Rochester Pride - RSC Lightning '96

Thunder 1 - San Marino 2 For the second time this spring, Thunder and San Marino played a very strong and entertaining match. Unfortunately from our perspective, the San Marino team edged us out by one goal for the 2nd time on the season, making them the only team in the league to win twice against us. For the 1st 20 minutes of play, Thunder actually carried a great deal of the play and looked very well poised to be the ones to pull ahead. But then on a counter attack, SM did well to recognize and then take advantage of a numbers-up situation and then make a very nice shot that Emily had no chance on - it was just too well placed and too well paced (hey, that was pretty good!). Later in the half SM again found a crack in the armor when a marking error left 2 players unchallenged and they collected a goal kick, and then found and buried their opportunity. In the second half, Thunder again came out playing well, just as they had in the 1st half, but tightened up on the little details and, in the end, played a better half than San Marino. Thunder drew within one when Olivia, starting from an perfect wide position, was played a ball from the middle of the field and was able to run onto the ball and bury it in the far post side of the goal. It was a magnificent goal. We created several other very good chances, including a few excellent opportunities off of restarts, but were just not able to come up with the equalizer. But this was a very good showing, girls, and I am extremely pleased with this outing. With this level of play and quality of effort, you will have an excellent match Thursday as we play out last match for the season. I am very much looking forward to it! Great job, girls. Keep up the hard work.

Thunder 1 - GPSA Mustangs 0 Another quality showing for Thunder’90. The team carried play for most of the afternoon and created excellent opportunities throughout the match. I like how we are doing a better job of switching the point of attack and looking for the target players and trying to get that ball played to them once it's on. We had several chances that way. Keep working it that way, girls, and the payoff will be there. I guarantee it. Even so, Mustangs were able to hold us off the scoreboard for the 1st half. The game winner came about 15 minutes into the second half when Hillary collected a half-cleared ball from about 15 yards out, then took a calm prep-touch and scored the lone goal with a lovely strike (right footed, I might add) up and over the keeper and into the upper-ninety on the back post. Emily and Jessica combined for the shutout, each providing a solid turn in the goal and out on the field. Jessica has been punting the ball so hard and far that I am surprised the ball doesn’t bust! Please note: Saturday’s match agaainst San Marino has been bumped back two hours to start at 6:00pm (5:15 field time) at Firefighter's Park, Field #5. Also, the 31 May match against Mustangs that was postponed due to weather has now been been set for Thursday, 12 June @ 7:00pm (6:15 field time). Location is the same (Barnes Fields in Grosse Pointe). ALSO – today is Tenealle’s birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TENEALLE! Great job team. 2 games left and you are looking better and better with each outing. Keep up the great work.

Round Robin Play: RSSC Thunder '90 1 - 0 SCOR Girls RSSC Thunder '90 1 - 0 BC United RSSC Thunder '90 1 - 2 FC Emerald Championship Match: RSSC Thunder '90 2 - 0 FC Emerald Brilliant Weekend! I'm still too tired and scatter-brained to give a worthwhile account of the games and weekend in whole... except to say that I am proud beyond words of you girls for your style, your determination, your manner on and off the field, and the quality of your play. Highlights that just jump out off the top of my head: > Alyssa Zarski with the most impressive goal of the season so far > a spitball fight > taking a nap at the movie theater > Olivia Kramer earning yet another PK for her determined play > a foggy foggy early early morning > breakfast at Bob Evans... no no, too crowded. let's make it Big Boy > Coach Gordon making everybody at the dinner table laugh... A LOT. > you players taking charge of your own destiny and calling a players'-only meeting before championship match. > lots of bumps & bruises - and getting right back up and to it every single time > my fancy new paint job on my car > Emily Liles with 3 very impressive shutouts > How the most important thing on everybody's mind when trophies were being handed out was everybody wishing Monica was there. > "dust getting in my eyes" when I was handing out trophies > how nobody on the team would let me sing happy birthday to Gillie... (i don't get it) > getting drenched What a great weekend and a great showing. Excellent well done! p.s. I wasn't crying... the wind kept blowing dust right into my eyes. I love you guys. more Detials & Pics to follow. Remember to pray today for our nations servicemen/women & veterans - especially all who have died in the service of our country, and for our sailors, marines, soldiers & airmen who are serving this very moment out in the field and all over the world, safeguarding and protecting the freedoms we are privileged to enjoy here at home. We are only able to know and experience so much of the blessings & joys life has to offer, such as those we shared this weekend, because of the vigilance and deeds of those who have served and those who serve today.

