Marblehead Indoor Soccer - Where skill is the thrill

Two of the game's final goals came in the last 7 minutes; Kendall B would not be denied as she made some hard cuts in mid-field to set up Ainsley P, with 7:29 left & then scooped up another Sarah K rebound shot for the game's second goal a few seconds later; Swampscott got on the board with 5 minutes left on a nice "bend-it"-type shot from a bad angle, but that was all they wrote; Molly Sue M took a dead-ball foul shot with a minute left that sealed the deal & the Marblehead squad advanced to their second game next week...

HEADERS vs. Gloucester... L 4-2

It was not shaping up to be a Perfect Storm as the Marblehead U-14 headers
fell to a spirited Gloucester team, 4-2 last Sunday morning in Beverly. The
loss, however, was not due to a lack of effort, nor was it due to an
inability to start quickly out of the box. That is exactly what transpired,
as Kiley Fr popped the first shot on net with her trade mark hook shot
only seconds into the first frame. Keeping Gloucester on its heels, Cassie
R once again showed showed her athleticism from the goalie's box, as she
came out to mid-field with the ball and dished it to Kiley who made a
beautiful feed to Sara K., only to be re-buffed be an equally athletic &
well known goalie from Gloucester (Ms. Cook). Becca D. made some
nice moves, leading to a foul against her & a penalty kick (high), just
before Gloucester scored first @ the 8:29 mark. Kiley F (assist) combined
with Megan C (goal) with just 32 seconds left in the half to finally
beat Gloucester's goalie.
And so the game remained tied at 1-1 until Kiley Fr scored one of her
own at the eighteen minute mark of the second half to give Marblehead its
first and only lead. Then, the Gloucester tsunami struck, with three goals
in rapid succession at 13:02, 9:14 and 4:45.

HEADERS - vs. Newburyport... W 2-1

In a hard-fought, physical match-up last Sunday, the Marblehead U-14 Girls Headers out-muscled their Newburyport opponents in a game that saw more penalties than shots on net. The scoring came early, but not often, as Kiley F got the locals on the Board only two and one half minutes into the game, only to see Newburyport answer back less than a minute later. As the teams settled in, some real soccer ensued. Newburyport narrowly missed an upper left corner shot from the blue line and then missed numerous additional opportunities, as they were granted one penalty shot after another, due to Marblehead's aggressive, attacking style of play. As the half advanced, the locals began to wear their opponents down. Nice ball movement between between Kaitlin M, Ainsley P, Ally B, Rachel L and Sarah Ka , Kiley F. Ally B. demonstrated that the team is starting to gel together. Megan Cand Becca D consistently controlled the mid-field while distributing the ball nicely to their teammates. Pamela G & Cassie R were stellar in net, combining to allow only one goal all morning. But the best was saved for last...At the 11:37 mark of the second half, Cassie R, excelling in a field position, settled a bouncing ball into open space to her right, while circling around the top of the key, away from opponents and at just the right moment, unleashed a scorching, low beamer towards her left into the corner of the goal, outside of the reach of a screened Newburyport goalie...brilliant! The locals then sealed the deal as Rachel L had the defensive play of the day by forcing Newburyport's last minute charge to the goal off to the corner on a near break-away just as the final buzzer sounded. It was a wild finish to an exciting game.

U-14 headers completely dominated
Hamiltin-Wenham, 7-0

Goals were in abundant supply as the U-14 headers completely dominated
Hamiltin-Wenham, 7-0, last Sunday in a game in which the outcome was never
truly in doubt. Multiple nifty goals were netted by Megan C. (3), as
well Kaitlin McC. (2), while Kiley F. and Julia R. netted nifty
goals of their own. However, more than the goals, it was the teamwork and
assists that were impressive. Given the time to control the field against a
slower team, Marblehead did not disappoint, as back passes, passes to the
goalie (Cassie R. & Julia R. combined for the shutout) and multiple
quick passes amongst each other ruled the day. The time of possession was
lopsided in the hometown team's favor and the ball was consistently on the
Hamilton-Wenham side of the field. Allison B., Becca D.,
Kaitlin McC., Kiley F., Molly Sue M., Rachel L. and Megan
C. all exhibited exquisite footwork to keep the ball away from their
opponents while unselfishly setting their teammates up for shots on goal
with perfectly timed crossing, as well as through passes. Ainsley P.
and Julia R. had impressive solo runs which were also well-executed.
Hamilton-Wenham never had a chance. The team hopes to carry their momentum
forward in two weeks following next week's bye, as they march inexorably
towards the playoffs...

12/14...U-14 Headers W

The Marblehead U-14 Headers continued their dominant play & march towards the playoffs with a commanding 4-0 victory against Beverly, in Beverly, last Sunday morning. As the parents from both sides roared their approval early for a 6:30 a.m. start on a frigid Sunday morning, Marblehead got matters heated up less than seven minutes into the game when Kendall B., working tenaciously in the corner after just nearly missing several pin-point shots, found Ainsley P. open across the crease for a nice put-in. Kendall was not to be denied herself when, @ 10:13, she passed off to herself into the boards, collected the rebound & blasted a ball behind a helpless Beverly defense, who on the whole, could not find a solution to her all game long. It was a brilliant play and the team was glad to have her back after a couple of weeks on the IR.

