| | U10 Sabers
Coach: Jim
Lass
Coach : Matt Stammeyer
| Div |
Date |
Time |
Home
Team |
Visitor
Team |
Field |
| 10B |
Sun, Aug 27 |
12:00 PM |
NSSC u10 Sabers |
BSA Wizards |
Bettendorf 5 |
| 10B |
Sat, Sep 9 |
03:00 PM |
MU – Maroon |
NSSC u10 Sabers |
Moline 12 |
| 10B |
Sat, Sep 16 |
01:30 PM |
NSSC u10 Sabers |
QC Strikers |
Bettendorf 5 |
| 10B |
Sat, Sep 23 |
03:00 PM |
NSSC Thunder |
NSSC u10 Sabers |
Bettendorf 5 |
| 10B |
Sun, Sep 24 |
12:00 PM |
Kewanee Galaxy |
NSSC u10 Sabers |
Geneseo 5 |
| 10B |
Sat, Sep 30 |
01:30 PM |
NSSC u10 Sabers |
Dubuque Titans |
Dubuque 7 |
| 10B |
Sun, Oct 1 |
03:00 PM |
NSSC u10 Sabers |
NSSC Thunder |
Bettendorf 7 |
| 10B |
Sat, Oct 7 |
03:00 PM |
USAQC USA - Attack |
NSSC u10 Sabers |
East Moline
3 |
Game Results
Oct 7
Sabers close the season with a final
tally of six and two!
Attack, Attack, Attack! That's exactly what we did
to the USA Attack when we bested them four (4) to one (1) in the last game of
the Sabers fall 2006 season. See photos here. The Sabers met the Attack at the East Moline fields.
The pitch was in good shape. It appears that East Moline has been putting some
TLC into their facility and it is paying off. The Officials were patient with
the players and did their usual good job of calling things fairly. The
weather was wonderful and helped the players keep their legs
running.
The Sabers started the first half a little slow to
react. It seems like these three o'clock games just don't work into their
schedules very well, although to look at the stats book it appeared like both
halves were pretty even. I believe the Sabers did a much better job of going
after the ball the second half and communication among the players picked up
quite a bit after the half time break. In the first half we had four shots
toward the goal by John and Big James. Big James
had a corner kick that went well, placing the ball into play in a
spot where the other Sabers could win the ball. Big James had the only goal that allowed us to end
the first half at a one-one tie. Keegan did his best effort as Keeper this year
saving at least three good attempts by the Attack to win a one v. one against
him. He was aggressive in forcing the players to the outside and forced them to
attempt shots rather then letting them dictate when and from where they would
shoot.
The second half had the Sabers playing their "A
game". After some fine tuning during the half break the Sabers came out strong
and did a fine job of shutting down the USA's offense. During the second half we
had seven shots on goal by Keegan, Big James, Nick P., and Lil' James.
Keegan started the second half off with a quick goal. This seemed to fire things
up as Big James scored three goals with a great
assist from Lil' James. John went into the Keeper position and had an injury
after scrambling for a save. Keegan was able to suit up and finish off the game
insuring the Sabers a victory.
To the veteran players: Derek, Sawyer, John,
Keegan, Lucas, Jacob and Cole; Thank you guys so very much for being role
models for the newer players. Because of the seven of you we were able
to add five new players, show them our style of play and finish this season with
a strong and very competitive team. All of you have become more sure of your
talents and skills this year. The coaches know this by the "can do
attitude" you bring to the practices and games. Your talents are a big part
of us having the winning seasons we have enjoyed this past year and a
half.
To the new comers: You guys have developed and
became stronger players than the coaches had thought possible and have exceeded
our hopes and goals we wished to obtain this year. Lil' James, Big James,
Nick C., Nick P. and Lane, you should all hold your heads high and tell every
one you know what good soccer players you are and I hope you tell them what a
fine team you belong to. You have earned this and should enjoy this opportunity.
You all came and put much effort into learning the game of soccer at the
competitive level, and that shows with how you have blended with the veteran
players and helped us in having a great season. We have work to do with ball
skills and the when and where to pass a ball off. I don't know if you had the
play time during games that you wished for but during the first season the
coaches need to play the strongest players in the positions we believe they need
to be at in order to win games. When you come back next spring you
will have matured in experience, hopefully worked on ball handling skills while
at home during the off season and with that comes more playing time as your
skills develope and your confidence grows.
To the parents and supporters: You, too,
contributed to the Saber's winning and successful season! Thank you all for
bringing the guys to practice, making the road trips for games and most
importantly your words of encouragement and good sportsmanship you displayed
time and again this season. It really does help us grow as a team when we work
together to make sure players have rides and make as many games as possible. I
believe you saw first hand what happens to a team when subs can't be made
because of a lack of players, when parents don't support their team, when
inappropriate words are used on the side lines and the difference the refs can
make during a game. All of you were always polite, supportive and did a
wonderful job of leading by example. This not only makes our team look good, but
reflects positively on the Club as a whole to Illowa and other organizations
that are involved with tournaments we play in. You all deserve a big pat on the
back and we hope you as well are proud of what your children accomplished this
season. If there are ever any thoughts, suggestions or concerns please let the
coaches know so we can address or make corrections as needed.
We hope to see everyone at the post season pizza
party (date and time tentatively planned for PM of 10-28-06)! Until then rest,
relax and air out those shin guards and cleats.
Jim and Matt.
Oct 1
Hello again; its' with mixed emotions that the
Sabers have to say they met with and defeated
a club member. The Sabers met the Thunder for the second time this season and
the Sabers left the Pitch with a two (2) to zero (0) victory, putting
our year at five and two.
The weather was unseasonably warm and the wind had
picked up a bit from the day before. I don't know what it is about these three
PM games but it just seems to zap the energy out of our players. The referees
were good and the calls were all fair, can't ask much more than that out of
them.
The Thunder again gave us a run for our money. They
continued to pressure us the entire game and their forwards and mids have
pretty good speed and I believe they did a better job than us at winning
fifty-fifty balls.
The Sabers did not play the same game they did the
day before but they did do well. We were once again able to play a few players
in positions they normally don't play. Derek had at least three good shot on
goal, Big James came in with six, Lil' James, John, Cole, Lucas, Nick P. and
Keegan all had one shot apiece. Big James and Keegan were both able to
score with good assists by Jacob and Cole. Big James and Sawyer connected with a
goal that was called back due an off sides call by Sawyer. As I said yesterday,
if your crashing the net and playing aggressive ball you'll be called off sides
from time to time. I would rather see it around the goal as apposed to mid
field. We were able to get five corner kicks with John, Jacob, Big
James and Lane all doing a good job. Our tackling was good but there is
room for improvement, not so much the how to tackle as the when to tackle needs
to be addressed for us to get to the next level. Sawyer, Nick P. and Lane you
all stepped up and gave another wonderful performance, thanks for the hustle and
the fine job of marking the appropriate people.
Guys we have one last game before we can loosen the
laces and kick the shin guards off for the season. Lets all bring that "A Game"
that we saw in Dubuque and put a hurt on the USA Attack!
Thanks to all, hopefully in a week or two we'll get
together over some Pizza and pop and re-live the season one last time before
spring arrives.
Coach Jim &
Matt
Sep 30th - yet another win! Pictures are here
The Sabers went to Dubuque and it was like opening
day of duck season. For those of you not there here is what it sounded like,
Shot-Goal, Shot-Goal, Shot-Goal, Shot, Shot, Shot, Goal, Goal, Goal...... The
weather was about 67 degrees, it was a little cloudy, there was a light breeze
and the field was in fine shape. The Sabers left town with their bag limit of
seven (7) compared to Dubuque's one (1). The refs were fair and in control of
the game at all times. They did a wonderful job on explaining to the players
what went wrong and called all penalties fairly.
The Titans are a good team. They have spirited
young boys that are quick on their feet. Part of the reason for the lop sided
score was that they were only able to field nine players. I think we all know
what happens when you don't have an adequate number to sub with. The players
slow, they make poor passing decisions and frustration kicks in.
The Sabers on the other hand played outstanding
ball. I don't know where to start with the pats on the back because each and
every one of the Sabers brought their "A Game". Our seven goals were scored by
three different players, there were twenty shots on goal made by seven of our
players, I believe that is one for almost every one of our mids and most of our
forwards. The Keepers kept four out of the five Titan shots out of the net and
we were able to effect four corner kick, placing the ball right where we needed
it. The most exciting thing for the coaches was
that the Sabers were crashing the net, chasing down fifty-fifty balls and
effectively passing to move the ball down field very quickly. We have told the
players before that possession of the ball and a few good goals will win most
games, well there shouldn't be a question in any of the Sabers minds as to what
that means. We were clearly in control early and often. We closed the first half
with a two to zero lead, when the second half started the Sabers went crazy and
were able to place five additional shots in goal. We were given a PK in the box
that if it weren't for a far side upright that had it in for us most of the game
should have been a blistering shot into the goal. I'm not sure but I think the
post was bent and the net sagged a little bit after the shot. The cool thing was that we were able to mix up our line up and
have players get experience at positions that they normally wouldn't get a
chance to play, as a matter of fact we were able to sub out a keeper and give a
new one some experience in the box, that doesn't happen too often. We
were caught off sides twice with one of the off sides call costing us a goal but
I believe if your playing aggressive ball your going to be off sides once in a
while.
Lucas, Lil' James, Cole, Nick C., Jacob, Big James,
Derek, Keegan, Nick P., Sawyer, John and Lane, Thank you all so much for playing
the game you did today. I don't believe we had one star on the team I believe we
have one team with twelve stars. You guys keep this up and you can stand with
any team in our division no questions asked.
Lets not let this one go to our heads as we have a
couple of tough games ahead of us!
To the players, parents and supporters, thanks for
making the long trip to Dubuque and I believe we all saw what can happen when we
play as a team and keep all of our shoulders pushing forwards!
The coaches, Jim & Matt.
Sep 24th
The Sabers made a road trip to Geneseo where they
wound up grabbing a tiger by the tail. They had their first face off with a team
we haven't seen before, The Galaxy from Kewanee. Frankenstein doesn't scare us,
but the Galaxy does.... cause they're fast (that's a little something for you
Bob and Tom fans). The Sabers lost their second game of the year with a score of
two to one in favor of the Galaxy.
I don't know what they feed them boys in Kewanee
but I want some. This team is fast, aggressive and brings it on like very few
teams that we've met in the past. They communicate well and have a lot of
confidence when driving the ball to the goal. Any body out there listening?
Thunder if you play these guys make sure your defense is up to
snuff!
The Sabers did a wonderful job with defense. That
is the main reason the score was not much higher. I'm not sure how they stopped
them because it appeared that the Galaxy forwards were out of their back field
and at our keeper before we blinked. The Sabers all did a fine job of delaying
as much as they could and when they thought they were beat they would play the
ball out. The first half ended with the Galaxy up one to nothing. The second
half started a little better and we were a little more aggressive than at the
start. The Galaxy put one more in the net before Keegan was able to find a good
crossing shot from Big James via a corner kick, placing the ball into
the far corner of the goal. Big James had at least one shot go off the far post
that would have tied the game up but alas the soccer gods did not favor the
Sabers on this day.
Guys I can't say this enough; we played very
well and there is no need to hang our heads. When we can stay with teams
like this it really does come down to one or two lucky breaks that makes a game
go one way or the other. What we do need to find is that little something that
lights the fire inside of you. I see it in all of you from time to time but we
need to see it from a larger percentage on a more regular basis if we are going
to move up to premier or if we want to best teams like the Galaxy, BSA, Dubuque
and some others. I don't mean this to discourage anyone, you are all fine
players and the Coaches are certain you all have it in you to continue to
build skills and confidence as this year goes on.
I had a chance to speak to one of the Galaxy
Coaches when we stopped in Geneseo before leaving town. He complimented all
of you and thought it was a very hard fought game. He was impressed with what he
saw and was certain we will do well this season. He said that they had played
Dubuque on Saturday (09-23-06) and that all three of our teams are pretty evenly
matched. In my mind that says a lot about us because any one in this league
knows that Dubuque and Geneseo always fields great teams.
