Mullen vs ABK (Women's Soccer)

 Mullen vs. Arapahoe (Senior Night!)

Location: MSC

Time: Both teams@4:30 - Senior Night starts at 4:15

Match Preface: Tonight we get to celebrate our wonderful seniors and captains! The pregame festivities will start at 4:15 so I would like our warm-up to start no later than 3:40.

We will have a brief team meeting at 3:05 in room C5 and then proceed outside. If you are getting treatment, please do so right after school at 2:45 to make sure you are to warm-up on time.

AHS Strengths:

AHS' primary strength is that they have very talented individual players. The girls are well rounded and technical, they can shoot from range and they see the field well. A well organized system and team defending will be essential to our success tonight.

Players to watch:

1. The girl who plays the 7: She is the one headed to Colorado College. She is a strong technical player with a little pace. She defends incredibly well, and her passing is exceptional. She also moves well into space on set pieces. She can be deceptive in her movement (especially with the ball) so we need to press her, be we can't dive in.

*When in position, her defending is strong, but she isn't always inclined to work hard or track back. Attacking outside backs should cause her a lot of trouble.

2. Number 13 can shoot and attack. She plays as a center forward in their 4-3-3 usually, and she will shoot from the top of the box or penetrate with a run. Her greatest asset is that she doesn't give up on the ball. She is a true grinding 9, and we will have to cover her between the 5 and 6, not let her turn, and communicate around her movement. We are not man marking her, but we need to be aware of where she is.

3. Their central mid-field is strong, and they love to shoot. Number 19 is questionable for tonight's game, but she has a surrounding cast that act in a similar fashion. They want to carry the ball through the midfield, and they want to shoot on goal. We need to get underneath the ball defensively, and close down shots. Goalies need to be focused at all times!

4. Both their center backs are talented. Patient passing combinations and runs inside and behind will be much more effective then just trying to beat them 1 v 1 or in a foot race.

Set pieces: 

Their left footed center back plays a very nice set piece from range! 

AHS: Weaknesses

This is a team with very few weaknesses. Overarchingly however, their primary weakness comes in the form of their reliance on individual talent (as noted above). This is an AHS team that doesn't work particularly well as a team. The movement is straight forward, and rarely are they working for one another or moving off one another. If we can shut down individuals, we can cause AHS a lot of problems. 

Organization is going to be key to our success. If we can avoid mistakes, take away shots, and close gaps, AHS is going to have a very difficult time breaking us down. We want to press them into isolation and then capitalize on their disorganization in the back as well as their lack cohesive play. 

Mullen Keys to success:

1. Protect the ball and play to feet. We need to play on the front foot and be smart with the ball and our attack. 

2. Outside backs need to get involved in the attack and our 6 needs to stay in cover (like a 3rd CB).

***It is really important in tonight's game that we keep the field tight. Like we talk about every game, we can't afford a big gap between our defense and midfield. AHS's wingers and tricky number nine will exploit that gap! As we attack, we need to move up with the attack to quickly prevent any counter that might develop. 

3. We can't get flat in the back. We need depth in our backfield. Constant pressure/cover/balance. Especially to step in a block shots.

4. No mistakes, no shots on goal = shutout.

5. Our nine needs to be creative with their movement. The more she moves along the back line, the more she will pull defenders out of shape. This will open gaps for through balls and inside runs.

Let's keep it going!

Good luck :)

Mullen vs. Eaglecrest (Women's soccer)

 Mullen vs. Eaglecrest (Thunderidge Middle School/Eaglecrest High School)

JV@ 4pm - Thunde Ridge Middle School (5250 S Picadilly St, Aurora, CO 80015)

V@ 5:30pm - Eaglecrest High School (5100 S Picadilly St, Aurora, CO 80015)

**We are away - wear white all the way down!

**The varsity game is at a slightly unusual time - make sure to snack and eat good calories prior to the game.

Match Report Preface: 

Eaglecrest has had a wonderful season thus far. They are a super strong defensive team that seems to lack a definitive attacking presence. They are young though and that will change. My hope is that we are playing them at a good time. They have been blown out twice this year, once by eight goals, and last Thursday by six. They responded defensively to the first blowout and had a little success, but they sacrificed their attack to do so. I believe that the second routing came as a result of trying to open the game up against the ABK's ;) and they paid the price for it. The problem for them is they need some more wins so they are going to have to chase them. If we are patient and play our game, we should have an opportunity to capitalize on their struggling identity.

