It’s fitting that the Seminole Girls Fall Festival was held in bad weather,
as the path to victory was not an easy one!
Four teams entered the Premier Division with only the first and second place teams advancing to the finals. The group included strong teams from around the State which included the Lakeland Shockers, Orange County Strikers and the Braden River Rage. Lakeland was the Krush’s first opponent on Saturday morning, and although they played hard, the Krush Girls lost the game 3-5 againts a very talented team. Saturday afternoon, the Krush played a better game against Orange County with a resounding 10-0 scoreline which created a playoff situation with Braden River on Sunday morning.
It was the first time these teams had met and it could not have not been at a better time. The Krush played an amazing match with Princess S, Ashley T. and Marisa M. distributing the ball well while keeping balance in the midfield, while Erin B., Angeline D.and Shannon S. moved the ball into the attack using the outside channels. Izzy P. and Brogan B. fought hard for every fifty-fifty ball while putting high pressure on the Rage’s defense. Amanda M, Bella G and Audrey H. played solid defense to steal the show. Tasha M. got injured and volunteered to play goalkeeper and was able to make some incredible saves. The determined Krush team prevailed by a score of 1-0 in this tight contest. Three teams finished with a 2-1-0 record which meant, by tiebreaker, the Krush secured the #1 seed and Braden River the #2 seed - setting up a rematch in the finals.
The Krush had accomplished their goal of playing quality soccer and qualifying for the finals. The young ladies played the game with enjoyment and established their rhythm of play. About mid-way through the first half Bella G. played a great ball by splitting two defenders to Izzy P. who scored to the far post from outside the box. The remainder of the game was match of possession with both defenses working very hard to prevent any change in the scoreline. When the whistle finally blew the Krush Girls had defeated their tough opponent 1-0 in a fantastic Championship...Great Job Ladies!!!
***KRUSH ACADEMY U-10 ATLANTA CUP CHAMPS***
The FSA Krush Academy Under-10 girl’s team playing in the top division won the 2007 Atlanta Cup this past weekend beating the #2 Nationally Ranked team, Lady Cannon’s ’98 (GA), in the final game. On their way to the title they also defeated the #3 ranked team and several other squads from North Carolina and Georgia.
Starting off Saturday morning they played against Georgia FC ’97 and the Krush girl’s started the game scoring first and jumped to a 5 - 2 halftime lead. The start of the second half was no different as the Krush started off quick and scored two early goals with superb plays from Bella G. and Marisa M. to grab a commanding 7 - 2 lead. The girl’s finished strong scoring three more goals and the Krush took the first win in group play and for the tournament with a resounding 10 - 2 victory.
They girl’s went into their second game of the afternoon to face the Cobb YMCA Strikers and with a great overall team effort they recorded another great win, this time by a 7-1 margin and setting the stage for a matchup against the Lady Cannon’s ’98 to decide the group winner. The Krush Girl’s fought hard throughout the game but it was not enough to beat an impressive Lady Cannon squad whose team took the victory with a clear margin of 3-0. The loss dropped the Krush to the second seed in the bracket, which meant they had to face the number one seed from the other bracket, Manchester United (NC) in the semifinals.
The Krush girl’s fought hard against a very big and physical team and at the end of the first half Tasha M. intercepted a pass in the middle of the field and worked her way up the field and blasted the ball into the lower right corner of the net for a 1 - 0 lead. In the second half the Manchester United team did not give up and found the equalizer with less than one minute to go for a 1-1 at the end of regulation. Each team played very hard through the two five-minutes overtime periods, but neither team was able to find the back of the net. This set the stage for a penalty shootout in which the Krush took the victory 4-3 with an outstanding performance from the Krush goalie Audrey H. who stopped two of the five PK’s.
The final was a rematch against the Lady Cannon’s ’98 and was extremely nerve raking for all the parents, coaches, players. It was going to be a hard task for our young team, however the girl’s were not ready to give up and played an awesome game. They applied themselves to the task at hand and focused on being very disciplined defensively to keep the score 0 - 0 through the end of regulation and overtime, setting the stage for another PK shootout.
The coaching staff (and parents) were all very proud of our Krush Girl’s and regardless of the outcome of the game we knew they left everything they had on the field. The PK’s were taken by Brogan, Angelina, Bella, Audrey and Amanda and our goalkeeper was fortunate to stop another shot leading the team to a stunning victory over the #2 team in the Nation and bumping the Krush Academy to a #4 spot in the National Rankings and the #1 spot in the Florida Rankings…
GREAT JOB GIRLS, GO KRUSH !!!!!
Readiness is an important issue for both the beginning soccer player and parent. It is vital that a child have an interest is being part of a social environment that relies on interaction and cooperation. It is just as vital that a parent realizes that their child’s play is exactly that, child’s play. It is not a reflection of the parent. It is not a valid prediction of future ability. The true value of playing any organized sport is to have fun. A good experience will help to promote all of those other issues that are frequently stated such as self-confidence, teamwork, physical development and a healthy lifestyle. A bad experience can turn off a child and as a result cause the child to miss out on the opportunity to participate in a sport and enjoy its benefits. It is natural for anyone to want to continue to participate in a given activity when they are having fun. Here are seven hints that can help the beginning player have a positive experience:
