Mullen vs. Vista Peak (Women's soccer)

 Mullen vs. Vista Peak (JV@4, V@6)

Away: All players wearing white all the way down.

APSS - Aurora Public Schools Stadium
15714 E 11th Ave, Aurora CO

Match report preface: 

Vista Peak has had a strange start to the season. It has been a tale of two teams: they got beaten bad by South, had a very tight game with Eaglecrest, and then turned around and smashed Aurora Central. When they have the opportunity to get organized, they have been hard to score on, and on the counter, they have shown that they can get in goal. This is a game in which we will have the speed and fitness advantage, but we will have to capitalize on opportunities, stay organized, and stay on the front foot. 

Vista Peak Strengths:

Vista peak has 2. 5 primary strengths-

1: Their attackers press the ball hard, and they create high pressure situations for the defense and midfielders. The press is aggressive, and somewhat erratic, so it has the ability to create turnovers high up the field. Against Eaglecrest, they demonstrated an ability to keep the press throughout the whole game, and their 1v1 was really quite good.

1.5: When Vista Peak creates turnovers on the press, they are quick to move the ball forward on the counter. They will push it from the wings, or out of the back, and they have no problem playing the big ball off the turn over. Their attackers have some size and speed, and they have proven that they can capitalize on the counter.

2. If given time, they recover well and they have the ability to organize themselves in the back. In certain moments against Eagle, and South, their entire team was goal side of the ball. When they can get deep, and get organized, they are difficult to break down. They rely on good 1v1 defending, and a nice step (pressure) and cover system.

As you can see, Eagle (in black) is pushing the ball forward after moving it around in the backfield. Peak (white) has 6 players behind the ball and is relatively organized. Eagle is then cuts the ball back and another 3 Peak players join the defense. Eagle is forced to develop once again out of the back.

Vista Peak Weaknesses: 

1. VP struggles for speed and technical ability on the flanks. Their outside backs rarely get involved in the attack, and their flat positioning exposes them to wall passes and overlaps down the flank. The flat structure should also allow us to isolate players and take them on with momentum. Speed kills against a flat back.

2. When they are deep in their own territory, Peak has the ability to get well organized; however a flat back four is inevitably weak against creative horizontal movement. We need to bring the ball forward with intent and technical prowess. Balls to feet are going to be elemental. And once we develop a good ground game, we should be able to exploit the gaps in between defenders with through balls. Attackers need to get inside their defenders and find these gaps. 

You can see the number of organizational problems above. The back line is relatively flat, and one pass will serve to beat all of them. Additionally, the weakside outside back is the deepest player, and consequently, she is keeping the strong side attacker onsides even though she is goal side of her defender. A pass to feet here and a nice through ball like we practiced yesterday would send that attacker 1v1 with the keeper.

To best understand this movement - finding our wingers on the flank and allowing them to drive the line or come inside to shoot - Watch the Trinity Rodman highlights below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EESf9oehH2k

3. The goalie - she has shown to be weak from distance and on shots coming in from flank attackers to the near and far post.

4. Lastly, and although this may have been corrected already, the goalie has super weird corner kick positioning. She plays like 4 yards off her line. Marcoux and Jolly should be in spades if her positioning remains the same. We need to capitalize. 

Mullen Keys to Success:

1. Find the gaps and play a nice technical game to feet. We are on the front foot. We need to drive forward with purpose, but we should not be sending everything over the top. Move the ball through the midfield - switch quickly, and find our wing attackers in 1v1 situations. We have to progress quickly.

2. Track our marking assignments and press. Wingers, press the outside backs hard, and outside backs, press their wingers.

3. Outside backs, get involved in the attack.

4.  Conservative play in the back, strong clearances, close down shots.

No shots on goal = shutout

Good luck!

Mullen vs. Windsor (Women's soccer)

 Mullen vs. Windsor - JV@4, V@6

Location: Windsor High School 

1100 Main St, Windsor, CO 80550

Both teams: White all the way down (Away uniform) - make sure to snack and eat. And also hydrate; this is a dinner time game, so make sure to take care of your nutrition.

Match Report Preface:

Windsor has had a weird start to the season - cancelled games, reschedules, and then spring break. They played once, and got thrashed by a fast and talented Broomfield team. However, they are no strangers to winning, and they are going to be motivated to get their first one of the season. We should expect an aggressive Windsor team that is hunting goal. The hope is that we can take advantage of this mentality, be patient, and capitalize on their rocky start to the season.

With that said, the Broomfield game went like this...

