U13 USA Cup Final vs Tony Glavin (MO)

It was going to be a fun game today against Tony Glavin.  They have a really dangerous forward and they are a good team that does well down in Missouri.  This was the first U13 regional team that we had played since Regionals and the awe of playing against a bigger and stronger team no longer seemed to affect the girls as they did not comment about them at all during warm ups and they just went about their business getting ready and goofing around before the game.

I talked with the girls before the game about TG's good forward and told them that we would put Kari and Bella on her side and they should keep an eye on her.  We were not going to man mark her, but we were always going to be aware of her.

The field that we were playing on was tiny.  It was going to be quite a big adjustment from playing in the Stadium yesterday on the biggest possible field to a field that must just barely meet the minimum requirements for length and width.  Despite the cramped field the girls still did a really nice job combining the ball through the midfield and 10 minutes into the game we were able to spring Jenna in on a break away but she shot the ball just wide.  We were able to create a couple of other decent chances in the first half but our shots were lacking the accuracy or power that we needed to finish.

At half time we talked about the fact that our decisions of when to clear the ball and when to posses out of the back had been very good in the first half and if we continued to do that well we were not going to give up very many chances.  All the defenders that had been on the side of the dangerous forward had done a good job of not letting her get any chances at all.  It is great to see that we don't have to man mark a dangerous player and can still play our game while keeping an eye on the other team's good players.

The second half was a battle and a lot of the play was in the midfield.  The small field was definitely playing a factor in the game as neither team could find the space to manuever amongst all the bodies in the midfield.  Ten minutes into the half Jenna had another break away and as she dribbled by the goalie she was taken out by the keeper but the ref said play on.  With 15 minutes left we were awarded a free kick 35 yards out from goal just in front of our bench.  I had seen TG's goalie warming up and she had looked very confident catching crosses and their was a slight wind blowing against us.  I told Gaffer to put the ball just outside the 6 yard box so their goalie would not be able to get to it and she should over hit it because of the wind.

Gaffer hit in a perfect ball and Sprout raced in front of their goalie and her defender and controlled the ball with one touch and hit the ball into the open net with her next touch.  A perfect set piece goal.

After the goal Tony Glavin stepped up their pressure and we switched into our 4-4-2 formation to get more numbers behind the ball.  They put us under a lot of pressure but they were not creating any chances inside our box.  With 2 minutes left there was a big collision just to the right of our box involving Taz, Bella, and one of their forwards.  There was no foul but both Bella and their forward were shaken up.  Bella was able to get up with just a bruise but their forward had to be taken off the field in a stretcher.  It was a sad situation and we hope that she is ok.

The final two minutes were played with Tony Glavin putting in long crosses from the midfield line that went straight to AJ and she would punt the ball back to the midfield line and see it come right back to her again with no pressure on her.  This happened about 4 times in a row and then the ref blew the final whistle and the girls ran out on the field to celebrate winning the championship!

It was a fun week for the girls and really cool to win the tournament an age group up.  The girls love the huge Cup that the team gets for winning the tournament and they will take turns passing it around over the next two weeks.  The girls were also excited to go and win the District Tournament tomorrow and make it two Championships in two days.  Lots of fun:)

Comments

[Don Beary]

Hi - just wanted to let you all know that our forward that was injured with 2 minutes left is ok. She sprained her ankle and nothing was broken. Your girls were concerned after the game and told me they hoped she was ok.

We really enjoyed our experience in MN during the week and congratulate your team on your victory. Now, it's up to you guys to come down here for a rematch.;)

Thanks, Don Beary
Tony Glavin U13 Green