Sparta Girls 99: Welcome

New Season!!

Once again the tryouts are over and Sparta 99 is ready to go at it once again.  Congratulations to our 14 players: Miranda, Nay, Lena, Kayla, Janisia, Savannah, Alexis, Morgan, Quinn, Shannon, Genivieve, Abby, Maddie, Alyssa AND sometimes Kara.  Kara will be playng many of our tournaments and games.  The big question is always:  Are we as good as last year?  OR Will we play in the same league? OR Is Tony still handsome?  Well, the answer is YES!!  In fact, the girls got a chance to play a practice game at the 2nd practice of the year.  Sparta played Sparta!!  Actually, the GU14's played Sparta 99.  It was a great start to the season.  Sparta 99 won the game 2-1 and to tell the truth, the 99's looked very, very good.  In fact, it was as if they had taken no time off - and both Abby and Morgan were not at the game.  Abby was sick and Morgan is in....Africa!!  Anyway, Alyssa showed up as a guest player and she was wonderful.  Big strong, fast, athletic and very nice.  So the 99's had enough for a game but...where would girls play?  Sure the GK and defense was easy.  We have Miranda, Nay, Kara, Lena, Kayla and Janisia as always.  They are terrific and really can control a game.  The midfield was a little more interesting.  We had Quinn, Alexis, Savannah and Genivieve AND Alyssa.  So that was pretty much the same.  Could the centers hold out against the bigger, faster 98's?  But who will now play forward?  We had Maddie from last year so at least one of the forwards knew what to do.  Who would be the other forward?  In a flash of inspiration, the coaching staff thought, "What about Shannon?  She is fast and skilled and quick and powerful and tricky and agressive and..."  Why not Shannon?  Best move of the day by the coaching staff!!  The game started and was pretty even.  Both teams had some chances.  Of course, the wind was blowing at 150 Miles Per Hour and the 99's had to fight against it for the first 20 minutes.  By the end of that 20 minutes, the game was still tied 0-0.  There was some quality passing and a few chances by both teams, but nothing strong enough to dent the net.  In the second 20 minute portion of the game, the 98's got a goal in the first minute and had a nice lead while fighting the wind.  This goal lit a fire under the 99's and they started to really attack the opponents goal.  Finally, Genivieve passed a ball inside and Shannon got to it in front of the goal and smashed in the tying goal. Great job.  Shannon had actually started to rip it up and she was all over the 98 defense.  A few minutes later, Shannon cracked a ball across the goal and Alyssa (She's new!!) came racing in and buried a shot to put the 99's up 2-1.  The middle third of the game ended and the 99's had a nice 2-1 lead.  Once again, it was time for the 98's to get the wind.  This was probably the most even portion of the game.  The good news is that Lena played great in the center of the midfield and Shannon continued her wonderful play.  In fact, she got a shot from the 20 and hit the top bar.  Maddie followed up, controlled the rebound and took a shot that was blocked by the scrambling defense to save a sure goal.  Shannon also had a nice volley that almost found the goal.  Finally, Shannon crossed a ball that Genivieve just missed and Quinn came in from the far side and hit the side of the goal.  The 99's had some great chances-even against the wind. The 98's also had some chances and had 3 corners in a row that bounced around in front of the goal.  With the wind blowing so hard, everyone thought the ball would just blow into the goal.  It almost happened, but not quite.  In the end, the 99's held out and won 2-1.  It was a great first game!!  The biggest surprise was how good Shannon was at forward-holy cow, this girl is scary fast, quick and skilled.  She is only going to get better with practice.  Of course, Miranda, Janasia, Nay, Kayla and Kara were awesome.  Quinn played great but got tired because of track practice but had a fantastic first 40 minutes.  Savannah, Alexis and Lena took turns in the middle and were at times brilliant but sometimes confused.  In the end, they were able to do some great stuff.  In fact, when Alexis is "ON" she is really wonderful to watch.  Genivieve is also getting better every day and it is fun to watch how easily she can move in crowds with the ball.  Last, Maddie had a terrific game.  She had more good controls and passes then ever before.  She is super quick and seemed to be able to find Shannon a bunch of times around the goal or take a shot. I predict that by the end of this year, Maddie will be ripping around people and the defenses of the league.  I have already said a lot about Shannon, but it was nice to see the great attacking potential out there looking scary good.  Anyway, the new year has started and things look pretty good to the coaches and we can not wait for the tournament seaon to rev up.  Great job girls!!  It is so nice to have such great players on our team. 

Last game of GU12!!

