SPARTANS WIN

AN EXCELLENT EFFORT DESPITE SHORT ON MEN

Who's that in net?

The Spartans scored first and never looked back in a game that showed a lot of heart and some glaring weaknesses.

They had 37 shots on net, yet only four eluded the very agile and able opponent Keeper.

For the first time in the season, the Spartans actually dictated the pace and play of the game.
There was an 86% possession rate.
In fact, there were only 4 shots on the Spartan goal, and two went in by the back up Net Minders.

Fans were overjoyed by the spectacle.
There was a good amount of sportsmanship to go around.
The game was played well, and even the opposing team enjoyed this game the most in the season.

Going forward:
We need to keep our formation and know what we're playing.
We need to keep the opponents from our 18.
We need to practice shots that actually hit the twine.

Great Job players!

STATS:
William (G)
Keith (A)
William (G)
Jesse (A)
Matt (GWG)
Keith (GWA)
Jesse (G)
Devon (A)

KEEPER:
Mike (starting goalie nets points)

MAN OF THE MATCH:
William

GOOD EFFORT BY THE SPARTANS

NO SUBS...NOT  A FULL TEAM...BUT LOTS OF HEART

Keith Carries William off the field

Spartans!

What we discovered, much to our chagrin, was that a beginning nine player squad CANNOT win the match.

By the time we managed to peak at eleven players (half time) we were spent, nursing injuries and only one goal behind.

I'm not too concerned about the last two goals.
The second may have resulted by a grievous mistake, but fatigue does play a role in this action.
The Third goal was simply a body not responding as it should, allowing for a quick deposit inside our twine.

Until the 75th minute we were in the game.
We had our chances, but realistically, an eleven man team cannot compete against a team of their skill level with substitutes.
Given the fact that we had three injured on field, I believe we did really well keeping it close until our legs gave out.

It's holiday season, and I get it. Lots of you are off and doing the good life.
Kudos.
But if you are, please (PLEASE) let me know that you're not making the game.

Much of our sad sack existence this year has been due to the weather and the fact that people don't show up to the games.
No one really knows how someone will react, or operate in the clinch situation.
The other teams have had time to gel, and know each other.

Bottom line, communication both on field and off will save us lots of problems.

We're still in this playoff hunt. if we snag 3 out of 5 games, we're in and that's when the fun begins.

STATS:
MAN OF THE MATCH
Jason

NEW FORMATION

NEW IDEAS BRING NEW EFFORTS

Easy to Play...difficult to Master

Whenever we change the way we've been doing things, it's always difficult to master the new way quickly.

Although we know what to do, we have second thoughts, and that in turn gives the advantage to others.

The motto of the Spartans, "Learn, Adapt, Overcome" is the common practice in any sport.

We must Learn our strengths and weaknesses, as compared to the team against us.

We must Adapt to their way of playing.

We must Overcome them with exploiting their weaknesses and recognizing our own.

It's not an easy thing...but with enough effort we can put on a good show...and that's what it's all about.

STATS:

MAN OF THE MATCH:

Kevin

CIVIC WEEKEND BREAK BRINGS NEW HOPE TO THE TEAM

A TIE AND BLOW OUT ARE THE BASIS FOR REFORMATION

Mayhem after a string of disappointments

The Spartans ended the first half of the season with two ties. That's the good news.

For half the games, the result was decided by a single goal. In one game in particular, the REF was a factor in our opponents keeping that one goal lead.

For the other half of the games, we received some bad results.

The most important thing is to realize that all of us need to learn, adapt and overcome.

Sometimes the teams against us are just better. But that doesn't excuse us for giving up and letting our team mates down.

The new half has started out horribly, but from that we will adjust the roster, and see who plays best with who...and more importantly how.

Dig in, and let's see what this second half will bring.
After all, you get what you give.

STATS:
July 19th:
Willliam (G)
Matt (A)
Mike A (G)
William (A)

KEEPER:
Kevin

MAN OF THE MATCH
William

July 26th:
MAN OF THE MATCH:
Mike A