I did my best to keep the outside voice as muted as
I could but again as the game went on the volume went up! I'm sure there's going
to be a chair in the corner for me when I get home. I will say that part of the
reason I needed to elevate the sound control was to be heard over the parents
and supporters! Hey if I'm going down you all are going down with me. Thanks for
everything you guys do for us folks.
Lets go to Dubuque and get
some!!!!!!!!!
Coach Jim &
Matt
Sep 23rd
What a heck of a day to play soccer. Mother nature couldn't decide if it
should rain or not so she gave us a little of both. The U-10 Sabers met with the
U-10 Thunder at the BSA fields for what turned out to be a pretty interesting
game. The Sabers came away with a three to two win over the Thunder. The field
was wet, the grass long and the ball was difficult to control.
The refs were good and did a
wonderful job explaining penalties to the players. I believe we went the entire
game with out any one on either team being called off sides and only a
couple of balls were turned over due to poor throw ins.
The Thunder fields a very good team. They have
speed, many talented players and are aggressive after any fifty-fifty balls. The
Sabers would like to thank Rodney for taking it easy on us and the "aymentpay is
in the ailmay" if you know what I mean!!! Just kidding Rodney I know you have to
face the rest of the team if they read this. To the Thunder team as a whole,
thanks for playing a hard game and we wish you a successful season.
On the Sabers side I would like to commend Nick C.,
Nick P., Lane, Big James and Lil' James on their improvements to date. You guys
rock! They are hard chargers and give it there all when on the field. There ball
handling, passing and tackling are getting better by the game.
The defense is doing there part with Lucas and
Derek being our corner stones. They are a handful for any forwards that try
taking them on. When ever a ball crossed the half they were on it and if they
couldn't tackle they were able to hold the attacker to the outside for the most
part. There were a couple of good runs out of the back field that helped keep
the ball in the attacking third and helped eat time off the clock.
The Mid field did A LOT OF RUNNING this
game. If Sawyer, Cole, John, Jacob and Keegan aren't tired after this game I
don't know what will wear them out. Remembering to play position should help
with that, sometimes we forget that the forwards should be in front of the mids
when ever possible.
Putting our three Goals in the net were Big James,
John and Cole. Cole had two wonderful shots today and enjoyed the bitter sweet
taste of success. One goal was for us and the other was an "own goal" for the
Thunder. After the game Cole confessed that he thought the Thunder needed his
help to keep the game interesting. Honestly the look on his face, well you just
had to be there! Cole it happens, don't worry about it you'll have a good story
to tell at school next week. Keegan and John did another stellar job as Keeper.
Oh and that reminds me, the only look better then Coles on the "own goal" was
Keegan's. I'm not quite sure what he said but I know what he was thinking!!!!!
Thanks Keegan for not taking Cole out.
To all the Sabers, every game we play we are seeing
less "I" players and more "we" players. That's great and that's why we are
wining games. I know when you guys bring your "A" game there are very few teams
that we need to worry about. Lets continue to work on the basics and consistency
in play!
Thanks to the fans, supporters and
groupies!
Coach Jim & Matt.
Sep 16th
Well we went from almost perfect soccer conditions
last week to high winds and high temperatures this week. I am proud to say that
it will take more than rough weather to keep the Sabers from logging a win on
the scorebooks. The Sabers met the Strikers on the BSA fields for what turned
out to be a shooting frenzy for both teams. At the end the Sabers left with a
five to two victory.
We always give the Strikers a lot of respect and
this game was no different. They always field good players and have never given us an easy score. This is our third
meeting with the Strikers in the past year and a half. They bested us three to
two in regular season play, we in turn beat them at the Dubuque Tourney
with a score of three to two and this week was our rubber match. The Strikers
came out strong and continued strong through the game. They have several
aggressive players that have a knack of making break always that catch our mid
fielders by surprise. If I remember correctly #32 was the first to break away
and have a solid finish placing the ball squarely in the net. They took full
advantage of the strong wind at their backs to shoot as many shots on goal as
they could the second half. For some reason they won the coin flip at the
beginning and chose to face the wind for the first half. I must say
that even with this as a disadvantage they did a fine job of defending their
goal, all things considered.
