PITTSFIELD, Mass. -- The U11 Soccer Domain Academy boys hosted GPS Stateline at Berkshire Community College in an unusual Friday evening game scheduled to make up for a game canceled by snow earlier this year.

 

An action packed game saw the home team run out a convincing 5-0 winner. 

 

It was a miserable Friday night in the Berkshires, with the rain pouring down and the gusty wind making it a bitter experience for spectators. Despite the conditions, SDA got off to a fantastic start and played some positive and creative soccer. The home team controlled the midfield third and distributed fantastically well to the wide players and strikers.

 

The hosts also dominated the personal battles all over the pitch, defensively and offensively. This had a significant impact on the game as an early goal put the home team on the scoresheet. After scoring the game’s first goal, SDA continued to put the visitors’ backline under pressure, causing persistent threat. GPS held off with some fantastic defending. The quality and persistence of the home team showed before half time finding the back of the net with a well anticipated close range strike. 

 

The half-time whistle concluded the first 30 minutes of play and a very positive and realistic team talk kept the SDA team on task. GPS also came out threatening the home goal, striking the post the hosts were fortunate not to allow Stateline back into the game. SDA responded with an early attack and a goal of their own making it 3-0, the pressure on the away goal continued. SDA found a gap in the GPS defense and punished with a ruthless scooped finish over the outstretched goalkeeper, 4-0 to SDA. The hosts managed to find another before the final whistle making it 5-0, an outstanding performance topped off with three New England Premiership points.

 

After the rare Friday night game all six SDA teams found themselves in action on the Sunday -- five at home and one on the road. Once again SDA teams achieved a mixture of results with three wins, two losses and a tie.

 

U14 Boys 

The first game of the day saw the U14 boys in action against table topping Bayside Bolts at Berkshire Community College in wet and windy conditions.

 

Much like the previous games, SDA U14 Boys played against a physical and fast team, with an injury list of a considerable size SDA entered the game with high spirits and the desire to compete and to prove a point. 

 

In the early stages of the game SDA found itself on the front foot and created a very early chance to go ahead, some quick play created a shooting opportunity that was dealt with by the opposing keeper. The home team kept pressing finally had the ball in the back of the net only to be ruled back by an offsides call. It was a very even start to the game and with some end to end soccer being played both teams found themselves in goal scoring positions. Half way through the first half the Bayside Bolts striker got a toe on a through ball to put the away side 1-0 up.

 

SDA continued to work hard in the tough conditions and managed to create a great chance that was finished well to level the game and put the game very much back in the balance as we approached the half-time.

 

The second half began and the game continued in the same vain, a very even affair. The away side pressed SDA in high areas of the field and tackled in a very physical and aggressive manner. When Bayside went up, 2-1, panic set in for a brief moment, and SDA switched off and conceded a very quick third goal that really swung the tie in the favor of the away team.

 

The hosts again went after a life line and it came with 10 minutes to go, some well worked play out wide and great cross was finished with composure in the box making it 3-2 and giving the home team everything to play for. SDA continued to press and create chances but were eventually hit on the counter and conceded a fourth goal late in the game.

 

The performance showed good fighting spirit and character throughout, with all SDA players showing desire to get back into the game

 

U11 Boys

The second game of the day involved the U11 boys hosting FC Massachusetts in the second game of their very busy action packed weekend. Coming off the back of a 5-0 win against GPS Stateline, the boys were hoping to use the momentum to drive through their second game.

 

The home side started bleakly with FC Massachusetts having the majority of the ball throughout the early stages of the game and managed to obtain an early lead, SDA grew into the game and caused FC threats, getting the ball into very dangerous positions of the field. This paid off sooner rather than later with SDA finding an equalizing goal and also taking a 2-1  lead before the half-time interval. 

 

SDA matched its  opponent physically, won more contested ball and were less vulnerable to counter attacks due to a much improved defensive shape. As the half progressed the home team found itself in threatening goal scoring positions, this paid off as SDA found a vital third goal to double the lead. The fourt goal came from a followed up strike tipped into the winger’s path, and the game was sent to bed with a fifth goal, a great ball into the box finished by the opposite winger getting into a dangerous position and finishing with composure. A very good weekend for the U11 boys topped off with six league points from their two games played.

 

U12 Boys 

After a week out of action, the U12 boys came up against FC Boston Bolts at Berkshire Community College, SDA’s home venue. It was a gusty day in Pittsfield, but despite the conditions all players turned up excited for the game to get underway, this showed in a very high spirited warm up.

 

SDA started the game very strongly and disciplined, keeping a good defensive shape and using the full width of the pitch to stretch the play in offensive situations. This helped isolate FC Boston Bolts in one-on-one defensive situations and continued to cause them problems throughout early stages of the game.