Sparta 0 - ISA Gunners A 1

It has been a awesome season and the girls played the last game of the season as they did every game since that first outing in Burlington 11 months ago-With SPEED, SKILL and  EFFORT.  The girls were playing last years Washington Cup champs in the quarterfinal down at the RAC in Lacey at 8:00am.  It started out fast and never slowed down.  Miranda was AWESOME.  Obviously, the Gunners were a fine team and the girls were continually challenged for every touch.  The good news is that all the girls stepped up.  Miranda made terrific save after terrific save-and she made them look easy.  The defense of Kara, Lena, Genivieve and Nay was fantastic.  I really think that Nay just likes the challange of the tough teams.  The better the opponent, the tougher Nay gets.  That kid is competitive.  Not to be outdone, Kara was in place for almost every ball around the back.  Her quickness to the ball stopped a lot of attacks from getting started.  When she had time, she made some great passes to open mid-fielders.  Great job Kara.   Kayla was sick as a dog and could not play this game so Lena and Genivieve took turns in the right back spot and both were tough and made some great plays.  Genivieve did some great passing and is super quick.  Lena was strong on the ball and also was able to play balls out of the back to open Sparta girls. Morgan, like Nay, seems to love the tough girls to play against.  Once again, as the game wore on, Morgan got stronger and stronger.  She put at least 10 thru balls between the Gunners defense and won tons of balls.  She looked very comfortable on the ball even when getting battered.  It was great stuff.  Helping out in the middle was Alexis and Savannah.  Alexis started a little slow (like every game), but after the first 10 minutes, she got hold of the middle and did some awesome stuff.  She gets more skilled every day.  She is great when she figures out that her ability to possess is better than the other team-great things happen. Savannah also worked hard in there and made so great passes and controls.  On the outside, Hannah got a chance to put a shot on goal after a great run but could not quite hit target-but it was still a great effort.  She did a great job of controlling balls and passing around from the outside.  Shannon was also working on the outside and she had lots of fights for the ball and put some good balls to her teammates.  Genivieve also played outside mid for a bit and showed great skill.  It is fun to watch her turn with the ball.  Both she and Shannon have wonderful footskills and the way they turn and twist in pressure with the ball glued to their feet is awesome.  Janisia had her hands full in the middle of this huge field and was also able to control and distribute nice passes.  There was lots of action there all game.  Mia certainly came to play today and was a dynamo up front.  She tracked people, made controls, passed to the mid-fielders and constantly took players on.  She is in incredible shape.  I could not believe how hard she worked.  Abby and Maddie were also up front and fought with the big, fast girls on the Gunners defense thru out the game.  Sparta did have some good shots in the game even though it was 0-0 at the half.  Genivieve and Morgan put together some good passes and Genivieve got a nice 18 yard shot away.  In the second half, the Gunners stepped up the pressure but Sparta held them off and still got down field a few times to take a few shots and take corners.  Hannah had a good chance, Morgan had a chance from 25 that almost made it over the Keeper and Lena took a longer shot that on a good day could have easily found the net.  Finally, with about 10 minutes left in the game the Gunners got a 19 yard direct free-kick and at GU12 this is just about as good a chance as anyone can get.  The player whacked a long high free kick over a leaping Miranda into the top of the net.  No GK at GU12 could stop this type of kick.  The score was now 1-0 but Sparta did not give up and instead started to apply the most pressure in the entire game.  They came close a few times but eventually the ref blew the whistle and the game and year were done.  Great job girls.  The coaches and parents are very, very proud of your impriovement over the year.  It has been the best year of soccer ever!! We have our end of the year party and then a short break and then it is time for.....TRYOUTS AGAIN on MAY 12th/13th!! Have a nice break and I hope to see everyone at the tryouts. 

LAST LEAGUE GAME OF GU-12!!

Sparta 2 - NW Premier  0

Soccer is so much fun when the spring weather is clear, bright and warm.  There were no clouds or wind.  Just cool, comfortable sunshine. Speaking of cool and comfortable, the Sparta girls certainly looked the part today. The girls have been working very hard and the improvement over the last couple of months has been excellent.  This improvement was on display from the first minute.  On the kick-off, Sparta put together 6 straight passes and never looked uncomfortable.  In fact, Savannah slipped a perfect thru ball to Mia and this was almost the first goal of the game at the 4 minute mark.  NWP and Sparta have always had tight games and this one sure looked like another tie game in the making.  The only problem is that Sparta kept playing good passing balls.  This gave them lots of shots and corners.  Meanwhile, Kara, Kayla, Nay and lena allowed nothing at Miranda.  Suddenly, a ball was played to Janisia and she crossed a perfect diagonal ball toward the goal.  Usually, the ball sort of rolls past the GK and the far side mid-fielder and defender and ends up out of bounds.  Script change folks!!  Quinn read the ball perfectly, sprinted inside her defender and smashed a nice shot into the goal right past the attacking keeper.  She made it all look SO EASY!!.  I guess that is what happens when a player like Quinn gets a good starting position and anticipates what is happening.  Great pass Janisia and GREAT goal Quinn.  This game was getting interesting because Sparta sure looked like they came to win this one.  NWP started attacking harder but Kara and the defenders just kept clearing the ball.  Nay was amazing this game and she was really just a monster out there.  Boy is is nice to have her in defense.  Hannah started to win some balls in the second half and both the players on the outside kept the ball away from the goal.  Mia and Abby had some fantastic touches on the ball and really looked ready to break this game open.  Meanwhile, Miranda just became a wall in the goal.  She has really learned to take control of the penalty area!!  Sparta just kept getting shots and corners.  In fact,  Lena took a corner with about 20 minutes left in the game and although not a perfect kick, it did go in front of the goal.  There was some fighting for the ball, but NWP got a foot on it and cleared it out to about the 30 yard line.  Good clear, but unfortunately, Kara came at the ball and SMASHED a shot first time and this one was a rocket.  It did not get higher than 4 feet off the ground but it just whistled into the back of the net for a goal.  No one moved, everyone just watched this unstoppable ball zip by like a bullet.  Holy Cow!!  With this goal, everyone certainly started to think that Sparta had this one.  The girls started to pass more and more each second.  Morgan had a great shot from 10 yards that flew over the bar.  Quinn was inches away from getting her second goal.  Abby and Mia were so close to connecting it seemed impossible that they did not score.   In the end, the ref blew the whistle and Sparta got a nice victory to end the season.  Great game girls.  It was super fun and no question that all the hard work over the last 12 months has paid off.  The loser out portion of the State tournament starts next week against the Gunners A in the quarterfinal game.  Lets go out and play another great game.  Practice is at Mason this Monday and Wednesday.

WASHINGTON CUP 2012

Sparta 4 - Gunners "B" 0

Another great day for Sparta.  They started this one off with a bang when Genevieve picked up a deflection that was knocked behind the defense.  She took a perfect touch and shot it past the on rushing GK to put Sparta up 1-0 in the first 2 minutes.  A few minutes later, Morgan picked up a ball at the top of the area on a deflection and whacked this ball past the GK.  A few minutes later, Sparta scored probably the goal of the season!!  The ball started with Kara and was passed to Kayla.  Kayla passed it to Hannah.  Hannah first timed it to Abby, Abby dropped it back to Morgan and Morgan put a first time thru ball to Abby.  Abby got to it and crossed it back in front of the goal and Morgan came racing in and whacked the shot over the GK to make the score 3-0.  It was a super nice goal.  The defense played great and the passing around the back was awesome.  Kayla was terrific in the back and the mid-fielders were always able to find Kayla pulling wide for a nice pass out of pressure.  Nay also did a few of these but Kayla did them to perfection and it really looked cool when Sparta got that ball moving around.  Although there were no more goals in the first half it was a great stuff.  The second half saw Mia pick up a goal from Morgans nice pass.  Miranda did not have much to do, but she did some nice distribution.  The game ended at 4-0 but there were so many nice plays by Quinn, Mia, Maddie and Hannah that it made for real entertaining soccer.  Alexis and Savannah played great in the middle with Morgan.  It was excellent distribution.  Great job girls.  You made it to the gold group of the state cup and now it is time to play Last years champion-the Gunners A team.

Sparta 3 -Slammers 0

The Lindbergh field was perfect, the weather was perfect, the parents were perfect and the result of this game was...perfect.  Sparta started out very strong and scored in the first minute when Rae whacked a ball over her head into the goal area.  Morgan blocked a clearance and the ball landed right in front of her from 6 yards out.  Morgan pounced on the chance and buried the ball into the net for an early 1-0 lead.  Although the game appeared to be a pretty even game, Sparta kept getting corner kicks and decent shots.  Janisia was taking corners today and boy did she do a great job.  In fact, with a little time left in the half, Janisia took a corner all the way to the back post and Rae poked it in with her right foot.  It was a great goal.  Hannah had a very hard shot and there were lots of close chances.  At half time the score was 2-0 and that felt like a pretty good lead.  The Slammers did some nice passing and actually got 9 passes in a row before Sparta could intercept the ball.  Miranda was really taking charge of the penalty area and it was great to see her come out perfectly.  Kara, Kayla and Nay were double tough on defense.  Like I said, it appeared close because the Slammers play some nice soccer, but Sparta just kept getting great chances.  Abby had one blocked right in front of the goal, Hannah had some almost crosses and the ball was played around nicely in the Slammers end.  Rae scored her second goal of the game on a great left footed shot that found the corner.  Sparta was really in control now.  A ball rolled out to Morgan and she hammered a shot off of the crossbar that bounced back 20 yards.  It was so close!!  Savannah played a terrific game at center mid-field today and Hannah and Shannon were shrap on the outside.  It is nice to see some good passing from Genivieve, Maddie Mia and Abby.  In the end, Sparta got their 3-0 win and it will be up to the last game against the Gunner B tomorrow to see if they go thru to the Silver or gold bracket.  lets go out and have another great game girls!! 

Sparta 0 - SHSC Rev 0

 The first game of the WA Cup pitted two teams very familiar with each other.  The game was up at Starfire and the wind was swirling 20-30 miles an hour.  Sparta got the wind the first half and controlled the ball at the Revs end for most of the half.  Rae took a shot from about 35 yards out that was going for goal, but the Rev keeper made a great one hopper on it and stopped it.  Through the first half, Genevieve, Hannah, Shannon and Quinn kept the pressure on the Rev defenders with great runs down the lines.  The defenders, Kayla, Kara, and Nay were tough as nails only allowing one shot on goal the first half...it was a good shot that went right to Miranda from about 12 yards out. In the 2nd half, Sparta had to go against the wind.  However, Sparta continued their pressure and controlled the ball a bit more than the Rev in the half, although passing was a bit tough in the wind...Morgan, Alexis and Savannah played great in the middle, but shots were hard to come by with the stingy Rev defense.  Although the Rev had a few more corners in the 2nd half, Sparta was able to clear them out.  Mia, Abby and Maddy all played very hard and were chasing down balls passed by Morgan and the outside mids.  Genevieve was super duper tough today and shut down their skilled right winger...game ball definitely goes to her.  When the final whistle blew, no team could put one into the back of the net and the scored ended at nil to nil.  Tough hard fought game girls...extremely proud of all of you for your efforts. See you tomorrow vs. the Slammers. 

Sparta 0 - ASE Synergy 2

Sparta traveled over to the tri-cities for a early Sunday morning game against the Synergy this weekend. The game was held at Columbia Basis Community College and the field was huge!!  It must have been 120 yards long by 85 wide.  This is a great big field for a bunch of GU12's.  Anyway, it was a great opportunity for passing since no one could cover this much ground by just kicking and running.  ASE looked a little more comfortable on the big field, although, Sparta had at least six 5 pass combinations.  The only problem was that you could make 5 passes and still be 70 yards from goal.  Miranda had an outstanding game in goal and was really awesome.  She has great hands and did some outstanding dives and catches to keep the score tied 0-0 at the half.  A few players who looked terrific on this field were Genevieve, Janisia and Nay.  Genevieve just makes things look easy and seems to have glue on her shoes when it comes to controlling a moving ball.  Janisia was all over the back and played great defense, had some nice passes and never seemed to get tired.  Nay was her usual awesome self and did not let the ASE get anything on her side.  Up at forward, Abby also worked well with the midfield and had some nice touches.  In the second half, Sparta was able to continue the passing of the first half and ASE also started to put play together in the middle.  The game would hinge on which team could keep the ball in possession for the remainder of the game.  Sparta would get the ball but was unable to make ASE chase it much before the ball was bounce away under pressure.  ASE started to find players a little quicker and Sparta found that, although they are fast, they could not outrun a well passed ball.  ASE finally broke the dead lock with about 20 minutes left in the game.  Sparta went forward and Janisia crossed a great ball in front of the goal that Abby just missed.  The ball rolled toward Morgan at the top of the box and Morgan was able to control it and just got a shot off that was blocked out by the defender.  With less than 2 minutes left, ASE got an insurance goal to put the game away 2-0.  Although it was a very long drive and they did not win this game, Sparta played pretty well and I am sure they will look back at this great giant field experience as good practice.  Only 2 games left in the season.  Practice Monday and Wednesday.  Good hard work this game girls. 

