FireBalls Burn Coyotes

After coming out the the gates swinging and taking care of business by icing the Polar Bears in week 1, Team Coyote got burned by the FireBalls in their second outing of the season.

It wasn't pretty.  The Fireballs came out and immediately took it to the Coyotes, scoring a quick 3 unanswered goals by the end of the 1st period.  The FireBall team was quick, running up and down the field, and gave the Coyotes a taste of their own medicine, as they kept the 'Yotes off balance and reeling back on defense the entire quarter.  Last week, the Coyotes didn't get a lot of work on defense, this week, it seemed the whole game saw the Coyote "D" tested constantly.

On a good note, the Coyote "D" made some great plays on the ball, from the Defensemen and the Goalies, or the score might have been much worse.

In the second quarter, the 'Yotes defense tried to stop the bleeding, and were successful at slowing down a hot FireBall team, despite the fact that the Fireballs were still dominating on offense, keeping the pressure on the Coyotes.  The Fireballs found the Coyote nets one more time in the 2nd period, to take a 4-0 lead into halftime.

It was midway into the 3rd quarter before the Coyote Strikers could find the back of the FireBall nets.  That is not to say that the 'Yotes were not trying....they gave it a valiant effort, and began to pick up the pace in the 3rd quarter as the offense started showing signs of life, while the 'Yotes defense continued to frustrate a hot FireBall squad by blocking most every shot they took on goal.  On a beautiful breakaway play, Kendick and Akil dribbled the ball through the Fireball Defense before Akil took a shot the slipped past the Fireball Goalie, and the 'Yotes were back in the game, down 4-1.

But the FireBalls were having none of it...and took the 4th quarter to add two more goals against the Coyotes, while at the same time keeping the 'Yotes from adding any more points against them.  When the final whistle blew, the Coyotes found themselves on the losing end of a 6-1 thrashing by a good, tough FireBall team, to even the season record at 1-1.

Next week, the Coyotes will again face another seasoned team, but I feel that if they come out to play hard and fast, they stand an excellent chance of winning their 2nd game.  Despite the loss yesterday, the Coyotes DID have some great plays...especially on Defense.  Nick, Akil, and Tyler all did a GREAT job at the goalie position, combining for a total of 13 saves!  Tyler, Rebekah, Brock and Callie also broke up several plays by the FireBalls from their Defense positions. Matt and Kendrick did an outstanding job at winning the ball away from the Fireballs, taking a combined 12 shots on goal between them, but just could not get the ball into the nets.  Our big problem yesterday was a lack of offense early on (and that is why we found ourselves in a hole that was hard to climb out of), and at times, a hesitancy to go after the ball.  I think we need to work on being more aggressive and also work on making some passes as we go down field.  All in all, the Coyotes played a good game....it was just our turn to take it on the chin.  But, hold your heads high, Coyotes...there will be days like that...it happens!  We just gotta regroup and come out harder next week!

Here are the Stats for Week #2:

The Strikers:

Akil.................................1 shot on goal; one goal
Kendrick.........................7 shots on goal
Rebekah..........................1 shot on goal
Nick................................1 shot on goal
Matt................................5 shots on goal

The Goalies:

Akil..................................5 saves
Nick.................................6 saves
Tyler.................................2 saves

Hand it to the FireBalls...they blocked 14 of 15 shots on goal by the Coyotes, while keeping their own offensive pressure on our team.  Next time we play the FireBalls...we are gonna bring a couple of Fire Extinguishers!

********UPDATE: Due to an overlook error on my part, I completely missed Matt's stats at the Striker position.  Matt had 5 shots on goal yesterday, but unfortunately, none found the net...but several did come close, or were saved by the FireBall goalie.  My apologies to Matt for omitting his stats....these old Coyote eyes ain't as keen as they used to be sometimes......

The stats above have been corrected to reflect my oversight error.  Great job Matt!

Coyotes Ice Polar Bears in Season Opener

On a beautiful day for soccer down at Heartland Soccer Park, Team Coyote emerged from their winter dens ready to rumble.  The first game of the season found the Coyotes matched up against the Polar Bears, and it looked as if the canine pack caught the snow bruins still groggy from winter hibernation....or...do polar bears hibernate?  Whatever the case, the Coyotes looked fresh and ready, while the Polar Bears looked disarrayed and caught in the headlights.

Even the newest members of Team Coyote got into the game and played well...given that 3 of the young 'Yotes had never before played a game of soccer!  Addison did a great job at the Defense position in the first quarter, getting her leg on a couple of balls, stopping the Polar Bears from advancing down field.  In the 4th Quarter, Addison did a good job of protecting the goal as Goalie...even though the team kept the Bears from taking too many shots on goal.

Tyler and Brock both did great jobs on defense, and both did very well at the Striker position in the 3rd quarter...given that neither of them had ever played the positions before yesterday.  GREAT JOB young Coyotes!  You were tested early, and proved you are ready to learn the game....and with more practice and experience, there is no doubt in this coaches mind that you will all do great this season!