Windsor played in some version of a midblock. They put very little pressure on Broomfield's backline, and tried to absorb their attack. This allowed Broomfield to wreak havoc through the middle of the park and in front of goal. Even when Windsor threatened to get out, they misplaced passes and had very little going forward. (I do not think Windsor will play this type of soccer against us, or throughout the season. They will be much more on the front foot- but there were still some chinks in the armor.)

However, with that said, for all of Broomfield's talent, some of the goals were a little fluky... Broomfield put the ball in the back of the net 3 times in the first half off of missed clearances. They were just active in front of goal and ready to pounce. They brought the ball down the flanks, drove it in or crossed it, waited for it to be mishandled, and then put it in the back of the net. 

*They also hit a post on a beautiful play and put together a beautiful goal as well. This game could have blown open.

Windsor Strengths:

Windsor has a winning tradition, and built a fair amount of chemistry in last year's D season. They graduated very few impact players and are coming off a quarter final loss to Holy Family. They are very motivated. They feel like last year's state championship slipped through their fingers. 

From preseason, it seems like Windsor is very strong in the middle of the park. They have some speed and size, and a girl that can just crank the ball. Additionally, the link up play between the midfield and the false nine is strong. She drops into the gap well, and turns to go on goal, or play the third run through. We are going to have to be quick to step and press. Horizon tried to play an open game with them and Windsor put in 3 goals in 50 minutes. One of which was a banger from 35 out. 

Windsor has a history of exploiting poor organization. They are strong one v one and hard to dispossess. 

Lastly, there are two or three players on Windsor's varsity team that were varsity basketball players as well. These girls have a score to settle, and I do not think there is a lot of love for Mullen up at Windsor. You can expect everything to go their way. Fans will be against you, refs will be against you, the town wants a win over Mullen. 

Patient and conservative play is going to be key. We are going to have to expect to go up there and grind with no favors in return. You are entering the lion's den, or wizards lair... or whatever. Expect a fierce game tonight.

Windsor weakness: 

1. We have the luxury of having a good/full week of soccer under our belts. We are three weeks into the season, and games and practices for Windsor have been sporadic. Windsor will need to shake off some rust, but without a practice right before this game, they will also have organizational issues to fix. Tonight we have to be willing to play a little territorial and play the big ball out. They have already shown that clearances out of the back field are not their strong suit, and if we can get in behind their defense, we can probably cause some problems. When given the opportunity, we also need to crash the goal and be a little more opportunistic than we have been. 

2. Broomfield was able to exploit the wings and had a lot of freedom with their outside backs. It seems like Windsor has packed most of their talent in the middle of the park, and that has left the flanks somewhat exposed. We need to move the ball wide, quickly, and utilize overlaps to get down the flanks. Attacking runs need to be made on the inside of defenders to increase opportunity on goal.

This is a great example of good wing movement. Our 7 plays in the gap between defenders, and we utilize a quick throw to spring her behind the back line (remember - you can't be offsides on a throw, so when our attackers are in position, look for opportunities to send them in on goal. Wings - make the run, OB's throw the ball quickly) Our 7 then gets a nice ball to the back post with our 11 and 9 both crashing in. This is great football, we are just on the wrong side of the luck. This is the kind of counter we want to spring against Windsor tonight.

Mullen key's to success:

1. Set pieces and territorial play: Since we are on the road against a team that has a size advantage, we need to play this game the right way. If we rely on organized defense, and move the ball quickly to the wings and corners, we should be able to create set-piece opportunities and counter attacks.

Corners and set-pieces need to be played into the box to exploit Windsor's poor clearances. We need to crash, crash, crash, and not give up on any play. 

2.No mistakes in the back: When Windsor is on the attack, we need to totally commit to our recovery, and be willing to block low when we need to. Clearances need to be strong and clinical, and never across the middle. Additionally, our nine needs to look for opportunities to double, and our ten needs to be committed to covering one of Windsor's 6's and tracking her on through runs.

When you watch this clip, you can see that we are rather well positioned for the throw. The biggest key here is that we can't dive in, we have to keep the shape. When the ball is dropped, one of our 6's dives, and is beat by a through ball. There, if we keep the shape, and contain instead of dive, we can prevent the through ball. However, we are then well positioned in cover and our outside back steps to the attacking player. The problem is that we clear the ball across the middle (low).

If we refrain from diving and commit to containing, and if we clear big, we prevent this goal scoring opportunity. 

3. CLOSE DOWN SHOTS

4. Track our marking assignments and press. Wingers, press the outside backs hard, and outside backs, press their wingers.