The Sabers started off with John placing two shots
in goal. Sawyer stepped up once again and had his first goal of the year putting
the Sabers up three to one at the end of the first half (rumor has it that a
cash incentive from mom was offered to sawyer for a goal before
the start of game... looks like it paid out quite well for Sawyer, thanks mom
and keep it up, we need the help!). During the second half Keegan and "big
James" helped out with one goal apiece ending the game with the Sabers having
five goals on the books. All told I believe that the Sabers shot on goal
15 times. This does not seem to be a very good ratio at first glance; but
let me tell you this if the ball went much over waist height towards the goal
the wind grabbed it and only the Good Lord decided which direction it was going
to go. Lane and "big James" had a couple of shots that went just high of the top
bar, if not for the wind the score would have been much higher. We were able to
shoot nine corner kicks and if memory serves me right we put one in for a goal.
The Strikers placed at least seven shots on goal which Keegan and John
saved all but two. 'little James", both Nicks and Jacob continue to improve as
mid fielders, defenders and forwards.Its pretty neat to see them come out of
their shells and tackle with confidence. Derek and Lucas are our go to
defenders. They give this position their all and are able to rely on one
another to cover the middle when one gets caught off guard or beat on a
breakaway.
This game was a good example of a team win. Most of
the players were talking it up on the field. Letting on another know where they
were and if pressure was being applied by the Strikers. I saw numerous crosses
in front of the goal and good solid passes were being made to advance the ball
up the field. Our dribbling is getting better and our back fielders are moving
the ball across the half and into the attacking third more than I saw all last
season.
Thanks parents and guest for all your support and
most importantly, thanks to the Sabers them selves for gearing up, attacking
well, defending better and going all out for the win.
The Coaches... Jim and Matt
Sep 9th
Hey, Hey, Hey what can I say? For anyone not at the
Sabers Vs. Maroons game on Saturday Sept. 9th, 2006 well ya just missed one heck
of a game! The temps were about perfect, mid
70's, cloudy and a little breeze. We played on Field #12 which it appears is one
of the newer or better fields in Moline. The grass was short and the ball rolled
quite well. I can honestly say that in two and a half years this was one of the
most evenly matched games I have seen. The best part was at the end when the
Sabers left Moline with a one to zero victory! The refereeing was good however
one of the line judges seemed to have a hard time figuring out that if the ball
leaves the pitch (across the goal line) off the keepers hands or feet its
not a goal kick but a corner kick. But he called it evenly for both teams so I
guess there was no harm just some lost opportunities to score from a corner
kick. I'd be more upset but we won so how much can I complain?
See a gallery of photos here
The Maroons always seem to put me on edge because
they ALWAYS field good teams. This was no exception. They are sure of their
skills and confident when chasing down fifty-fifty balls. They have decent speed
and their forwards had good finishing shots. If I remember correctly #23 is one
of the strikers to keep an eye on. I believe you must pressure these guys
when ever possible and make sure your players know how to tackle well if your
going to beat them, a strong offense is not enough!
The Sabers stepped up and played the best I've seen
in a long time. My prediction about our newest members was correct. James,
James, Nick and Nick all did very well. I'm still working on getting the correct
one to look at me when I call there name but lets say "big James" had our one
and only goal. It was scored about five minutes into the first half and I
believe it helped set the confidence of the Sabers for the rest of the game. He
continued on with several good assists that were shot onto goal well by the
other forwards and midfielders. "Little James" was fast and made numerous hard
won tackles to strip the ball away from the Maroons when we needed it most. Both
Nicks seemed to have the light switch turned on as well. They were hard driving
and persistent in getting into the Maroons personal space. That helps slow
things down a bit and gives the others time to reorganize and mark up. We needed
that help all game long.
John and Keegan did a wonderful job at keeper. I
can't tell you how many shots they covered up or pushed out but let me say this,
it was a lot and I lost count. They were both sure footed and quick with the
hands. Jacob was responsible for one of our most important saves. John was
caught out of the net and hung up in traffic in the box. The Maroons suddenly
switched the field with a well crossed ball and a break away caught the other
defender out of position. Jacob ran with all his might, cut at the right angle
and when the shot went off he was able to put a foot on the ball forcing it wide
to the out side. Jacob, Thanks isn't enough but I'm not sure what else to say.
