Archived Results From Past Seasons...
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May 19th, 2007 v.s. Lady Hammers: 0-3. Same score as Thursday's game, but oooohhhh so different on the field. Couldn't have been prouder for the effort the girls gave today. We were missing Kalli P., Cayla H., Melissa G., and Cassie K. was playing on a sore foot. When Jenna S. ran smack into the goalpost on a save late in the first half, we thought she was done too. She finished the half, but that was it, and Cassie K. gave a valiant effort in the goal for the second half. The girls fought for every ball and kept pressure on the hammers side of the field, but we couldn't quite get that final strike. We ended our second season with a record of 4-8-4. I know you could look at it another way, but I like to think of those four ties as being 1 goal each from another 50-50 season. We struggled to put goals in the net this season and we payed the price, but we had seven different girls tally at least one this season and that says great things about or potential. Scoring came from Megan H. (3), Kalli P. (3), Taylor L. (2), Brianna G. (2), Lorne C. (1), Melissa G. (1), and Kari V. (1). The Lady Flames will not play this fall as many of them will be on middle-school teams, but we'll be back in the Spring. Hats off to a fine group of young ladies, and we'll see you soon!!
May 17th, 2007 v.s. '97 Nike Impact I: 0-3. We were missing a few key players (Brianna G. and Cassie K.) and lost Kalli P. to a sprained ankle early in the first half, but to play like we did tonight at this point in the season? I'll sum it up with what I told the girls after the game. "You have one game left this Saturday. I hope you come to play." I've always tried to keep a positive thread here, and the positive message is.... I'm positive that you have to believe in yourself. I'm positive that you have to play hard. And I'm positive that some girls on the team haven't figured that out yet.
May 12th, 2007 v.s. '97 Nike Impact II: 3-2. FINALLY, we score! We thought we'd be facing '97 Nike Impact I as our next opponent, but that was a rainout last Saturday, so instead we faced their sister club today. We played a solid first half and kept the pressure on their goal, but we couldn't find the net and went into half-time with that all too familiar goose-egg on our tally sheet. Bring on half number two and the beginning of the rollercoaster ride..... Brianna G. got the scoring started by dribbling up the left side and blasting a shot past their keeper, but only moments later we saw the score knotted at one as our defense missed an opportunity to clear the ball and thus provided that dreaded second chance goal. We were playing with a rather "experimental" defense at the time, but it's not like our defense was beat by a creative play... unfortunately we beat ourselves on that one. Part of the experimental defense was playing some of our regular defense up front and Kari V. burst through the middle about ten minutes later with a goal of her own to make it 2-1. We continued to pressure their goal, but we also began to see cracks and fissures in our own back line and the tension was building. Megan H. was next on the tally sheet as she ran past their keeper and hit one at a tough angle into the open net. The Impact girls sensed opportunity too though, and it wasn't long before they knocked one into the corner of our goal off a corner kick... the ball passing to the front of our goal UNTOUCHED by a Lady Flame defender.... Did I mention beating ourselves? The game ended 3-2 in our favor and we had some great individual efforts, but still made some crucial mistakes that nearly cost us the win. Cassie K. was a real spark at every position she played (goalie, fullback, stopper, and forward!!) and Brianna G. had that fire in her eye that we all love to see. Nice to get the win, nice to see a variety of girls scoring, but still in search of some better passing and solid play from everyone in the same game. Two more to go ladies... Are we in it to win it??
May 5th, 2007 double-header v.s. Lady Speed '96 & Starz '96: 0-0, 0-0. We played two tough opponents today but you can't win if you can't score, and despite heavy rains prior to the game, we seem to be in a drought... goal-wise. The Lady Speed kept the pressure on us for most of the first game and our scoring chances were few and far between, but in the second game we had some opportunities to test the Starz goalkeeper, but couldn't finish. Our best two chances came in the second half when Kalli P. broke through on the left side but couldn't find the net, and Brianna G. stepped up from sweeper to take a free kick and just missed the goal to the right side. Cassie K. also showed a spark helping out on both offense and defense. All in all, a good showing from the Lady Flames, but the intensity of play was not so great by some in the second game and that always spells danger. Still waiting for that perfect game of high energy, smart soccer for the ENTIRE game... It'll come. In the meantime I'll settle for a few goals!!! Focus Ladies, you've got Nike Impact tomorrow!!! Go Lady Flames!!!
