 Photographs from today are in the Werder Weekly slide show |
Date
April 12, 2008
Participants
Dominic Hutchinson, Simon Hutchinson, Munir Merchant, Kevin Nieman, Wayne Smith
Report
This was the second day in a row with a Werder Weekly to make up for the postponed night on April 4. Five of the six players who played last night returned to Northridge. See here for the report and scores from the first day.
The game between Simon Hutchinson and Kevin Nieman was the “game of two halves”. In the first half Simon was on the attack and Kevin was defending in numbers, and attacking on the break. In the second half the roles were reverse with Kevin attacking and Simon defending. There were only few goal scoring chances with most of the action in midfield, between the two shooting lines. Simon took the only on target shot, which was saved, and Nieman had the only corner, which struck a defender. Despite the lack of chances Kevin said after the game “In the second half I played better than the whole of yesterday.”
Both Dominic Hutchinson and Munir Merchant described their game as fairly even, even though Dominic won with a goal scored in each half. His first came in the eighth minute. Dominic had position a striker dead center on Munir’s shooting line before the previous goal kick. Dominic played the ball up to this striker; Munir flicked his defender out the way giving his opponent a clear shot at goal. Dominic’s shot went over the goalkeeper and dropped down into the goal. The second goal came half way trough the second half. Dominic came round the left side of Merchant’s defense and shot the ball under the goalkeeper. After the second goal Munir pushed forward, and won eight corners in succession. Dominic held on to his lead with a combination of saves with his goalkeeper and defensive blocking flicks.
It took 24 minutes and 40 seconds for Wayne Smith to ‘mercy rule’ Dominic Hutchinson. The first goal came in the third minute, and the second came shortly afterwards. Dominic held on for the next 18 minutes without conceding another goal, making five really outstanding saves and one “not so”. The “killer blow” was delivered with another two quick goals in the second half. Dominic was forced to admit that his glove was one of the reasons he defensive flicks were not as good as usual.
The only goal of the game between Kevin Nieman and Munir Merchant came in the eighth minute of the first half. The ball was just to the right of the center. To be able to take the shot Kevin had stand on the left side of the table and reach round, blocking his view of the ball. His shot was a perfect drive into the top right corner of Merchant’s goal. Nieman did have the majority of the offense, but Munir’s packed defense and accurate defensive flicks frustrated his opponent. Kevin did need to save two of Munir’s shots, including one shot from the right that rattle back and forth between the goalkeeper and the goalpost before the ball stopped just in front of the goal line.
Simon Hutchinson was increasingly frustrated during his game against Munir Merchant as his flicks kept coming up short. As Simon pressed forward in numbers Munir took advantage of the space to mount quick breaks from his defense, but he was only able to get one shot on target. The only goal came with just three minutes remaining. Merchant conceded a free kick just outside his shooting area. Simon touched the free kick to another figure in a quick one-two play before shooting the ball in to the far side of the goal.
The fast pitch suited Wayne Smith’s game as he brushed aside Kevin Nieman convincingly with a 7-0 win. Kevin was determined not to call for the ‘mercy rule’, and he gallantly tried to hold his own against the rampant Smith. Wayne’s shooting was so deadly that he scored his seven goals from just eight shots. Kevin did have four attempts on goal, two of them requiring a save from the goalkeeper.
Simon Hutchinson was the next player to face Wayne Smith. Smith only scored one goal in the first half from a rolling corner, in the eleventh minute. While Wayne pushed forward with two or three players Simon did keep possession for period of the game trying to find a way through Smith’s defensive wall. In the second half Simon conceded a penalty with a hand ball, which Smith drove into the left corner of the goal. Simon did manage three shots on goal as he tried to pull a goal back. Smith’s third goal was from a tight angle almost level with the top of the “six yard” box that struck the side of Simon’s goalkeeper and bounced just inside the near post. “Simon’s defense is getting so tight,” Smith said after the game, “that every opportunity I got was from rolling balls.”
Results
| Simon Hutchinson | 0 | v | 0 | Kevin Nieman |
| Dominic Hutchinson | 2 | v | 0 | Munir Merchant |
| Wayne Smith | 4 | v | 0 | Dominic Hutchinson (mercy rule) |
| Kevin Nieman | 1 | v | 0 | Munir Merchant |
| Simon Hutchinson | 1 | v | 0 | Munir Merchant |
| Wayne Smith | 7 | v | 0 | Kevin Nieman |
| Wayne Smith | 3 | v | 0 | Simon Hutchinson |