Mullen vs. Roaring Fork

 Soccer Report: Mullen vs. Roaring Fork

Location: Mullen High School (3601 S. Lowell Blvd. Denver, CO 80236)

Time: Varsity @10 (Team meeting at 8:45am), JV @12 (Arrive by 11:10)

Notes: We are home, so you are navy all the way down - JV, you are navy, white, navy. Games are early in the day, so make sure to wake up at a reasonable time, hydrate, and eat well before the game. 

Preface:

 Roaring Fork is in town from the Western slope, and this is their second game in two days. With that said, they are an athletic group, and I did not feel like their game tonight was particularly demanding. They are coming off a nice win, and will be looking to grab another before the drive home. This is our first home game of the season, and we need to come out with energy and authority. This is our chance to establish a strong home presence.

Roaring Fork Strengths:

Athleticism: On the whole, this is an athletic group of mountain girls. They are fit, they have some serious speed up top and on the flanks, and they have a nose for goal. They are going to look to spray the ball wide and bring it back across the middle. We will need to be sharp in our recovery, and make sure that we are filling the middle as our CBs swing wide to address attacking players.

Chemistry: You can tell that these girls play a lot of soccer together. They all play for the same club in Carbondale, and it shows. Their chemistry is good and they move the ball well. They are unselfish with it, and they favor possession even into the final third. They have the ability to make passes that threaten an organized defense, and we will need to stay very disciplined in our block. 

Patience: From what I saw, this is an incredibly patient team. Northeast was in a very deep block, and RF was content to continue to move the ball around and look for penetrating opportunities. They hit the post a handful of times, and they never let the low block get the best of them. They stayed disciplined and continued to look for opportunities to penetrate or shoot from outside. Tomorrow, they will certainly spend more time on the back foot, but I would imagine that their patience translates to their defense as well. They definitely have the speed to block low and counter, so we need to keep our cool as we look for opportunities in front of goal, and we have to take care of the ball in insure that they don't catch us on the break.

Goal keeping: I literally did not see the goalie touch the ball once, which means that she is probably awesome... or at least we should assume so. Let's make sure to test her tomorrow. 

AND FOLLOW SHOTS - SHE'LL SPILL THE BALL

Lastly, they have two central players, the girl who plays the nine, and the girl who wears number 9 (she is their CAM) Both of them are talented as they penetrate on the dribble, and they can expose the gaps underneath a defense. We have to pay close attention to these two players.

Roaring Fork Weaknesses: 

I think that the speed of our play and the nature of our press is going to be a lot for Roaring Fork. It is a bit of a double edged sword for them. If they had played a harder game tonight, they'd be more prepared for the speed we will bring, but they would also be more tired. I think we use this to our advantage: we come out fast, move the ball quickly, and capitalize on mistakes early. They will suffer under our pressure. 

Secondly, it appears that their technical is dependent on time. When North East did well to close them down, they struggled to maintain their same technique. The more organized and quick we are to press, the more they will exponentially struggle in transition. 

Lastly, at times, RF really struggled with the NE block. Though they demonstrated good patience in the face of it, it took them a long time to break it down. It was 1-0 at half and 3-0 with 17 minutes to go. In my opinion, North East is a team that we would handily mercy rule... With that said, the importance of this observation lies in the fact that if we are strong in our recovery, and we get underneath the ball, RF will not be able to find a way through to goal. But if we get caught watching - they will be dangerous.

Mullen Keys to success:

The main thing I want to see us do tomorrow is get underneath the ball, be gritty, and do the dirty work. Like I said after school today: I want us to reclaim our identity as a team who fights hard in every game from the first minute to the last. 

Set Pieces:

Corners -

REMEMBER: We don't want to rush our corner kicks or set pieces. They are an invaluable part of our system and a great way to score goals. Huddle up before the corner to figure out who is going where and then execute your run!

Marcoux: This is an in swinging corner hit to the middle of the goal inside the second six (the space between the six yard box and the pk spot) runs should be made to the near and far post and the middle. Remember to send the ball back across the face of the goal at the far post.

2: This is an overlapping corner. The first player plays the ball short and then overlaps the second player who then lays it off. The initial player should then hit a curving ball to the far post (on goal) We need to crash the far post.

2 - option: If the defender over commits, the second player should beat them on the dribble down the line.

Bumble Bee: Create a hive around the goalie. The taker should hit an inswing ball in on goal. One player should break to the near post, and another should roll off to the back post. 

Free Kicks -

Name + Number

ex. Kendall 1 (would be Kendall hitting a right footed shot to the near post)

1 = Right

2 = Left

No mistakes in the back. No goals against. Work hard for each other.

Good luck!