Odds makers were correct

The number #1 and #2 teams played. The odds-makers said the number #2 team - that's us - would lose. That's what happened unfortunately.

On Sunday morning, we fell to the now undisputed number one team in the division, Team X, by a score of 3-2. It was a loss, there's no way to hide that. But it was a good effort, a nice day, and something to learn from. The game turned on just a few plays.

In the first half, our midfield and defense worked very well together to feed the forwards. We put a lot of pressure on their defense and scored an early goal. The goal was a thing of beauty actually. According to my memory, Griz received (or won?) a ball in the midfield and slotted a beautiful pass to someone (who?), who passed to Adrian, who drew players to the right side, then fed Jon right in front of the goal.

BUT, by the end of the first half, we had begun to succumb to pressure. We couldn't stop their crosses and they banged a powerful goal into the net. Their tallest forward - with the dark hair - was an outstanding player for those that tried to defend him.

In the second half, we didn't find an effective strategy until late in the game. The defense was under seige. Team X converted several breakaways into goals. We'll save the tactical analysis for another time though - we should be happy with our efforts. It's worth noting that we eventually figured out how to exploit their weak defense. With 15 minutes to play, we scored our second goal (Chris). We finished the game with a respectable 3-2 score against a team who has kicked everyone else's butt (of course, I think we all know that in a rematch we could take them!).

Hats off to two players:

- to Jackie, for putting herself on the line for the team. She picked up a battle wound. That's why Your Captain voted her as one of the two all-stars (see previous post).

- to Anna, who showed us that she is a serious goalie in addition to a quality field player. Not to take anything away from Jorge, but we are VERY comfortable with you back there. You got skills. Next time, we'll try to spare you repeated breakaway 1-on-1's. Nice job!

Notes: 3-2 loss to Team X on May 13, 2007 at GWU Mount Vernon. Goals by Jon (Griz, Adrian), Chris (solo). GK: Anna.