April 21st, 2007 double-header v.s. Vestavia Hills '96 & Germantown Fury '96: 0-3, 0-0. Day two of the tournament began much like day one. This coach was less than happy about the officiating in our bracket (no linesmen) and Vestavia's first goal was clearly an off-sides vioaltion (the ref agreed after the fact). Regardless, the competition was tough and we found ourselves on our heels in a defensive mode once again. Call it 0-3 or 0-2, it still comes up as a loss and we just couldn't hold on against Vestavia's superior passing game. Jenna S. displayed one of the best diving saves this coach has EVER seen at this level, once again playing beyond her years. We showed a real spark at the beginning of the second half and put a little pressure on their goal, but in the end they proved the better team and we found ourselves with no points in the standings and facing a tough Germantown team for our final game in the tournament. Having looked at the score sheets, I had seen that Germantown beat Vestavia 3-1 the previous day but we simply told the girls that this was their last game in Huntsville and they had nothing to lose and they might as well leave everything on the field. That they did. A great cross from Taylor L. in the second half resulted in a narrow miss from Megan H. or this one would have ended up as a win!! A gutsy effort by our Lady Flames to hold this team scoreless and with the tie we picked up one point in the standings for a bit of a moral victory! Looking back over all the results it was clear that our girls were "in" every game and were never intimidated by the tough competition. Winning is nice, but character shapes lives, and our girls proved they are not lacking in that department. Despite losing three in a row at the tournament, they never gave up and nearly ended it with a win. They really held their heads high against the competition in the gold division and should be extremely proud of their efforts.
April 28th, 2007 double-header v.s. Camp Forest '96 & HSC Samba'96: 0-2, 0-2. After losing to Camp Forest a week ago 1-5, the tension was in the air when this one started and it got THICK when Camp Forest scored twice within the first five minutes! That was the last time they found the back of our net though as our girls stepped up the play and fought this one out. Brianna G. smacked not one, but two shots off their goal post, and the final stats showed the teams almost even on shots on goal with them edging us 8-7 in attempts. All in all, if we were looking for improvement against this club we certainly got it!! With that one behind us, we had the problem of trying to find some kind of relaxing activity to occupy the girls for the remainder of the day until our.... uggghhh... 6:30pm start against the Samba club. This game proved to be an interesting one... The Camp Forest manager had told me previously that the Samba club would likely be one of the weaker teams and we were hard on the girls all the way though this one. Both coaches felt like we could have been quicker to the ball, but after the game several parents said they thought the Samba team had phenomenal speed. As it turned out, our 0-2 loss was the second best result that any team posted against the eventual tournament champs!! post script: Samba beat the Camp Forest team 3-0 on the last day of the tournament and it didn't hurt my feelings one bit!!! A tough start to the tournament for us, but the girls played hard and you can't ask for much more.
April 21st, 2007 double-header v.s. McMinn United '96 & Lady Dynamo '96: 1-1 tie and a 4-0 win. Needless to say, after last night we were ready for a more positive outcome from today's games, and the girls produced. We started out the pre-game warmup with a little musical focus featuring a catchy little song with the phrase "push it to the limit 'cause we're in it to win it" and challenged the girls to do just that. The girls played well and according to our stat-sheet we outshot McMinn 18-5. With that type of dominance on the shooting side you might think we would have won big, but shots are not goals and McMinn took advantage of their opportunities alot better than we did. Taylor L. worked hard up the left side of the field and picked up her second goal of the season for our only goal.... that counted. Brianna G. smacked a beauty of a shot into the back of the net off a free kick, the only problem being it was supposed to be an indirect kick. Coaches failed to get that info to her in time so all it ended up being was a pretty shot that didn't count. A few minutes later she also connected on a great crossed ball, but it came off her hand into the back of the net and was duly called back as well. All in all we would have loved the points associated with a win in league play, but the girls played well and we were happy to come away with the tie.
