U13G Season Review - By the Numbers

Data doesn't lie.  Each season I tell myself that I need to take the time to do some analysis of the team's performance with regards to goal production and concession.  This year I finally had enough information to give it a good run.  This should give me a good base to work off of in the coming year with this group, as well as give me more information about things that need to be addressed with the new U11 group I'll be taking this fall.

Here are a few interesting facts about our season.  Some of results were very eye-opening for me. 

In 39 games since Virginia on March 24 and through the end of USA Cup on July 22, we scored 85 goals and conceded 18 - not counting our two penalty kick shootouts.

Breakdown of the 85 goals the girls scored

• 32 goals resulting from crosses (3 of them finished with headers)
• 9 goals resulting from long shots outside of 12 yards
• 8 goals resulting from headers off corner kicks
• 7 goals resulting from penetrating through balls
• 6 goals resulting from diagonal through balls
• 5 goals resulting from combinations in the box
• 4 goals resulting from 1v1 attacking play
• 4 goals resulting from opposing turnovers
• 3 goals resulting from corner kicks (not finished with a header)
• 2 goals resulting from rebounds
• 2 goals resulting from direct free kicks
• 2 goals resulting from scrambles in the box
• 1 goal resulting from a penalty kick

- The girls averaged scoring over 2 goals per game

- 43 goals (51%) in total resulted from wide play and crosses

- 11 goals (13%) in total were finished with a header

- 14 goals (17%) in total were from set pieces

- At Regionals, 4 out of 8 goals (50%) were from headers

- At Regionals, 6 out of 8 goals (75%) were off wide play/crosses

- 15 out of the 17 girls scored at least once this season

- Over 50% of the goals scored this season were finished by 4 players (Maddie with 16, Millie with 14, Ripper with 8, and Macky with 7)

Breakdown of the 19 goals the girls conceded

• 5 goals resulting from shots from outside the 18 yard box
• 3 goals resulting from crosses
• 3 goals resulting from individual efforts (1v1s)
• 1 goal resulting from an indirect free kick
• 1 goal resulting from a penalty kick
• 1 goal resulting from a long shot and a deflection
• 1 goal resulting from good combination play
• 1 goal resulting from a rebound
• 1 goal resulting from a corner kick
• 1 goal resulting from an over the top ball and a breakaway
• 1 goal resulting from a freak of nature (Scratch clearing the ball into the shins of a Delaware forward at the top of the 18 yard box and the ball the rocketing back into our net in Virginia)

- The girls averaged conceding 1 goal every two games

- 4 goals (20%) of the total goals scored on us came in one game (vs Chicago Magic at the West Des Moines Premier Games)

- 8 goals (42%) were conceded against U14 competition

- 11 goals (58%) were conceded against regional U13 competition

- 0 goals were conceded to Minnesota U13 competition

- IMO, we were scored on by really good team soccer 2 times (once in Des Moines by the Chicago Magic, the other at Regionals by Internationals).  The others goals allowed were due to opposing players individual efforts, individual mistakes on our part, or by long range crots (cross shots) or high loopy shots. 

- 3 goals (17%) in total were off set pieces

- We did not concede a header goal all year

What does all this mean?  Well, a few things are crystal clear.

1. If you score more goals than your opponents, you usually have a good season.  :)
2. Wide play and crossing and finishing are important parts of the game, both on attack and defense.
3. People can laugh and talk negative all they want about me mandating the Full90 Head Gear for the players.  We were by far the most aerial dominant team I saw this year.  And guess what?  Heading is an important part of the game.  We scored 11 goals from headers and gave up 0 (lending to the thought that we were good in aerial battles on defense).  4 out of 8 goals at Regionals were scored by headers, this is against arguably the top regional teams at our age group.  I teach the technique, the head gear gives the girls the confidence.  People laugh at us, I laugh at the people laughing at us. 
4. Ball striking technique is key and we've done a ton of work on it.  Arguably 67 of our 85 goals (79%) came as a direct result the girls' ability to strike a long ball (crosses, long shots, direct free kicks, long ball over the top, corner kicks).
5. Defense wins championships.

I'm excited to take all this information and use it to continue to develop the soon-to-be U14s for another year, as well as begin using the knowledge with my new U11 group this fall.