Young Guns vs. Monash 18.07.09 (H) - 5:2 (4:2)
This week showed that the Young Guns are on a ferocious mission this year. They don’t take any prisoners. In two training sessions they worked hard on their defending skills, nearly cracked the ribs of assistant coach Guus, did not shy away from slide tackling a young lady, German import Lisa, and came close to not only breaking the glasses but also splitting the coach’s nose in a last second attempt to score an equalizer in a training game.
Then today they had to verse Monash, the only team they had not played against this year. And guess what: Also in the 9th game they came out on top. Like last week in Doncaster it was nowhere near a walk in the park. Instead it was 50 minutes of hard work leading to a 9th win that the boys in the end definitely deserved.
It was a sunny but chilly morning out at our beautiful homeground Larpent Reserve. Already during the warm up (and as our secret intelligence discovered) we could see that Monash would be one of the tougher opponents in the competition. The line up for the 1st half saw playmaker Josh in goals, the 4 musketeers Callum, James, Moritz, and Nick in defence, and Corey, Victor, Alex, Ryan, and Justin as midfielders and forwards.
The Guns started as if they would like to simply run over the guests from Monash. With 2 or 3 quick attacks they immediately put a lot pressure on them. Already after 2 minutes there was a big bang coming from Monash’s goal. Victor had tanked his way through on the left wing and his cross could only be defended by Monash by 3 or 4 meters out of their box. Moritz was there and with a real cracker of a shot he smashed the ball high against the right goal post.
After a good start the Guns then seemed to become a bit light-headed and started to forget their defending structure for a few moments. Being a strong team Monash punished us straight away. Their talented No. 9 took the ball on the half way line, ran for another 5 meters and then kicked it hard towards our goal. James could only put in a foot in the very last second to deflect the ball unluckily and unstoppable for Josh. All of a sudden we saw ourselves being behind, just like last week in Doncaster.
However, the Guns did not react confused or worried. They kept their decisive attacking style, and only a few moments later they were rewarded with the equalizer. Alex had a great run down the left wing, stopped the ball with the left and crossed it into the center with his right foot. His hard and flat kick could not be stopped by Monash’s defenders and dropped in front of Ryan’s dangerous right foot. A good first touch, a hard shot, and big scream of relief… 1-1. The Guns were back in the game.
But who thought… “Ok that’s it - from now on it will be “business as usual” and the Guns would just walk over their opponent…” saw him- or herself taught a different lesson. Straight after the kickoff Monash managed to sneak through over the right side, and again left Josh with no chance. 1-2, that now was a real mental challenge for the Guns. All of a sudden they saw themselves versing a team that just did not want to give in.
But what changed from that very moment on should actually be the decider for the rest of the game. The boys now remembered what we had focussed on in training during the week: Defending. And they did that very well from now on, not leaving Monash too many chances anymore to cause danger for our own goal. Especially Nick, Callum, and Bobby focussed on their tackles and their position in the backline.
With such a good back up the pressure over our wingers grew and grew and our second goal was only a matter of time. After only a few minutes it was Moritz then out of the engine position who benefited from some great offensive play. Victor had just finished another run via the left side with a cross to Corey. His shot could be stopped by the defence. But then Ryan put a foot in and tipped the ball to skipper Moritz who had no problem to finish from just outside the box. 2-all, and the look on the Guns faces was clear. Now they were on a run.
Attack after attack was rolling towards Monash’s goal. Corey laid a tough tackle and so won the ball for Justin. He didn’t wait for one second booted the ball after a quick turn into the long left corner. 3-2, finally we were up. And to finish a good first half off Corey managed to put a 4th goal away for us with a fine individual performance.
Halftime and a comforting 2 goal lead. Time for some oranges, water ,a few tactical talks, and some changes in the line up. A nervous Justin put on the goalie shirt and the gloves for the 2nd time this year. Alex took the engine position and the back posts were taken by Ryan, Victor, and Corey. After a relaxing half in goals Josh moved up into midfield, accompanied by Moritz and James, with Cal and Nick mostly playing up front after the break.
Although the Young Guns continued their fine performance also after the break, Monash still was the dangerous opponent that they had already been in the 1st half. Our defenders were up and firing, out there to help their goalkeeper keeping a clean sheet. The midfielders and forwards created chance after chance. One of these opportunities led to the decider halfway through the 2nd half. Victor won the ball in the back and passed it down the left wing to Moritz. He controlled the ball, turned around and switched the ball with a long pass to the right side. A bit lucky that it bounced through, but the ball finally reached Josh who dribbled for a few meters and then finished this fine attack with a flat shot into the left corner. 5-2.
