U16 Team News

 U16A Team News 8th September 2014

South Melbourne's U16A team finally wrapped up the number one spot in the ladder of this year's under 15/16 Metropolitan league, with two more comfortable victories leaving it six points clear with one game to play
 
Round 17:  SMWFC 5, Peninsula Strikers 0
 
The team played its usual possession-oriented game to shut out a gutsy opponent who had earned their respect in their Round 6 clash three months ago.  With many of the SMWFC team playing their second game of the weekend but Peninsula having no substitutes, the pre-game instructions were to let the ball do the work rather than making it a physical battle. Add the SMWFC team looked calm and unruffled as they used settled into using the width of the field before finding a penetrating path to goal.
 
Twice in the first ten minutes Rachel Kochen was sent though one-on-one after well weighted passes split the defenders.  The first time the ball got caught under her feet as she went to shoot, but her preparation touch was much improved the next time and she slotted the ball home. "Rachel has played games more frequently for us over the last month," said Coach Jeff, "There is nothing more rewarding as a coach than preparing a player to contribute to the next level, and seeing them deliver.  This is as true for me about Rachel, an under-14 playing in our games, as it is of our under-16s when they get a run with SMWFC senior reserves and show they belong, too."
 
SMWFC maintained its dominance throughout the game, with goal keeper Coco Majstorovic barely troubled unless it was from poor touches from her own feet or misdirected back passes.  Midfielder Emily Kenshole added the insurance goal before half time, striking from a Emanuella Fierro feed into the penalty area.  Although the team lost one player due to injury during the half, the substitutes rotated in seamlessly, as befits a team that claims no stars but a lot of mutual understanding of each others' contributions.
 
"We held Olivia Soares off till half-time," said the coach, "and she did a good job of analyzing the opportunity the opponent's high defending line presented.  They were adept as catching us offside, with all our forwards guilty of running too soon in expectation of passes from the midfield.  Olivia's contribution was an appropriate response:  she simply carried the ball from midfield on long runs through the defense and then shot to the far post beyond the keeper's reach."
 
Three times, in fact, as she recorded what in hockey is termed both a "natural" hat-trick (three consecutive goals) and a "pure" hat-trick (three goals in one half.)  It was a nice way to finish SMWFC's last home game of the season, and the news only got better later in the day when near-rivals Sandringham lost their game to confirm SMWFC would finish first on the ladder.
 
Round 16:  SMWFC 3, Boroondara 1
 
Missing several of its usual starters in its previous game, SMWFC completed a "workman-like" victory over Boroondara Eagles.  Given its occasional frustrating starts, when scoring opportunities get missed, the team was delighted to score within about 40 seconds of kickoff.  Winning the ball from the kickoff, it was played wide to Bianca Cachia, who sped off, got behind the defenders and turned the ball in from the by line to George Mackus who touched it in. 
 
"A triple win!" commented their coach, explaining: "Its was a early lead, a set up we work on, and finished by a player who is getting a boost late in the season.  We have spent time finding Georgia's place in the lineup that does justice to her talents AND contributes to a better overall team.  Selection dilemmas are never easy, but force of circumstances led me to move her into midfield.  And for this team, its like putting in the last piece that fits a jigsaw puzzle."
 
SMWFC gave up the lead shortly after, when a free kick in a dangerous position found one of a group of undefended opponents near the back post.  "It was a goal I could see coming but was powerless to stop, " said coach Jeff. "So we addressed it at the next practice.  And guess what, the same situation came up in our very next game, and we got our defensive setup right.  So you live and learn."

The balance of the game was perhaps properly addressed later in the first half when center-back Monica Fonua ripped a long range free kick into the top of the Boroondara net.  "I think the ball was still rising as it went in from 25 yards distance" laughed her coach, "I sometimes kid Monica -- who is a fine all-round player and outstanding for her age (13) -- that I think she hides the talents we all know she has.  Every now and again, something pops out in a game or practice, and we all go 'wow, Monica!'" 
 