Re-set the clock to 2pm and bring on the lady Dynamo from Knoxville. The coaches were obviously a bit worried about fatigue given that the girls had already played twice since 7pm the night before. They all wanted to hear the "we're in it to win it" song again, but coach Mark made 'em a deal. "win the game and I'll learn the first few verses and sing it" he said.... Meanwhile on the sideline Brianna's dad tells her "if you score a goal in the first half I'll get out there at halftime with the cheerleaders". Brianna G. scored the first goal of the match with a drive from the left side and that was followed by goals from Lorne C., Kalli P., and Megan H. Whatever it takes to motivate 11 yr old girls!!! Jon looked great with his pom-poms and I'm sure I'll make a similar splash with my singing!! A really nice effort by all the girls today. Looking over the season stats, we have 10 goals in 7 games with SIX different girls with goals thus far. We may not be scoring alot of goals per game, but we love the fact that so many girls are stepping up and finding the back of the net. That surely is a good sign for the future. Go Lady Flames!
April 20th, 2007 v.s. Camp Forest '96: 1-5 loss. Well, this was an interesting game to coach... The Camp Forest team drove up from Tullahoma for a 7pm start, but they didn't let the drive bother them, and came out aggressively from the start. Since they drove all the way out and wanted to make the most of their visit, we agreed to play three 25 minute periods instead of our usual two 30 minute halves and it was the third period that killed us. Our girls played hard and struck first with a goal from Megan H. that was struck right at their keeper, but had just enough on it that she just just couldn't hang on and the ball skipped over her into the net. By the end of the second period both teams had taken plenty of shots and it was 1-2 in their favor, but in the third it just seemd like our girls lost their will to play. When you let down, the other team can step it up, and they did to the tune of three more goals to make the final score 5-1 in their favor. Same story for us up front that we've had all season so far... lots of oppotunties, but little finishing, and when you combine that with lack of effort to challenge for every ball.... well... you lose the game. We simply gave this team way too much time and space to operate in during the final 25 minutes, and despite some very gutsy efforts by a few of the girls (Jenna S. in goal, Kalli P. at sweeper, and Cassie K. & Kenzie M. in the middle), the result was tough to swallow. Everyone wants to play up front, but we need a few more girls to show they can play solid defense so the Jessica's, Kari's, Kalli's and Lorne's of this world can get a rest. Yes girls, that is a challenge to YOU!!! Hats off to camp Forest, they played a solid game and deserved the win.
April 14th, 2007 v.s. KUSA Green : 2-0 win. With the threat of severe weather looming the KUSA team made the drive to Cleveland and definitely came to play. If any team were to get the "most improved" award for development between last season and this, KUSA has my vote! They played us to a 0-0 draw in the first half and if it weren't for some key saves by Jenna S. in goal in the second, things might not have gone our way. To our credit, the girls played a solid game and created some great opportunities with an improved passing game. Taylor L. picked up her first goal as a Lady Flame early in the second half on a solid run up the left side after receiving a "thru" pass, and Kalli P. connected on a bouncing cross from Lorne C. late in the half, volleying it home for the score! The rain held off, the girls played hard, and we came away with a quality win. What else can you ask for? Go Lady Flames!!
April 7th, 2007 v.s. Krossfire '96: 1-4 loss. Last year when we played this team they beat us 4-0 and I felt like we didn't give it our all. To Krossfire's credit, they put up four goals on us again, despite the fact that we played a much better game. It's always easy to look back and talk about "what could have been" and believe me, we had several of those "what could have been" opportunities today, but then so did Krossfire (they outshot us 25-9), and if it weren't for some gutsy play by goalkeepers Jenna S. and Cassie K. things might have gotten ugly. That being said, we got a nice finish up front from Kalli P. on our only goal, and though it didn't net us a goal, a great cross from Brianna G. to Lorne C. in the final minutes was textbook (ooohh so close!!), proving those types of plays are within our reach. We had a much more balanced attack in this game compared to when we played them last, and had several great scoring opportunities, but we still struggle to find the back of the net. Three of Krossfire's four goals came from scuffles in the box in which our girls had the opportunity to clear the ball, but didn't... I'm guessing the girls don't like getting scored on any more than I do so hopefully they can turn that experience into motivation.