The Polar Bears were seen licking their wounds after the game from the good old fashioned whooping that the Coyotes laid on them.  The first quarter started off tentatively for both teams as they felt each other out and got into the flow of the game.  The two teams traded punches, but neither one could find the goal ending the quarter 0-0.

As the 2nd quarter got underway, so did the Coyotes...as Rebekah, Kendrick, and Matt began dominating play from their Striker positions, keeping the Polar Bears totally on defense as the 'Yotes peeled off 5 unanswered goals to take a 5-0 lead into the halftime break.  The downside was that our young defensive players didn't get a lot of action or opportunity to block any shots on goal, as the Bears were unable to get into position to even attempt any shots on goal!  The Coyote offense was tenacious and unrelenting, constantly attacking the ball and preventing the Bears from even crossing the center line for most of the quarter.

The 3rd Quarter started with the Coyotes fielding 2 of our newer inexperienced players in the Striker position, with the more experienced 'Yotes in the Goalie and Defense position, so the newer players could get exposed to offense.  As I pointed out above, those newer players did a GREAT job, and got right into the flow of the game, attacking the ball and again, keeping the Bears confused and dazed.  The Polar Bears did manage to slip one past the 'Yote defense and Goalie and the quarter ended with the Coyotes holding on to a commanding 5-1 lead.

In the 4th Quarter, the Coyotes continued the pace as they took shot after shot on goal, but the Bears defense continued to stiffen, keeping the Coyote kicks out of the net.  Again, the Polar Bears found the back of the nets one more time, but it was too little too late...as the Coyotes held on to a dominating win 5-2 over the Polar Bear team.

Overall, this coach is proud of our team!  They came out kicking and attacking and did not let up, keeping the pressure on the Bears all game long.  GREAT job, Coyotes!  All that being said, we still have lots of room for improvement, and we will work on some things in practice this coming week.

Here are the Stats for Game 1:

Strikers:

Akil................................1 shot on goal
Kendrick........................4 shots on goal, 1 goal, 1 assist
Matt...............................8 shots on goal, 3 goals
Devin.............................1 shot on goal
Rebekah.........................3 shots on goal, 1 goal
Nick..............................1 shot on goal, 2 assists
Callie.............................2 shots on goal

Goalies:

Callie...........................1 save

You can clearly see from the stats how dominating our Coyote offense was yesterday!  I don't think the Polars Bears managed to take more than 5 shots on goal, 3 of which went wide and out of play.  GREAT JOB COYOTES!!!  Keep it up....next week, we play a more seasoned team, and so we need to keep on top of our game and practice hard to prepare.  Both Coach Joseph and I are proud of the way you ALL played yesterday, and look forward to a good practice this week.

Welcome Back Coyotes!

Welcome back, Team Coyote!  Coaches Art and Joseph have been recently seen sitting atop the hills overlooking Heartland fields, eagerly awaiting and calling for the return of the Coyotes to the playing fields.

This Spring, the team returns 6 Coyotes from last season and previous seasons:  Rebekah, Akil, Devon, Nick, Callie, and Matthew.  New to the Pack are Tyler, Brock, and Addison!  We are glad you are all on our team, and look forward to another fun sesaon of Coyote soccer.

As usual, the team rules are very simple:  Have FUN!, be GOOD SPORTS (Coyotes as well as parents), and do NOT confuse the old Coyote!

For you new Coyote parents,as well as you returning parents, let me assure you that YOUR child's safety and security is always  first and foremost in my mind.  We will NEVER post a child's full name on the blog or the web.  And, when I email you, I use the BCC feature to protect YOUR

privacy as well.  If you want to give your email address out to others, that is your business, not mine.

My philosophy of coaching at this level is very simple....first and foremost, I want the kids to have fun.  I also want to teach them the basics of the game and help prepare them to move up to the upper leagues.  I stress good sportsmanship and fair play, and try to instill the teamwork concept in their young minds.  We are a TEAM...and I try to teach the kids to play as such.

Coach Joseph (see photo at the left) and I also try to keep accurate stats on all the games.  This is a "Rec" league, and scores are not officially kept...however....the KIDS all know the score, and I like to keep the stats to help me to decide what position a child best plays at.  Each team member will play ALL positions throughout the season, so that they will be exposed to each position of the game.

Last season (Fall), the young Coyotes experienced a tough season.  It was the first season for them at the U6 level, and we were one of the newest teams at that level.  We played several "seasoned" teams last Fall....and we played hard and well.  It was a learning experience for Team Coyote, and hopefully, those lessons will be carried over this Spring season as the now experienced Coyotes take to the fields.

Coach Art (seen in the photo at right) has been on the hunt in the offseason, and is ready to rumble.  I hope that you all have fun and enjoy being part of Team Coyote!  Feel free to comment to any post on the blog (of course, I do retain "editing" rights).  I try to keep the blog updated at least once a week during the season, and will always notify you via email when it has been updated. 

Our first practice of the new Spring Season will be held this coming Saturday at 2 pm...and Coach Joseph and I look forward to meeting all our new players and parents, and welcoming back our returning players and parents!  

GO COYOTES!