SMA vs Carleton North High School
If you went to the Eagles Soccer game last night, you probably enjoyed the evening and watched the team work together as they continue developing their skills. Lorenzo, Obey, Amor-Ilyasse and Horland were solid throughout the game along with strong support from William, Noah, Steeve.
It might have looked like the ‘Obey Akakpo Show’ as he put the ball past the CNHS keeper 6 times, but this wasn’t possible without the team behind him feeding him the ball. Great passes from Lorenzo, Horland and others who created a number of scoring opportunities.
Coach Kevin experimented with the defensive line and found Ilyasse and Noah to provide a strong backbone. Ball distribution was mostly good, but control needs to improve for some. Meriem demonstrated a good understanding of the game and worked well with the players surrounding her. Great to see our number 21 Josiah back on the pitch!
Once our players understand the offside rule, we’ll see some additional improvements
Kyle handled a lot of shots today and was steadfast in the goal. CNHS managed to put one ball past him before the first half was complete robbing him of his second clean sheet– the score was 4-1 after 35 minutes.
Not everyone is mentioned here, but the display of good sportsmanship by the Eagles was outstanding. There was some hacking at our most attacking players – Lorenzo, William and Obey – took some physical and verbal abuse, lots of kicks , knees and stomps – but everyone came back stronger. We get knocked down but we get up again!
The newer players are learning the game on the full-size field and they are getting more comfortable with receiving and passing the ball. While there were a number of passes to the other team, we were able to recover in most cases.
Each game the performance of individual players gets stronger but what is most impressive is how strong the team is together. The newer players take their lead from our seasoned veterans who treat all players with respect. It’s what Saint Mary’s is all about. While the score ended at 6-1 for the Eagles the coaches recognized that defensive improvements for all players will help as we continue to evolve as a team.
Next game is Monday at 5 in Grand Falls against John Caldwell! Time for a road trip! Go Eagles!