March 25th, 2007 v.s. '96 Lady Impact Swoosh Red '96: 1-0 win. Take a deep breath coach... chill... they won, OK? A great response from the Lady Flames today as they brought alot more intensity to the game and challenged for possession all over the field... Well, at times anyway!! Similar to our match-up with this club last year, it was obvious early on that this would be our game to win or lose. The good news is, WE WON, and, unlike last year when coach was a little upset with the way the girls played, despite the win, today the girls looked like they wanted it and played hard. We managed to provide a bit of drama by serving up some golden scoring opportunities for the other team (Better work on that don't ya think?!), but we had solid play from both Cassie K. and Jenna S. in goal, and our defense continued to play strong for the most part. Most telling for us was the great distribution of scoring opportunities... We had shots from Lorne C. (1), Melissa G. (1), Cayla H. (1), Cassie K. (1), Kenzie M. (1), Jessica P. (1), Kalli P. (1), Jenna S. (1), and Brianna G. (4). Our lone goal came from Melissa G. who was the recipient of a great assist that began from the half line with a long throw from Brianna G. to Cayla H. who then served the ball to Melissa right in front of the net! Coach's kudos to Cassie K. and Brianna G. for showing that spark of extra effort, and to Jessica P., Kalli P., and Lorne C. for two games in a row of extremely solid defensive play. All the girls have contributed significant minutes and we're anxious to see each of them have their "break-out" game! Coaching points from today might focus on defending corner kicks and communication and overall field spacing on the attack. It was nice to slip out of Knoxville with a win, and as for the "to work on items", well they provide plenty of good stuff for the next few practice sessions!!
March 24th, 2007 v.s. Lakeway Liberty: 0-2 loss. Of course we all would have liked to open with a win, but the simple fact of soccer is, you've got to put the ball in the back of the net to tally a score, and while we played a decent game, we just didn't capitalize on the opportunities. The 2-0 score wasn't really indicative of the flow of the game... It kind of felt like a 0-0 draw to be honest. The game stats showed Lakeway with 15 shots to our 13, so its not like they overpowered us, but they did take care of business and were, at times, stronger on the ball than our girls. We felt their first goal was a clear off-sides violation, but it wasn't called and we had plenty of chances to equalize and just didn't. Their second goal was a fine piece of soccer and all I can say to that is "hats off to a shot well taken!!" On the plus side, we did have several great scoring opportunities, and solid play from our defense kept us in the game. Coach's kudos to Megan H. for her continued high level of play and work ethic, setting an example of how to get it done! Lorne C. also brought some intesity to the offensive front, while also providing some key minutes of strong defensive play. Coaching point from today, and something sure to crop up in a practice session next week, is stressing the importance of playing hard 100% of the time. "Soft" play just doesn't win games, period. The good news is, that one is behind us and there's a game to play tomorrow. Get fired up ladies... get your head in the game and lets go out and win one! - GO LADY FLAMES!!
