Hawks '07, 08 and 09's compete in Buffalo

HAWKS 07:

First game for the Hawks 07’s was against the New York 07 host team and we knocked the ball around great and won by 10.  It was a good tune up for the afternoon where we played the Flash 06 boys. Yes that is what we were thinking, we are playing up and playing boys?  We played great even though we lost 1-0 and had some great chances.  This gave us some great teaching moments of how to try and come back in a game.   With time running down we were still trying to play pretty soccer instead of more direct and trying to get players forward.

Sunday morning we played Internationals 07 which is a quality side and won probably 5 or 6-0 but they were good and tried to play and we played very well.  This left us the last game against the 06 ECLN Flash which could not of had a better ending.  We played them even and went down 1-0 with 5 seconds to go in the first half.  It was an even game back and forth with some really good soccer by both teams.  We, being Nate and I, made some changes to put people in different spots and we scored a great goal with about 4 minutes left to tie it and decided to keep playing the same way and took the lead two minutes later on two great goals. Everyone played very well all weekend and we had Emily and Emma from our Black team to join us.  It was just a friendly but after that game the girls felt really proud of themselves as was the coaching staff.

HAWKS ’08:

The Hawks ’08 team had their hands full this weekend in New York, they played 4 competitive games and went on the Niagara Falls tour as a team which provided some team bonding and fun.

Game 1 vs. River hounds 08 boys. Easily one of the most competitive and entertaining games of the weekend. The girls went up early 2-0 on goals that were well earned, the boys caught there stride in the second half and ended the match with 2 unanswered goals of their own. Tough tie but very solid performance for the girls.

Game 2 vs. River hounds 08 girls. This game started slow for the 08 Hawks, hit a few posts and the keeper for River hounds seemed up to the task. Eventually the Hawks broke through and opened up the scoring with 2 or 3 goals by half time. Second half play started fast and furious with 2 or 3 more goals. The Hawks were able to possess the rest of the way and sealed the game off with a clean sheet.

Game 3 vs. Internationals 08 girls. Internationals came out strong but were no match for the Hawks as they scored 5 goals by half time. Second half was uneventful and the Hawks cruised to the end by keeping the ball and limiting mistakes.

Game 4 vs. WNY Flash 07 girls. This game proved to be a great way to end the weekend, the 07 Flash team were ready and it was a slim 1 goal lead for the Hawks by half time. In the second half the Hawks scored again to go up 2-0. 07 Flash ramped up their intensity and were able to tie the game up by the end.

Overall a great weekend in New York, quality games and the team had a blast sight seeing in Niagara falls.

 

HAWKS 09:

The Hawks ’09 had a great weekend in Buffalo November 3-4th, in between team bonding and sight seeing to Niagara Falls, the girls played some very competitive games with varying formats:

Game 1 vs. WNY Flash played 9v9 which introduced new problems for them to solve, the girls were challenged with both space and figuring out the extra players on the field. Hawks girls were successful in both aspects and were triumphant with the outcome.

Game 2 vs. Internationals was played 7v7 on a bigger turf field than the girls were used to, the first half was tight at 3-1 but the Hawks girls turned it up in the second half and had another successful game.

Game 3 vs. WNY Flash 09 boys. This game was very fast paced and was played 7v7. The girls came out strong but the boys countered and at half the lead was only a goal. In the second half the girls again turned up the heat and were able to outlast the boys with high pressure and solid defending. Girls came out on top and were in good shape for game 4.

Game 4 vs. WNY Flash 08 boys. This game was a great finale for the girls, coupled with being the 4th game of the weekend and the boys were a year older the game was back and forth for the duration. Up 3-2 the girls held off a final flurry of shots from the boys and finished the game 3-2.

With the idea being competitive games with development in mind, the weekend proved to be very beneficial for the 09 Hawks, the hospitality of the WNY Flash group was very good and the facility was exceptional.