Sawyer was the most aggressive I have seen him yet. He fired up and we
surely needed that out of him this game. Cole, Derek and Lucas had a chance
to switch up and play some positions that they don't seem to get to play much.
That's the nice thing about having some depth and seasoned players! We can put
these guys in any where and they give it there all every time and do quite well
where ever we place them.
Last but not least, we would like to welcome
Lane to our line up. Lane came to use last week. This is the first year at
competitive soccer and this was his first game. I believe he will fit in quite
well and I know he has the heart of a soccer player. He is fast, sure footed,
not afraid to make contact and has a good since of where the ball is on the
field. With a few more practices and another game under his belt I find it hard
to believe that his confidence won't grow quite fast.
Parents, I know there was a lot of nail biting
going on and maybe even a few gray hairs may have sprouted over this one. Keep
up the good work and I know if I can hear you on my side of the field the kids
are hearing you in the middle. Thanks for always being the good sports and don't
forget, if the other team does something well, its OK to cheer them on and give
the player his dues! This is competitive but they are still young and
nothing does a young ego more good than to hear the crowd erupt no matter who it
is!
Thanks for all of your support,
The Coaches Jim and Matt.
Aug 27th
Hello to all and welcome back for the fall 2006
NSSC season.
I would like to start with welcoming back several
of our seasoned players and making introductions for our newest members. Cole,
Derek, Jacob, John, Keegan, Lucas and Sawyer are back, rested and ready for
action. Their experience and skills continue to be an asset to our team. They
all step up and try to assist the newer players with learning techniques, skills
and fair play in the game of Soccer. The new members to the team are, Nick,
Nick, James and James. Confused? Try keeping them straight during a game! I can
see now that the coaches are going to have to come up with another way of
identifying them. All four have displayed the qualities that we want to
see in a new comer. They are motivated, good listeners (at least as good as a 8
and 9 year old can be!!!) are willing to learn and take direction well. All four
are aggressive and not afraid to fight for the fifty - fifty
balls.
Our first game of the season was played on August
27th at the BSA fields against the BSA Wizards. The weather was good and I
believe all players enjoyed themselves quite a bit. The Wizards are a fine team.
They play well together, have speed and good ball control skills. Watch out for
number three (3). I believe his name is Austin. This kid was on fire. He easily
out dribbled most of our forwards and has a wicked good finish! The only way we
could effectively shut him down was to double team him as soon as he crossed the
half. The Wizard are not an easy team to out dribble and one would be well
advised to have your defenders send balls as deep as they can into the Wizards
defending third, whenever possible. I believe good solid passes between mid
fielders and forwards, and taking any shot on goal they give you is the way
to best this team.The Wizards left the pitch with
a 7 to 2 victory over the Sabers.
The final score does not reflect the Sabers
efforts. We have four new strikers this season that have not played at the
competitive level. We are not playing a full rooster and played with only 10 of
our eleven players. Not making excuses just pointing out a few facts. All of the
Sabers played as well as they could. They were once again reminded of the thrill
of the chase when the Wizards caught us on a few quick breakaways. A lot of rust
was knocked off the cleats and I am confident that things will continue to
improve from this point forward. The Keepers, John and Keegan did a really good
job of knocking down and covering up the ball on most of the Wizards attacks.
Thanks guys... I can't say that enough. The forwards and mid fielders had a few
quick breaks of their own, I don't believe the Wizards were expecting that as
their defenders were slow to react. Our Defenders played their positions well
and were able to keep the attackers to the outside and out of the box for most
of the game. Keegan scored both of our goals and going in to the half we still
had a fair chance of closing the gap. In the second half fatigue set in and legs
slowed down, nothing a little conditioning and confidence won't
cure.
To the Parents of our players;
Thanks you all for your support and commitment to
our team! We hear your words of encouragement to the players as the game goes
on, please know that is important for them to hear. Likewise we have never
observed an act of bad sportsmanship from any one of you. That helps set a good
example to the players and helps ease any tensions that may develop during a
game. And again, thanks you all so much for
making this an easy team to Coach and allowing us the time to mentor and
befriend your children!
Signed,
The Coaches... Jim & Matt.
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