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October 28th, 2006 v.s. Krossfire '96: We obviously wanted to end our season with a win, but had a tough assignment playing our final game against a gold division team. We tip our hat to the Krossfire for their win, but having played against several tougher opponents during non-league and tournament play, I can't help but feel that we were capable of alot more against this team. This has been a learning year for our team (both for the coaches and the girls) and while the girls definitely could have worked harder in this game, the coaches could have too. We've experimented with different line-ups all year, and as with all experiments, results vary... Brianna G. had some great scoring chances early but we couldn't sustain an attack and fell back into a defensive game that favored the other team. We had a solid 10 minutes at the beginning, and really fought hard the last ten minutes, testing their goalie several times as time wound down. 20 minutes of good soccer in a 60 minute game doesn't win games though, and we payed that price today. "Who are we? LADY FLAMES!! What have we got? PRIDE!! What do we do? WIN!! GO LADY FLAMES!!!" The sound of that cheer still echoes in my ear as I type this... We started the tradition at the beginning of the season of joining hands after each game, running across the field to our fans, and shouting that cheer. The girls performed it faithfully with tremendous enthusiasm, every game, win or lose, and that makes them all winners in my book. A classy group those Lady Flames... Watch for us in the Spring! - MJP
October 26th, 2006 v.s. Chattanooga Assault '96: We planned this game against a more seasoned opponent as a late season test, and test us they did! It was pretty obvious from the opening kick-off that we would have our hands full, but that was the point after all... It seemed that several of our girls were off their game, but then again it may have just been the solid players they were facing. It wasn't long before we were down two goals, but late in the first half, Lorne C. connected on a first-time blast from the middle of the box that hit the back of the net before their goalie even knew a shot had been taken. Fight as we might, the Assault continued their assault on our goal in the second half and we just had no answer to their speed up front. They picked up three more goals, but we've proven that we're not the type of team that gives up. With time winding down, Brianna G. collected a through-pass from Bayleigh E., and after some nifty moves to set up her left foot, connected on a blast that rocketed into the corner of the goal. We lost 5-2 to a good Chattanooga team, but we had our moments and we can certainly learn from theirs.
October 21st, 2006 v.s. McMinn United '96: After getting rained out of our game and practices this past week, we were a little concerned that the girls might be a bit sluggish for our early start on a COLD morning... Well, they had their moments, but all in all, this one of most complete efforts we've seen. The defense was solid, the ball distribution was good, the girls were moving and passing... and lo and behold, when you do all that... scoring!! Bayleigh E. tallied the first of the game on a breakaway just a few minutes in, and then hit a rocket from a tough angle that beat the keeper and found the far corner of the net for her second goal. Late in the first half, Brianna G. stepped up through the middle, dribbled between two defenders, and then hit a beauty over the top of the keeper's head from the top of the box for our third goal. McMinn didn't back down and made alot of threatening runs, but our defenders held position and thwarted most of what was sent their way. The second half was scoreless, but we had great chances from Cassie K. (hit one that the keeper just managed to stop on the goal line), Kalli P. (smacked a free kick from outside the box, past the keeper, and off the far post), and Kenzie M. (hit a hard struck volley off a cross that unfortunately found the keeper). We still had some issues with "giving the other team too much space to maneuver in front of our goal" but the Lady Flames played a great game and picked up a valuable win in the points standing for league play.
October 14th, 2006 v.s. GRCSA U13 Girls Rec All Stars: For weeks we had been anticipating our first home league game, and then the Outlaws Orange called and cancelled... Not wanting to sit at home on a Saturday morning, we contacted 12 teams to re-schedule and went 0-12 on the effort. But, creativity is part of success in soccer, and thus we "created" an all-star team from our U-13 rec program, selecting girls from 4 teams to form a team to play. They came ready to play, but being a few short they also rounded up a player from the Cleveland Middle School girls team and a "ringer" of a goalie, none other than our own Cassie's older brother!! After quelling the pre-game protests of "Not fair coach, they're bigger" and "We'll never score on Cory" we got the girls focused on how cool it would be to outplay bigger girls and score on Cory... And that we did!! This was one of our better efforts in utilizing field space and passing, and we saw some great combinations leading to scoring chances. It was 2-2 at half time, but our persistence paid off in the second half to the tune of 3 additional goals. Bayleigh E. picked up three more for her season high tally and Kalli P. and Melissa G. both got into the scoring mix. We picked up league points for the forfeit from Outlaws Orange, but also played a good, positive game to build us up for what comes on Tuesday.... The re-match with the Signal Mountain Storm!!
October 7th, 2006 v.s. Nike Impact 1: We've come out on the winning end of a few close games this year and I guess we were due for one of these.... Everyone felt like this was our game to win, but we couldn't finish when we needed to and the Impact club took advantage of every mistake we made. The game really came down to fundamental play and who could put the ball in the back of the net when given the opportunity. We created plenty of opportunities for ourselves that went unfinished and unfortunately created a few for them as well... We out-shot them 8-4, had the ball on their end for alot of the game, and somehow lost 2-1. On the positive side, Kari V. demonstrated what it means to "want the ball" by consistently beating her opponent to the ball, and once again Bayleigh E. came through with a goal, extending our streak of avoiding the dreaded shut-out! I'd bet on the Lady Flames in a re-match, but short of that we picked up plenty of good stuff to work on in practice!