EHS Strengths:

Defense: EHS has proven to be a well organized/disciplined defense team. They have some impressive score lines and have shut out or kept a number of opponents to only one goal. The keys to their defense are twofold: one, number 20 is one of the best players in the league. She is cool on the ball, technical, and she can clear it out. Secondly, they recover relatively well. Midfielders get wide and drop to create a nice block. Until the AHS game last Thursday night, they had demonstrated a commitment to recovery, and against Grandview, they defended with 11 girls behind the ball most of the game. Their coach has no problem playing for low scores/ties. She smart like that.

Set pieces: Number 20 can send in a lethal set piece. We saw her hit the bar against trail. She has both accuracy and distance. We need to be cool in the final third (no unnecessary fouls) and goalie needs to stay super focused on high balls coming in.

Speed up top: EHS is a relatively fast team, but the girls who plays in the center of their attack is down right quick. She has okay ball control, but she has proven that she can get behind the D and put the ball in the back of the net. We need to contain her with depth in the back field.

A shifty 6: Finally, the girls who plays in the middle of the park for EHS is deceptively good! She is shift and manipulates the ball well. If you dive in on her, she'll cut you up. Remember, hand length, don't let her turn, force her to play the way she is facing.

*She is also a decent defender and will get behind the ball. However, she is prone to getting frustrated when they don't have options.

They want to do the right thing: Lastly, EHS has some girls who can play. They are relatively technical, and they want to move the ball around. It is good. We have to keep our shape and not allow their passing to pull us out. Don't chase. Don't do someone else's job... tell them to do their job.

EHS weaknesses: 

Goalie: Their keeper is young, and although she is athletic, she is spotty. Everything spills. We need to shoot and CRASH, CRASH, CRASH. Against AHS, it was clear that she got down on herself and this really exposed them. If we can get in early, she is gonna struggle. (As opposed to Grandview who played everything right at her, she grew in confidence, and then ended up making some really good saves) Don't make it easy on her. Don't let her heat up.

*Additionally, their backup is a sophomore as well so they don't have depth in the goal.

Defense gets tight: Though they are well organized, the one flaw I can see in their system is that the outside backs track their girls tight into the middle. If we play a little tighter in our top four, it should leave big lanes on the flanks for our outside backs to get elevated or for a 6 or 10 to make a wide run. If the attacker doesn't track back, we'll be wide open, but 1v1 at the most.

EHS can get drawn out: They are best when they are blocking, but AHS really managed to draw them out, their line got high and flat, and then they were super exposed. If we are patient and move the ball to feet, we can draw them out and move in behind them like we did against trail. See below:

As you can see in the clip, our 7 receives the ball with her back to goal, finds the contact and holds off her mark. She turns her and finds our 9 who has drifted wide (which is great). At that point, our 11 moves inside and makes a brilliant run into the backfield. She receives the ball with THE OUTSIDE OF HER FOOT :) and then megs the goalie. 

The key here is that we don't force anything and we move the ball patiently! 

Goal kicks: This season it seems like EHS can't come up with an answer for their goal kicks. We have to be well positioned, win the first or second ball, and when they go short we have to press hard. 9's gotta do some work tonight, but you'll create turnovers and goals. 

Mullen Keys to success:

1. Protect the ball and play to feet. We need to play on the front foot and be smart with the ball and our attack. 

2. Outside backs need to get involved in the attack and our 6 needs to stay in cover (like a 3rd CB).

***It is really important in tonight's game that we keep the field tight. Like we talked about after the creek game, we can't afford a big gap between our defense and midfield. EHS' fast players will exploit that gap! As we attack, we need to move up with the attack to quickly prevent any counter that might develop. 

3. We can't get flat in the back. In order to contain EHS speed, we need depth in our backfield. Constant pressure/cover/balance.

4. No mistakes, no shots on goal = shutout.

Let's keep it going!

Good luck :)

Mullen vs. CT (Women's soccer)

 Mullen vs. CT (MSC: both teams @4:30)

We are home so wear navy all the way down. 

