Age/Gender: U11 Girls
Location: SportsPlex
Result: L 8-2
Players: Erin, Marayna, Aliana, Ava, Lauren, Nicole, Hope, Shiloh, Mia, Adler
Goal(s): Mia
Player of the game: Erin
On defense, it was a tough game for the Dutch Lions especially at the 1st half, where the girls were surprised by the opponent’s fast pace and showed some difficulties containing the opponent’s initiatives. During the 2nd half, the girls displayed more consistence on defense and were able to correct some mistakes made earlier.
Offensively, the girls created some chances to score, with good passes in their offensive half, mostly during the 2nd half but weren’t very effective on finishing these chances.
Coach Paulo said after the game “Today wasn’t a good game for us. I saw the girls a little bit hesitant on the ball, with non-assertive decision-making that led to a different approach to the game not normal for us. We kicked the ball too many times, instead of trying to find the support and their teammate’s feet. At half time, the girls had a clear notion of where they were not able to be successful at the 1st time, and what we should correct for the second-half. I saw some improvement on their game and for me this is the most important thing that we can learn every game”.
After the game, Coach Paulo nominated Erin as a player of the game and quoted “Erin had an difficult task today with constant pressure from the opponent. She had a couple of great saves with good reflexes and was very assertive on ball distribution, communication, and anticipation”.
Age/Gender: U11 Boys
Location: Kingdom Sportscenter
Result: L 8-4
Players: Braxton, Connor, Christian, Holden, Daniel, Sam, Aaron, Julian (U12)
Goal(s): Sam, Julian
Player of the Game: Christian
Offensively, the Lions had difficulties maintaining possession of the ball due to the physical play and athleticism of the opponent. The Lions best scoring opportunities came from quick counter attack situations when they were able to push numbers forward and outnumber the defense.
Defensively, the Lions stayed compact and shifted well as a team but as the game went on, the gap between the defenders and midfielders became too big and the opponent capitalized on those moments.
Coach Shane was quoted, “It was a tough match for us but it is a great learning experience for the team. We have to maintain our defensive shape and have to be more disciplined on the field to recover back to help their teammates. Today’s opponent was a good test for us as we continue preparing for the spring season.”
Coach Shane nominated Christian as the player of the game for his tremendous work ethic and always leads his team in a positive way on the field.
Age/Gender: U12 Girls
Result: W 7-3
Players: Alexis, Audrey, Brooke, Camlyn, Ellerie, Hannah, Ilana, Maddie, Mallory, Milan, Morgan
Goal(s):Camlyn, Ellerie, Maddie, Milan, Morgan
Player of the game: Milan
Offensively, the Lions didn’t waste any time in their attacking half. They played quickly, moving the ball around the competition by creating and finding support for their teammates. Five players were able to contribute to capitalizing on seven scoring opportunities in tonight’s match. Defensively, the ladies continued to progress. For the majority of the match, they were able to maintain organization against the opponent’s quick offensive transition.
After the match Coach Katie had the following to say “I was very impressed with the quality of our goals tonight. Each goal was well earned; we built our attack nicely from bottom to top and we were able to finish with composure and precision”. Coach Katie concluded with “I am pleased with how well our play is coming together as a whole and I’m excited to get the Spring season rolling with this group of young ladies”.
Coach Katie has nominated Milan as the player of the game. Tonight, Milan finished on two opportunities and showed great confidence in 1v1 situations. Milan plays a key attacking role for the Lions.
Age/Gender: U12 Boys
Location: SportsPlex (indoor)
Result: L 7-2
Players: Julian, R.J., Justin, Mick, Connor, Jake, J.R., Mason, Aaron, Ryan, Billy, Gabe
Goal(s): Ryan, Aaron
Player of the game: R.J.
Defensively, it was a game with two very distinct halves. Contrary to what happened at the 1st half, where the team played an excellent game with a great attitude, teamwork, good marking to the opponent, and closing passing lanes but the 2nd half was the opposite. Some non-assertive decision making and individual mistakes led to a final score completely different from what appeared to be a great game.
Offensively, the displayed some good passes but show some struggle connecting the last pass. Through some quick plays, the Lions created some opportunities to score, but there was a lack of movement to support and provide options to the player with ball.
Coach Paulo said after the game “I hope we can look for today’s game as a learning experience. We started the game with a great attitude but we weren’t able to keep it for the 2nd half.
It’s important for us to be focused from the beginning until the end of the game, and we need to be efficient on the chances we have”.
After the game, Coach Paulo nominated R.J. as a player of the game and quoted “ R.J. played a very assertive game today. His decisions, in general, were good. With a correct positioning on the field and spatial awareness, he was able to anticipate plays and had some great tackles. Also showed some leadership skills by coaching his teammates during this game.
Age/Gender: U14 Girls
Location: Kingdom Sportscenter
Result: W 6-4
Players: Erin, Camille, Alessandra, Muriel, Ema M, Ashley, Sumera, Emma P, Katie, Alicia, JJ, Nicole, Rachel, Shelby
Goal(s): Sumera, Nicole, Rachel
Player of the Game: Nicole
Offensively, the Lions continued to display their confidence in the attack with rapid combination play and creative through balls behind the defensive lines. The Lions movement off the ball sprung the attackers and they finished their chances with precise finishing to score their goals.
Defensively, the Lions were strong in their individual challenges and covered each other on the field. Communication was key for the Lions in the defensive half as they did an excellent job maintaining the organization throughout the game.
