What else can you learn from a draw in soccer?

A couple of weeks ago I posted about the lessons learned in a draw. Well, this past weekend we learned that there are still more lessons that can be learned from a dreaded draw.

The Crushers had just one game this weekend, a league game vs. Rocky Hill. The game was at Rocky Hill and since we have all been wringing April showers out of our soccer socks – the game was moved to the turf field at Rocky Hill High School.

The weather held out and turned out to be partly sunny around game time… perfect soccer weather if not for an unrelenting, 30 MPH wind cutting across the field from beginning to end. It was a bit like trying to play ping-pong in a wind tunnel. The ball seemed to have a mind of its own.

All that being said, the game played out as most games have so far this year… strong possession and territorial dominance. It’s fair to say that 75% of the game was played on Rocky Hill’s side of the field. The Crushers wound up with a 19-5 shots on goal advantage as well – but that stat is misleading. If I’m being honest 2 or 3 of those were legitimate scoring chances and the rest were harmless passes right to their keeper. By contrast, Rocky Hill’s 5 shots represented 3 or 4 legitimate scoring chances.

Soccer can be funny in that way and the Crushers are no stranger to dominating a team and winding up with a 1-0 loss for their efforts. One lapse of concentration can result in a goal. Points aren’t awarded to the team that keeps the most possession or has the most shots. Goals are the only currency in soccer and without them – you can lose or tie a game to a much weaker opponent. In this case the Crushers came away with a 0-0 draw and now their quest for the league title is no longer in their hands. They now need another team to tie or lose as some point (and win the rest of their league games) to insure a league title victory.

If nothing else – turf field, wind and run of play aside - the girls learned that if you don’t execute in the offensive third of the field, all your effort can be for naught. Much time will be spent this week focusing on the execution of our game plan.

This coming weekend brings the first Connecticut Cup game on Saturday and a league game on Sunday. Both games will be played in the friendly confines of our home field. Let’s hope the wind takes the weekend off and if it doesn’t, the Crushers execute the plan anyway….

“The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.” ― William Arthur Ward

“Excellence is never an accident. It is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, and intelligent execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives - choice, not chance, determines your destiny.” ― Aristotle