September 30th, 2006 v.s. Impact Swoosh Red: From the opening kick-off it was apparent that our Lady Flames could have an edge in this game, but the combination of the hour and a half drive and a late afternoon (4:50pm) start, left our girls looking a bit sluggish at times. Ball possession and shots on goal were defintitely in our favor from the start, but when the ball bounced up and hit the underside of our sweeper's (Kalli P.) arm midway through the first half, it looked like it might be one of those games where the score doesn't reflect the play. The ref awarded a penalty kick, but luck was with us as the shot hit the cross bar and the follow up went high and wide. Perhaps this scare energized our girls a bit because shortly thereafter Bayleigh E. hit a beautiful shot from the right side of the box to the upper left corner and their keeper had no chance. Soon after that Jessica S. threaded a great pass though their defensive line to a running Melissa G. who took a touch and then found the back of the net. Bayleigh E. rounded out our scoring with two more of her now signature "break away" goals in the second half. It was great to see several of the girls with scoring chances in this game, notably Kenzie M., Megan H., Taylor L., Jessica P., Cassie K., and Brianna G. Keep those shots coming girls, the back of the net awaits!! The 4-0 win was nice, but game focus and intensity continue to be issues worthy of some "fitness with the ball" sessions in practice!!
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September 24th, 2006 Ocoee Cup day 2: Well, after dodging bullets from the weather all day yesterday, the anti-rain dance antics of the Ocoee Cup committee couldn't hold off the deluge... Beginning around 8pm last night we were hit with several rounds of severe thunderstorms with the last batch dumping at least an additional inch of rain at 8am this morning. With standing water all over the fields the commitee decided to cancel. Based upon the points standings from the matches yesterday, our Lady Flames were tied for second place in the silver division with Impact USA Nike 7. Tournament rules state that tie-breakers for championships and finalists include head-to-head play, and since we beat that team 2-0, the Lady Flames '96 were named FINALISTS in their first ever tournament!!! We would have loved the chance to face the Sevier County Stars today and let the points fall where they may, but rain-outs are rain-outs, and a second place finish is a great result for our young team.
September 23rd, 2006 Ocoee Cup day 1: With the threat of tornados approaching from west Tennessee, the jitters of our first ever tournament game, and the fact that we found ourselves facing that same Middle Valley Magic team from last week, you could say that the girls (and coaches) were not completely relaxed at game time... or you could just be honest and say we were a bit intimidated. Despite several scoring chances in the early part of the first half, we never could find a rhythm in this game and we went down 4-1 just like last time. Sometimes it seems like you just can't buy a break and we missed on our opportunities while the other team cashed in. It comes down to experience, and just like last week, we tip our hats to Middle Valley Magic and their solid play. Bayleigh E. scored our goal on a short chip from the left side of the goal. With that game behind us, we got a break for lunch, had a decent rest, and we took the field again to face the Impact USA Nike 7 club out of Clarksville, TN. We had some fairly strong words for the girls about individual effort and focus before the game and they responded by bringing their Flames game to the playing field. This was no easy match... The impact club continually overloaded our defense on the weak side and despite some adjustments on our part, we found ourselves consistently vulnerable to the cross... but between some hard working defenders, forwards who doubled their effort to help back on defense, some fine efforts in goal by both Kenzie M. and Jenna S., and yes, a little good old fashioned luck, we DENIED their fowards and fought our way into the win column. Bayleigh E. scored on a penalty kick and break away off a feed from Madeline R.
