Scrimmage roundup

The squad finished it's impressive scrimmage schedule with a 4-1 victory over visiting Niles McKinley on Friday. Goals were scored by Rebecca Thomas, who had two, and one each from Logan Bialik and junior Chloe Maxwell. Emily Hook had some dazzling assists, including a nice pass into the box to hook up with Maxwell at the end of the game.

Goalie Abby Bradford saw limited action in the second half, coming out with about 17 min. to play. I worry about this scrimmage schedule and the effect it has had on Bradford. She's had mega playing time, but little action in goal. I suppose Coach knows best, BUT, he better be cognizant of the little action Bradford's had.

Backup Jocelyn Schmidt did a bang up job in her stead, coming up with some tough saves. Schmidt showed her mobility, chasing ground balls on one side of the goal, and then leaping up to catch a sinking line drive from about 25 ft out. Though one goal was scored, I think this had more to do with defensive confusion, as Coach Mitchell was doing quite a bit of substituting in and out. The ability for Schmidt gives solid depth at the goalie position, and even puts Mitchell in a position to sub Bradford in at forward at times, a position she plays nearly equally well.

Now, a few observations, written down and texted to myself during the course of the game. These come not just from me, but from other fans, who unknowingly are finding their comments on this blog. Sorry guys!

1. There needs to be a better effort in defending throw-ins. What I saw was good positioning, but bad ball handling and passing when balls were won. Give your teammates dumps out there!

2. Carries were excellent. Good job on using speed and ball handling skills to get down the field quickly. This team is speedy, for sure. Advantage, Roosevelt!

3. Switches and short passes were great too. I was at my brother's soccer game yesterday. They are now in D-1 and U-13, meaning they use a field just as wide as high school pitches. However, they had struggles with using the whole field, resigning themselves to using mainly the middle of the field. In our Lady Riders' case, they have few of these problems. Michaela Kline and Liz Thomas were particularly bomb at nice switches, setting up teammates for scoring opportunities.

4. Taking scoring opportunities is still a bit of an issue, but this is bound to get better as the season progresses. Coach Mitchell has identified this as an issue, and is working on it with the girls. Passing into the box, though, was definitely better from the first scrimmage at Barberton.

5. Riders have got to keep up their speed, their intensity, and their confidence. They are a senior dominated team, with lots of team cohesion. This is one of Mitchell's most unified squads he's ever been a part of. I noticed the last scrimmage, energy was waning. Senior leaders and the coaches need to do their part to keep up the energy, especially as they encounter the tougher teams on their schedule.