Coach Shane was quoted, “Another fantastic performance from the U14 girls against a quality opponent. I am very proud of how much the U14 girls have improved this winter season and its great to see them playing with so much confidence. We are ready for the spring season!”
Coach Shane nominated Nicole as the player of the game for a strong defensive effort and also scored an important goal to seal the victory.
Age/Gender: U14 Boys
Location: Kingdom Sportscenter
Result: W 5-2
Players: Caden, Teddy, Kyle, Hunter, Dominic, Ethan, Elijah, Alfonso, Silas, TJ, Gradey, Gareth
Player of the game: Teddy
This weekend the Dutch Lions played as a real team. They all worked very hard during the whole match and that was the main reason for the positive result. The defense was very solid and mutual they talked a lot to stay sharp until the end of the match. Even in a small space like an indoor field, the Lions did not allow the opponent to shoot on target. One of the most important things was that the team found the space behind the defense of the opponent when we captured the ball.
Offensively, The Lions played really hungry! Every moment during the game there was constant movement and that led to a ton of 3v2 moments. In that situation the team tried to find the free man and to find space to get a shot on goal. The Dutch Lions had a lot of scoring opportunities during the whole match and that made it possible to get a bigger result than the 5-2 win.
After the match the new coach Daan said: “First of all I want to say that I am really proud of my team today. Last week we trained on some important tactical things and I definitely saw this today during the match. We played the whole game in a good organization and did not get out of our compact formation. Two times we came behind in the score but we continued to fight and that brought us back in the game. This eagerness means that our team is mentally strong enough to handle setbacks. The most important thing is that we won today and this must give the team the self-confidence for the upcoming game this Sunday”.
Coach Daan has nominated Teddy as the player of the game. Defensively Teddy played a really strong game and he scored two goals as a defender. Coach Daan said: “Actually I want to nominate the whole team because this result was a real team performance. This week we are going to train hard and I can’t wait to play the next game on Sunday with this group of players”.
Age/Gender: U15 Girls
Location: Wall2Wall (Indoor)
Result: 4-0 W
Players: Grace T.; Grace Z; Olivia; Sarah; Morgan; Meera; Emily; Paige; Peyton; Kayla; Anna; Veronica; Mollie; Eva; Grace P.
Goal(s): Peyton / Veronica / Kayla / Emily
Player of the game: Peyton
On defense the Dutch lions team presented another solid performance. The young ladies have put a tremendous effort inside of the pitch, reducing all the spaces and time on the ball for our opponent, the team kept a great organization throughout the game, nullifying all the attempts to create danger near to our defensive zones. It was also positive to see how the team was able to recover the ball high on the field several times due a good pressure moments. It was good to see the girls working together being supportive with each other.
On the ball, it is amazing to see the improvement since the beginning of the season, particularly the possession game, the girls had a solid and dominant performance, controlling the tempo and moments of the game in a very thoughtful way without taking unnecessary risks. It was possible to see good combination moments with the ball on the ground, with constant support to the ball carrier creating a pleasant dynamic. The young ladies have utilized the width to unbalance the defensive opponents line and create space; the majority of the scoring opportunities came precisely from the flanks.
After the game coach Bruno was quoted: "I think today we had a dominant performance, we were better in all aspects of the game. Today was also important to give some players more playing time, to see players in different roles and they all have gave a great answer. I think the improvement is excellent, especially on the ball, the girls are now more confident and relaxed, and having a better understanding of the game moments." continuing" It's easy and pleasant to work with these kind of players, they are all committed to each other and mainly with the team and our ideas, they all want to get better and work to achieve that. We still have a long road to go but I think we are on the right path." to conclude coach Bruno said" Today Payton was nominated as player of the match, with one goal and one assist she was our playmaker on our attacking half with her creativity and mobility. Besides that she also played an important role balancing the team defensively"
Age/Gender: U18 Boys
Location: Wall2Wall (Indoor)
Result: 2-0 L
Players: Trent; Drew; Triston; Marien; Cody; Makay; Matthew; Alex; Britton; Bradley; Collin; Declan; Trevor; Tanner; Scott; Tony
Player of the game: Marien
Defensively the Dutch Lions team had a decent performance, the boys were focused for most of the time covering each other on the field, with all the players involved in the process. The defense line was very coordinated utilizing the offside trap multiple times with success. However the defensive transition was not as quick as necessary especially when the opposition used the long ball as main option. In this specific case the pressure needs to be more effective and aggressive on the ball carrier. The team took some unnecessary risks on the first stage of the match, when under pressure the process needs to be simple and efficient.
Offensively the boys started the game really well, looking for the short combinations over the balls, with a great dynamic providing multiple and different passing options to the ball carrier. However they missed some creativity and objectivity in the last third of the pitch to find the ways to unbalance the opposition defensive line and create goal opportunities. Unfortunately with the course of the game the boys lost their patience and criterion on the ball forcing the inside space and the long balls, with which the opposition felt more comfortable.
After the game coach Bruno has the following to say: "Last game of the Indoor league, and the scores are not what we all wanted however that's less important here, I believe that it was positive and helpful to assimilate our ideas and prepare the tough season that’s coming ahead. Today we started the game really well, looking for the short combinations and a more positional type of soccer. However by the second half of the game we lost our identity on the ball, which eventually harmed us. At the end of the day it's a learning experience, no matter what, we need to be loyal to our ideal and believe in the process." To conclude coach Lopes added " Today Marien was nominated as player of the match, he was very thoughtful and conscious on his actions with and without the ball. Helpful on defense and always available to be an option when the team had the ball possession"