The halftime instructions were to keep control of the game and grind out the win, but the safety margin was not provided till midway through the second half.  Melita Shata, another youngster, was introduced for her first game in the U16 team and after adjusting to the speed of the game began toying with a much larger  defender, using her quick footskills.  It was much to the whole team's delight when she popped up in a scramble near the Boroondara goal, and shot the loose ball in for a goal.  With virtually no subs left to call on, the team then rode the two goal lead home to the final whistle.    Round 15.  A Bye

U16A Team News 4th August 2014

South Melbourne Womens Under 16 team goes into a timely midseason break, with eight consecutive league wins under its belt.  It's most recent victories were at home over Ballarat 4-1 and near-neighbors Brighton 3-0.  In between these matches the team also hosted FFV's under 15 team, which plays in the WPL Reserve League, losing the friendly 0-4.
 
Ballarat came to Albert Park short-handed and having conceded eight goals in its previous match decided to "park the bus" and aim to deny SMWFC goals for the game.  With no fewer than 14 players on its scoring sheet already this season, the home team inevitably found ways through the defence but by half-time had probably squandered as many chances to score as it had taken in leading 3-0.  Goals were scored by Emanuella Fierro, Natasha Tasiopoulos and Ruby McCloskey.  Coach Jeff took the opportunity to teach a different game strategy in the second half, keeping the ball among the back four and tempting the Ballarat defenders to come out for it, thereby breaking up their defensive block.
 
"It's hard to teach in the middle of a game, and it wasn't ideal for anyone" the coach commented later. "We hadn't practiced for breaking down a purely defensively oriented opposition because, frankly, its not what you expect an age-group team to deploy against you.  But I understand their reasons for deciding to do that.  It's fair to say our girls were confused by what I asked them to try in the second-half, with one defender telling me that shifting the ball across the back four felt 'boring' after a while.  But as the league leaders we have to prepared for some teams to have a defensive mindset, and if they are going to concede the game against us because of it I might as well try introducing new ideas and treating the game like a training exercise too." 
 
Christina Kripinitiris finally broke through with a long range shot over the sat-back defenders.  But a combination of poor passing, role confusion, and the efforts of Ballarat's fast lone pressing forward also created some dangerous moments for SMWFC.  Ballarat scored on a one-on-one with the keeper after a defenders giveaway, and the score ended at 4-1.  "I actually had been hoping Ballarat would get more adventurous in the second half, because that's how the defending blocks eventually break down if you simply possess the ball in front of them," Coach Jeff said afterwards, "but it was still a shock to see them actually score." 
 
SMWFC fronted up against the team's best under -15 players in a midweek friendly, in what the coach hoped would be both an opportunity to display the trams ability to play, and also understand the skill gap that exists between the different  levels of the game.  "We unfortunately got off to the worst possible start, respecting the NTC team too much and giving away two goals in front of the net within the first ten minutes," coach Jeff recalls.  "But after that we settled down and while we did not have much possession, the score did not change till right at the end of the second or three periods."
 
The FFV age-group team showed a different level  of play throughout the match, with incisive runs, fast smooth passing between players, and an intensity to high-press that all come right out of the National Football Curriculum.  "It's a model we all want our teams to aspire to," said the coach, himself a recent participant in the C course training that teaches coaches how to use the National Curriculum. "After the game I said to our players:  there it is ,that's the next level you need to be able to play at and compete against." The  team was disappointed it did not do better against the state youngsters, but was grateful to NTC coach Kat Smith for arranging the development game for both sides. 
 
But any lingering hurt from that loss soon disapated in Sunday's rematch with Brighton.  SMWFC had narrowly defeated them 4-3 in an early season game, and Brighton had been the only team to score more than 2 goals against SMWFC all season.  "The girls were primed to play well, and had been looking forward to this game f0r weeks," Coach Jeff said.  "We knew exactly how we wanted to play, and had talked through how to respond to the direct attack Brighton uses.  On the day, they executed magnificently."
 
