Under 9 Girls Gold Match Report
Saturday, May 17, 2008 v Waimea Heights @ Parliament Street

Match report :

All the players and their supporters showed up at Parliament Street expecting cold. wet weather, but yet again the sun shined for the Golden Girls, this time for the second game against Waimea Heights. It was decided to play 9 vs 9, given the size of the field, and we had the full eleven players ready for action.

Despite the extra players, the size of the field meant that there was not as much goal action as in previous weeks. Annie, who played goalie in the first half, had very little to do, but did manage the odd kick. Annie was helped by some very good defensive work by all of the players, who worked back when required, and helped to clear the ball out to the waiting midfield players.

The attacking moves were more spread out, with often long runs resulting in tired legs before the opportunity arose to shoot on goal. The girls took notice of coach's suggestion that they try to let each other dribble the ball, and to make themselves available for a pass when possible. Lots of calling for the ball was also a good feature of the game.

The second half saw Josie come into goals, and she was tested a number of times by good shots from Waimea Heights, however Josie was equal to the task, and made many good saves. The game really opened up in the second half, and whilst both sides had chances to score, neither was able to create a goal.

I thought it interesting that the Waimea side had two players permanently camped at either end, whilst our girls moved around and shared positions. I know who had the more fun and more kicks! And we still had the energy for a session on the big slide!

The game finished up with a 0 - 0 scoreline, which reflected the even game. Lots of rosy cheeks afterwards showed how much running is required on a bigger pitch - it was good for a change but demonstrated the intent of the smaller sided games and pitches i.e. more controlled touches in a higher scoring environment.

A quick note for the Mums and Dads: there have been some exciting games recently, and the support for the girls has been tremendous. It's worth, however, a reminder to try not to be too demanding from the sideline - too many directions can be confusing, and the girls are still at the stage of understanding the game.

In recent play, I have been starting to introduce a greater emphasis on ball control and an awareness of field position. Sometimes a "big kick" is needed, but more often, the ball can be controlled and dribbled forward rather than just walloped upfield.