Sarah K., Kendall B., Kiley F. & Megan C. had some nifty combo passes as the game progressed, while the younger group of Becca D., Ally B. and Kaitlin McC. continued to blend in with their older teammates with precision passing. Rachel L. and Molly Sue M. played tenacious defense all game long as once again, for the second week in a row, the ball was kept away from the Marblehead zone.

However, when the ball did occasionally find its way into the Marblehead zone, the other team was out of luck due to the exquisite goal-tending skills of one, Cassie R.. She is beginning to make the most important position on the field look easy... She has posted a 8-0 shut-out in her last two games (only played one half last week) and has enough skills coming out of the net when necessary to strike fear into the opponents, as much offensively as defensively. She selflessly quarterbacks her teammates throughout the game, plays all the angles perfectly and in general, knows the indoor game intrinsically. She is quickly becoming the rock of this excellent team and is quietly gaining recognition throughout the league.

12/21...The Marblehead U-14 Headers took their 4-1 record into Beverly last Sunday to play against the undefeated, 5-0 Lynnfield

The Marblehead U-14 Headers took their 4-1 record into Beverly last Sunday to play against the undefeated, 5-0 Lynnfield squad with nothing on the line except sole possession of first place. It was a clash of Titans and Marblehead came ready for bear. It didn't take long for the bear to wake up.

Kaitlin McCarthy, Kiley F. and Kendall B. were all active up front early. Add Sarah K. into the mix and the locals were on the board first at 11:02 when the afore-mentioned forwards collaborated to Kendall B who buried a niftly, no-look, outside of the foot shot past the Lynnfield goalie. On the other end of the board, Molly Sue M., Rachel l. and Allie B. kept a skilled Lynnfield team temporarily away from goalie Cassie R.. Rachel L. assisted Kendall on the second goal, Sarah K. scored the third, Lynnfield made it 3-2 with 10:50 left & then Kendall B. broke their backs with her third goal. Molly Sue M. is a force on defense and Cassie R. is a force in net.

Lynnfield never gave up and forced Cassie R. to make 5 saves within a brief two minute period about half way into the second half, as Larson, Molly Sue & Ally B. stepped in to cover the net when their goalie was out, saving the team's bacon time and again.

This team is now the team to beat in their division as they have won their last four games by a convincing, combined score of 17-3. They have learned to settle into positions they are comfortable in, they are well-coached, they talk to each other constantly and are as unselfish as they are physical. Collectively, it is a good combination that is fun to watch.

Bring on the Aztecs next week!

12/28... Marblehead U-14 Headers surrendered sole possession of first place

Often, when two teams possessing equal skills and ability meet in an athletic arena, the outcome will be decided more by chance than talent. So it was last Sunday when the Marblehead U-14 Headers surrendered sole possession of first place after a hard-fought, evenly-pitched battle with the U-13 Aztec squad who came out ahead, 3-2. Both teams were obviously playing at a very high level and are peaking at the right time in the season.

The Aztecs took the play to the Headers early, effectively controlling possession for the first five minutes of the game, as the ball hardly left the Marblehead zone and Casey C., the Aztec goalie, began to look bored. But as soon as the locals found their defensive sea legs, the tide began to turn. For the remainder of the first half and into the second, the Headers out-muscled their opponents by chipping the Aztec attackers with their shoulders and getting to every loose ball first. The Headers also won most 50-50 balls and demonstrated many moves that left the Aztecs stalled in their tracks.

Marblehead struck first @ 16: 21 of the first half when Sarah K., who has compiled an impressive goal tally over the past three games, stole the ball from an Aztec defender and scored from the right corner. The Aztecs scored at 7:01 to tie and then, in the goal of the game, Becca D., collecting a rebound off of some scrappy work in the corner by Kendall B., quickly sized up the goalie's position before blasting a left-footed shot into the only spot of the net left open, the upper-right hand corner.

Marblehead started the second half by solidifying their defense (Molly Sue M.--the afore-mentioned "shoulder-chipper", Kailtin McC. Rachel L. & Ally B. all stood out) and pressing the attack. Ainsley P. left her feet at the 17:50 mark and almost willed the ball in by diving into Ms. Cook. But almost wasn't good enough and the Aztecs scored their tying goal by getting a lucky ricochet off of a defender. The rest of the game was tense as both teams evened out and both goalies shined in the face of withering attacks. Finally, the Aztecs collected the deciding goal with only 2 minutes left to seal the deal.

All Marblehead players and coaches were proud of the effort, as the girls left the field with their heads held high. Following next week's bye, the Headers will take their considerable skills and toughness into the playoffs with a good seed.