Sparta 0 - South Hill Rev. 1

Sparta got a chance to play against the first place South Hill, and the Rev showed the tough play and strong defense that has been the reason for their top of the table standing.  Like every game in the PSPL league this year, this game was a battle from the kick-off to the last minute.  Every player on both teams gave a 100% for every ball and the difference in the win/loss column is the team or player who puts their chance away.  The game was at Mason Middle school and there was some nice sun and a bit of wind to give each team an advantage for a half.  The Rev won the toss and got the wind the first half and made the most of it.  Both teams struggled to control the ball and it was just kind of a kick fest.  Sparta had 3 or 4 corners but could not get a solid kick in front of the goal, although Abby took a good shot over the top bar from 12.  Mia had a chance on a quick pass by Morgan into the area but the Rev GK was out and on top of it quickly.  Just another foot and Mia would have had it.  The mid-field area was not under control by either team and therefore the game never had any flow.  Suddenly, the Rev whacked a ball toward the goal that ended up in a corner kick.  The wind blew hard right when the ball was chipped in front of the goal and the ball drifted into the goal at the far post.  This was the first of only two times that the Rev got into the Sparta penalty area in the first half, but it is important to put the ball in the goal when you have a chance.  Although the ball was most often in the Rev defensive end of the field, Sparta really never put together more than 1 pass and never had a chance to shoot on target.  Sparta would need to improve their control and passing if they were ever going to get a good chance on goal.  The second half started and although Sparta had some close chances, such as Savannah's 1 on 1 with the GK AND 4 or 5 corners, the ball kept slipping past the pack of players in front of the goal.  Abby and Savannah made a couple of nice wall passes, Quinn made a very nice pass and Morgan, Janisia, Alexis, Mia and Genivieve put together a 5 pass combination.  The Rev also got down and had another corner and some desperate swinging away in the goal but like the 1st half, Sparta could not control or pass the ball quickly enough.  Sparta had one more chance with only 30 seconds left when they got another corner kick.  Once again the ball never landed on a Sparta player in front of the goal and the game ended 1-0 in Revs favor.  The Rev got the win that will probably be enough to win the league title, and Sparta is one more game closer to the end of the GU12 year.  Sparta has been playing very well lately but today was a bit of a set back in the skill element of the game.  Maybe next week girls.  Practice on Monday-I think we will work on controlling the ball, passing and corner kicks:)  

Sparta 2 - Slammers 0

The Sparta girls played a very nice game today and were rewarded with a "W" against the Slammers at Game farm park.  It was a little drizzly but the game was played on field-turf, so the rain was not a factor.  Sparta started out strong and after just 2 minutes, the ball spent a lot of time in the Slammer end of the field.  Maddie was working hard and winning balls and had some great tackles that sent the ball to the Sparta players.   Sparta started getting shots right away when Alexis took a shot that went wide from about 18 yards.  Hannah cracked a 35 yarder that almost found the back of the net.  The ball was played into Shannon a few times and they were inches away from being converted but not quite. Morgan had a few long shots but Sparta just could not find the goal.  Every now and then, the Slammers would get down to the Sparta end, but Miranda was not really challenged.  In fact, Mia had a breakaway, beat the defenders in the 6 yard box, and then shot the ball wide of the goal.  Crazy...but the score was 0-0 at halftime.  The second half started and Sparta stepped on the gas and got even tougher.  The passing was sharp too.  Janisia really had a great game in the second half.  She really calmed the game down and started some of the best passing moments.  Morgan, Alexis and Genivieve really started to dominate every ball in the middle.  Mia probably played the best game she has ever played.  She was controlling the ball, beating people, making runs, playing defense and setting people up.  Wowwwww!!!  She really was awesome.  Hannah is starting to figure out the outside mid-field.  She took a couple of long crosses and shots and got an assist when her long shot was blocked by the GK...but right into the path of an on-rushing MORGAN!!  Morgan absolutely crushed a shot that almost ripped the net.  Sparta had a lead and there was only about 15 minutes left.  This is usually when things go wrong lately, but not today.  Sparta continued to just pound away.  With each passing minute Sparta got closer and closer to an insurance goal.  Genevieve and Mia had some great passing and then Genivieve dribbled down to the end line and got in a cross.  Mia cracked a cross from the right that Abby missed and Genevieve had another long shot.  Morgan had a shot blocked from about 10 yards.  Nay, Kayla and Kara were a wall in the back and never let the Slammers get started.  Finally, a ball was played thru and Mia did a great turn on the defender and was taken down in the penalty area.  Kayla stepped up and shot the penalty into the net and Sparta had a 2-0 lead with only a few minutes left.  The game ended and Sparta had their first win-and boy did they deserve it today.  Great game girls.  We get to play another game tomorrow against Wenatchee at Starfire.  Lets hope we play another good game.