5. Outside backs, get involved in the attack.

6. Conservative play in the back, strong clearances, close down shots. (TWICE)

No shots on goal = shutout

Good luck!

Mullen vs. Denver South (Women's Soccer)

 Mullen vs. Denver South (Women's soccer)

Location: Mullen Soccer Complex (Both teams @430)

Both teams will wear navy all the way down. Please make sure to be eating all day, and snack after school. There will be snacks in C5 during the varsity team meeting @3:05 - All players are welcome.

Preface:

On Tuesday night, we played a nice game. Our tactics and organization were well executed, and our passing, tackling, and development of the game were incredibly strong. At the end of the day, we were just missing the final puzzle piece, putting the ball in the back of the net. Tonight, we have to find a way to execute, while not losing the foundation that we have built. We need to stay organized, prioritize the shut out, and find our way into the back of the net.

*Additionally, what follows in the match report is built out of a lot of separate pieces of research. We do not know a ton about Denver South. For that reason, we will have to rely on our press and good organization. But we will also have to be flexible and willing to adapt within game. As you are playing, watch the game, evolve within it.

South Strengths:

South had a good spring last year, and has started off well this spring too. In the last two games, they have scored 16 goals. Now, these have come against relatively weak opponents; however, 16 goals in two games is not to be taken lightly. They have a senior forward that has scored at least 6 of those 16 and she is dangerous. She is fast, and she presses hard. Additionally, they graduated very few players last year, so they are working with the same team just a year developed. They also added a couple of talented freshman to their roster. They have the makings of a strong team.

From what we can see, they can execute in front of goal, (like Lutheran) they are very opportunistic, and they create a lot of their goals by executing a strong press and creating turn overs in the back field. We will have to be smart and quick out of the back, and conservative under pressure. 

***A hard press, if not organized well, can also be risky. With good passing, we can work out of the press and counter. We need to be cool under pressure and move the ball quickly and clinically in the back field. Good passes across the lines will be the key to our success.

South weaknesses:

Most likely, South's biggest issue will be that they have not played a legitimate opponent yet. The hope is that our counter press and organization will be a lot for them to handle all of a sudden. We need to get a quick jump on this game and find our way into the back of the net early. If we can get up and keep pressing, we will have a big advantage over the course of the game. Additionally, their defense has not really been tested, and from one of the scouting reports I received, their organization was already a bit shaky. Creative movement up top and runs inside of defenders will create a number of issues for South's defense. 

Lastly, South did play yesterday afternoon, and although it was a softer game, if we can come out with a lot of intensity and create a high octane environment over 80 minutes, they are going to struggle. Good organization and commitment to shape will leave them with frustrated players who can't find opportunities, and that is what we want. Keep our shape and replace for one another as we step to pressure and cover. No shots on goal!

Mullen key's to success:

1. Involvement of the outside backs, protection of the ball, fill the space to attack.

In this clip, our movement and our passing is exceptional. As you can see, our strong press results in a turn over, and the involvement of the outside back and the 9 overloads the defense. Stella uses a well executed pull back to change the direction of the attack, and when Kee turns her defender, she positions her body perfectly to protect the ball. The cross is well executed, and our 10 does a marvelous job of filling the space left by our dropped 9. This play is awesome, we just need to shoot for the corners!

2. Good organization and movement in the back.

We spoke to this yesterday; however, just remember that the strong side center back needs to be elevated while the weakside center back drops into the space behind so that our defense creates a "U" or "check mark" shape to absorb pressure. In this clip, the girl is able to get in behind because our CB's are flipped. We luckily recover at the last moment and our goalie's positioning is excellent, which allows us to push the attacker wide, but we can prevent this from occurring with better organization.

3. Keep our shape. Outside backs must press tight to attackers. No delay, hard press.

On the goal we gave up, our shape starts off well, and as the balls swings, we press according to our organization. However, when the ball is passed to the dropped attacker, our ten shifts to a double team, which leaves their CM to quickly switch the play to the opposite corner of the 18. Our outside back is slow to press the other dropped attacker, and our CB is then slow to shift into cover. This allows their attacker to turn and get a shot in the gap. If we hold our shape and our outside backs press on dropped attackers, we can prevent a goal like this in the future. 

4. Track our marking assignments and press. Wingers, press the outside backs hard, and outside backs, press their wingers.

5. Outside backs, get involved in the attack.

6. Conservative play in the back, strong clearances, close down shots.

No shots on goal = shutout

Good luck!

