Under 11 Joeys
Happy birthday Chiara !! Although the score sheet showed that we went down 1-3 today to Keilor, there were plenty of positives to take from today's game. Firstly, it was great to see some of the younger Joeys who will be continuing in U11s next year playing well in defence after all the practice we have been doing. Some of the highlights for me today were seeing Annabel gaining confidence in defence and starting to really push into midfield and attack when we have the ball and playing some good passes. It was great to see Cate's commitment to not letting the ball ever get past her and even heading the ball twice - a first for the team. Grace played another solid game in defence and midfield and I can see her becoming the team's general for next year's U11s.
I also have to remark on Elwen's play today - she must have made at least 4 solo runs from midfield taking the ball into space and beating 1, 2 or 3 players as well. She came close to scoring quite a few today but found it hard to control the ball over the final approach to goals as she was by that stage usually going at quite a pace and down a slight slope. Her goal was well deserved. I was also impressed with the play of the older Joeys like Gemma, Honor and Chiara for getting into good receiving positions on quite a few occasions and for hassling and harrying well in attack - Chiara was unlucky not to score from at least one of her goal kick intercepts.
With a bit more luck it could have been a different result - but that's the beauty of sport! Well done everyone.
Under 11 Kangas
Another fantastic effort from all the U11 Kangaroo girls today ... the game was very exciting and great to watch the skills from both teams - I can see that you have all been making a big effort to control possession which means we have a much better chance of converting attacking moves into goals. I think it helped with last week where we played on the bigger field and had more space to run into - you are all doing really well and will certainly be a strong team for next years Under 12s when we move up to the full sized field.
Our goalies were really not required and this is a real testament to the work of our backline Our midfielders really won us the game today - it was really great to see how much control you could all have of the ball whether you were in an attacking or defending part of the pitch. Your determination to have the ball in your possession was really obvious from the sidelines and meant we were always moving forward. This also meant that we were able to make sure that most of the times we went forward we were close to having a shot on goal. I lost count how many times their really impressive goalie was able to save the ball from going into the back of the net whether from crosses or from direct shots on goal.
The combination that scored the winning goal was just perfect and was a really strong finish to a long build up. Well done to final combination of Lam Nhi and Rozie - it was just spot on. Everyone showed that they wanted the ball today and gave Spring Hills very little room or opportunity to put pressure on our goals - it was a tough game but you very much deserved to come out on top. Thanks to all the supporters, families and friends for coming down - I'm sure you are all as proud of the way the girls played as I am after the game today.
Under 12s
This weekend the girls finally tasted defeat at the hands of well disciplined and drilled Barnstoneworth United Juniors FC. In challenging conditions the girls ended their undefeated streak losing 2-0. On a windy Sunday morning the challenge was ahead of us. Kicking against a strong breeze in the first half I chose to set up a little more defensively. We set out in a 4-4-2 formation to counter the tough conditions. Unfortunately in the first half we went behind to a tap in goal. The goal came from the corner kick where the ball got pinballed around a tangle off legs in the six yard box and unluckily it fell to the opposition to put the ball in the back off the net.
The first half of the game we were pinned in our defensive half and every time we made a break forward their defense quickly shut us out. In saying that we were unlucky not to be awarded a penalty kick for a clear hand ball from a throw in. In the first half we were lucky not to go behind by another goal where a clear break, a one on one was expertly kept out by Kristine X. She had a fantastic game in goal for the first half.
The girls came in with the heads down after the first half ended. I tried to rev them up for the second half by telling them that we were still in the game and that we had the wind behind our backs for the whole of the second half. We changed our formation to a more attacking 4-3-3 formation and started the second half pressing up high. As we attacking we got caught on the break and went 2 nil down. From then on in the game we pressed coming close to scoring on a number of occasions. Del hit the side netting and Isabella E side footed just wide.
On a positive note our nearest rival went down one nil which means we only half to take 3 points out of the 6 available to win the league. I am hoping that the girls can bounce back strong this week and secure the league. Credit to opposition this week who put in a more disciplined performance. At no stage did they fall out of formation. It’s a lesson for us and I hope the girls learn from the experience.
Under 16s
Another fantastic win for the under 16s today running out victorious 3-1 against Northcote.
A game of two halves … defending stoutly into the wind in the first half and taking the lead with a well deserved goal from Simone and going into the break 1-0 up. Facing a resurgent Northcote early in the second half the defence continued to hold firm with Lisa and Emma having very strong and confident games in the centre of defence. Tarn scored the second goal to give Kensington an extra edge but Northcote reapplied pressure to score largely against the run of play. Kensington kept its nerve and the team grew in confidence to give Northcote a master class in attacking pressure play. The 3rd goal came from Georgie's free kick when she used the wind well lofting the ball into the box leading to a bouncing swirling ball that was too good for the Northcote keeper. All in all a very pleasing effort from the team to prove that they can soak up and apply pressure while playing some very attractive football.
Under 18s
The u18 played a wonderful game against the strong Essendon team. Yes We have lost 7-2. We were 6-2 in the first 30 minutes but then really we were very competitive. Essendon is a wonderful team and fully deserve to be on top by far but our girls were congratulated by them for a wonderful game played. Unfortunately we had few girls out of actions and this for sure has had a great impact on the result. Thank you to Romaine (u16) for helping us and her parent for allowing her to play with the U18.
Last Modified on 02/03/2020 15:40
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