 

After some ferocious SDA attacks, a long range shot was fumbled by the away goalkeeper and found its way in the to the back of the net to make it 1-0 to SDA. A few minutes late,r a FC Boston team found a gap in the home defense and a dubious penalty call gave the opposition a chance to find themselves on level terms. A well dispatched strike found itself nestling into the bottom corner of the net, past the outstretched keeper who made a great effort to keep it out. As the half progressed SDA truly dictated the pace of the game and kept a phenomenal defensive shape.

 

More and more chances arose for the home team, and an attempted ball behind the defense was helped on by the wind to bounce over the goalkeeper’s head and into the back of the net, making it 2-1 to the hosts. Before half-time, SDA doubled its lead, making it 3-1 with a piercing attack and composed finish.

 

Spirits were high going into the half-time break, the home players were excited over the prospect of their first win of the season. A realistic half-time team talk was needed to keep the players’ feet on the ground and on task.

 

The second half started very evenly and chances were few and far between. SDA was very disciplined in its defensive shape but the width on attacks went missing occasionally, resulting in not many goal scoring opportunities being created. As the half progressed FC Boston Bolts were persistent on the attack but the well-structured home defense remained very hard to break down. 

 

Occasionally the Bolts got shots off from outside the box, none causing major trouble for the SDA goalkeeper. In the later stages of the game, FC Boston Bolts pressed more and more to close the gap. A good save from the SDA goalkeeper tipping the ball over the bar stopped premature away spectator’s cheers and a corner kick was awarded to the Bolts. SDA held out against persistent pressure and gained a well-deserved three points.

 

U12 Girls

The U12 girls was another team that went without a week of action on the first weekend of May, however it was back in action hosting NEFC Central Real at Berkshire Community College this week. A slow start from SDA found had it on the back foot in the initial stages of the game.

 

The NEFC attacking midfielder continued to pick holes behind the home team’s midfield line and caused the center back issues in one-on-one and even sometimes two-on-one situations. Neither team created a considerable amount of goal scoring opportunities but NEFC possessed the ball efficiently and had a hold on the game.

 

Halfway into the first half NEFC found an opening and finished with composure to take a 1-0 lead. The away side continued to play attractive soccer throughout the duration of the first half but was unable to find another breakthrough the first 30 minutes concluded with the score still 1-0 to the away team.

 

The half-time team talk consisted of methods to stop the opponents threatening offensive approach to the game, the second half started in the balance with neither team threatening their opponent’s backline, as the half progressed SDA grew into the game realizing they would have to go up the gears to get anything out of the fixture. After 10 minutes of the second half SDA started finding itself in some very dangerous positions and exposing its opponent’s defense. This paid off with 10 minutes to go with the home side finding a goal to close the gap, SDA pressed hard to find another goal and rescue a point but ran out of time. A very positive end to the game was an uplifting factor for everyone involved in the girls U12 team.

 

U13 Girls 

The U13s girls hosted NEFC in the latest home game of the day, NEFC only travelled with 10 players and realized before the game that they were in for a tough task. The game started very slow with not many chances created early on, having said that SDA took a rare opportunity to give themselves an early lead. Soon after NEFC caught SDA on the counter attack to level the game.

 

As the half progressed, SDA found itself creating more chances and getting into dangerous positions on a more regular basis. However, the teams found themselves going into the half time interval with the score tied at 1-1.

 

SDA came out all guns blazing in the second half, creating countless chances and putting their opponents under puissant pressure, the changed system paid off and players seemed to understand their roles in the 3-4-3 system. As a result of the threatening offensive play, the home team found their selves through on goal numerous times, squandering some chances and forces good saves from the away goalkeeper, however throughout the half SDA managed to find the net four times and the game finished 5-1. 

 

U15 Girls

The U15 girls had a 5:30 p.m. game against the FC Boston Scorpions. The facility was beautiful and a lovely turf field provided the set for a great game. The wind howling through the area and was playing its part in the game with the SDA girls playing against it and proved to be a tough element to compete with.

 

The Scorpions had the majority of the ball, really possessing it well. They played some good soccer without really troubling us in the early stages of the first half. As the game went on it was clear that the visitors were in for a tough battle the opposition were physical and very aggressive and often beat SDA to the first ball in the final third. The girls worked hard and put bodies on the line in order to finish a quiet first half 0-0.

 

With the wind now in SDA’s favor the girls came out looking more energized, working hard off the ball to counter the opponent’s attacks and won free kicks in dangerous areas that we were unlucky not to convert, the visitors defended very well again and as a team and competed with the physicality of their opponents. Two very organized teams managed to cancel out each other’s attacks throughout the second half, it looked likely to conclude as a 0-0 tie. After a promising SDA chance very late on sneaking narrowly wide the game finished. A very hard fought draw highlighted the resilience of the U15 Girls team.