Monroe Thunder

2008-2009 Season Game Recaps

 

Our 3 losses this year came from all 1 loss teams, so they were quality losses.  Over the winter, I am hoping to use the indoor season to work on finishing.  I am hoping to score more goalsSometimes

Week I - Win Monroe 4 – South Plainfield 0 (6-3-1) - Sunday, 11/9

The Monroe Thunder saved their best game for last as we recorded our 6th shutout of the season (6 wins).  The offense finally broke out and started shooting the ball from the 18 yard line.  The South Plainfield goalie was strong but we were able to score a season high 4 goals in a game.  Monroe dominated the play in the second half and was able to put 3 goals into the net.  The team passed very well and communicated well.  We were able to get our defense up on the front line.  Brandon W played Right Mid, David S and Joe Z were able to play right wing and left wing respectively.  Tyler T was able to push forward in the stopper position.  There were alot of assists and alot of shots on goal.  It was a great way to end a successful season. 

Once again, our defense and goalies played a very solid game, recording our 6th shutout of the season.  Jair opened the scoring with a great shot from right around the 18 yard line.  He almost had a second goal, when he returned a goal kick up high towards the goal, that the opposing goalie made a nice save on.  That ended up being the only goal of the first half.  In the second half, we really dominated play.  Tyler M made several runs and made several very nice crosses.  Shawn G had an assist when charging the goalie and deflecting the ball to Harrison W for a goal.  Shawn also had a very nice run and shot that just missed a goal.  We really missed Shawn last week at left wing, I thought he played really well on Sunday.  In addition, Harrison has really improved his shooting over the last couple weeks, and I thought he had his strongest game of the season.  The other person that I thought really stood out was David S.  David S, played very well at both Mid-field positions and Center striker.  Tyler T played a very strong game, and he was also able to score a sliding goal when he put a shot into the left corner of the goal.  I wasn't sure if Harrison or Shawn picked up the 4th goal, it was hard to tell if the ball was over the line or not, but overall it was a very good team play.

I also thought Ryan W played a strong game at Right Mid and sweeper.  We finally started getting more shots on goal, and the results were positive.

A very good team effort and win.  The boys were really focused and played a solid game.

Week H - Loss Monroe 0 – Glen Ridge Lightning 1 (5-3-1) - Sunday, 11/2

Sometimes in soccer, you are just unlucky.  That is what happened to the Monroe Thunder last Sunday.  Glen Ridge ended up being a very good team.  They only have 1 loss this season (5-1-2) and they played a pretty solid game against us.

Once again, our defense and goalies played a very solid game, we gave up our only goal on a penalty kick.  Tyler T was playing out of position at Stopper and he ended up tripping a player in the penalty box.  The shot just snuck past Ryan as he did get a hand on the ball, but was not able to prevent it from scoring.  I thought the kids were focused and played hard, so we end up with a loss, but I thought the effort was good.  We just have to be able to find a way to put the ball in the net.  If we score an average of 2 goals a game, we will be very hard to beat.

I thought we were very unlucky,  Ryan S had a goal taken away from us when Tyler M beat the goalie to the ball and Ryan S was able to bang a goal home.  Unfortunately, the referrees called goalie posession.  They called a penalty on us for tripping inside the penalty box and then Tyler M was tripped inside their penalty box shortly thereafter and we did not get the call.

We had a couple of good opportunities to score.  Tyler M had a breakaway that was shot wide, Harrison W had a couple close opportunities.  Our best opportunity came when The ball was crossed from left wing, into the center and Tyler T passed the ball across to Ryan W at Right-Mid and Ryan W passed the ball outside and forward to Tyler M on the right wing and Tyler W had a terrific shot on goal that their goalie made a diving save on.  Again, sometimes in soccer you are just unlucky.

I thought Harrison W had a solid game, Ryan S and Tyler T played solid games in Goal.  Brandon W played well at sweeper.  I thought Jair played well at center mid.  We tried another new lineup on the front line to generate more offense, however, the best line ended up being Harrison, Tyler M and Ryan @W at Right-Mid.  We will probably go back to that lineup on Sunday.

