Boys Soccer (Parkside, Bull Run, and Reagan):
Current Standing: 2-2-0 *in Western Region 2-0-0
Loss against Parkside (1-0):
Gainesville took a tough loss for our second game of the season (at home) against Parkside. It was a rather lopsided game. Gainesville maintained the bulk of the possession and field position. At times there were 10 Parkside players crammed into their own 18-yrd box with the ball ricocheting around, hitting the post, rolling across the front of the goal etc… When Parkside gained possession, they generally lobbed the ball up the field to two speedy forwards for quick counter-attacks. It was on one of these counter-attacks that a penalty was awarded from about 40-yrds out from our goal. Several failed clearances on the service led to the only goal of the match. Unfortunately, the goal didn’t go our way, and despite many desperate attempts in the waning moments of the game (more posts, ball rolling…possibly over the goal-line???) the Hawks were unable to equalize.
Win against Bull Run (1-0):
Gainesville hosted Bull Run last week, and it was quite a show! The Hawks really lifted their game on both sides of the ball (offense AND defense). The first half was an even split on possession and field position. Daniel Umana made two TREMENDOUS saves on Bull Run breakaways. Some halftime adjustments in back left us with better marking for the second-half, and greatly limited the Bull Run chances on our goal. Excellent defending by Caleb Ashes, Ryan Morgal, Brian Jaffa, and Daniel Amaya, kept us safe from harm, while the rest of the team mounted attack after attack. With 10-minutes remaining in the game Nicholas Palacios slotted a through-ball onto the left foot of Austin Street. Austin kept his cool and calmly tucked the ball past the keeper into the back of the net, giving the Hawks the 1-0 lead, which we carefully maintained through the rest of the match.
Win against Reagan (3-0):
Yesterday, the Hawks traveled to Reagan ready to play. For the first half, on an uneven surface, facing into the sun, and playing uphill, the Hawks maintained good defensive shape, were generally careful in the defensive third, and generated good scoring opportunities. Unfortunately, none of our scoring chances led to goals, so we went into halftime tied at 0-0.
The second half, with the sun, wind, and slope in our favor, was essentially dominated by the Hawks. Nicholas Palacios won possession of the ball at midfield, took a few touches to get around the Reagan defenders, and struck a nice ball into the upper 90, to put the Hawks up 1-0 about 15-minutes into the second half. Shortly thereafter, the Hawks FINALLY managed to switch the ball in the offensive third, placing the ball on Antonio Shirley’s foot with a bit of space at the back stick. He hammered the ball into the upper 90, giving the Hawks a 2-0 lead. With 5-minutes left in the match, Gainesville was awarded a free kick about 35-yards from the goal. Ryan Morgal, with a giant ball of fire (the Sun) behind his back, took a chance and hit it on frame. The keeper couldn’t react, or really see at all in his defense, and the ball found the back of the net. Great strike Ryan. Awesome win HAWKS!!!
Our next game is this Thursday (tomorrow) at Marsteller. Go Hawks!
Remaining 2017 game schedule-
Mon 10/2 @ Reagan
Weds 10/4 @ Marsteller
Weds 10/11 @ Stonewall
Mon 10/16 home vs. Manassas Park
Weds 10/18 @ Bull Run
Mon 10/23 home vs. Reagan
Weds 10/25 home vs. Marsteller
The Hawks Boys Soccer Team fought a tough battle last night against Metz middle. The game opened at a crazy pace, and it didn’t let-up for the full 60-minutes. The first half was pretty even, we traded good chances at the net on one end for just as good chances at the other, but with a significant speed advantage, the Mets offense was able to convert on two counter-attacks towards the end of the first half. Emmerson Flores, Tyson Koches, Austin Street, and Rodney Williams all worked to create great chances for themselves throughout the first half, but the Hawks were unable to find the back of the net.
Metz saw a greater portion of the play at the start of the second half, and were able to convert on two corner kicks. The Hawks mounted several attacks, and found some great success moving the ball from our defensive midfield into the strikers’ feet. Our attacks never culminated in a goal, but there were some truly shining moments, offering plenty of good things to build on as our season progresses. In the waning moments of the game, a Metz midfielder launched a heat-seeking missile from 40-yards out and found the top corner, sealing the game at 5-0. Ouch!
Our next game will be at home against Parkside on Monday, September 25th. Come support the soccer team!
What an awesome start to the season! I'm so pleased with all the progress we've made in our training thus far. I've attached a schedule that includes the parent volunteers (for both food and net setup), and I also wanted to let you all know that I plan on sending out REMIND messages to assist in communication about practice/game cancellations and rescheduling. If you would like to receive these REMIND text messages, simply:
Text: @gf7fag to the following number: 81010
So far we're on schedule, but we DO NEED FOOD VOLUNTEERS for our fist game against Metz. Please let me know if you're able to help. :-)
Looking forward to our first match against Metz on 9/18 @ Metz (no net setup required)
Congratulations to the following boys who made this year's 2017-2018 GVMS Soccer Team!
Abdel El-Omari
Ryan Morgal
Kyan Laureano
Jimmy Torres
Daniel Umana
Emerson Flores
Caleb Ashes
Austin Street
Daniel Amaya
Rodney Williams
Anthony Portorreal Cusmar
Dimas Pena
Antonio Shirley
Tyler Gardner
Nicholas Palacios
Tyson Kochis
Brian Jaffa
Danny Torres
Andrew Martin
Be READY to train tomorrow. We'll have our parent meeting immediately after practice this Thursday. It's going to be an AWESOME season!
Boys Soccer
Instructor: Coach McIntyre