice looking goal just before halftime to pull Alexander to within 2-1, but missed opportunities in the 2nd half would leave Alexander on the wrong end of a lop sided score and drop them to 3rd place. Alexander had a couple great chances in the 2nd half with Abby, Julia, and Jamie all getting in close on goal but the Tri-Town keeper stopped them every time. Sid just missed on a great run on a corner in the 1st half as well. 1st star in the game went to Sid who played a great game in the back winning every ball that came her way. 2nd star went to Maranda who in her first action in a while played a lot of minutes on the outside and did a solid job. 3rd star went to Alyssa who picked up our only goal and worked hard the whole game. Very poor performance...need to bounce back in a big way next week.
Shamrocks 3 Alexander 2
Alexander had one of those games where things just don't go right and were knocked off by a Shamrocks team that played a solid game. Alexander went up early in the game as Amber and Tessa sent a ball through to Alyssa who flew in on goal and ripped the shot in the top corner of the net. Alexander would give up a breakaway goal to tie the game at one. Alexander would fall behind 2-1 as a mark got loose in the middle of the field and fired it in past Hannah. Alexander got close many times to tying the game by was unable to find the back of the net. Throughout the night Alexander struggled with their possession and found themselves chasing the ball. Alexander got a direct kick in close and Court fired it into the net to make it tie the game at 2. Alexander looked like they would eek out another tie but things turned bad quickly on the kickoff. The Shamrocks two forwards passed back and forth several times as they stormed right down the middle of the field on the kickoff and took advantage of a sleeping Alexander team and fired the ball into the net to immediately go back on top 3-2. Alexander had a couple chances late but didn't find the back of the net and fell 3-2. 1st star in the game went to Alyssa who picked up an early goal and had some great passing and runs on the outside of the field throughout the night. 2nd star went to Court who fired a ball in late to tie the score. 3rd star went to Amber who had some good runs up top and some solid passing as well. Rough way to lose a game - lets bounce back next game.
Alexander 1 Tri-Town 1
Alexander was short a couple players but played a strong game and came away with a hard fought 1-1 tie. The game remained 0-0 into the 2nd half with Tri-Town out shooting Alexander but Hannah came up with 2 great diving stops in the first half and one in the 2nd. Just past the midway point of the 2nd half Tri-Town had a corner which was sent in directly off the far post and into the net to make it 1-0. Alexander was moving the ball well but couldn't crack the last defender. Finally in the final minutes of the game Court got a ball, made a couple moves to her right and ripped a shot in the upper corner that the goalie got her hands one but was unable to keep out of the net and the game was tied 1-1. Neither team was able to find the back of the net in the last couple minutes and the game ended 1-1. 1st star in the game went to Hannah who made 9 saves and had 3 great sprawling saves to keep Tri-Town off the board. 2nd star went to Tessa who had a fantastic game in the middle of the field, won a lot of balls in the air, and had some great passes through to the forwards. 3rd star went to Alyssa who had a great game on the outside mid working against one of the quicker attackers on Tri-Towns team. Great job Court picking up the tying goal late in the game. Nice job girls.
Alexander 3 Shamrocks 0
Alexander had a great start to the session with a dominant 3-0 win over the Shamrocks. Alexander scored in the first minute of the game as Autumn sent a corner kick into the middle and Ashley jumped to hit the ball off the top of her chest into the net (she jumped to avoid just heading the ball into the net). Alexander continued to put the pressure on in the first half, Ashley found Autumn on a little square pass and Autumn shot one high into the net for a 2-0 lead. Alexander continued to pressure in the first half and the half ended up 2-0. Alexander came out in the 2nd half and their passing was crisp throughout the final 25 minutes of the game. Alexander was stringing together 3 or more passes throughout the 2nd half. Alexander was awarded a direct kick midway through the 2nd half and Captain Court stepped up and put it low in the right corner to make it 3-0. Alexander gave up 2 direct kicks from in close late and Alyssa turned both aside to keep the score at 3-0. It was a great all around performance as the defense, midfield, and forwards all made contributions at both ends of the field. 1st star in the game went Captain Court who had a goal, nearly had 2 others, and showed some solid leadership in her first game as self appointed captain. 2nd star goes to Autumn who had a solid game at midfield, had some great corners, picked up a nice looking goal, and helped out on defense throughout the game. 3rd star goes to Sid who won a lot of balls in the center of the defense, had some solid passing out of the back, and stepped up into the offense a couple times in great spots. A special awards goes to Megan...she knows why...:-). Great job girls.