Salem Soccer - game #5 recap
Thursday's soccer game against the Christ Cougars was the last regular season competition for the Salem Saints. The Saints knew it would be a tough rematch, especially since Christ has a good mix of older and younger players. Taking a short trip west, the Saints began their warm-up on Christ's home tilt. Gideon kept the mood light while noticing "heaven opened up" and the sun briefly shined through. That didn't last long though, as we felt a few raindrops later in the warm-up. We were blessed that there was no major rain and the Lord did not choose to return that afternoon, so the game went on.
David showed solid goalkeeping in the first half of the game, with multiple saves early on. Reese was once again key on the back end for the Saints, showing his leadership and direction for the defense. Our strong defensive play kept a fairly evenly game well into the first half. Midway through the first half, a penalty kick resulted in the Cougars taking the lead. This change in momentum resulted in a few more first-half woes and the Saints trailed the Cougars 0-3 at halftime.
Coach Collins then changed up the positions for the second half, hoping to gain a little more offensive play. It seemed to work and the ball spent more time around midfield. With Griffin as a forward, the team started playing their normal passing game and definitely took more shots. Unfortunately, none would make it past the Cougar goalie. Meanwhile, in our backfield, Zander took over in the net. His big kicks downfield gave some respite to the defense. The Cougars did get one more goal in the second half, resulting in a 0-4 loss for the Saints. Despite the loss, Coach Collins felt the play improved as the game went on.
There will be no time to dwell on the loss, as the Saints begin preparing for tournament play. The first game will be Thursday, Oct 4th at home against Good Shepherd, Burnsville. Come enjoy the fall weather and cheer on the Saints next week!
David showed solid goalkeeping in the first half of the game, with multiple saves early on. Reese was once again key on the back end for the Saints, showing his leadership and direction for the defense. Our strong defensive play kept a fairly evenly game well into the first half. Midway through the first half, a penalty kick resulted in the Cougars taking the lead. This change in momentum resulted in a few more first-half woes and the Saints trailed the Cougars 0-3 at halftime.
Coach Collins then changed up the positions for the second half, hoping to gain a little more offensive play. It seemed to work and the ball spent more time around midfield. With Griffin as a forward, the team started playing their normal passing game and definitely took more shots. Unfortunately, none would make it past the Cougar goalie. Meanwhile, in our backfield, Zander took over in the net. His big kicks downfield gave some respite to the defense. The Cougars did get one more goal in the second half, resulting in a 0-4 loss for the Saints. Despite the loss, Coach Collins felt the play improved as the game went on.
There will be no time to dwell on the loss, as the Saints begin preparing for tournament play. The first game will be Thursday, Oct 4th at home against Good Shepherd, Burnsville. Come enjoy the fall weather and cheer on the Saints next week!
