Indoor Xtreme 98 headed into Sunday's game with former outdoor rival LMVSA Patriots 98 with high hopes, and although both teams delivered exciting soccer, it was LMVSA that emerged victorious.
Once again Xtreme let their opponents strike first, but the girls answered quickly with a tying tally. But the Patriots seemed to be hungrier, breaking the tie and pulling ahead - a lead they would never relinquish.
Xtreme delivered another thrilling game - applying great pressure on the Patriot keeper who made a dozen great saves in the final minutes of the game. Xtreme scored twice in the final 50 seconds to pull within one, but ran out of time before they could mount a final attack, hoping to pull out a tie.
Three games remain on the schedule. Next up, Alexandria Revolution on December 13 at 3pm.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Xtreme Tops Team America, Improves to 2-1-0
Indoor Xtreme took on indoor rival Team America in a Thanksgiving Weekend thriller. Once again, Xtreme let their opponents jump out to an early lead, but playing from behind is becoming an Xtreme specialty.
The teams traded multiple goals during the first 25 minutes and went into half time tied at 5 goals a piece. Inconsistent was the best word to describe Xtreme in the first half.
But Xtreme made several mental adjustments during the break and came out determined to own the field. And own it they did. The offensive lines kept pressure on the TA keepers and the defensive lines offered great support at midfield to keep Xtreme on offense for most of the second half.
Multiple Xtreme players scored - and frankly it was too quick and frequent for this cub reporter to keep up. The final score was Xtreme 98 - 12, Team America 6.
Next weekend Xtreme will take on outdoor rivals from the 2007-08 season, LMVSA Patriots.
The teams traded multiple goals during the first 25 minutes and went into half time tied at 5 goals a piece. Inconsistent was the best word to describe Xtreme in the first half.
But Xtreme made several mental adjustments during the break and came out determined to own the field. And own it they did. The offensive lines kept pressure on the TA keepers and the defensive lines offered great support at midfield to keep Xtreme on offense for most of the second half.
Multiple Xtreme players scored - and frankly it was too quick and frequent for this cub reporter to keep up. The final score was Xtreme 98 - 12, Team America 6.
Next weekend Xtreme will take on outdoor rivals from the 2007-08 season, LMVSA Patriots.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Indoor Xtreme 1-1 on the Season
After an season opening loss to Alexandria, Xtreme 98 rebounded with an unbelievably exciting come-from-behind win against the VYS Firehawks on Sunday.
After much of the team stayed up ALL NIGHT at the Red squad's end of season party and sleepover, fans were uneasy going into Sunday's game. Xtreme fell behind 2-0 in the opening minutes, but dug deep and by halftime, the game was tied. The Taxman scored on a penalty kick, a result of multiple handballs, the last one inside the box, and Meg scored a blistering goal from the right wing.
The teams took the field in the second half determined to break the tie - and VYS opened the scoring. But Xtreme wouldn't give up, and actually controlled the ball and pace of the game nicely. Xtreme communicated very well and the lines Coach Summer developed synched up beautifully, backing each other up and feeding each other to test the Firehawk keeper.
Consistent with Coach Summer's belief that everyone should get a taste of goalkeeping duties, Xtreme rotated through six keepers. This game saw Kendall, Emma, Madison, Myriam, Meg, and The Hammer in goal.
Caitlin tied the game again with a thunderous shot from twenty feet that had so much boot on it, even if the goalie had gotten her hands on it, was going to carry her into the net with it.
Once again VYS broke the tie going up 4-3, but it was all Xtreme from that point on.
Backed by a solid defense of Kendall and Space Ghost, the offensive line of Elizabeth, Sunshine, and Caitlin peppered the VYS keeper and defense with an uninterrupted 5 minutes of pressure. Xtreme took at least 15 shots during the span that were saved or went just wide or were deflected. VYS was unable to make defensive changes and finally the shell-shocked keeper was able to deflect a ball into the Xtreme half, and all players on both teams changed.
With The Hammer in goal and Madison and Meg on defense, Xtreme's offense kept the pressure on. Taxman, Reina, and Laura continued to test the keeper until Laura found the back of the net to tie the game with less than 3 minutes to play.
The Xtreme line continued to dominate the exhausted VYS squad that lost two players to injury during the match, and Meg and Reina repeatedly tested the keeper, until finally, with less than 12 seconds left in the game, Reina found the back of the net from point blank range to send Xtreme up 5-4.
It was a thrilling match, both teams played well, but apparently working on no sleep seemed to work for Xtreme. Next up, a surprise Thanksgiving weekend game against TA Freedom 98.
After much of the team stayed up ALL NIGHT at the Red squad's end of season party and sleepover, fans were uneasy going into Sunday's game. Xtreme fell behind 2-0 in the opening minutes, but dug deep and by halftime, the game was tied. The Taxman scored on a penalty kick, a result of multiple handballs, the last one inside the box, and Meg scored a blistering goal from the right wing.