Overall a good effort against a good team and I was proud of the boys.

Week G - Win Monroe 3 – South Brunswick Asteroids 0 (5-2-1) - Sunday, 10/26

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES!!!!

Our team changed along with the weather!!  We went from Noreaster conditions to a beautiful sunny day. 

First off, I want to note the difference in our team....the boys on the bench, sat down and paid attention to the game!!  So much so, that for the first time this season they were encouraging our players and telling the strikers who was open and when they were offsides.  It was a sight to see!!  When I called a player into the game, they sprung up and I told them what position they were going in for, and they knew which player they were going in for.  It was wonderful, and that made all the difference.

Second, we scored 1 goal in our last 4 games, so Joe, Rich and I talked about making some changes to the front line to try and generate more offense.  We feel if we can score 2 goals a game, 95 times out of 100 we will win.  So, we switched the starting front line to Ryan W at Right Wing, Eric S at Left Wing and Matt K at center striker.  The line performed very well together, along with David S at Right Mid and Michael C getting the start at Left-Mid.  They immediately had some nice ball movement and set the tone for the game.  Ryan W had some nice runs up the sideline and had quite a few shots on goal.  The SB goalies were very good, I thought Ryan W was going to have 2 goals, but their goalies made some nice saves.  Matt K played a brand new position for him, he really hasn’t played at the front line before, and I thought he played well prior to leaving the game with an injury.  Thank god he is feeling better, because we are going to be short 2 players for Sunday’s game and we will need him on the front line.

The short practice last Saturday and the talks on Sunday on shooting on goal finally started to pay dividends.  Especially with Tyler M, as he scored the first Hat trick of the season.  He made a couple quick runs out of the gate and just missed his breakaway shots on goal.  After his first break, we spoke to him about pushing the ball in front, looking at his target, taking his time, and shooting on goal.  He played fantastic the rest of the game, each goal was progressively better than the last.  We were all very proud to see him perform so well.  Congrats on Tyler M’s first hat trick!!

He wasn’t alone, I thought the whole front line, Harrison, Shawn, and Tyler played very well.  Ryan W had one of his best games of the year.  As did, Jair, I thought Jair played very aggressive at center mid and I thought he distributed the ball extremely well.  He helped control the middle of the field and was one of the big keys to the game.  Ryan M played well, and the defense played very well.  Tyler T and Ryan S combined for their 5th regular season shutout in 8 games.  They have combined to only give up 4 goals in 8 games.  That is really impressive and Ryan played very well in the second half.  I also thought Joe Z played very well at fullback and that Tyler W played extremely well at left mid.  Which I think is his best position.  With the revised lineup he should see more playing time at left mid.  Brandon W was solid at sweeper again, as was David A at right fullback.  David has really settled in at being one of the better defenders in the flight.

Our mid-fielders played well and did a very good job getting back on defense and marking men.  Both David S and Mike C played extremely well.  Mike also had a nice shot from the 18 on goal, that the goalie made a good save on.  Mike is coming along way, he improves with each game he plays.

A great win against a very good opponenet, and it was by far (not even close) our best game of the season.  The boys were focused and into the game.  It didn’t matter if we won by 3 or lost by 7, I was thrilled with their focus. 

Great Job!!  Let’s keep the focus and effort going...

Week F – Loss -  Monroe 0 – Princeton New Castle 1 (4-2-1) - Saturday, 10/25

The last time we say Princeton New Castle was during our last hurricane at the South Brunswick Tournament.  I don’t know if the weather was any better on this Saturday.  The weather was not only rainy and windy, but quite a bit colder.  Princeton came to Monroe in 2nd place having only lost 1 game to date.  They outplayed us and had many more opportunites to score than we did.  The weather was cold and wet, but it was cold and wet for both teams. 