The battle of the league's first- and third-placed teams was a scoreless tactical battle for almost the entire first half.  Just minutes before halftime, youngster Rachel Kochen took a through ball, touched it into the box, and shot to the far post exactly as a good forward is expected to do.  She was engulfed by her team mates as the ricochet off the post went into the net.  "Lots of girls want the opportunity to play on our team," Coach Jeff said.  "Rachel grabbed the chance to make a telling contribution, and it was the perfect time to score. It made my halftime talk pretty simple: keep doing what we are doing and this game will turn out fine for us."
 
Brighton launched a sustained onslaught on the SMWFC goal in the second half but expert defending meant the keeper Coco Majstorovic had to pull off only a couple of saves to keep SMWFC in the lead.  "The strength of this team is our back four, no matter who we play in those positions, " the coach commented. "They are well organized, committed, and know how to play out so the team can counterattack, not just withstand the opponents attacks. The longer the game went, the clearer it seemed to me that Brighton's strength in its front three would not work against our strength of our back four, augmented by excellent holding midfielders in front." 
 
Late in the game, SMWFC forward Mishka Meaker pressured the Brighton goal keeper into a handling error, and as the ball came clear slotted it away for her first goal of the season.  Brighton noticeably deflated, and from the very next attack SMWFC earned a corner and put that home too, with the final touch by Bianca Cachia.  The third goal perhaps flattered SMWFC, but there was a final opportunity for Brighton to make the score more respectable.  From a Brighton corner that went directly out, the referee spotted an infringement in the box, and pointed to the penalty spot.  The kick sailed high and wide and the very next whistle ended the game.
 
With eight wins from eight games, there is only one other team, Sandringham, within eight points of SMWFC's league-leading team.  They know will be chased by several rivals throughout the second half of the season though and will have to maintain the focus and discipline that's been evident for the year so far, to hold those challengers off.

Team News - 10/6/14

South Melbourne's U16 team has continued on it's winning way, and is currently leading the A division after six wins in a row.  Reviewing recent games, coach Jeff Thomas describes the team as "getting better in some ways while also struggling in new ways.  But no one can question their competitiveness and pride in performance, which has got us out of a few tough spots."
 
The re-drawing of the season's schedule after the regarding period did not favor SMWFC.  What was to have been a bye weekend on May 25th was changed on just 3 days notice into a rematch with Bulleen.  Several players had fixed out-of-state travel plans by then, so a combination of adding B team players and limited playing time in the preceding day's reserves team's matchup was necessary. There was an understandable period of tentativeness on the field when the game began. But if SMWFC felt hampered it did not show after the first 20 minutes, as the team then ran up a 3 nil lead by halftime against a strangely flat opposition.   Two goals by leading scorer Olivia Soares, and one by guest player Rhea Schreuder provided the lead that proved necessary.
 
"At half-time I told the team they had enough of a cushion to be able to use the second half to work on some of the elements of play we know will be necessary during the season," coach Jeff recalls.  "Unfortunately, it was as if the team decided we did not need to play at all, and we quickly gave up two goals to turn what should have been a comfortable win into a battle again."
 
Stung into responding, SMWFC did retake control of possession and the game, with goals by Tayla Karp and Emily Kenshole restoring the 3-goal lead.  "Emily's goal was pretty; she received a touch-back pass from our number 9 and slotted the ball home from the edge of the box.  Emily is finding her range for shooting, and her goal was an example of how certain patterns of play can get the best results.  As our players get more comfortable with each other's style, our willingness to move the ball in any direction in order to create better chances has increased."
 
The following week's match-up was against winless Boroondara, although with three injuries and three players called up to the reserves game, SMWFC did need to find new answers to the game's challenge.  Coach Jeff said: "I asked three B team players to stay on after their game to act as our second half substitutes, and three others made up our lineup for the day.  Less than half our team was playing in the same positions they had been for the season so far.  But all through the season we have taught players certain principles of play that are adaptable to any position and they applied those principles well today."
 
