November 2, 2009:
Rough week guys. You played great
vs. LS Thursday night, but just couldn’t put the ball in the net. A couple
of lucky shots by them, and missed calls by the ref. You know we could have won. Saturday’s loss to YM was on me. I
wasn’t at my coaching best (maybe it was the weather). But we still can’t
put the ball in the back of the net. 5 goals in 6 games does not lead to success
or win games. Be prepared for some changes.
We need to be a little hungrier. Mrs. Ciccimaro suggested pinning some
money on the opponent’s goals as an incentive. Thanks for the suggestion,
but we’re going to have to find another way. Let’s practice hard
this week in preparation for a tough weekend vs. Deep Run and V.E. 2 wins bring
us even for the year. Both teams are only 1 point ahead of us in the standings. Time for a little payback, won’t you say?
Until then…
Coach Kraus
October 18, 2009 – ICSL Game #4 @ Yardley Makefield Attack:
With Coach Kraus, son Matthew and Shawn
Clark unavailable for today's game, we took on the division's first place team. Coaches Jon and Jon found it most
interesting to see Coach Kraus’s 4-1-2 formation as we
inspected the opening lineup he suggested for us. As the game moved slowly into the first half, we started establishing the
tempo of the game and got an early goal from Joey. Our opponent struck back with a goal soon after with Jared almost
making a most miraculous save. As Jared was down for a moment after some hard contact, he stood his ground for the rest of
the game. Late in the first half, we were pressuring our opponents which
led to Matt Futer firing a blast off an opponent’s leg around the 18 from the Stopper position.
We haven't played this 4-1-2 formation since the spring season, however the players began drawing from experience
from our past wins in Cape May. Hardly did we kick the ball back to the opponent. We began
communicating where to be on corner kicks: "Goal-Side" and Marking up players. Our defense kept the ball outside out of harms
way from the key players on the other side. I saw this team really working together today.
Once again, EVERYONE on the field made
significant contributions and all should feel great about today's win.
I would to make special acknowledgements
to the following players:
Jared
- His goalie play gets better every game.
Cooper and Cody - No,
I CAN tell them apart this year (ha ha) so I'm not covering my bases with this. Cooper
was a dominant force on defense. He communicated with his fullbacks and got them into proper position. As sweeper, I think
this was his most aggressive game to date. Cody played right fullback almost flawlessly today and showed his speed to neutralize
the attack especially at the end of the first half.
And lastly,
Jon and Joey - It was
amazing to see their first touch on the ball as lead pass or cross to the opposite flag all day long. Joey took on some corner
kicks and was able to also cross the ball for scoring opportunities. Jon kept
the pressure on our opponents defense all game long.
Keep up the great work Wizards!
Coach Jon
Sklut
Well, I guess it’s my turn to add
comments. Mine are very short. Agreeing
with Coach Jon and Coach Ingo, my only words to Wizards are that this was a MUST win if we want to be in competition for first
place. Wizards, you definitely did your home work and we celebrate a truly deserved
win. Congrats!
Coach Jon
Lotrean
Thanks Jon & Jon for doing such a great
job guiding the team. Sometimes it's amazing the confidence a team can have and build on when they win a couple of games
in a row, i.e. the Pratt Tourney. I think the bonding also helped. As I thought after the tournament last weekend,
I think the Wizards can play with anyone in our division. Sometimes we need to play together, play tough and play smart.
Great job TEAM!
I leave you with this saying that I saw this weekend..."VICTORY is paid for in SWEAT, COURAGE and PREPARATION."
Coach Kraus
October 12, 2009 – George Pratt Tournament (Cape
May, NJ):
What a great tournament, and what a great
time and TEAM party! You really put your best foot forward in playing in a low
“A” Division bracket. Great wins on both Saturday and Sunday to get
you to a 3-0 record and winning the Explorer Bracket. The 3 games against Washington Township,
Nether Providence and BYC were close, but you put in the effort when you had to. Congratulations! Nether Providence
and BYC are both “A” Division clubs in a pretty tough DELCO league. You
guys really stepped up.
Coach Kraus
October 4, 2009 – ICSL Game #1, #2 & #3 Recap:
Welcome to the 1st Division! What a roller coaster ride so far. Great
start in Game #1 at Whitpain Wave with the 2-0 shutout. This was a sweet win
since they defeated us in the Perlini Tourney. And as we know, Game #2 vs. Deep
Run Force was a different story. The 4-0 loss still hurts, but hopefully we learned
something from it for our next game against them. Game #3 was also a heartbreaking
3-1 loss to our rivals, the V.E Shooters. I don’t feel the score tells
the whole story, and I think you know we can do better. We’ll get our chance
October 24th in a rematch on our turf. Keep your chins up.
Coach Kraus