The teams took the field in the second half determined to break the tie - and VYS opened the scoring. But Xtreme wouldn't give up, and actually controlled the ball and pace of the game nicely. Xtreme communicated very well and the lines Coach Summer developed synched up beautifully, backing each other up and feeding each other to test the Firehawk keeper.
Consistent with Coach Summer's belief that everyone should get a taste of goalkeeping duties, Xtreme rotated through six keepers. This game saw Kendall, Emma, Madison, Myriam, Meg, and The Hammer in goal.
Caitlin tied the game again with a thunderous shot from twenty feet that had so much boot on it, even if the goalie had gotten her hands on it, was going to carry her into the net with it.
Once again VYS broke the tie going up 4-3, but it was all Xtreme from that point on.
Backed by a solid defense of Kendall and Space Ghost, the offensive line of Elizabeth, Sunshine, and Caitlin peppered the VYS keeper and defense with an uninterrupted 5 minutes of pressure. Xtreme took at least 15 shots during the span that were saved or went just wide or were deflected. VYS was unable to make defensive changes and finally the shell-shocked keeper was able to deflect a ball into the Xtreme half, and all players on both teams changed.
With The Hammer in goal and Madison and Meg on defense, Xtreme's offense kept the pressure on. Taxman, Reina, and Laura continued to test the keeper until Laura found the back of the net to tie the game with less than 3 minutes to play.
The Xtreme line continued to dominate the exhausted VYS squad that lost two players to injury during the match, and Meg and Reina repeatedly tested the keeper, until finally, with less than 12 seconds left in the game, Reina found the back of the net from point blank range to send Xtreme up 5-4.
It was a thrilling match, both teams played well, but apparently working on no sleep seemed to work for Xtreme. Next up, a surprise Thanksgiving weekend game against TA Freedom 98.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Xtreme Ends Regular Season with a Win
Xtreme 98 Red ended the regular season with a solid 1-0 win against Chantilly 98 Freedom. The girls played a great game - their game - and really controlled the tempo of the game. The possession game that Coach Lance has been working on with the girls, and that is going to be the future of the squad, came into focus, particularly with passes back to the keeper to facilitate field changes.
Also of note, the girls finally exceeded 100 quality passes during a game, notching a 47 pass first half and a 54 pass second half. As Lance has said to them over and over, "when you pass, you win," and that was well on display on Sunday.
A more detailed Coach's report is coming, but congratulations to the girls of Xtreme 98 Red and all the fans thank them for closing out the season in such a composed and dominant way.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
From the Bench - Coach's Report 11/9/09
Congratulations to all the players at Sundays Game against Loudon. This was another solid effort by this group of players. Here are some of the things that I saw from the bench:
(1) Annandale '98 Red girls played a composed game throughout the full 60 minutes (in an unnecesarily physical game). I think this showed a growth in self-confidence and level of maturity that was not present at the start of the Fall season.
(2) One of the skills that migrated from practice to this game was movement off the ball. There were some wonderful passing sequences that involved 3-4 players and required anticipating where to be for the next pass. (Not enough to score girls, but Rome was not built in a day either).
The first-touch was pretty good, and the use of the bottom-of-the-foot to control the ball on a bumpy surface and buy time by looking up (when one can feel the ball underfoot) was used more frequently than in past games.
(3) There was also a lot more anticipation of where the flow of the game was headed when the other team had possession. This is not a skill that we have practiced and shows how the girls have developed the confidence to adapt and learn on their own. In a recent game, they organized a wall to defend a free kick outside the penalty box. This was all on their own too.
(4) As always, tackling was solid. First-to-the-ball was consistently better in this game. The girls marked-up on their own initiative too.
In the 2nd half, the players tried poking the ball away from a player from the side, instead of facing up and trying to stop the (steamroller-type) player and the ball. Several girls tried it with good effect in the 2nd half. The girls also got to experiment with defending against elbows and pushing. (Unfortunately, this is a skill they will have to learn as they keep playing).
As always parents, thanks for your support over all the ups-and-downs of the season. The positive experience the girls have had is directly a result of your encouragement, support and trust.
Questions, comments and suggestions, plz e-mail or call or visit before/after.
Lance
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Xtreme 98 Red Finalists in VIP Tournament
Xtreme 98 Red stormed into the Fourth Annual Great Falls VIP Tournament with high expectations. And the girls delivered.
The squad overcame adversity, weather, and a rough schedule - including a pre-sunrise call for the first game of the tournament to make the Championship Game on Sunday and earn the team's first trophy.
Xtreme first took the field on Saturday against hosts Great Falls Elite for a 7:30 am game. After giving up an early goal, Xtreme settled down and took control of the game - passing and working the field nicely.
Striker Reina notched a hat trick with great support from all her teammates who were able to set her up and keep the pressure on. Erin L earned her new nickname - "The Taxman." (You can do what you want on the field, but she's going to make you pay.)
Great Falls came on strong in the closing minutes fighting hard to pull out a tie, but Amalia made several sprawling saves to help Red hold on for the win.