September 17th, 2006 v.s. Middle Valley Magic: It wasn't so much magic, as just good solid play from Middle Valley that our girls faced today. This Middle Valley club was very disciplined and just gave us more than we could handle to the tune of 4 goals to 1. After our first game (when we lost to Signal Mountain 8-1) I was talking with Coach Brian and, as usual, I was coming up with all sorts of reasons why that score seemed inflated, and he jokingly said to me, "if you rationalize it enough I'm sure you could say we won!" So on that note, I'd like to point out that today we were down 4-0 at half-time and we just told the girls that they were going to have to play tougher on all aspects of the game if they didn't want to see 4 more goals hit the back of our net. Well, they obviously took it to heart because the scoring came to an abrupt end for the Magic and Brianna G. wove though the middle (valley!) with a little magic of her own and drilled one into the back of their net! So, the way I see it, yeah, we lost the first half 4-0, but our tough group of girls refused to lay down and came back and won the second half 1-0. You can call it rationalizing, I call it a great future for this team!!
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September 16th, 2006 v.s. Lady Hammers White: One thing we've learned early on in this league is that the first task on game day is to be able to find the opposing team's fields... After dodging a few grindylows on Highway 411 and dealing with the bogarts of downtown Maryville, we arrived at Vulcan fields with 15 minutes to spare... Ahhh, but apparently the refs had the same problem so we got our usual pre-game warm-up in and then some! This was one of those hard fought games that unfortunately someone has to lose. Fortunately, it wasn't us!! Midway through the first half the Hammers subbed in a center forward that struck fear into the hearts and minds of both coaches and all the parents, but apparently not our players!! Our defense simply refused to back down. Big #5 (that's what we called her) was continually met with "stony eyes" and solid feet from our fullbacks. She broke though for one shot from close range and goalie Kenzie M. reacted with a stab of her foot that sent the ball spinning toward the corner of the goal. For what seemed like an eternity we all watched as the ball spun toward the corner.... and.... missed by inches!!! Shorty thereafter, we took a 1-0 lead on a sneaky goal from Bayleigh E. that she somehow squeezed in past their keeper from close range near post. We told the girls at half-time that they would have to play a near perfect game to hold this team off and by golly they did. Our defense was outstanding in this game, continually frustrating the opponent and feeding well placed passes to our offense. The upstart Lady Flames picked up win #2 in extremely fine fashion!!!!
September 9th, 2006 v.s. KUSA: In our pre-game talk we pointed out that despite the close score in the last game, the opposing team out-shot us 19-9. We stressed that two things need to change... We need to deny shooting attempts from our opponents and we need to take more shots. The final stats after this game for shots on goal??? Lady Flames 37 shots, KUSA 5 shots. WOW!!!! The final score was 6-0 Lady Flames!!! Everyone played their hearts out in this game. Goals came from Bayleigh E. (2), Kari V., Brianna G., and Kalli P. (2). Only our third game together and a quality win. Nice job Lady Flames!!!!
August 26th, 2006 v.s. Lakeway Liberty: Our first official game as part of the East TN Youth Soccer league. Our girls came out strong and played a very solid first half of soccer. We were up 2-1 and really had the momentum going into halftime. This one really could have gone either way. Lakeway came back with two goals in the second half and we just couldn't answer. Everybody would rather win, but as a young team with almost no game experience, losing 3-2 is nothing to be ashamed of. Plus, it gave the coaches plenty of material for practice didn't it girls??!! Both goals were from Bayleigh E.
August 20th, 2006 v.s Signal Mountain: Our first game EVER as a team and the coaches decided to give the girls a taste of what select soccer is all about. We scheduled a "friendly" against this Signal Mountain team that has been playing together for three years (since U9). We knew we were up against a tough opponent and the weather added to the drama, producing an INCREDIBLE thunderstorm leading up to game time. The skies cleared in time to play, but we faced a team that gave us a bit of a clinic on passing and using field space. Yes, we lost 8-1, but in that loss we found a bit of character in who we are and how we react under tough conditions. The opposing coach came over afterwards and said he had never seen a team play so hard right up to the end of a loss like that. He was very impressed with the way the girls held their heads high and fought for every ball. So were we. The girls never gave up and we scored a goal against a very seasoned team. A loss on paper, but from a coaching standpoint, our team won some character that day. Bayleigh E. scored our goal on a breakaway.
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