So, about halfway thru the season and time to reflect. Are we disappointed? Is Memorial a victim of their own success? Is it okay to have a bit of a down year….and is that a bit harsh…they are in second in conference and playing well. It’s just we have come to expect Conference Champion next to Memorial’s name every year. I was not able to catch the early season games and was only able to hear about the games thru the twitter feed—thank you to whoever is the tweet master–very cool to keep connected. I had a chance to catch parts of Menomonie, DC Everest and Kimberly this past week. A few observations. The team still has plenty of talent and great players across the pitch. But maybe not quite the talent of the past few years when there were All Conference players everywhere. Scoring goals has become more difficult. There is not a natural goal scoring threat up front. Lauren Carmody has the attitude and skill but has missed some game time this year and that impacts the offensive output. Against the best defenses in the State, Memorial has struggled to score and get quality chances. From width, Memorial looks dangerous. Both Kison and Beaudrie have speed, a good shot and the ability to put crosses into the box. The video below is a common site in the games I saw. Building from width looks like a promising opportunity.
Another way to get goals is Set pieces. When goals are not coming in the normal run of play then using all opportunities to score becomes vital. Memorial looks dangerous in these spots as well. The balls coming into the box on corners is really good. Direct kicks have produced some opportunities. Sometimes they look a bit ugly, but corners and a scramble and a ball in the net counts just as much as an upper 90 screamer. Kison knocks one home against Menomonie below.
And I cant have post on scoring goals and opportunities without giving a shout out to Gretchen Hanson. That flip throw in is pretty amazing. I had the chance to catch it on camera a few times and this was the one with the best chance to score. The ability to execute the throw is pretty freaky. I mean, who does that, really. And then the distance…the ball typically lands in the middle of the box….every time. Getting the throw off is one thing, but to then have it land in the middle of the box….crazy. Not sure how she figured that out, or what caused her to want to try that move, but again, pretty impressive. I picked the video below because it was one of the better scoring opportunities against Kimberly. the second ball after the header becomes very dangerous. The ball comes back out to Hanson who puts a great ball back across the face of goal….but on this day, it was just not meant to be.
Other quick observations.
The margin for error is very slim against the best teams. Memorial plays hard, fights the whole game, shows great character….but….a small wobble has cost them. …or an unfortunate goal goes against them. The DC
Everest game had a crazy deflection, Kimberly had a tough bounce on a shot, a tough call leads to a direct kick goal. Again, just no margin for error. Goods teams take advantage. The schedule has been tough as well. Games against top teams with no results….except I think the team is growing. You learn a ton is these games. Players grow, players learn to fight, players improve.
Midfield is critical. I am looking for some more consistency in Midfield. Winning 50-50 balls, winning possession, sustaining possession, shutting down attacks can all happen in midfield. If they get a full roster and a few weeks to find some rhythm, I think the midfield play starts to control the game better. Kimberly had a few studs in midfield and you could see the impact. There is plenty of season left, another game against Hudson and plenty to play for. These tough moments in the season can turn into the fuel for the late season run. Players are gaining valuable experience, they are learning from a few tough results and it can really be part of defining a team as they enter the final third of the season.
I also had the opportunity to watch the JV team in action this past week. I am a bit biased when it comes to JV….having the opportunity to be around many of these players over the past 4-5 years. I must say, the JV team has been impressive. Some of that is the competition….but in their biggest games, Arrowhead and Hudson, they have performed really well. No losses yet and some big wins against quality programs. 9 Seniors on the roster so Memorial will need these JV players to continue to develop to fill some holes next year. The future is bright based on the talent on JV.
Greta gets loose out wide and gets a nice pass and calmly slots it into the net.
Greta dangerous again, and puts in a nice cross. Molly gets a nice hustle goal, just fights thru the defense to poke it in.
Molly Hower with the long range effort.
It is really fun to see all these JV players in high school after the years of playing club soccer. Can’t wait to see them on Varsity in the coming years.
Go Abes…Finish Strong!