Despite not playing very well, we held the game scoreless until late in the second half.  A credit to both goalies.  Ryan S especially made some excellent saves in the second half.  Princeton ended up scoring on one of the better shots we have seen this year.  Their player delivered a shot from just inside the 18 to the top of the crossbar in the far corner of the net.  Ryan S had positioned himself well, however, it was just a matter of it being a perfect shot.

The loss was disappointing, not because we lost, but because of the lack of focus and conentration exhibited by the players.  Both coach Rich (more eloquently) and I  pointed out to the boys that they were not focused on the game.  They need to start focusing and exhibiting the seriousness and effort it takes to "try" and play your best.  Regardless of the result of the game, for the 2 hours during the game, the players need to pay attention and focus on only the game at hand.  Not one player can say they focused and gave full effort during the game.

Throughout the game, the players were on the bench talking about politics, pokemon, sleepovers, arguing about school, kicking the ball, and climbing the fence behind us.  Not one of them were paying attention to the game.  In fact, there were numerous times when I would call a person to go into the game and they were fooling around so much, I had to call not twice but 3, 4, and even 5 times before they would come over to enter the game.

I want the parents to understand, that we were not upset at the result of losing the game, but at the lack of effort and focus exhibited by the players.  I think that only good things will come out of our discussions at the end of that game.  In fact, the best thing that could of happened is the parents go out to a comedy club and relax...which most of us did (expecially Myriam....)

Week F – Tie -  Monroe 1 – Somerset Hills Cobras 1 (4-1-1) - Sunday 10/19

The Somerset Hills Cobras were a very good team.  They had several players on their team that were previously on a flight 1 team.  It was a hard fought game and the first half ended with both teams being scoreless.  We played well and our defense was very solid.  Brandon W. played a solid game at sweeper and Tyler T played a solid first half making good saves on 2 breakaway chances for Somerset to hold them scoreless.  In the second half, Monroe scored first to take a 1-0 lead.  Ryan W scored on a nice assist from Jair and Tyler W.  In fact, Jair played a very solid game at center mid and Ryan M also played a solid game at Stopper.  Ryan S. also made some excellent saves in the second half.  After taking the lead, our overall aggressiveness went down and we fell into a shell, where we played on our heels.  The end result was allowing the tieing goal late in the second half, where the defense allowed 2 players to walk in and take an uncontested shot at goal.  The goalie really had little chance because Somerset executed a good give n’ go and put a hard shot on goal into the corner.  We woke up as a team after the goal and had several oppotunities, Tyler M had a nice breakaway opportunity and so did Tyler W and Harrison.  We were just a little unlucky.  Overall, not a bad game, we had our chances and I thought we played hard for most of the game outstide that 10 minute letdown.

Week D – Win -  Monroe 3 – Piscataway Red Bulls 0 (4-1-0) - Sunday 10/5

 

 

 

 

 

For the 4th time out of 5 games, Monroe shutout their opponent.  Playing probably one of the best teams in the flight, Monroe was able to hold Piscataway scoreless.  Monroe also scored their most goals in a game this season.  The boys kept their composure and focus and played really hard.  I was very proud of the effort.  Once again, I thought the defense and the goalkeeping was excellent.  Ryan made some nice saves in the first half, and Tyler made a really nice save on a high shot.  The midfielders were able to get back and mark men in the first half.  Joe Z and David A switched sides and both played really solid for long stretches in the second half.  Brandon W and Ryan M both played solid up the middle.  Good job defense!!!

On the offensive end, I thought Jair controlled the middle of the field again and distributed the ball really well.  David S, Matt K, and Mike C also had solid games in the mid-field.  Tyler W played extremely well at Center Fwd.  He picked up a beautiful one touch goal on a nice cross from Tyler M.  Tyler W stayed home and was in perfect position to score the opening goal of the game.  The second goal was setup by some beautiful passing from Mike C and Tyler W, setting up a nice pass to Shawn G.  Shawn G also had a one touch cross that resulted in a hand ball.  Brandon W came up from the sweeper position to score the penalty kick on a nice hard shot.  That was his his first goal of the season.  In the second half, I was able to get some nice long looks at different combinations on the front line.  I was very happy to see Ryan M score off of a corner kick with an assist from Eric S.

