Team Meeting Thursday

A light, short practice this Thursday followed by a team meeting.  Practice time is 5:45pm and meeting is 7pm.

Meeting agenda:

1. Kelowna travel plans/accommodations
2. Upcoming games (Coastal Cup, Island Invitational)
3. Provincials preparations
4. World Cups Festival Updates
5. New teamwear (pink uniforms?)

Comox Game - Second-half Photos

 

Comox Game Photos

                                                                                   Pre-game warmup.  Mayhem.

                                                            One of a number of good headers from Nat on Saturday.

                                                             The Comox midfielders were a virtual wall early-on.

                                                             Emma was in a foul mood - as the referee can attest.

                                                             The Comox keeper did very well to control her area.

                                                             Shelby and Lily formed an excellent midfield partnership.

                                                             Lily and Tessa battling in midfield.

                                                                                Katherine showing excellent form.

                                                                                      Natasha digging-in.

                                                             Goalmouth scramble #1.

                                                              Emily in a determined mood.

                                                              Lily getting to grips with the Comox midfield.

                                                             Corner scramble #2.

                                                             Brianna shutting-down a Comox foray.

                                                             Dallas and Natasha.

                                                             Alisha and the linesman.

Fusion 3 Comox Valley 1

OK, so who is booking the hotel in Kelowna?  ;-)

Proud of the girls today.  They had to overcame a very committed and well coached team and in the end I thought  were deserving winners.  The girls have this ability to raise their game when it really matters and today was another example.  I was anxious playing a bigger team on a narrow field but apparently I had little to worry about.  We got the ball up and down the field pretty well and kept decent possession and shape.  There were a couple of foggy moments, but it was decidedly sunny out there.

The first half was very even with both teams exchanging territory.  The key for us gaining a grip on that game was winning the loose balls in midfield and not giving the ball away cheaply once we had it.  The defenders certainly did their part.  I thought it was one of the most composed games we've played at the back all year and we struck the ball pretty well (up and out, right Milly?.  Good header, yes I saw it).  It took a while longer for our midfield to come to grips with their #8 playing a libero role in front of their backline, but we did and the last five minutes of the half we had good sustained pressure in their end. 2-3 times we had their goalie scrambling and against a weaker goalie I think we have the lead at half.  Corners were good but we didn't really get on the end of any of them.  More practice.  

The second started just as brightly with good pressure on the Comox backline.  The breakthrough came after good work from our #8 (Colleen) on the right.  I can't say for sure, but I think her cross took a slight deflection causing a  the ball to elude their keeper and defenders and found its way to Kaz at the back post.  I still think Kaz had some work to do to score from such a tight angle but she made it look pretty easy.  Shortly after Colleen was brought down in the box after a long thirty-yard run.  I suppose Lily will want her shot back.  My disappointment was more that Lily seemed to change her mind where she was shooting rather than having the shot saved - that's not where you hit them in practice Lily :-).  Remember find your spot and keep going there until it's second nature. 

Anyway there wasn't a let-down and from almost the same position as Colleen's earlier cross, Sydney delivered an excellent ball into the box that troubled their keeper, and after a bounce here or there Olivia finished with a half-volley from practically inside the net.  There's something about games against Comox that brings out the best in Olivia. 

However after this goal we did suffer a let-down and an excellent Comox free-kick put them right back in the game.  But I felt it was unfair on us as it was only their 2nd or 3rd effort of the game while we had fashioned 9 or 10 good chances.  Apparently Natasha felt the same way because she answered almost immediately with an excellent twenty-yard strike.  After chasing and harassing the Comox fullback into giving her the ball Natasha found space for herself and arrowed a beauty into the top right corner .  The shot gave their keeper (who had a strong game IMHO) no chance. Game over, literally and figuratively.  

So it's back to Provincials.  I'm really pleased for our off-season recruits - Katherine, Emily, Sydney and Dallas as well as their parents - who get to enjoy the trip to Provincials.  It's a great reward for all of the girls and families after a long season of practices and travel, but especially those who haven't enjoyed the pressure, the comraderie and the memories of a week away with this family.  It will also be nice to renew rivalry with Kelowna United ;-) 

So congrats ladies, now let's get our trophy back :-)

In the meantime we have a Coastal Cup semi-final and World Cups Festival Tournament to prepare for.  The Coastal Cup semi will be April 21-22, location and date to be determined once we get word from the organizers.  Hopefully it's a home game.  Prior to that I'm looking to arrange an exhibition game or two - Girls U17 (hope they win today against Nanaimo) and Highlanders.

Practices as usual this week.  No school for most everyone so I know everyone will be there, if for no other reason than to socialize.  I will be posting a March thru July calendar soon so stay tuned.

Comox Valley Game

Please be at the park for 1:15pm.  Uniforms are NAVY-WHITE-NAVY.

Open Boundaries for Youth Soccer

A couple of months back I posted a piece on the prospects of LISA forcing clubs to form pooled teams at the VIPL.  My concern was it would directly affect the composition of our team (amongst others) and infringe on a club's ability to operate and grow their club.

Since then it's become apparent that there wont ever be a VIPL for the 1996 girls.  However the problem the zonal teams model was seen to help address (boundaries) remains.  We still have 2 or 3 LISA clubs that want to retain boundaries so that they don't lose players and influence to other clubs. These clubs maintain that players that live inside their boundaries (which, as it happens, were largely drawn in the early 1970's and have never changed) are their property and mustn't be permitted to play for another club.  It's sort of the 21st Century version of feudalism.

But I digress. 

Thankfully there are people within the youth soccer system who think choice is important, if not critical.  Saanich Fusion as a club believes in choice, as does Stu Hackett, ex-Lakehill President and currently a member of the LISA Board.  For several months Stu has overseen a blog dedicated to the question of how best to fix youth soccer on the Lower Island. 

Today Stu went a step further and created an online petition asking Presidents to vote at an upcoming meeting to remove boundaries.  There are three options on the table at this meeting - revert back to 3 transfers per team, increase to 5 transfers per team or unlimited transfers.

LISA Petition

I was pleased to be the first to sign this petition as the boundary question is a long-standing irritant to me.  As a player, in 1982 I was prevented from moving clubs even though my "home" club did not have a team for me to play on.  Instead my club wanted me to play-up a year on a team below my coping level.  I still have the letter the club President sent my father.  Fortunately my father also sent a letter to the Board including the name of a lawyer who wanted to meet with the President.  So I got my release, but others I played with were perhaps not as fortunate.  Even back then I had friends quit playing soccer because they couldn't move clubs.

And as a club President for several years I attempted to influence my counterparts at other clubs that an open boundary system was better for both players and clubs.  At the time Cordova Bay was the ninth-biggest club in terms of registered players but we believed in our programs and felt we would actually grow our membership, not shrink as was the prevailing wisdom/rhetoric.  But as it is today, the big clubs voted against us and the result today is Saanich Fusion.

If you agree that boundaries need to go please sign the petition. We are the only soccer district in Canada with internal boundaries.  Everywhere else you can play for the club of your choice within your district.  A transfer is only when you play for a club outside your district (e.g. if a Nanaimo player wanted to play for a Victoria team).  Even then BCSA rules allow 5 transfers between district teams, so you can see we're a little backwards in LISA.

Eight MVP, MIP Ballots are MIA!!!

Remember that I need your MVP and Most Improved Player and Most Inspirational Player ballots by tonight. So far only 10 of 18 girls have replied.  Check your email!