Snacks are in C5, make sure you are eating 100 calories and hour!

Preface:

CT has had a roller coaster of a season, but they are a good team with good players. And they have also had some excellent results. Their biggest issue is their consistency and over reliance on one of their star players. 

This has both negative and positive consequences that are best understood through their organizational issues. CT usually plays in a 4-3-3 with their star player out on the right side. They look to play her over the top and into space, and she just wants to counter and dribble at goal. However, as the game progresses she has a tendency to drift in and play like a ten. This displaces the rest of the midfield, pushing the 8's out onto the wing. With everybody weirdly positioned, it leaves CT with a number of defensive gaps that teams have a tendency to exploit. But at the same time, the displaced midfielders have the ability to cause marking issues as they over load the wings. 

In order to take advantage of their disorganization, we will need to move the ball quickly (to feet) and try to get in behind their back line (that is usually high and all over the place), but defensively, we will need to keep our shape. If a midfielder drifts wide and the forward drifts wide, we need to treat them like a winger and outside back and mark accordingly. The 7/11 will need to drop and mark the wide midfielder and temporarily leave the outside back in the backfield. If the forward then drifts back inside, then our OB can step to the midfielder and our 7/11 can press the outside back. 

We want to be defensively sound and capitalize on the counter.

CT strengths:

1. CT has a couple of girls that can really play! They are fast and individually talented. Today our 1v1 defending need to be sharp, and we need to close down and block shots.

2. They will shoot from anywhere. It is like a team thing... but CT will pull back and shoot from all over the field, and sometimes they find the goal. We need to close down (but not dive in) as players advance, and we need to push them to the outside. They have a handful of girls that will fire from anywhere in the middle and final third.

3. They have some creative set pieces. They send Kiki out and another player and run a corner that looks like our number 3. We need to be super focused. When they have two out at the corner, we need to have 2 out at the corner. 

4. They are wicked on the counter! We need to protect the ball in the middle of the park and make smart and clinical passes. No unnecessary give aways.

CT weaknesses:

1. Their goal keeping is questionable. They have two different goalies that play and they are hesitant off their line, they struggle to read the ball in the air, and their confidence is low. If we can be clinical in front of goal and put some in early, CT is really going to struggle.

2. Their organization is weak (see explanation above): But also understand that our attacking wingbacks will often be unmarked, and their back line will be all over the place. When a team gets pushed out of position, it is really difficult to understand who is supposed to be marking who... that is why shape is queen! We need to capitalize on this. Be elusive and creative, play fast balls to feet in transition and find our outside backs! Also play the through ball quickly into our 9s, 7s and 11s.

3.They have lost their last three games by progressively worse scores. They are going to be looking to break that slump. However, if we get up in this game, they are going to get frustrated and shut down. That is why we have to be defensively sharp and strong in front of goal.

Mullen Keys to success:

1. Protect the ball and play to feet. Just because CT pushes a big game, we can't devolve into that. We need to play on the front foot and be smart with the ball and our attack. 

2. Outside backs need to get involved in the attack and our 6 needs to stay in cover (like a 3rd CB).

***It is really important in tonight's game that we keep the field tight. Like we talked about after the creek game, we can't afford a big gap between our defense and midfield. CT's stars will exploit that gap! As we attack, we need to move up with the attack to quickly prevent any counter that might develop. 

3. We can't get flat in the back. In order to contain CT we need depth in our backfield. Constant pressure/cover/balance.

4. No mistakes, no shots on goal = shutout.

Let's keep it going!

Good luck :)

Mullen vs GW (Womens soccer)

 Mullen vs George Washington

V@430

Jv@630

Varsity - arrive at GW by 3:15

Surface: turf

Uniforms: White

GW strengths:

1. GW is a good sized team. They have size at the 9, the 6, and out on one of the wings. They move well, get into tackles, and have some speed on the flanks. We will need to find the contact and retain possession of the ball, especially in the attack. 

2. GW has a well organized attack. They keep things simple by moving the ball out to the flanks and then trying to bring it across the middle to create opportunities in front of goal. They are methodical in this approach so our outside backs need to be pressed and marked tight. Additionally, they have a 9 that can hold up the ball well. CBs need to make sure that they are in pressure-cover. Where one steps to contain (not dive in) and the other covers the turn and shot.