Mullen vs. Parker Lutheran (3/22/22)

 Match Report: Mullen vs. Lutheran 

Times: JV@4, V@6 (JV arrive by 3, V arrive by 4:45)

Location: Parker Lutheran

11249 Newlin Gulch Blvd, Parker, CO 80134

Pre-game analysis:

We played Lutheran on the last night of our winter indoor season, the score was 4-2 in their favor.

Here is the breakdown of goals:

Goal 1: Failed clearance: There was an initial save, and the ball bounced around in the box. We failed to close down the shooter and clear the ball effectively. The Lutheran forward was able to smash the ball in from about 10 out.

Goal 2: Give away in the back: we made an errant central pass to the top of the 18 that was picked off by a Lutheran forward, giving her the opportunity to go 1v1 with the keeper.

Goal 3: Converted rebound: We failed to close down a shooter from range, our keeper made the initial save on the shot from distance, but a runner at the back post tapped in the rebound. She was unmarked.

Goal 4: Shot from range: We lost the ball at half, failed to close down the shooter, and she jacked a shot into the upper 90 from about 30-35 out.

All of these goals center around two particular themes. One, we failed to take good care of the ball, and two, we missed our marking assignments (closing down shooters and covering runs at the back post).

Tonight our focus needs to be on those two elements, defensively. We need to make sure that we are executing clearances (even if we have to be somewhat conservative in the back - when in doubt, boot it out), we need to not turn over the ball in our defensive third (smart, clinical passing), and we need to follow our marks.

A shut out is the goal.

Lutheran Strengths:

Lutheran has a couple of girls that can play, and when given the opportunity, they can hit a nice shot on goal. They have a central defender that is vocal, and has some speed. They also have a couple attacking players, primarily number seven, that have some good foot work, and can get in on goal given the opportunity. 

And there in lies their biggest strength. This Lutheran team is gritty and they hustle. From my observations, they are not as creative as they are opportunistic. When it comes to creating chances, I haven't seen a lot of that, but when it comes to capitalizing on chances that are presented to them (tap ins, shots from range, poor clearances, bad passes in the backfield) They are marvelous. This probably stems from the fact that they are not incredibly technically strong, but they make up for it by working hard and executing their opportunities. 

The fewer chances we give them, the better. If we close down quickly, if we don't dive in, and if we stay organized, we should be able to keep them out of the back of the net.

Lutheran Weaknesses:

From what I can see, Lutheran struggles technically, and they don't have a deep 11. The stratification of talent in their starting line up is big. In other words, there is a bigger gap between their strongest player and their weakest player at the varsity level. Therefore, we have the ability to capitalize on some of these weaknesses.

First, their defensive line. The two center backs are bigger, and aggressive, but not as technically sound. Additionally, there is a drop off in their outside backs. They struggle technically and they struggle to play fast. If we pressure the ball to the outsides and press the backs, we should be able to capitalize on turn overs.

The midfield can move the ball, but well positioned players will be able to easily cut off passes. If we keep our shape and don't get pulled out of position, Lutheran will just give us the ball in the middle of the park. 

Finally, their attack is probably the strongest part of their team, but they struggled against a weak (but somewhat well organized KIPP collegiate) If we close down players and prevent shots from outside, they will have very few options going forward.

*The goalie seems inconsistent and prone to mistakes. Taking shots, following them, and capitalizing on set pieces will be our keys to success when it comes to exploiting Lutheran weaknesses.

Mullen keys to victory:

1. Attack the space with our first touch, and be open to pushing the game forward.

Prior to this moment, we force a bad pass into the middle, where Kee turns and transitions the ball out. As it returns, we move it nicely across the field; however, when it arrives back at our outside back, our touch fails to give us forward momentum. Megan needs to attack that space and draw defenders in order to play the ball in behind them. The hesitation allows Horizon to remain compact and double our attacker trying to win the ball on the line. Our first touch needs to be open to progress, and then we can cut back if it isn't on. But the threat of advancing will commit the defense and pull them out of shape opening lanes in behind. 

2. Take the open space, communicate, don't turn into players. PROTECT THE BALL.

As you can see here, our shift and press is really strong. As the ball transitions through the midfield, Kee (Our 10) pushes the ball along to the outside back, and Kate presses the outside back. We take the ball over in the middle with a strong tackle, and find our outlet. However, instead of taking the open space, Kee turns into the player on the blindside over her shoulder. We need to communicate to her to take the space and also indicate that there is a "man on". When turning and attacking, keep your body between the ball and player. 

3. Track our marking assignments and press. Wingers, press the outside backs hard, and outside backs, press their wingers.

4. Outside backs, get involved in the attack.

5. Conservative play in the back, strong clearances, close down shots.

No shots on goal = shutout

Good luck!