Date
Friday August 15, 2008
Participants
Simon Hutchinson, Kevin Nieman
Report
Kevin Nieman was the only player who made it to this Friday’s Werder Weekly. He and the host, Simon Hutchinson, played three games.
Kevin 2 Simon 1 (HT 1-0)
Simon Started the game aggressively striking Kevin’s goal post twice early in the game. As the first half wore on Kevin came more into the game, and by half time the possession was fairly even. With just a minute left in the first half Kevin snatched the lead. He probably thought his touch up had pushed ball too far, half way into the penalty area. But his cleverly taken chip shot from close range went over Simon’s goalkeeper and into the goal.
Kevin’s second goal came soon after the start of the second half. Simon had pushed forward with so many figures he had left gaps in his defense. Kevin had an unmarked figure on the shooting line. He passed along the shooting line to his figure, the ball bounced perfectly off its base to stop about one and half inches in front of the figure, straight in front of the goal. Simon could not put a figure in front of the ball to block the shot, so he tried to put a figure close enough to Kevin’s to make it hard for him to flick. His defensive flick came up short and Kevin had finger room to take a hard chip shot into the right of the goal. Simon pulled a goal back in the ninth minute. He moved the ball diagonally from the right side of his defense to the left side of Kevin’s shooting line. Simon blasted the ball into the right side goal. “It was a goal of sheer determination,” was how Kevin described it.
Simon 1 Kevin 0 (HT 0-0)
Simon had slightly more of the possession in the first half, but it was in his own half of the pitch. Kevin almost snatched the lead just before half time when his shot struck Simon’s goal post.
In the second half Kevin attacked more, forcing Simon into making couple of saves with his goalkeeper. When it looked like the game was heading for a goalless conclusion Simon exploited a gap on the right side of Kevin’s defense to push the ball into the shooting zone. He missed his next flick, and fortunately for him Kevin the same. Simon touched up with two figures to put the ball into a position where they both had a clear shot at goal. With less than three minutes left Simon shot, the ball struck the inside of the right hand goal post and bounced into the goal. In the last two minutes Kevin attacked with seven figures and Simon defended with all of his within three inches of his shooting line. Despite his best efforts Kevin could not find a way through Simon’s defense before the game ended.
Kevin 2 Simon 1 (HT 2-1)
All of the action was in the first half. Kevin took the lead midway the first half. He was “gifted” the second goal when the Kevin’s over struck pass to a figure on shooting line struck Simon’s goalkeeper that was resting just over the line of the “six yard” box. Kevin positional flick for the indirect free kick from the penalty put a figure in the “D”. Simon’s defense was so scattered that he could not block the inevitable pass. Kevin passed the ball back from the penalty spot to the figure in the “D”, who struck the ball into the goal.Simon’s goal came just before half time. He had a “gaggle” players who pushed the ball through the center of Kevin’s defense by knocking the defenders aside after striking the ball. When he shot the ball was powered beyond the reach of Kevin’s goalkeeper.
Both players’ offense petered out in the second half. Simon would win the ball in front of his shooting line, and his forward pass would strike one of Kevin’s figures. With just second left Simon pushed the ball into the right side of Kevin shooting zone, and as he was about shoot the timer went off to end the game.
Results
| Kevin Nieman | 2 | v | 1 | Simon Hutchinson |
| Simon Hutchinson | 1 | v | 0 | Kevin Nieman |
| Kevin Nieman | 2 | v | 1 | Simon Hutchinson |