San Marino 1 – Thunder 0 A beautiful sunny afternoon at Bordon Park. Visiting San Marino played a high pressure style game and were able to limit Thunder’s possession game. 1st half ended in a scoreless tie and with neither team holding a clear edge over the other. 2nd half played out largely the same way with one decisive exception. San Marino having been awarded a free kick to the right of goal, played a ball in on the ground and a communication breakdown resulted in a very fluky goal, as the ball dribbled in over the goal line looking for all the world like it was being pushed by a caterpillar. Well, those are the breaks sometimes. The remainder of the match continued it’s back & forth character with good chances being created by both sides. Goalkeeper Jessica Munson came up with 3 big saves to keeper her team in the match. And several shots on the San Marino goal just barely missed or stayed out – including one exciting goal line scrum that saw the ball ON but never over San Marino’s goal line. Tough loss, but not a bad showing. There are areas we can work on and improve, certainly (of course, that’s always true). But the effort was there and we were in the match the whole way. Good effort, Thunder. Let’s keep up the good work.

Thunder Open The Season Strong - And Then Get Stronger. On 2 picture perfect days, Thunder opened their season up with a home & home weekend against North Macomb Fireballs. [Saturday, 26 April – Bordon Park] Saturdays match presented it’s own unique challenges. Opening our season on the heels of the Easter Break may have been a schedule error on my part. With players still vacationing, we played the match with only eleven players. Yet, from the first Thunder looked strong and did a nice job of moving the ball and looking for each other. Things got even tougher when, in the 12th minute, Sara got hurt and Had to sub out for the remainder of the half. Adjusting to a 2 forward front and playing 10 v 11 for the rest of the first half, Thunder did a nice job of limiting the Fireballs’ opportunities. On two or three chances that were allowed, goalkeeper Emily Liles proved rock solid and made truly excellent saves look simple. During the second half, back to our full compliment of 11 players, Thunder adjusted a bit and began doing a better job of looking for chances to play the ball through or behind defense resulting in several outstanding scoring chances. In particular, Hillary after neatly winning a 1v1 on the left flank, took a few more touches toward goal and then served a lovely ball across the face of the net for an onrushing Alyssa. The scoring touch was only missed by mere inches. 10 minutes later, a nearly identical setup was created by Sandi and again just barely missed by Alyssa, who is beginning to show a great sense of how and when to crash onto the goal. Finally, as the last 15 minutes of the match descended, the fatigue factor began to kick in and proved to be too much to overcome. Yet, for all their fatigue, the team never allowed any major errors and, in fact, allow even fewer and lesser quality scoring chances to the opponent than they had in the 1st half. They game was very well played and the result a highly satisfying draw. One left the field with the distinct feeling that with just 2 or 3 extra players to keep the team fresh, the results could have been very different. Well, happily, that theory was able to be put to the test the very next afternoon, when… [Sunday, 26 April – Washington Fields] Squaring off for the 2nd time in two days, Thunder came to the field better focused, more settled, and more complete as 3 more players having now returned from spring vacation were dress for play. Play look sharper from the onset and in only the 6th minute Thunder capitalized on that effort with Sandi D’Alimonte scoring from about 16 yards out after a fancy bit of dribbling through traffic. Much to the credit of Olivia, Hillary & Alyssa in support, who kept sliding wide, wide, wide as Sandi began her run, drawing defenders and creating space for Sandi to pick her way through. And as a result what may have looked like a singular effort, was truly the best sort of example of team play. It was a very heartening sight and I’m proud to see how you girls are gaining such a nice understanding of the big picture. Play continued to go our way for most of the half. But just when it seemed as though we would take a lead into halftime, one little error in not using support correctly, resulted in Fireball pressure and finally a goal for them in the last minute of the half. With no need for panic, and every reason to feel good about the match thus far, Thunder came out determined to clean up the little mistakes and keep up the same style of play as the 1st half. In short order, a flurry of activity and pressure resulted in Sandi scoring her 2nd of the day 10 minutes into the 2nd half. The bulk of play continued to center in the attacking half, and it must be noted that defenders Kelly Noren, Tenealle Tenwolde, & Christina Winkler were magnificent in keeping the ball contained for Great stretches of time, and denying the opponent any true quality chances at goal when they were able to work their way into our defensive third. Thunder’s 3rd goal came off the foot of Chelsea McGee. At the near corner of the six-yard box, Chelsea got on the end of a corner kick, got her body sideways on to redirect the serve, and finished most picturesque full volley one-timer you can imagine. It was a thing of beauty and especially nice for Chelsea to score against her old team. Finally, with about 4 minutes remaining, Sandi was taken down hard in the penalty area on a run that after beating that last defender would have bee a clean breakaway. Shaken a bit from the hard fall – but not rattled in the least from her focus or determination, Sandi finished the PK neatly and closed the scoring for the afternoon. It was a very good showing for Thunder all in all. We have some very nice things happening for us that we will be able to build on, and yet, there is plenty for us to work on so we may once again make this a season of great growth and improvement. I am extremely proud of you all. Let’s use this as the springboard to a great season of hard work and the rewards that are gained by that hard work.