Last of the scrimmages

We had four scrimmages near the end of camp to help improve our as the tournament rapidly approached. We played two back to back 60 minute games against the Allied Forces club team here at the Naval Air Station.

Pre-game strategy

Walter on the move

We dominated both games. It was obvious our work over the previous days had paid off; we were more organized and more fit. We strung together some very creative attacks and were able to play simple soccer, which is rarely easy to do. We won both game by numerous goals. Garnett (G) had the goal of the match by cutting around two defenders before finding the side net from the corner of the box.

Allied forces try to clear to ball

Scott Cook nods it away

The following day we had a morning training session and then took the vans to play the Honduran team for a second time. The first time we met, the Hondurans won by numerous goals. This time around we were a much more prepared team. We took control of the middle of the park early and significantly cut down their opportunity to dribble into space.

 Kyle warming up

Ron warming up

Nate getting to the ball

The game was fairly even, but we came away with more opportunities to score. Unfortunately the final score sheet didn't indicate that. We ended up losing 3-2, however, their third goal would not likely have been a goal with a different referee staff running the game. Ron, our keeper collected the ball after he saw the sideline referee call off-sides and gingerly passed the ball to the spot of the violation. In a lack of communication, the center ref never saw the sideline judge call off-sides so he never stopped the play. Moreover, a Honduran defender picked off the pass and walked it into the goal unchallenged as both teams stood around dumbfounded. There was a small follow-on argument but we ended up not pushing the issue as the final score had no real relevance. 

Half time strategy

Overall, it was great to see the marked improvement that we had made since our first scrimmage with the Hondurans. 

We had our final scrimmage against a part Air Force, part civilian club team. This was our second time playing against this group. It was obvious we were the stronger side from the beginning. We were a bit tired from the scrimmage with the Hondurans the night before however, we were still able to dictate most of the play and pass out of tight spots without giving them many opportunities to shoot. The final result ended as 2-0 in our favor.

Tudd making a successful far post run

After the game we enjoyed some beers and soda with the visiting team and headed back to the Navy Gateway to order some pizza and take advantage of having the rest of the day off.