Sparta 1 - ASE Synergy 1

Another team that Sparta runs into at least 2 times each year.  This game was played at Garfiled Park and although there are some nice flat areas of field to play on, there is one entire side of the field in which the middle is really a mud pit.  I was very impressed with both teams ability to play in these conditions and it was another battle of a game.  Sparta started flat and ASE was just sharp as tacks and on fire (Flaming Tacks).  In fact, they scored a terrific goal on a cross and one time in the first 2 minutes.  Not only that, they looked good and really had Sparta on their heels.  Sparta was a little lucky in the first 10 to not end up behind by 2.  The good news is that after about 10 minutes, Sparta came alive and the game turned into what has been the norm.  Lots of attacking pressure by Sparta against a tough defense.  Morgan started things with at least 3 crack shots from 25 yards out.  One of them slipped past the GK but hit the post before it could creep into the goal.  Sparta sent dozens of thru balls but could not catch up tp the passes.  However, they kept ASE pinned for most of the 1st half.  Janisia, Morgan, Alexis and Quinn all played great in the middle.  This was where the game would be won or lost and Sparta did their share of damage.  Mia was truely stellar today and deserves praise for her incredible work rate.  Mia was controling the ball, passing, fighting and even slipped thru a couple of passes for Abby to chase.  The second half saw a pretty even game with Sparta really putting a lot of shots and pressure.  ASE mostly just dribbled like mad.  This worked for about 15 yards but they were always run down by the hard working defense of Kayla (good game), Nay (great game) and Kara (getting really strong with each game).  Genivieve did some very nice stuff on the outside and really makes things look easy.  She starting to kick harder each day and it is only a matter of time before she takes longer shots.  Shannon was very quick and a delight on the right side.  She really ads a burst of speed out there.  In the middle of the 2nd half, there were some nice passes on the left side and Mia received a ball in the corner.  She turned her player and chipped a lovely ball over the GK into the far post.  It was untouchable and now the score was tied.  Sparta started really pounding away now.  Maddie was up front and had a nice turning shot and almost scored on a one on one with the GK but she could not quite reach the ball-but it was great to see her getting tougher out there.  The game became very intense near the end and with only 30 seconds left, ASE got a chance to win the game off a 25 yard free kick that went wide. Whewww!! that was close.  The ref blew the whistle and Sparta had it's third tie in 3 games.  Keep working hard girls-you are just inches away from winning all of these games and it WILL happen someday.  Great job.  Practice on Monday at Gonyea. 

Sparta 1 - Tynecastle 1

These 2 teams meet up about 2 times a year and they are always absolutely wild games.  The truth is that Sparta always play well and kind of dominate but somehow things don't work out the way they appear to be headed.   The game was held at Kasch Park up in Everett in one of the state's weather convergence zone.  You know what I mean - it is always cold, windy and usually raining.  The good news is there was no rain but everything else was the usual.  The game started with Sparta heading into a 20 mile an hour head wind for the first half.  The coaches expected that Tynecastle would take this advantage and put Sparta behind the 8 ball.  But the opposite happened.  Sparta played great soccer and dominated the play and easily outshot and out passed the opponent.  Morgan and Janisia pelted Tynecastle with shots from about 25 yards out.  Lena took a long shot that looked like it could score but the wind brought it down.  Mia and Abby played outstanding together and were a joy to watch.  The work rate and combination play between these 2 was awesome.  Alexis did a great job in the center with Morgan and after the first 20 minutes did some wonderful stuff.  Nay, Lena, Kayla and Kara were super solid in the back and Tynecastle really never had a shot in the half.  Hannah, Maddie and Genivieve had some good crosses but could not get them in front of the goal.  Quinn also played in the middle and on the outside and had some sharp passing.  Miranda did not have a lot to do but she came out well and made it look easy.  Really, every single player had a great game and Sparta looked forward to the second half when they would have the wind advantage.  And did Sparta ever take chances.  Morgan had at least 5 shots that were close.  Janisia whacked a few more.  Alexis had 1 that just went wide.  Abby and Mia both had shots that were blocked and deflected off target.  Somehow, the ball would not find the back of the net.  Finally, with about 20 minutes left, Morgan took a free kick from about 35 yards out that ripped over the keepers head and hit the back of the net.  This ball was moving!!!  So Sparta continued to pound away hoping for the insurance goal to put away the win.  Finally we got down to the last minute of the game.   Remember, Tynecastle had rarely gotten over the 50 and had not had a shot all half.  Somehow Tynecastle got the ball at the 50, turned a player and a pass was made, Sparta didn't attack the ball, the player bounced between 2 defenders into the penalty area and took a low shot past Miranda into the goal to tie the score.  Holy Cow, the only shot of the entire game!!  Sparta had outshot Tynecastle by at least 15 to 1, but the score was now 1-1 and with less than a minute left, it was over.  This is certainly not the only time that Tynecastle has scored in the last couple minutes to tie or win against Sparta-so it was the usual outcome.  But I have to say that the Sparta girls are improving with every game.  This is the second game in a row of this short little Spring season and in both, Sparta has been dominate.  Maybe tomorrow will lead to a victory.  Either way, the coaches and parents are proud of the girls great play.

 Sparta99 1 - Sparta 98 1

Since the season has been so slow to develop due to weather, Sparta put together a practice game against the Sparta 98 girls team.  The weather turned out sunny with a little bit wind.  The game was fun and it was a chance for the girls to try out some of the things we have been working on in practice.  Unfortunately, the older Sparta team scored in the first 3 minutes when the ball was bounced off one of the forwards on a clearance.  This sort of woke the girls up a little and for the rest of the half, the ball was on the other end of the field.  It helped to have the wind at their back, but Sparta 99 played very well and there was outstanding possession amoungst the girls.  In particular, hannon, Janisia, Morgan and Genivieve were very smooth and sharp.  It was nice to see this kind of touch.  Our new sweeper is Kara and she played a great game in the back.  She was fast when she needed to be and skilled when given a little time.  A big welcome to her!!!  Mia and Abby also looked sharp as the passing was quick.  They were always on the edge of picking up a goal.  The half score was still 1-0 even though the 99's had a bunch of corners and many really good chances.  In the second half, the 98's had a few more chances and it was really quite an even game. Miranda made some saves look very easy-she is a terrific player.  Nay also played well again.  Kayla and Lena were strong in the back.  The 98's had a few really good chances to score and really could have put the game away, but thats soccer.  Meanwhile, the 99's started to get more and more chances and again had at least 3 or 4 good chances to tie the score.  Abby in particular had at least 2 good chances.  Savannah tried to play but fell again on her wrist and had to come out.  I hope she gets better and can play soon.  Maddie did a few nice moves and almost got a few crosses in front of the goal.  Hannah has moved to the outside mid field and made 2 very good crosses.  Shannon just missed on one of them.  The 99 back was tightening up and with only a few minutes left Morgan, Hannah, Mia and Quinn strung together several nice passes and uin ended up in front of the goal.  She made a sweet trap and knocked the ball into the corner of the goal.  It was a very nice goal with some excellent build up.  There were a few more nice chances but in the end, the score was another tie.   

