It was a great day for a game up in Nanaimo. Our Capitals all showed up nice and early, we had a nice little pre-game chat and a warm up and we actually started with a strong passing game right away. It looked like we were really clicking out on the field until the first goal that came really against the flow of the play.
We had a few of our Capitals that stayed strong throughout the first 20 minutes (Taleah, Syd, Jaymie, Dallas, Bri). I think we all realized that at this high level it can get very physical on the pitch and we have to be prepared for it. Get stuck in and stay stuck in!
We have to give credit where it's due and Nanaimo came to play. They were skilled and well coached and didn't back down from nothin'! Their 2 speedy strikers caused problems for our back line on many great through balls.
Although there wasn't alot of "finish" on our part, we maintained a healthy portion of the possession throughout the game with the bulk being in the first 20 and the last 10 minutes (where Maddy found her 5th gear;). We still have to remember above all that we need to defend our goal first, then work on the attack. We had lapses in our box where we got caught watching the very skilled forwards work through to goal...remember to get a foot in and tackle hard, move the ball out to the wings and then sort out the attack.
I was quite impressed for the most part with the passing through the mid field and I can see you're thought process is changing in how you're playing out and using the wings more, switching the play and sending through balls for strikers to run on to so let's keep that going, correct a couple defensive tasks and we'll be in good shape. Our Capitals have some great skills but we also need to match it with a strong desire, passion, and intensity on the field! Let's dig deep this weekend and put a couple in the back of the net!
We'll be missing one of our star defenders for a short while as Dallas suffered an ankle sprain near the end of the game. Although she'll fully recover she'll need to rest it for a few weeks. Let's all wish Dallas a speedy recovery. I'm sure she'll be there for support this Saturday:)
