Game 14

The Sharks ended the season on Saturday with an impressive 6-1 victory over the Yellow team. Playing with uncut grass and without lines on the field made for a rather interesting last game, but the Sharks looked great and played well as a team.

Liam and Sophia played excellent in goal, with Nate, Sophie, Izzy and others helping on defense. Goals were scored by Jake (4), Nate, and Sophie. Luke, Matthew, Grace, and Liam added some great passing on the offensive end. Nate's goal came on running one of the corner kick plays we practiced weeks ago.

It was a very fun and exciting game, and a fitting finale to this wonderful season. Thanks to the players and parents for a great year!

Euclid Memorial Tournament

Congratulations to Mattthew, Sophie, Cameron, Nate, and Luke, who all had an opportunity to represent the Sharks and the EYSO in the Euclid Memorial Tournament this past weekend. Euclid fielded two U-10 teams, and it was a great opportunity to play with some of our friends who we've been playing against all season.

Nate scored a hat-trick with three goals in the Euclid Terrors' first game! Everyone had a good time and we were able to see some very talented teams.

Thanks to everyone who helped put together a fun Memorial Day weekend!

Game 13

After three tough games the Sharks let loose in their lone Wednesday night game, dominating the Blue team in an 8-1 win. It was fun to see the Sharks put into practice all the important aspects of the game we have been working on all year: containing defense, positions and spacing, passing, challenging the ball, hustle, teamwork, and good sportsmanship.

A near-perfect defensive effort was led by Liam and Sophia in goal, with help from Nate, Sophie, and others. Goals were scored by Luke, Cameron (2), Jake (3), Izzy, and Liam. Matthew and Sophie added to the offensive attack with good passing and hustle. The Sharks converted two penalty kicks, Cameron with one and Izzy, for her first goal of the year, on the other. Liam also scored his first goal of the season - the result of beautifully playing his position and being in the right place when the ball came across the middle.

Everyone should feel good about a well-played game.

There is only one game left this season, a showdown against a much-improved Yellow team.

Game 12

The Sharks fought hard but came up just short today against the Maroon team, falling by a score of 4-3.

With only one sub, and with wet but deceptively warm weather, the Sharks seemed tired as they fell behind 3-0 at halftime, and 4-0 after giving up an early second-half goal. After several near misses, the Sharks were finally able to crack the Maroon defense and, on a great pass from Nate, Luke put in a goal. This sparked the team back into action and the Sharks continued to attack with scoring opportunities throughout the remainder of the half. Matthew, Nate, and Grace each had shots just miss. Late in the half, Jake added a second goal on a great individual effort, and then was fouled in the box and made the resulting penalty kick to bring the Sharks to within one goal. The offense was in high gear and Sophie and Izzy were making some great plays on defense, but sadly the clock ran out before the comeback was complete.

The Sharks played good defense against a strong Maroon attack, as Luke, Jake, Matthew, Grace, and Izzy each took turns in goal. Even though they were shorthanded, the Sharks played tough and did not give up.

The loss drops the Sharks to 9-3 on the season. They will have another chance to get their tenth win as they take on the Blue team on Wednesday night.

Game 11

Everyone is guaranteed an exciting and well-played game whenever the Sharks take on the Green Team. This Saturday's game was no exception, as the Sharks came out on top of a close 2-1 contest.

First half goals by Cameron and Jake, made possible by excellent teamwork and passing by Grace, Matthew, Izzy, and Sophia, were enough offense as the defense really locked down the Green attack. Luke and Liam were strong in goal, and Nate, Sophie, and others would not back down on defense.

The high grass made for a slow field, which led to very few out-of-bounds plays. As a result, there were very few opportunities to substitute. Everyone gave their best effort when they were on the field, and were patient when they were waiting to get in the game. Luke and Nate even got a chance to run one of our free kick plays! Great game by all the Sharks.

Practice 5/11

It was wet and drizzling at times, but we still had a very productive and fun practice on Tuesday. We worked on some set plays, including corner kicks. We then had a lot of fun designing trick free kick plays, and then played a short-sided scrimmage working on passing and team defense.