The Spring PSPL League...

2/11/12 Sparta 1 - NW Premier 1

The more things change, the more they stay the same.  This score should look familar since it was the same team for the first game of the year in the Fall season - and the score was a tie as well!! This game was truely a game of 2 halves.  The kick off was typically rough and things started in the Sparta end, and stayed there for the first 16 minutes.  Thats right.  Not only did Sparta not get a shot, they did not even get over the 50 yard line until Savannahs crack shot from the right.  Unfortunately, not only did Premier dominate possesion, they also scored at the 4 minute mark when a forward cut inside of Hannah and cracked a cross in front of the goal to be slammed in by their left Mid.  Sparta struggled to control even the easiest ball and this led to many bad Sparta passes.  Defensively, Sparta had trouble locating players to cover and this made for an easy passing situation for Premier.  Although Premier did not get many shots on goal in the first half, they kept Sparta under pressure and holding on for dear life as the ball hung out at the Sparta 35.  Things got a little better after Savannahs incredible blast but it was enough that Sparta held out to the half to make some adjustments.  The good news, the adjustments worked great.  The second half was all Sparta with good control, great passing and lots of shots from all over the place.  Alexis and Morgan were dominating in the middle.  Savannah had another great shot after a perfect thru pass by Morgan.  Mia worked great with the mid-field in the second half.  This was a huge improvement.  Sparta tied the game when Mia made a good cross and Abby pounced on the close shot and knocked it off the GK and it dribbled over the line enough to tie the game.  It was a great effort by Sparta.  The Back line of Hannah, Kayla and Nay was strong as ever.  Janisia deserves a word of praise.  Holy cow, she completely control a 30 yard square area and was probably the reason that Premier was pinned down for 29 minutes of the second half.  Miranda did make a nice catch with only a minute left, but this was theonly time she touched the ball in the half.  Genivieve had a chance to score the winner when she took a shot off a 30 yard Morgan freekick from 2 yards out that was somehow saved.  The ball pinballed around a bit until finally Premier got a clear.  Sparta really had chances all over the place as Morgan, Alexis and Janisia took shots from all over the place.  Very good game for the strong Sparta girls.  Shannon had a great game and lena and Grace worked hard to fill in for the sick Abby.  After Alexis took her last shot, the ref blew the whistle and the game ended in a tie.  Sparta had enough chances to win, but over all, it was a great first game and found the girls finding their touch after a while.  Great job girls!!  Nice start.  Next practice is Monday.  I don't know when the next game is going to be, but the coaches and parents are very proud of your hard work.  

PSPL Fall League...

12/10/11 Saturday Sparta 2 - Gunners 0.  This was the last game of the year for Sparta, as well as the last overall league game in PSPL.  Nothing was on the line concerning standings except for an opportunity to work on skills and such.  The game was played on a big turf field and it was pretty darn cold out there, but there were enough collisions and running around in circles to keep everyone warm.  The Gunners played a nice game.  They worked very hard and were always in the right spot as the ball bounced around on the turf.  From the kick off, Sparta had trouble with the pressure being applied.  This forced lots of turn overs and basically led to a game of "who was going to get a break to win the game".  Morgan was covered by 2 players thru out the second half but this left lots of mid-fielders open to try and score.  In the end, it worked out.  The good news (I guess) is that Sparta got the big break about 8 minutes into the second half when the ball was bouncing around in front of the Gunners goal and it rolled right to Mia and she passed firmly into the goal.  The Gunners pushed forward and kept the ball around the Sparta defense but Hannah had a terrific game in the back and was always right there to save the day at the last minute.  In particular, she did a great stretch as a ball was slipping thru and stopped what may have been a sure shot on goal.  Although Miranda did not have any great shots to save, she did have to be on her toes and pick up some shots and thru balls. With less than 1 minute left, Mia picked up a breakaway on a throw in by Kayla and went 1 on 1 with the GK.  Mia was wonderfully composed and passed to the right of the GK to score her 2nd of the game and a nice insurance goal.  The whistle blew 30 seconds later and the game and season was over.  Other than those goals, it was kind of a raggedy game.  Not much passing or control.  Lots of throw ins and kids kicking the ball into each others shins.  Janisia, Lena and Kayla blasted some rolling balls high at the GK and Mia even cracked one off of the top bar, but I don't think more than 2 passes in a row were made by either team.  Sometimes the game is just played and we wait until the practice to work on stuff. 

The season ended with a Sparta record of 4-4-4.  A nice round number.  Sparta finished in 7th place but it all came down to a few points from 3rd to 7th.  The girls played well and did not lose in the last 7 games.  There was some very good improvement and the girls seemed to have a lot of fun.  Everthing will now shut down for about 6 weeks and we will start back up late in January (24th?).  Anyway, good game and great season girls.  Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. 