Then it was up to Justin to do his part to show not only to his team mates, but more so to himself, that playing goalkeeper is not really as bad as it might sound to someone. Within a few minutes he pulled out 2 or 3 fantastic saves even against hard shots from the No. 9 who had already scored twice in this game.
Another highlight of the second half came a few minutes from the final whistle from our Dutch boy Nick van Persie. In center position he received a pass from Ryan, turned around, and then flicked the ball through the middle to Moritz who had an open run and shot at goals but was stopped in the last second by the fast reacting goalie.
That was it then. Another great game by the Young Guns came to an end with another convincing win. It is probably worthwhile to have a quick look into the individual performances of the kids.
Josh: After a good muddy warm up Josh was ready to star in goals in the first half. He showed that great goalies don’t really have to be tall. It’s more about reading the game, showing courage, and be in the right position all the time. After a fine performance as goalie he moved into his playmaker position and put his personal note into our game; not only with another great goal, but with lots of smart passes and enjoyable dribblings through Monash’s backline.
Callum: Without a doubt one of the toughest player in our squad he had the perfect preparation during the week laying plenty of tackles against whomever came close to him. Also in today’s game he deserved his nick name “The Rock”. In the first half he gave us the stability we needed when the pressure was on. And as forward after the break he showed that he’s not only out there for the rough work. Especially as forward he managed over and over again to put his team mates into perfect position.
Moritz: As skipper he led the team from the engine room in the first half. A wood cracking shot and a fine goal was the result of his offensive skills. But also in defence he was very important for our team taking the ball off the other attackers to start runs for our team. In the 2nd half he was part of many dangerous plays leading to chances for the Guns. He came very close not only to a second goal but also to more than the one assist to Josh sealing the game with our 5th goal.
Nick: The first half saw Nick gaining a lot of confidence as defender. He perfectly understands to keep the positions assigned to him and so is always a very reliable part of our team. After missing a few good chances by only a little bit he had his moment of the game with an outstanding pass through the middle of the ground to Moritz. This Johan Cruyff like pass really deserved to clock up an assist point for him. Unfortunately Moritz’ shot was kept in last second by the other goalie.
James: He started the game with a lot of passion defending and keeping his position in the backline as good as he can. And that was very important for us today as Monash really presented themselves as the expected hard task. After a corner he almost duplicated his great header goal from the Tuesday’s training session, but he missed the ball by a few inches. In the second half he demonstrated his versatility playing on the right and left wing as well as up front as spearhead.
Victor: A fantastic running game secured Victor the “Man of the Match Award” today. Countless runs down the wing as midfielder, tackles in the back, the middle of the ground, and also upfront were only some of his great actions. With excellent crosses, good shots (one of them hitting the right post in the 2nd half), and long passes down the line he demonstrated over and over again his great kicking skills.
Alex: Regardless if he comes over the right or the left wing, our power pack Alex is almost unstoppable. When he is on the run, the defenders better get out of his way, or else… His long cross to our 1st goal was very important for our team to stay in the game. The second half saw Alex further in the back, this mainly to secure the lead for our team. Not only thanks to him did we get the dangerous forwards from Monash more and more under control the longer the game lasted.
Corey: He almost turned the game around by himself. With a strong tackle he prepared the lead for our team though Justin’s goal, and only a few minutes later Corey put the cream on top of his fine performance today with a great goal after winning the ball on the right wing. Together with Alex, Justin, and Ryan he built up a real wall in our backline not allowing too many dangerous situations for Monash after the break.
Justin: Newcomer Justin really feels at home on the soccer pitch now. Regardless what position we assign to him, he performs at a very high level. Smart passes to his team mates and a great finish to kick our 3rd goal were the result of his good game before halftime. And there was really no reason for him to be nervous about playing in goals in the 2nd 25 minutes. Rarely have we seen saves like his against Monash’s No. 9. Well done!
Ryan: He develops a right foot that he probably will require a gun license for shortly. With his first touch he bombed the ball into the back of Monash’s net to give our team a quick 1-1 equalizer. Another time he put a corner into the box that almost led to our 2nd goal very early in the game as well. After the break Ryan joined the other boys in a fearless defence performance that helped Justin to keep a clean sheet as goalkeeper.
Next week we will be away against the Boroondara Eagles. Although we had won the first game against them with 9-3, they were probably the toughest team to play against. With good body strength and fine technical skills they will make life very hard for the Guns. However, if they go into that game with the same passion and concentration of the last weeks we should not be too worried and play that game with a lot of confidence.
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