A goal early in the half from Karp and another Kenshole shot from a touch back gave SMWFC the half time lead on a wet day.  16B player Miriam Rubinstein made a dramatic entry into the game in the second half, chasing up a ball to the Boroondara keeper, and collecting the deflection off herself to slot the ball in.  "I'm not sure if those were her first touches on the ball or not, but certainly it was in the first few minutes of her entering the field," the coach comments.  "She had listened at halftime when I told the forwards to never give up on following up, as the ball was wet and could slip from the keeper at any moment.  That goal was her reward."
 
Boroondara scored from a consolation penalty kick but its best chance to score from the run of play was a long-range shot expertly tipped over the bar by SMWFC keeper Celia Kelsall.  New recruit Elena Sevdalakis completed the scoring in a comfortable 4-1 win.  "Celia has grown in confidence so much over the last month," coach Jeff says.  "She joined us late in the preseason and in the early games she was tentative coming out and in distributing the ball to players she barely knew. Celia is also playing behind a well-organized defense and sometimes a keeper in that situation can spend too long in her own head rather than be in the moment. But the mark of a good keeper is making the tough saves when she is called upon.  Celia made a top save today, and it s just another marker of her growth within this team, and gives cause for their appreciation of her ability."
 
As the division's only undefeated team by the end of round 5, SMWFC went into it's next game as a presumptive favorite.  But the team also knew the Peninsula Strikers had good results from the few games it had played.  "The are near the bottom of the ladder but that is misleading.  The only lost by a goal to Bulleen and then had impressive draws against Brighton and Ballarat, so we can't take this game likely," was the coach's pregame warning to his team. 
 
The first 30 minutes of the game provided a good response.  SMWFC passed the ball crisply and the midfield trio did an excellent job of distributing wide to open up the play.  It was only the final touch that was missing as SMWFC had four clear chances to score only to shoot directly at the keeper or wide each time.  "It's easy to get frustrated in that situation, having almost complete domination of a game but no goals to show for it, " coach Jeff said.  "My message at half time was: don't change anything you are doing, keep creating chances and the goals will eventually come."
 
But it was the Strikers who came back hard in the second half, perhaps sensing the chance for an upset win.  SMWFC was continually pressing forward and a couple of defensive breakdowns let the opposing forward go one-on-one with the keeper. "From having been potentially 4-0 up at half-time, we were now playing a team that could have been 2 or 3 goals up on us in the second half, if it had taken the few chances we were allowing," coach Jeff recalls. "Celia came up big-time for us in the goal, snuffing out clear scoring chances to keep us in it till our own offense came good."
 
On a narrow field, creating width was the only answer. SMWFC's corners were flying too long, and each time it's wide players crept in, looking for the ball in the run of play, SMWFC looked too desperate to score.  "But we had their measure on one side of the field, and an open invitation to attack there due to poor defensive shape," coach Jeff said. "Bianca Cachia was using her speed well to get behind their defense, and Renee Laszczak making the big probing runs you need from your outside back.  But its only when your central forwards start delaying their runs into the box the critical few moments that a team turns a good cross pulled back from the keeper into a true scoring threat."  
 
With three of its attacking players out injured during  the preceding weeks and not playing, its understandable some of that offensive rhythm was lacking.  Laszczak finally broke the scoreless deadlock five minutes from time, after a good combination with Molly Kennedy to play her in.  As often happens in such situations, the opposition deflated after giving up a goal, and Cachia added the insurance goal shortly afterwards.
 
SMWFC has three tough games over the next two weeks.  New entrant Ballarat comes to Albert Park for the first time in round 7, and local rivals and currently third-placed Brighton visits for a round 8 match-up.  In between these games, SMWFC will host FFV's Under 15 team in friendly to be played on synthetic field 7/8 on Friday June 20th. 
od they play beautifully in each game, and minimize the time spent playing unintelligent football." 

 Geelong Girls

 

 

 

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