11/29/11 Tuesday Sparta 3 - SLMS 0.  This may have been just a practice game, but there was some very nice play on display for Sparta.  First the goals.  Mia at around 12 minutes.  Kayla at around 20 minutes on a nicely taken right corner penalty kick.  Last, Mia on a quick counter off a corner kick and a long shot from the left side.  Another very good strike.  ON to the game.  The best part of the game was the control by the defense.  Many balls were knocked back to Hannah to control and play out to the wide players.  She rushed it a bit, but still these were very nice passes.  I LOVE it when our midfielders (Morgan did this a bunch) decide to knock balls back to Hannah.  This just shows how confident they are that possession is the key to playing great soccer. Hannah also found mid-fielders like Quinn, Alexis and Morgan.  The outside defenders made some great controls and also passed to open players.  These combination plays between players in tight spaces was very cool.  The control of the ball by the center mids was really outstanding.  All three of them made wonderful spinning controls to change directions.  Janisia was a total blast to watch and many parents on the SLMS sidelines were absolutely floored by her calm control of the middle and her distribution.  I have to agree.  She was actually running and dribbling while telling mid-fielder where to go so that she could get them the ball.  It was another awesome thing to watch.  What about Nay?  She was Nay.  Tough, fast and relaxed-but SLMS gave her a few headaches and she had probably the hardest job-but still did great.  The control on the ball of Maddie, Shannon, and Savannah was great.  We love to see solid back foot control.  It would have been nice to see them attack their players a little more, but all of their control was sharp-so that was a terrific plus.  Lena was the only girl ripping up and down the outside mid.  She even rolled the ball with the bottom of her foot at speed (one time too many-but still a show stopper).  The forwards showed terrific control and Abby in particular was using running midfielders.  Grace was also in some good spaces and was inches away from picking up a great goal.  With so many SLMS defenders behind the ball in defense, it was hard for the forwards to work quickly in tight spaces.  But this is good practice.  What about Miranda?  She touched the ball a few times but was not tested.  She makes it look easy all the time, so it is sometimes hard to tell if the other team is taking good shots. 

Obviously, here is the lesson from this game:  Give good players time on the ball-they will play good soccer, look super cool and make you look not good.  If a player learns to control the ball perfectly and quickly (even under pressure)-they will do great things and make the other team look not great. 

I almost forgot-Morgan did a cool step over and the SLMS parents all ooohhhed and awwwwed.  Yes, even the little cool skill things look cool and make people scratch their heads.  As one of the SLMS girls said to me after the game, "I have never played against so many players before who made me realize that I am not very good at soccer."

11/19/11 Saturday Sparta 2 - South Hill Rev. 0.  It was supposed to be freezing rain and snow but instead it was sunny, a little chilly and absolutely wind-less.  Perfect conditions for a soccer game!!  Since the league standings are probably not going to move at this point in the season, it was time for Sparta to have players try some different positions.  Although this turned the subbing situations into a fire-drill, it was fun to watch many of the girls try out different positions.  The game started with a great chance in the first 5 minutes with a fantastic Lena cross (starting at outside right mid) right in front of the goal for Savannah 2 yards out - but no contact.  Genivieve and Morgan worked hard in the middle but it was a real battle.  Abby has been working great the last few games and she had some outstanding runs, passes and moves.  The defense was tested early and a close ball was shot by Dave (Rev mid) that Miranda had to dive on and somehow save on the goal line.  At around the 14 minute mark, Ray fought hard for a ball and played it into Mia.  Mia cut from right to left and cracked a nice left footed shot from about 8 yards out that hit the left post and rolled across into the right side netting of the goal.  GOAL - Close call though.  This was Mia's 3rd goal in as many games.  I think she must be the leading goal scorer by now.  Meanwhile, Grace did some hard work at left mid-field (not forward) and ran a whole lot!!  She looked pretty tired after about six 50 yard runs in a row.  Kayla and Janisia traded positions from stopper to right back a few times during the game.  Then it was Quinns turn to play a little stopper.  Quinn was absolutely awesome this game.  She just keeps getting quicker and more skilled.  It is no understatement that she seems to start most of the good passing sequences on Sparta thanks to her quick feet and great reads.  Of course, not everyone changed spots.  Nay was at left back going toe-to-toe against Anna W for the entire game.   Although Nay came out the winner, Anna W made some excellent crosses that Miranda had to have great hands to save.  Hannah was Hannah and strong as ever (except a few times when she was a wiennie - and she knows what I'm talking about).  Anyway, it remained a tight 1 goal game until Ray cracked a 35 yard long shot that was mis-judged by the GK and ended up in the back of the Rev net.  Perfect timing with only 1 minute left in the 1st half.  More crazy subs in the second half.  Lena went to forward, Savannah went to center mid for a while, Quinn and Mia also played a little center mid.  Grace went up to forward for spell. Mia did pretty good in mid for never really trying it before.  Even Shannon went up top to play forward for a bit.  She has not done that for at least a year.  She was very close a few times to breaking away and cracking a shot on goal.  The 2nd half started to really change when Morgan stepped up and started to put her stamp on the game.  Although a force in the first half, the second half was the next gear.  Let's just say that Morgan started to dominate the middle of the field and even 3 or 4 Rev players were unable to stop her from dribbling, passing, heading or just plain controlling the game tempo.  It was a Curly-Q fest!!  Sparta players also started passing more.  Watching the ball movement between the mids and the forwards was fun. Several times it looked like Sparta would score a third goal after making some excellent combination of 3 or more passes.  Abby, Mia, Quinn, Morgan, Shannon, Lena, Maddie, Grace and Genivieve really started looking sharp.  Maddie was ripping up and down the left sideline and this was great to see.  She can fly when she puts her mind to it.  In the end, Rev put on some good pressure but not enough to score a goal.  Sparta also had some excellent play in the final third but did not score another goal.  The final whistle blew and the game was over.  Parents and coaches were very proud of the play of the girls and it was a nice day to see the girls have a bit of fun.  We will take off 2 weeks from practice.  There will be a few practice games to be played before our LAST league game of the season against the Gunners in Issaquah in Mid December.  I look forward to seeing everyone at the SLMS Practice game on Nov. 29th.  Great game girls-another wonderful effort.