The rotations are starting to settle in and I really like what I am seeing from Tyler W, Tyler T, Ryan S, and Shawn G on the front line.  They all played well over the weekend and they are providing me with some nice option on the front line.  They are all providing quality minutes upfront.

Overall a great win against a high quality opponent.

Week E – Loss -  West End United 2 - Monroe 1 (3-1-0) - Saturday, 10/4 

Chalk this game up to lessons learned.  After dominating the first half of play and not being able to score, Monroe lost its composure on the field in the second half and gave up 2 goals and suffered their first loss of this season.  Monroe had some excellent opportunities to score in the first half...one in particular where Ryan W has an open shot and placed it just wide of the net and Shawn G just missed a sliding goal.  Monroe dominated the first half of play with their midfield play.  Our forwards outside of Shawn G did not have a very strong game.  We will need to keep our fwds more aggressive and pressure the ball.  Unfortunately, we did not have any right wing runs at all the entire game. 

Monroe gave up 2 goals, both goals occurred when our players lost their focus and were caught out of position.  both the goalie and the defenders were caught way off their marks resulting in some easy goals for West End.

It took a long time to regain our focus, but with a front line of Ryan S, David S, and Shawn G - Monroe was able to mount a late comeback.  Jair scored a really nice goal from an assist from Eric S off of a corner kick.  There were several opportunities to score a tying goal at the end of the game, we were just unlucky.

Overall a tough loss, but I think in the long run we will benefit from this loss and in the future we will be able to handle adversity a little better.

Week C – Win -  Monroe 1 – East Brunswick 0 (3-0-0)

Monroe keeps their scoreless streak going.  I can’t say enough about the defense and the goal keeping to start the season.  In the first 3 games, ZERO goals allowed.  Including the SB Tournament we have surrendered only 2 goals in 5 games.  That is excellent, but it is also impossible to keep up.  We have to find a way to score more goals to take some pressure off the defense and goalies.  Overall another great team effort.  We were winless against East Brunswick in the last 3 games, including the scrimmage over the summer.  It was a nice victory for the boys. 

The defense played stellar - Tyler T and Ryan S in goal.  Brandon W, Ryan W, Ryan M, David A, and Joe Z have played fantastic.  The biggest improvement this year is that the mid-fielders are getting back and marking players on defense.  That is the difference with our defense this season.  So props go out to Jair, Matt K, David S, Mike C for hustliing and getting back on defense.  A good defenses means we will always be in the game with a shot to win.  Great Job.

On offense, we had numerous opportunities to score and we could only capitalize on one...however, you couldn’t draw it up any better.  Tyler M made a nice run on an over the top pass, we had 3 players lining up in front of the goal.  Tyler put a perfect cross across the goal mouth and Eric S stayed home and put his body in front of the ball and scored.  It was a beautiful play.  We had several other shots on goal and several open nets, their goalies were solid and made some nice plays.  Jair made a nice run and put a shot off the cross bar, Ryan S had a nice breakaway run, Harrison had a nice shot on goal, and David S also had a nice opportunity to score.  Overall, we had a lot of opportunities, which is good.  We will continue to work on finishing.

Great Job!!

 

Week B – Win -  Monroe 2 – Tewksbury 0 (2-0-0)

Monroe continued their shutout play into the second game of the season.  The boys played a very talented Tewksbury team and held them scoreless for the second straight game.