The kids really enjoyed making up their own trick free kicks. Though it is rare that you get opportunities to use that in a game, we had a lot of fun doing it. It can pay off in real game situations, too. Check out these examples from professional and international games!

Game 10

On another cold, wet spring morning the Sharks lost to the Maroon team 5-3. After going up 2-0 on quick goals by Jake and Luke, the Maroon team's relentless attack proved too much. A late comeback effort including another goal by Jake was not enough.

Liam and Matthew provided solid goaltending, while Nate and Sophie and others did their best to defend a strong offensive team. The Sharks showed a lot of heart and never gave up, and worked together providing excellent passing throughout the game. Izzy, Luke, and Sophia provided some needed sparks on offense, and Jake played through some bumps and bruises.

Despite the final score it was another exciting effort by the Sharks. Next week they look forward to a rematch with the rival Green team.

Game 9

Coach Ryan and Coach Mike made a return to the sidelines and led a shorthanded Sharks team to an 8-3 victory over the Yellow team. There was some confusion between the ref and the coaches which led to an apparent end of the game after two short periods and only about 30 minutes of game time, with the score tied 3-3. After some negotiation both teams agreed to play an additional period. The Sharks exploded for 5 unanswered goals to run away with the win.

Goals were scored by Jake (3), Nate (4), and Matthew. Grace and Sophia also had scoring opportunities. Playing without several members of the team, the Sharks rallied together taking turns in goal playing hard.

Game 8

The Sharks did not let a bitter cold spring morning dampen their spirits as they started the spring season with a 5-0 blanking of the Green team. Goals were scored by Luke, Nate, Jake (2), and Sophie. Grace and Sophia also had good scoring opportunities, and Izzy and Cameron added energy in winning loose balls. With a very strong defensive effort in front of some excellent goal tending by Liam, Matthew, and Nate, the Sharks recorded their first shutout of the year.

The win moves the Sharks' record to 7-1. They have now outscored their opponents by a 49 to 13 margin.

Next week the Sharks have a bye before returning to action against the Yellow team on May 1.

Practice 4/15

We enjoyed another beautiful evening for practice on Thursday. We worked on foot skills and passing, and spent a good amount of time getting the players used to passing ahead of teammates and then running to the ball. Those through passes are key to breaking down defenses, and we will continue to work on running to and passing to space on the field.

After practice we had our parents meeting and distributed schedules. All parents should have received the schedule by email as well. Other notes:

- This is a continuation of the fall season and we hope to continue our success on the field.
- The coaching philosophy has not changed: we will focus on teaching the kids how to play the game and play it the right way, and will try to instill in them a love for soccer. This spring we will continue to focus on fundamentals, but will also emphasize spacing and positions, defense, and playing as a team.
- Your help is needed! We need parents to get more involved in the league and we also need more players to register. So talk to your friends about how much fun you had playing this year and encourage them to sign up for next year!
- We will continue to post pictures on the blog, so feel free to email or post on Facebook any photos you take.
- The league end of year picnic will be June 5 starting at noon, at Memorial Park.

Practice - 4/13

It was so great to get back on the soccer field for our first practice last night. We had beautiful weather and a very enthusiastic group of players ready to start the spring season. For those who couldn't make it, we did some passing drills, some shooting drills, and has a brief short-side scrimmage to review our positions.

We look forward to seeing everyone at Thursday's practice.

The Sharks are on Facebook!

The sharks now have a group on Facebook! Check us out, join the group, and share additional photos, videos, and stories from this year's season.

http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=103106036393842

Spring Schedule Released

The spring season is nearly upon us! The schedule has been released by the league, and the Sharks will open the spring campaign the way they ended the fall: with another showdown against the Green team. The spring schedule features seven games, with two games each against the Maroon and Green teams, both of which played tough against the sharks in the fall.

Practices will begin the week of April 12. We look forward to continuing to have fun and to grow as a team!