In the weekend of April 30 and May 1 all of DDLFC's youth academy teams played in the Derby Cup or in the President's Cup.
DERBY CUP, KY
We want to congratulate our U9 Girls, U12 Girls and U14 Girls on winning their divisions!
Age/Gender: U9 Girls
Record - 3 wins
Player of the Tournament: Rachel
After the tournament coach Daan said: "The girls showed a strong performance this weekend. To play a two-day tournament is a nice experience for the whole team included parents. Unfortunately, the weather could have been better but beside that it was a successful weekend for the girls. We won all of our games and we showed that we have a group of girls that improve a lot in technical skills and also in the tactical part of soccer. We played three matches in two days and we scored 12 goals and conceded 0 goals. These statistics show that we are on the right track and my purpose is to keep working and improving each individual player"
Age/Gender: U11 Girls
Record: 2 Ties
Player of the Tournament: Aliana
Coach Paulo had the following to say about the girls performance during the Tournament “They were very organized and consistent defensively and very confident. The girls showed good dynamic on the ball, creating several goal scoring opportunities in both games. These girls have a tremendous willpower and showed this in the 1st game. After being 2-0 down, they showed a good reaction and pulled themselves back in the game and were leading the game 3-2, unluckily for us this game ended up with a tie”. Continuing, coach Paulo said “I think the girls had a very positive performance during the weekend, and I’m very pleased to see the effort they put every game they play and the progress and growth of these girls”.
Age/Gender: U11 Boys
Record: 2 losses
Player of the Tournament: Christian
Coach Shane had the following to say about the tournament, “We played some tough teams and faced much stronger competition compared to our spring league opponents. It is definitely a learning experience for us and highlights few things we need to improve on for us to get to next level include being more disciplined in our formation/positions, strong on the ball/aggressive off the ball, and need to increase our speed of play. Continuing, Coach Shane said, “We have improved tremendously this year and the players need to realize how much they have developed individually and as a team. I am positive we will put in a strong effort to conclude our final games this spring season."
Age/Gender: U12 Girls
Record: 2 wins
Coach Katie had the following to say in review of the weekend: “I am very pleased with the girls’ performance in both of Saturday’s matches. Both wins were well deserved and each goal was earned through combination play. Defensively, we were solid; we maintained organization and were able to build our attack with success out of the back. We showed great confidence on the ball this weekend and I am hopeful that the ladies will be able to carry this confidence and style of play into the last three games of our Spring season”.
Age/Gender: U12 Boys
Record: 1 win & 1 loss
Player of the Tournament: Jake
Coach Paulo had the following to say “We started our participation with a well played game, with a good collective performance. Good work rate in both ways, attack and defense and aggressiveness on the ball preventing the opposite team to create dangerous situations. Offensively, with moments of great soccer, the boys created a lot of chances where we have succeeded on finishing those scoring opportunities”. Continuing, coach Paulo said “We lost our second game, but the boys worked really hard and showed a great attitude fighting back the whole game until the final whistle. Unfortunately, our Sunday’s game was cancelled, and it would have been a good opportunity to see how they would react after the last defeat. Overall, the boys left a very positive image in the two games played and it was very positive weekend”.
Age/Gender: U14 Girls
Record: 2 wins
Player of the Tournament: JJ
Coach Shane was quoted after the tournament, “Offensively, our attacking players continue to create scoring opportunities for the team and are improving technically in front of goal. We had a fantastic moment in the first game with a streaking run from our left winger, crossed the ball into the box, and our striker finished the goal to win the game in the final minute! Defensively, we maintained our organization and were aggressive in our challenges. The Lions defenders did an excellent job marking the fast/athletic attackers and covering their teammates on the field, which helped seal both victories.
Age/Gender: U14 Boys
Record: 1 win & 1 loss
Player of the Tournament: TJ
After the tournament Coach Daan said: "I'm very happy with our performance during this tournament. The drive and energy we showed during both games is nothing less than perfect. The progression of this team in the two months since I’ve been here is huge. The most important for this team is that we are focused and concentrated in whatever we do. It's important that the players understand that I expect the focus and drive from each individual every game because only then we book progression in technical and tactical aspects. Overall, it was a great experience with a lot of fun moments and good performances!
PRESIDENTS CUP
Age/Gender: U13 Boys
Record: 3 losses
Coach Sid said after the weekend, "Despite the losses we proven that we can compete and play against any competition. We lost 3-1 against 2 teams that play a few divisions higher then us and that is nothing to be ashamed off. Playing against teams that are aggressive, skillful and strong will make us better and that is what the goal is at this age. It was a positive weekend and I believe we are a better team now then we where 3 days ago"
Age/Gender: U15 Girls
Record: 1 Tie & 2 losses
Recapitulating the U15 Girls weekend at Presidents Cup, coach Bruno has the following to say, “I think the girls did a great job throughout the weekend, the results were not what we wanted but more important than that was the way we played. We knew the competition would be tough but these group of girls showed all their potential and quality in every match. And if the second game was rough, the other two we were superior in all the game moments. On the ball was really nice to see how the young girls tried to move the ball on the ground, they had a perfect notion of the space and how to take advantage of the flanks to unbalance the opponents defense lines and create danger. On defense we conceded a few goals, but most of them resulted of individual mistakes which it's easier to fix compared to collective mistakes, saying that, overall I liked the organization, the girls were able to keep the balance and the composure for the majority of the time, and it's also very important to highlight the way the girls were supportive and committed to each other, which reveals an awesome team spirit and attitude." to conclude coach Bruno says" The improvement of this group of girls is terrific, I couldn't be more proud of them, it was for sure a learning experience, and we are undoubtedly a better team now after this competition than we were before, we were competitive and able to face these teams eye to eye what shows that the future of these team can only be shining"
Age/Gender: U15 Boys
Record: 3 losses
Looking back at the weekend coach Sid said, "We lost, 3-1, 2-1 and 4-2 and any of these games could have had a different outcome. In all three games we scored first and showed very good moments of soccer. Unfortunately we are very inconsistent and are struggling to put together a strong performance, without any individual mistakes for a full 80 minutes. It was a good weekend and we learned a lot about ourselves. We have been competitive in every game this spring season and just have to find away to start grinding our some wins."