Again, Tyler Turiano’s goalie training is really paying dividends.  Ryan S and Tyler T again combined for a shutout.  We should note alot of credit for the shutout goes to the team defense.  We have really stressed team defense and communication in practice.  This was evident as our defensive players were constantly calling off mid-fielders to clear the ball.  I thought Brandon W, David A and Matt K had excellent games this weekend.  In fact, I think both David A and Matt K played their best games to date.  The defense has improved on two fronts.  One, they are covering and marking the crosses much better and the mid-fielders are getting back to mark the far side. Matt K really made the effort to get back and mark open offensive players.  It really made a big difference in our defensive play. 

In addition, I thought David A played well and held his composure.  Especially since some of their players were a little bigger and he was getting pushed and he kept his hands down.  David’s communication has really improved.  I thought he outsmarted and outhustled the offensive players, he won almost all of the 50-50 balls. 

Overall the defense played smart, they were first to alot more balls than in any game that I can remember.  If they could not get to the ball first then they contained the play.

Jair played a very strong game in the middle, he continues to dominate the mid-field and distribute the ball to all players.  Jair also scored on a penalty shot, which was great, because we really haven’t practiced penalty kicks yet this fall.  Shawn G scored the second goal of the game off an assist from Ryan M.  I wanted to mention that Shawn did exactly what we practiced on Saturday...he got his body in front of the ball and used his right foot even though he is a left footed kicker.  It was a great goal, and it just goes to show it doesn’t matter how hard you kick it, but where you place it.  Great Job Shawn!

Once again, I thought our best play of the game resulted in a shot that did not score.  Harrison received a ball from the left wing, trapped, turned and crossed the ball to the right wing.  The ball was bouncing high and Tyler M ran through the ball and struck the bouncing ball with his laces.  The ball missed the far left post by a foot.  It was a wonderful play and would of made any ESPN highlight reel.

I thought Ryan W  played a real solid game, he played Right Full for a good portion of the game and he played extremely well.  I thought David S played a strong second half.  In addition, I think Mike C has improved dramatically since the first tournament and scrimmage.  

Overall, the boys played as a team.  Things to take note of; 1) more and more communication 2) better passing 3) better marking 4) more movement on all throw ins 5) more movements on Corner kicks 6) better trapping 7) better at FIRST TO THE BALL.

Great Job!! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Week A – Win -  Monroe 2 – Millburn 0 (1-0-0)

Monroe started out the fall season with a nice shutout win against Millburn.  The boys played wll on a very hot 95 degree steamy day.  There were a lot of stellar performances worth mentioning.

I did want to say that I have noticed a huge difference in Tyler Turiano’s goalie play since he started attending goalie training again with Coach Pete.  He made the save of his life to keep the game at 1-0 on Saturday.  That was the play of the game, you could see he timed his approach to the ball perfectly, he didn’t commit until the striker had pushed the ball ahead, and he took it right off the strikers foot for a breakaway save.  You don’t see many saves like that and that was one he should remember.  

Harrison Welsher picked up 2 hustle goals, both goals he beat the goalie to the ball and put the shot on net.  He played extremely well, not only from a goal scoring perspective, but Harrison really distributed the ball well and didn’t get himself into trouble by dribbling into traffic.  Ryan McCabe had his best game as a member of the Monroe Thunder.  He controlled the ball well and distributed the ball after making people miss, he also was able to distribute the ball prior to dribbling into traffic.   Shawn Gardini played a solid game at left wing and Tyler Ward had the nicest offensive pass of the day by touch passing a ball to Tyler Macdonald reversing the ball from the left wing to the right wing with one touch.   Tyler ended up having an open shot on goal.  That was neat to see.

The defense played extremely well, Ryan S held the shutout in the 1^st half.   Brandon played extremely well at Sweeper, Ryan W had an assist to one of Ryan’s goal, and played well at right-mid.  David Anderson played very well at Left Fullback and surprisingly put a consistent strong kick out of the left fullback position.  Joe Zargo also had a solid game.  Jair controlled the middle and distributed the ball very well.

Overall, the boys played as a team.  If you notice, there was  very little bickering, a lot more communication, a lot more movement, both on corner kicks and throw-ins, and a lot more passing.