Great Season!

Wow! What a great season we had this Fall. The team has really advanced itself on basic skills. Our passing was very good, we maintained control of the middle third, our defenders kept pushing our opponent's attack to the outside, and our forward play was fast and crisp.

Great skills lead to great play on the field. Great play on the field leads to more scoring opportunities, and we had our fair share, no doubt. Our goal production was outstanding (37 goals) and our defense was equally outstanding (allowed only 9 goals, or just over 1 per game). Even when you take out the over matched game near the beginning of the season where we scored 13 goals, we still had a 3 goal per game average and that is a sign we are all doing the right things.

And just as great skills lead to great play, it also leads to a strong record. We finished the season with 19 points (6-1-1), which is the highest we've ever had. We really played together like a team, where everyone contributed their best all the time.

It was a great pleasure to be coaching the boys, and I look forward to starting up practice again in January. Great job everyone.

Geaux Stingrays FC

An unfortunate way to end the season

I am very sad that our season ended on such a sour note. The other coach's actions were over-the-top, and unwarranted by any measure. His arguments with the ref were really out of line, and his pulling his team off the field instead of respecting the ref's red card is just a terrible way to "win" a game.

It's really too bad, because the Lions are one of the best teams in our division, and we always have a great game with them. I have had a lot of respect for the coach, as he consistently has a very skilled and well-prepared team. It is always good to have a challenging game against a strong team. It helps us be a better team, if not in the short term, definitely in the long term.

I feel sad for our players, especially for those who didn't get a chance to play in the second half because of the forfeit. I feel particularly sad for the other team's players as well, because they suffered for the actions of their coach. This game is always about the kids, and about how soccer builds character, respect and confidence. It's just too bad it had to end this way.

I think Charlie summed it up best, when he said "I'd rather lose than win by forfeit." I couldn't agree more.

Great Hustle and Teamwork

Today was an outstanding game. We played a very competitive team in the Thunder Lizards, who came out hot and really kept the pressure on. There were three things that we did really well today.

First, we didn't let early adversity set the tone of the game. They score first, and fairly early. This could have easily put us in a defensive and desperate tone. Instead, the boys kept their cool, kept up with the attack and score 4 goals within a six minute span. They totally dominated the middle third, which allowed us to create some impressive opportunities. Charlie's header from the top of the goal was particularly spectacular.

Our second achievement was our movement of the ball. We were able to keep possession of the ball through some good passing, good 1v1 play, and good movement off the ball. We still need to work on our set plays for goal kicks. But our success today was due to maintaining control of the ball through good movement. We consistently were able to make four or five consecutive passes.

Finally, I was really impressed with how the team handled the second half. The Lizards came out strong and hard. They were fired up, and they scored convincingly to pull within one goal. Instead of being rattled by their strength, the SFC held together, played great defense, and scored late in the game to seal the victory.

Great job by everyone. Geaux Stingrays FC!