After a break and rain that was heavy at times, Red took on Fredericksburg (FASA) in their first game of the day. After playing powerhouse finesse teams like BRYC and SYA all year, Xtreme faced the FASA Dragons that play a different style soccer.
One win and one loss was enough for Xtreme to lock up second place in Flight A and make Sunday's playoffs where they would face the first place team from Flight B.
Xtreme took the field against the newly formed VYS Firehawks who were undefeated on Saturday.
From the beginning, Xtreme controlled the game with beautiful passing and great on-field communication. Xtreme initially had trouble finding the back of the net, sending several shots wide in the opening minutes and making the Firehawk keeper earn her stripes - which the young lady did nicely.
Kendall and Caitlin controlled the backfield, keeping Xtreme on offense for the majority of the game and skillfully directed field changes with the help of guest Carson, who returned to Xtreme 98 to assist during the tournament in goal and add some of her "no fear" offense.
Audrey showed great speed and footwork and demonstrated how she earned the nickname, "Space Ghost" (because she can go Coast-to-Coast on you if she wants). Erin G once again showed she can transfer her basketball skills to the soccer field as she "boxed out"players and made it clear she owned her piece of the field.
Laura finally opened the scoring with a blast, releasing great tension on the field and the sidelines.
VYS answered on a breakaway to tie the score at one apiece. But it wouldn't last.
Madison and Emma both demonstrated their improving b
all handling skills and played up top, helping to keep the pressure on the VYS keeper.
Reina added another goal for her fourth of the tournament and then Aiden put the game away, adding another goal with some beautiful ball handling in traffic.
The 3-1 win sent Xtreme 98 Red to the Championship game where they would face the FASA team again. FASA ran up the score in their playoff game, winning 17-0. But the Red squad was undaunted.
Coach Lance and the girls made several adjustments for the championship game to better handle FASA's style, holding them scoreless for the first 15 minutes.
In the end, FASA prevailed, though the Red Squad played strong through the game and were able to break through the FASA defense with Madison and Reina surprising the FASA keeper with shots.
The girls put up a good fight and demonstrated determination, and put the skills they are learning into action.
Congratulations to Xtreme 98 Red for earning their Finalist Trophy!
The squad overcame adversity, weather, and a rough schedule - including a pre-sunrise call for the first game of the tournament to make the Championship Game on Sunday and earn the team's first trophy.
Xtreme first took the field on Saturday against hosts Great Falls Elite for a 7:30 am game. After giving up an early goal, Xtreme settled down and took control of the game - passing and working the field nicely.
Striker Reina notched a hat trick with great support from all her teammates who were able to set her up and keep the pressure on. Erin L earned her new nickname - "The Taxman." (You can do what you want on the field, but she's going to make you pay.)
Great Falls came on strong in the closing minutes fighting hard to pull out a tie, but Amalia made several sprawling saves to help Red hold on for the win.
After a break and rain that was heavy at times, Red took on Fredericksburg (FASA) in their first game of the day. After playing powerhouse finesse teams like BRYC and SYA all year, Xtreme faced the FASA Dragons that play a different style soccer.
One win and one loss was enough for Xtreme to lock up second place in Flight A and make Sunday's playoffs where they would face the first place team from Flight B.
Xtreme took the field against the newly formed VYS Firehawks who were undefeated on Saturday.
From the beginning, Xtreme controlled the game with beautiful passing and great on-field communication. Xtreme initially had trouble finding the back of the net, sending several shots wide in the opening minutes and making the Firehawk keeper earn her stripes - which the young lady did nicely.
Kendall and Caitlin controlled the backfield, keeping Xtreme on offense for the majority of the game and skillfully directed field changes with the help of guest Carson, who returned to Xtreme 98 to assist during the tournament in goal and add some of her "no fear" offense.
Audrey showed great speed and footwork and demonstrated how she earned the nickname, "Space Ghost" (because she can go Coast-to-Coast on you if she wants). Erin G once again showed she can transfer her basketball skills to the soccer field as she "boxed out"players and made it clear she owned her piece of the field.
Laura finally opened the scoring with a blast, releasing great tension on the field and the sidelines.
VYS answered on a breakaway to tie the score at one apiece. But it wouldn't last.
Madison and Emma both demonstrated their improving b
all handling skills and played up top, helping to keep the pressure on the VYS keeper.Reina added another goal for her fourth of the tournament and then Aiden put the game away, adding another goal with some beautiful ball handling in traffic.
The 3-1 win sent Xtreme 98 Red to the Championship game where they would face the FASA team again. FASA ran up the score in their playoff game, winning 17-0. But the Red squad was undaunted.
Coach Lance and the girls made several adjustments for the championship game to better handle FASA's style, holding them scoreless for the first 15 minutes.
In the end, FASA prevailed, though the Red Squad played strong through the game and were able to break through the FASA defense with Madison and Reina surprising the FASA keeper with shots.
The girls put up a good fight and demonstrated determination, and put the skills they are learning into action.
Congratulations to Xtreme 98 Red for earning their Finalist Trophy!
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