10/17/09 Crusaders vs Phoenix Ole

Crusaders 2 vs Phoenix Ole 7 (at RSA)

(No mistake there, we scored!!!)

Captain: Declan

After no games last weekend (due to illness), we actually had all twelve players ready to play against the unknown Ole from Phoenix. The sun was out right until kickoff, and then it poured! Mild temperature and rain, great weather for soccer!

I thought the team played well. I know that we are capable of a bit better though. There is always room for improvement. I would like to see more passing. The weather made it difficult for good passing this game though. It was wet, muddy, slippery...tough conditions for control. We also need to always pay attention to who is around us. We need to mark players on defense and find open space on offense. We could communicate better too. Too many times we had two or three players going for the same ball. We are on the same team!

The real excitement was the two goals we scored. On both occasions, there was great teamwork. Raymon was able to receive a pass and get the ball past the keeper for the first goal. Declan made a good pass to Sebby, who worked hard to get the ball close to the goal and center it, while William was in the perfect position to finish it off for the second goal.

Great job team! Scoring a goal is the result of the team working together...teamwork.

Unfortunately, the flu bug found us and we were unable to field a team for Sunday's game at Ashland. I hope we are all healthy (Ashland too) so we can try again next week.

Declan chases down an attack with Cooper ready to support.

Austin uses his head! Super!

Cooper closes down on an attacker.

Hmmm, not sure about this Nolan. I am pretty sure we never practiced posing like this at practice. Interesting look...

:-)

Mark tries to move the ball upfield.

10/03/09 Crusaders vs Basin United

Crusaders 0 vs Basin United 6 (at Klamath Falls)

Captain: Nolan

The Klamath Basin greeted us with a crisp but sunny afternoon for a great day of soccer. We were at just eleven players again as Mark came down sick and could not make the trip. We missed you Mark! We got off to a bad start as Declan got injured in the warmup and was not able to join the game until several minutes after the start. Ten men against a tough team is not the optimum situation. The boys played well but Basin United was a notch better making the score at the half 5-0. Brodie made some great saves in the first half, even the BU coach was applauding his efforts.

With nothing to lose, we had a new line up for the second half to give everyone a chance for a fresh position. Cole played in goal and made some good saves and only allowing one goal (which was not his fault). Nolan flirted with scoring a goal a couple of times. I think his does this to get me really excited on the sideline. Declan had a couple chances to score as well but came up short. I have faith that a goal will come, with more to follow that one.

Sebastian took a really hard shot to the gut towards the end of the game. He had to come off the field, but I was proud of him, because he gathered himself and got back into the game.

We had periods where we played good soccer. I still think we have had steps of progression each game. I am most proud of this group of young men because of the way they play hard right to the end, regardless of the score.

This next week is important. We play Medford at home and away. I know we can beat Medford if we play really well. I hope we can have a good week of practice and get twelve healthy players ready to play hard this coming weekend.

Raymon and Declan look for the ball.

Brodie makes a stop and looks to make a quick attack.

9/28/09 Practice

We had a really good practice tonight. Everyone worked really hard. We needed to work on fitness and ball control skills. We ran a bit late because some were not listening or giving their best. On a team, one player affects what happens to everyone else. Every player needs to focus and do their best.

Wednesday will be a hard practice as well. We have some issues to resolve before we can scrimmage with the girls. I am not sure if that will happen on Wednesday or not. The U12 girls are a good team and playing them benefits us. Friday we will take it easier. Saturday we have our big road trip.

9/26/09 Crusaders vs Medford Arsenal

Crusaders 0 vs Medford Arsenal 7 (at RSA)

Captain: William

It was a beautiful day for soccer. We were short a player with Sebastian sick, so we had eleven. Again, I thought we played well. It seemed more even than the score shows. We had our own chances to score but just could not get it in the net. Brodie played another great game in goal. The goals scored were just good shots. Being a goal keeper when we are getting scored on a lot is really tough mentally, and I want to commend Brodie for giving it his all right to the end. He is showing some strong character. In fact, the entire team showed that they do not give up. They played hard right until the end.

At the half, I decided to move a few players around. I plan to continue this. Nolan had some great efforts as a forward and almost scored!

We still need to do the basics....marking up on kicks and throw-ins. We also need to do better on our offensive throw-ins. We cannot just give up the ball. We are slowly making progress each game though. I was really pleased to see that Mark was able to remember what I had talked to him about in practice. He also played very well.

We will have a hard week of practice to get ready for Basin United. We know they are tough.

Great job everyone!

Alex gives a Medford player some grief.

Declan and Cooper team up to stop a Medford attacker.

Thanks! Austin steals the ball.

Maybe we are a bit bunched up here??? Six players together...

Brodie ready to make one of his many great saves.

9/13/09 Crusaders vs Medford Arsenal

Crusaders 0 vs Medford Arsenal 8 (at Medford)

Captain: Alex

Our first road trip! We got to play at the new US Cellular Park on turf. It is a really nice facility, though I would rather play on grass. We only had 11 players since Sivan could not make the trip. Fortunately, it was not terribly hot and there was a good breeze. We had a low key warmup to save our strength. Medford had some big kids! They were strong on offense but not that impressive on defense, but we could not get much attacking going. Again, the Classic level was new to half of the team. I knew it would take a game or two to get kids to realize the level of play. I thought we played decently. Brodie did as especially good job in goal. It is nice to have a good keeper. Medford just had some tough shots that could not be saved.

We had a good team meal at Abby's after the game. It is nice to see the boys becoming a "team".

Defending a Medford corner kick.

The Refs give their speech.

The Crusaders!

Kickoff.

Coaches give the lecture.

William challenges for the ball.

Declan says "That's my ball!"

Pre-game discussion.

9/12/09 Crusaders vs Ashland United

Crusaders 0 vs Ashland United 7 (at RSA)

Captain: Declan

The first game of the season! It was a really hot day in the mid to upper 90's. The sad news was that we found out that Mikel was too old for our team. He was allowed to play, but that was his last time playing for us. Good luck Mikel!

For the players who had never played Classic soccer before, it was a huge eye opener! Yes, this is not Rec soccer! We really struggled through the game and the heat just made it worse. The bright spot for the game was Alex. He played a strong game as defender, especially in the second half. He did not quit!

Plenty to work on this season!

9/19/09 Crusaders vs Basin United

Crusaders 0 vs Basin United 8 (at RSA)

Captain: Brodie

Basin United made the long journey over from Klamath Falls on Saturday. It was a perfect day for soccer with a bit of rain and the temperature in the mid-70's.

BU is the strongest team in the league this season, but we were ready for battle. I was very impressed with how we played today. The boys, all of them, stepped up a big notch from last week, and the game did not seem as lopsided as the score might indicate. Brodie was outstanding in the goal. He was really aggressive and made some great saves. Sivan really came to life and played as a very confident defender. We missed him last Sunday. Today we were missing Raymon, as he was sick all week. That left us with just 11 players, no subs, no water breaks, no rest, and the boys rose to the task.

Super job guys!

Declan makes a move.

Mark clears the ball.

Cole makes a pass and looks upfield.

Cole and Sivan keep the ball in Basin's half.

Austin takes the ball upfield.

Thank you Bev for the photos.