Well the Blue Devils kicked of the season already in mid season form.

 

On Saturday, September 8, they took the field to play Allendale, a team they have never played before with the hope that we weren't too rusty from the long summer break.  With the addition of some new players and a new game plan/ positions, we weren't sure how long it would take for the team to gel.

 

Just a few minutes into the game it was obvious that the Blue Devils were back into the swing of things and were playing tremendous as a team.  They were executing crisp clean passes, hustling and following up on shots and not letting our opponents get deep into our zone.

 

From the opening kick off, we controlled the game with great pressure on the offensive side of the ball.  Just a few minutes into the game we scored first on a nice rebound in front of the net to take a quick 1-0 lead.  We just missed another goal on a great corner kick/ header that hit the crossbar.  The boys knew to keep hustling and we would have more chances. 

 

With constant pressure we picked up another goal on a rebound of another loose ball in front of the net to jump out to a 2-0 lead and we never looked back from there. By the end of the first half we were up 3-0 and were playing like a well seasoned team.  At halftime, we emphasized to keep playing with the same intensity and hustle and don't let up.  The defense was playing terrific with great clearing shots and the goal tending was stellar as always.

 

As we began the second half, we said the next goal was going to be key.  If we score, we take complete control with a huge 4-0 lead, if they score, they cut the lead to 3-1 and are back in the game.  The boys knew the game plan and executed it beautifully.  Off a great pass, we got a breakaway up the wing and scored on a great shot to the upper corner of the goal to put the game away.  From that point on it was up to the defense and goal tending to see if they can preserve the shutout.  Time and time again, the defense smothered any attempt that Allendale had to score.  Even when they got off a clean shot, our goal tending was up to the task making some awesome saves.  We tacked on 2 more goals to seal the game and a flawless 6-0 win.

 

The most impressive part of the game was not the final score of 6-0, but what they did to earn the win.  First of all, they hadn't played a game together since June and we had some new players added to the roster, who jumped right in and contributed.  The boys played a very clean game with only a few fouls called against us, they executed many of the drills that were worked on at training, they passed the ball exceptionally well, they defended their own goal with strong aggressive play, our goal tending was tremendous, and we had 4 different players score goals for us- a true indication of great team work!

 

We hope that they continue to practice and play with the same enthusiasm, dedication and teamwork, if so, it will be a very exciting season.