Jags came back from a 2-2 tie to put 2 more on the board late in the 2nd half.

Cooper was not at full strength tonight but they did a good job of grinding one out against a spirited group from Holy Cross.

 

The Jags got on the board first just 12 minutes into the match when Hollifield's shot from distance hit off a HC defender, it appeared that another defender was attempting to hit the ball back over their head to clear it but it ended up going into the goal.

 

HC evened things up about 15 minutes later when #9 , I believe Gonzales, beat his defender to the ball and the keeper did not come out quick enough to keep him from putting it into the back of the net. I thought the HC player showed some good speed, and composure, and did a nice job in converting this opportunity into a goal.

 

With just a few minutes to go before half, Cooper was awarded a free kick from about 30 yds out. It appeared that the goalie might have given up on the shot, or thought it was going to be wide, only to have it ricochet off the inside of the post and then off of him. Cornforth did a good job of following the play and was there to tap in the loose ball.

 

In the first half I thought Cooper did a pretty good job of changing up their offense and mixing some different people into the attack, they had a few good chances that they were not able to convert on. Defense was pretty solid and did a good job of limiting the chances that HC had.

 

Halfway into the second half, HC tied it at 2 off a PK that was awarded for what the ref called a handball. This occurred just inside the corner of the box, from where I was sitting, this appeared to be a bad call. It looked like the ball was just kicked into defender, he had his arms within the frame of his body and there was no intent to play the ball.

 

Both teams battled pretty hard for the next 15 minutes, I thought that Cooper was able to keep some pressure on the HC defense but did not mount as many scoring threats as they did in the first half.

 

With just under 5 minutes left, Snow was able to move forward and intercept an attempted clearance by HC, he one-touched it and then curled it in the back corner to put Cooper on top.

 

A couple minutes later Cooper cleared the ball from their defensive end by Workman hitting a ball into open space. Snow was able to get there just ahead of the HC defenders, he was able to cut it back inside of them and place the decisive goal into the net with the outside of his foot.

 

I thought that the match was a pretty good one to watch and overall I think it was fairly well-played by both schools. Although Cooper was shorthanded, I think they still had a little more depth than HC last night.

 

I wish the Indians well the rest of the season, if they play well, I would expect them to advance out of their District and onto the Regionals this season.

Was Snow man marked and if so, by whom?

Are you asking as a friend, or, as part of the advance scouting team? :sneaky:

hehe I think Snow is already a known quantity on the pitch. I was curious because another thread said that Wend was man marked vs Holy Cross and that that player kept him out of the game. This was given as a reason Enzweiler for Holy Cross should be considered among the best defenders in NKY. Just wondered if Enzweiler played a significant role in the match with Cooper.

just read the other thread and I believe my question has been answered.

Enzweiler was in the midfield and did not man mark Snow. He really didn't seem to do too much this game. His touches were limited. Noah Linstead man marked Snow all game. Thought he played very well and aggressive. He struggled to keep up with the speed in the open field and got caught ball watching a few times. Other than that he played a solid game. I belive Snow ended with 2 goals, 1 assist

If I recall, some one stated Snow was marked by Ryle.............how do these two defenders compare to each other? When looking at OPOY and DPOY, these are the times of things that should be considered.

Thanks for the specific info, Never offsides.

Taking nothing away from ASnow, but if the defender is assigned to man mark a certain striker and this striker gets 2 goals and an assist, IMO this defender did not have a good game. Wasn't at the game so maybe there are circumstances that make this statement irrelevant, such as the defender was not in the game when the 2 goals were scored.

Enzweiler was in the midfield and did not man mark Snow. He really didn't seem to do too much this game. His touches were limited. Noah Linstead man marked Snow all game. Thought he played very well and aggressive. He struggled to keep up with the speed in the open field and got caught ball watching a few times. Other than that he played a solid game. I belive Snow ended with 2 goals, 1 assist

 

I agree with how Linstead played but I would also add this to your comments... I think he did a really good job of limiting his amount of touches. Snow actually played in the midfield much more than normal so Linstead was not forced to cover him in the open field as much as he would have been if he played more in the striker role.

If I recall, some one stated Snow was marked by Ryle.............how do these two defenders compare to each other? When looking at OPOY and DPOY, these are the times of things that should be considered.

 

IMO, I would give the nod to Roe over Linstead for a few reasons. The Ryle/Cooper match was entirely different, district match for seeding and was played with much more intensity. Snow played striker the majority of the time against Ryle and was much more aggresive in the offensive attack. I feel that Roe is a little quicker and was better at matching Snow in the air and on the ground in their match.

Taking nothing away from ASnow, but if the defender is assigned to man mark a certain striker and this striker gets 2 goals and an assist, IMO this defender did not have a good game. Wasn't at the game so maybe there are circumstances that make this statement irrelevant, such as the defender was not in the game when the 2 goals were scored.

 

You make some good points, with the outcome I could see why it would lead one to think the defender did not have a good match. I can vouch for his performance, he played hard and was very aggressive from start to finish, if I remember correctly, I think he only allowed Snow to take a handful of shots in the match. I would say that he played well overall, sometimes you are able to get away with a couple mistakes, sometimes you don't.

 

As someone else mentioned, it seemed like he got caught ball watching on the first goal. Snow intercepted a poor clearance about 25 yards out from the HC goal and got a shot off before he could recover. On the second goal, him and another defender got caught in a foot race in the open field, they could not keep him from getting around them and scoring his second goal.

Linstead did a very nice job on Snow all night. Neither goal, nor the assist can he assume responsibility for.

 

Snow got his assist off a free kick as it ricocheted off the post, bounce off the keeper, and was finished by a cooper player.

 

His first goal game when the holy cross another defender, under no pressure, attempted to clear the ball but it turned into the a perfect assist as all Snow had to do was trap it take, a tap and fire away dead center of the goal.

 

Snow's second goal game on a big clear from Cooper's defense. Yes he was in a foot race with Snow, but Snow also had a head start since Linstead assumed his sweeper was back there, as he should have been. When Linstead caught up, Snow was able to cut it back to his right using Linstead's momentum against him. And he scored. It may also be noted that Linstead was also pressing a little more forward during Snow's second goal. Holy Cross was down by a goal and it was under five minutes remaining in the game.

 

Defense is played as a team. And on that night Linstead did his job well to support his team.

I was not at the game but what you say is so true. Often times a defender gets hung out by his team and is put in a no win situation, like chasing a striker from behind going full tilt to catch up. If doesn't go full tilt the offensive player continues on his line to the goal and has a 1 v 1. If he goes full tilt he is susceptible to the tap back inside and he runs past the play. The second option is the better of the two since there is always the chance this interruption gives the goalie time to set up or another defender time to disrupt the shot.

 

Another factor is how much a team has to play defense. When a team is constantly playing defense because the offense is having trouble possessing the ball, odds are there will eventually be a break down in the defense or someone will make a good shot. Defense gets blamed but this is also on the mids and forwards.