11/12/11 Saturday Sparta 1 - Northwest Premier 1.  Everyone thought the storm would come rolling in early and turn a soccer match into a Hockey game!!  The good news is that the bad weather held off and there was just a little trickle of rain for most of the 60 minutes.  As to the game, it was a lot like all of the games this year.  Lots of fighting for balls.  Lots of balls rolling out of bounds and lots of throw ins.  When either team was able to control the ball at their feet, everyone got to see a nice pass.  Most of the time, both teams kicked the ball at each other.  The first half was pretty even but Northwest had 2 decent chances that required Miranda to make nice catches.  Sparta had a few half chances but nothing that looked like it could sneak in.  The Sparta defense was strong but a little flat-but Nay, Hannah and Kayla were able to hold out.  The Sparta mid field worked hard and there were a few passes but there just wasn't more then 3 in a row.  It was ping pong on a soccer field.  Morgan made some great headers from clearances and Quinn played one of her best games so far.  Quinn was a ball magnet and made some excellent controls and passes.  Alexis worked hard in the middle and Maddie, Savannah, Shannon and Genivieve kept up the throw-ins and went toe to toe against Northwest on the outside.  Abby had a terrific game and was always on the edge of making something amazing happen.  She was darting in constantly to slip balls thru but it was difficult for players to react quick enough.  Mia was going up against the big girl in the center and was in a tough spot.  Grace made some nice passes to the mid-field support players...but the score was 0-0 at the half.  Sparta came out blazing in the second half and put on pressure from the get go. Janisia started to control the middle and put balls forward.  Finally, the ball bounced onto Mia at the top of the box and she turned and cracked a long high shot over the GK for the goal.  It was 1-0 for Sparta and only 14 minutes left.  At this point, the wheels fell off the Sparta wagon and Northwest pounded the ball at Sparta's defense. Sparta had many chances to make passes or clear but no one could put it together.  The ball bounced around a lot and with just 4 minutes left, a Northwest player picked up the ball in the Penalty area and cracked a nice shot into the far post to score the tying goal.  Suddenly, Sparta was able to win a few balls and kept the ball forward and looked like they could take back the lead but time ran out.  Overall, the score represented the equal level of the 2 teams.  Only 2 games left in the season.  Next week it is the Rev and then a 4 week wait for the final game of the season against the Gunners.  Practice on Monday.  Good job girls-it has been a great season. 

10/29/11  Saturday Sparta 2 - Wenatchee Fire 0.  Sparta worked for this one.  The game was very even with lots of athletic strength on display.  At the 5 minute mark, a high ball was attacked by Abby and headed toward the goal.  Mia was in the right spot and took a great touch and then a sweet shot that found the corner.  What a good way to start a game!!  Sparta was up 1-0.  The defense of Nay, Kayla and Hannah was tested - but not too much.  The Fire could not string much together against the strong defensive mid-field play of Morgan, Quinn, Alexis and Janisia.  Maddie, Savannah, Shannon and Genivieve fought hard on the narrow field but most balls on the outside ended up rolling out of bounds constantly.  This left the forwards of Grace, Mia and Abby to try and connect with the midfield.  Mia in particular was on "Fire" (pun intended) this game and really made it tough for the Wenatchee defense to get good clearances.  Although the ball was on the Sparta side of the field most of the game, this was mostly due to the athletic Wentchee defense winning balls and quickly playing them back at Sparta.  The score was 1-0 at the half.  The second half was much like the first.  Lots of kicking, chasing and running.  Alexis in particular started to show great skill and some wonderful touch play, but unfortunately, was unable to pass to her teammates after doing all the cool stuff.  Sparta was trying to play well, but just could not get control of the ball long enough to make the next pass.  Kudos to the Fire keeping Sparta under constant pressure.  Suddenly, Janisia controlled a ball and passed it to Quinn.  Quinn passed it to Morgan near the top of the box.  Morgan chopped her defender with her left foot, took a touch to the right and cracked a shot into the lower right corner.  Happy Birthday to MORGAN!!.  Sparta was ahead 2-0 with 25 minutes left.  Wenatchee went direct after this and the Sparta defense somehow held on..somehow.  Lena went up to forward to help take off pressure and that allowed Sparta a few touches in the Fire end.  Hannah got caught dribbling with about 5 minutes left and just before the Fire forward got her shot away toward the goal, there was a giant, full speed collision between Kayla, Nay, Hannah and the forward.  Somehow, Morgan showed up to clear the ball as all the girls lay on the ground just 12 yards from the goal.  No one was seriously hurt, but this was the best chance for Wenatchee on this day.  Sparta finally got out of their end for the final 5 minutes and had a few corners and chances, but the ref blew the whistle to end the game.  Although Sparta did not play great, they were able to win.  They have had a few games that did not go their way earlier, so sometimes things just work out for you if you keep a good atitude.  Great job girls!!  No practice on Monday because it is HALLOWEEN.  Next practice is on Wednesday. 

The Sparta GU99 team has been created and are ready to play some great soccer.  There was an outstanding group of girls at the try out in May and it was very hard to select just 13 girls.  Welcome to the team:  Miranda, Janisia, Morgan, Hannah, Geniveave, Mia, Shannon, Rachel, Lena, Kayla, T, Savannah and Alexis.

We will be having a lot of fun and I hope that you will follow the team as we make our way thru the summer tournaments and into the fall league.  We will be posting pictures and updates about our great adventure during the coming months.

If you would like to contact us, you can email Coach Tony at acrudo@fife.k12.wa.us

I will be adding information in the next couple of weeks.