And quick work they did. Within a few moments, some fantastic ball control by Christina allowed her to outduel what seemed like the the entire BASC defense and deliver a perfect pass to a wide open Sawyer whose strike made it 2-0. On the occasion when the opponent attempted to cross midfield, our backfield were as sharp as ever. Rhea, Jill, Annabelle, Sophie and Sidney played with intelligence and efficiency. This might be best exemplified by a game-changing play from Annabelle. With BASC trying to mount some pressure and drive the ball deep into the Force end, she calmly gathered the ball and lofted a pass over the action at midfield to a perfect spot for Anastasia and her quickness to slice through and outrun 3 defenders. Unstoppable. 3-0. And all of this BEFORE the official start time of 5:15 (the refs started the game just after five) much to the dismay of a few late arriving parents. But not to disappoint, the girls were not done just yet. They kept the pressure on and after a torrid sequence right in front of the BASC goal, on this day who else but Sawyer, would bury a shot and give herself a hat trick. Certainly an MVP worthy performance. It seemed at this point the girls took their foot off the gas a bit, or BASC found a way to use the one advantage they had, their size, to create more opportunities. As the first half clock slowly wound down, much of the action was deep in the Force end, with BASC earning a series of corner kicks and a couple subsequent scoring chances gave the Force spectators a bit of the jitters. So thank goodness for the buzzer.
The start of half number two found coach Cookie on the sideline, who, I'm sure, certainly was impressed with the result thus far. Just a moment though, to offer on behalf of all the Force families our sincere condolences to Steve, his wife and their family on the loss of his father in law. Let us always appreciate those that we love and the time we have with them. It is with this sentiment that we continue to cheer on an incredibly special group of girls who play with such passion and energy week in and week out.
Picking up the action, once again early on the Force seized the upper hand and continued applying the pressure in the BASC end. Stellar play by midfielders Zoe and Grace created nice passing combinations, which led to some early scoring chances, like the one that Kyra almost put away but sailed just wide. Claire made her presence felt by joining in on some crisp passing sequences, giving Jazzy and Christina something to work with in front of the goal. Unfortunately though, the desperate BASC strategy of loading up the defense and out-muscling the smaller Force effectively stopped any serious threat. This technique even had it's effect on our bigger players, as Jazzy found herself on the receiving end of a hard shoulder to the cheek. Shaken, but not deterred, she stayed with the play and eventually won the ball for the Force. The physical play was not unnoticed by the refs, and some tough and fearless play by both Jill and Kyra earned penalty kicks, allowing for continued pressure in the opponent's end. And just like the first half, it was the girls in the back and at midfield that ultimately led to the success of our spirited bunch. Time and time again, they snuffed out any counter the team in red could muster. Late in the game with a four goal lead and the always strong (if not sometimes bored) Kate in goal, the outcome was never in doubt. So the girls were content to play keep away and coast to the finish, picking up another satisfying and much needed win.
