Firecrackers Win, Shake off Some Rust

Date: 06-09-09

david ahlgren

Everyone knows it's tough to sit for 3 weeks and then try to start back up where you left off.  Last night, the Firecrackers had to basically start the season again with the same team as on April 4th.  Everything started out fairly slowly, but as time wore on, the Firecrackers kept up the pressure.  Although the game was never in any doubt, the Firecrackers did not get many chances on goal.  What chances we did get, we put away.  On the other side of the coin, the Halcones got quite a few chances, but they were mediocre at best and never had a chance at going in.

A couple takeaways from last night: 1. The midfielders need to get used to tracking back on defense.  The Halcones had two outside mids that went up and barely ever got back.  It was as if they were playing a 4-5-1, which changed to a 4-2-4 when on offense.  They constantly had people attacking, and often the defense found themselves outmanned. 2. The forwards need to hold the ball and play back through the midfield.  We had a fantastic string of about 12 passes yesterday that started in the midfield, went up through the forwards and back, eventually for a nice shot.  It was really cool to watch.  If we have more more movement off the ball and more passing through the midfield, we'll be able to step up our game a little more.

Dave started out the scoring with a half-volley deflected from Brandon's shot.  Somehow, the ball managed to make it through a crowded penalty box without touching anyone and hit the side netting.  In the second half, Stonehouse took a ball from Ronnie Jenkins and buried it as he ran past two defenders.  The final hammer came with 10 minutes left when Dave recovered a poor pass back to the goalie and finished it as the goalie came out.  THe Halcones left with a parting blow as one of them rocketed a ball past interim goalie John Basanese. The ball was in the net before he even saw it.

There were quite a few fans in the stadium last night, and a growing number of babies.  With more weddings and births planned for later this year, our family will keep growing!!

Let's show up next Monday and really have a clinical game.

www.sjfirecrackers.com