3. They have shown well defensively - very few goals against. I think their back line is fast, but they are also prone to some technical mistakes so we have to be opportunistic.

GW weaknesses:

From what I saw, GW is somewhat predictable and they don't have the technical talent of the teams we have faced recently. The number one thing we can do to gain an edge is to stay organized and execute our press. 

By keeping our shape, we can absorb the GW attack, and by pressing we can capitalize on mistakes. We need to seek to take away their strengths.

When we are on the attack, outside backs need to get involved, and the defense needs to step up with the attack. 

On this first goal, you can see that we clear the ball and our nine is nicely positioned in the gap where we wanted her to be. As she carries the ball forward, our 7 and 11 move into attacking positions as well, but our defense stays dropped. The problem is that this creates a big gap at the top of our final third. When we turn over the ball, creek is able to exploit that gap. Center backs end up flat and creek makes the diagonal run into the box just like we knew they would. 

If our outside backs move up with the attack, and our CBs step into shape, when the ball came into the wing, we would have been pressed tight and we could have prevented the ball into the diagonal run. 

When the game moves forward, we need to be sharp and step with the game. 

On creek's third goal, we get caught with a player open at the back post. 7s and 11s, we need to remember that the winger on the weakside is a shared player, and if the outside back shifts into cover, that 7/11 has to be in a wing to wing mark. 

On this play, our 7 stays on the outside back, but leaves the shared player and she puts it in at the back post. Additionally, there is a throw in, which is a time we need to use to recover beneath the ball. 

Keys to success:

Stay organized, keep shape, find marks.

Play to feet and be quick in transition.

Capitalize on mistakes.

Outside backs , get elevated. 

Close down, block shots, nothing on goal. 

Good luck! 

Mullen vs. Cherry Creek (Women's soccer)

 Mullen vs. Cherry Creek

JV@4:30pm -Greenwood village park

V@6pm - Stutler Bowl (9300 E Union Ave, Greenwood Village, CO 80111)

Match Report Preface:

As expected, we are up against a very talented Cherry Creek team. However, we have shown our ability to play with strong teams so far this season, and tonight is another opportunity to do just that. Let's rely on our fitness, intellect, and organization tonight. Let's look for counter attack opportunities. And let's take advantage of set pieces and chances in front of goal!

Cherry Creek Strengths: 

1. Their organization: Cherry Creek is a well organized team that plays a simple attack plan. This strength is represented in two ways. First, CC plays with a very deep six. She plays right in front of the CB's almost like a stopper. They play the ball through her, and although she has the ability to penetrate, she usually just moves the ball into her elevated midfielders, or the wings. She is hard to beat 1v1, and she cleans up everything coming in big. She is patient, and disciplined and rarely gets pulled out of position.

The other piece of this organization involves their attack. They play with a false nine, who is more like a 10, a lefty that will just fire from anywhere. And she can shoot. Their high attackers do two things: they either make a diagonal run into the box looking for the ball at their feet going in, or they look to receive the ball with their back to the goal so that they can set the false nine for the shot. It is an effective system, but predictable. 

2. They are direct and effective in the middle of the park. Creek has good speed through the midfield, but they also tackle well and use that speed efficiently. It is rare to see them recycle the ball deeper than their six, and they will push relentlessly forward. 

*We need to be wary of turnovers in the middle of the park that leave us out of position to prevent the counter.

3. Their left outside back gets involved in the attack, and she has a little magic. (We'll watch the film, but she made an AHS girl fall over - it was impressive) - Just don't dive in, she likes to cut in on her right foot.

Creek Weaknesses:

1. Much like GV, Creek's deep play creates gaps between the midfield and the back line. This open up opportunities to  counter. 

2. Additionally, the tight triangle that they play with the 6 and 2 CB's leaves the outside backs isolated. Now, the outside backs are good, but I like us in 1v1 situations against them. The biggest thing we can do is move the ball to the flanks and attack the corners and then bring the ball back across the face of the goal.

3. Because of the system that Creek plays with the false nine, the attacking "wingers" get pulled inside on their diagonal runs, which leaves our outside backs open to attack. When we get the opportunity, find our outside backs as an outlet. OB's make sure to take and attacking touch that brings us forward into the counter.

4. Lastly, Creek is somewhat predictable. They are good at what they do, but you also know what they are going to do. If CB's step to the diagonal runs into the box, we should be able to cut off a lot of those passes. Additionally, if we keep our shape, we should be able to prevent their 9/10 from getting shots off from the outside. We just need to remember that she wants it on her left, and we can't dive in.

Mullen key's to success:

1. Set pieces and territorial play: Creek 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 poor clearances. We need to crash, crash, crash, and not give up on any play. 

2.No mistakes in the back: When Creek 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 Creek's six if she come up through the middle.

Additionally, we need to look to push Creek to the wings in an effort to disrupt their efforts to play that diagonal ball in, or strike shots from outside. See below:

As you can see here, our six overruns the forward giving her the inside lane to find a shot on goal.

You can then see that it happens again here when our 6 overruns the midfielder, naturally bringing her inside on her dominant foot. She then produces a really nice shot on goal. 

The general idea her is to take away the inside lane in an effort to reduce opportunity. Block toward then wings.

We have to keep Creek out of the goal early for our tactics to work. Organization and discipline right from the start gives us an edge in the game!

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. Grandview (Women's soccer)

 Mullen vs. Grandview (V@4:30/V@4:30)

All games are at the MSC (Mullen Soccer Complex) - We are home, so wear navy all the way down.

Warm up: 3:50

Preface: This is a strong Grandview team that has conceded one goal so far this season. They play deep, and they are defensively minded. We will have to draw them out and look to counter beyond their back line.

Grandview Strengths:

1. Grandview is incredibly disciplined and patient. Under their new coach, they are not the attacking team they have been in the past (though they are still talented going forward), but they have more organization and control in the backfield. They will sit deep and absorb the game and then look to play out of the back or push the ball over the midfield to the front line. They aren't afraid to push the ball long.

2. They have a big and powerful attacking line. The girls up top move well, and fight hard to get inside their defenders. They also put together a nice press. They will come back to receive the ball at their feet; however, they prefer the long ball through. They will be looking for something off the back line into the attack, or from the deep mid. 

*They hold their positions tightly, so they aren't incredibly dynamic in that sense. Good communication in the back will be elemental to tracking players. And a strong press from our attacking line will make it more difficult to play balls over the top.

3. Their left outside back presses hard and gets involved in the attack. She is the primary attacking member of their back line. She gets forward nicely and adds an additional dynamic to the attack. If we don't track her and catch our marking assignments, she will open up a lot of space. 

Grandview weaknesses: 

Like us, I don't think there are a lot. However, if we play the game right, we can exploit their conservative play and deeper back line. 

The key to unlocking Grandview is going to be finding our 9 and 10 in the gap. See the picture below:

(Grandview is in white) - As you can see, CV gets the ball in the midfield, and Grandview's LOB is elevated, but the remainder of the back line is still deep in their own territory. CV has three players in the gap between the midfield and the back line. If CV could have found those two players in the gap they would have put together a nice counter attack situation. 

When we win the ball in the middle of the park, we need to find the 9 and 10 and move forward quickly. The more we can isolate the back line, the more opportunities we will create on goal. Slow play will just allow Grandview to recover and get back behind the ball. 

Additionally, as noted above, a strong press is going to disrupt Grandview's desire to go forward. If we can press players and close lanes (and not dive in) we can slow the tempo of the game. We simply need to avoid mistakes in the back and not give away anything for free. Grandview has no problem sitting in all game and just waiting for the mistake that gives them the opportunity to get in on goal.

We want a clean sheet!

Mullen key's to success:

1. Set pieces and territorial play: Grandview 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 GV's poor clearances. We need to crash, crash, crash, and not give up on any play. 

2.No mistakes in the back: When Grandview 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 Grandview's 6s and tracking her on through runs.

***If we briefly revisit the Windsor game, the determining factor is that initial goal two minutes in. We win the corner, but our 9 doesn't track back into the gap to start the counter. When the ball goes out wide, we dive in and our shape has shifted out of position. This allows for the ball across the top of the box and eventually the goal.

We have to keep GV out of the goal early for our tactics to work. Organization and discipline right from the start gives us an edge in the game!

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