United Quest Blue
'85 Athena (U-13)
- 1999 Canterbury Cup -
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United Quest Blue |
1999 Canterbury Cup Tournament:
Tournament details
The first round was "round robin" (every teams plays every other team). After round-robin play, the first place team would play for the U-13 championship match against the first place team from bracket "A" (which includes the AYSA Blue Stars Nova (Athena "B"), the GSA Phoenix White (Athena "B"), the Southwest Cobb Lady Chiefs (Athena "B") and the United Quest White (Athena "A").
We won all three of our first round games, each by shutout, so we advanced to a tournament championship game for the first time ever! Congratulations girls! To make it even more fun, we got to play the United Quest White! They're our sister team (they play in the Athena "A" division), they're the former team of several of our players, and they've been a frequent scrimmage opponent in previous seasons.
Here are our game-by-game results. You can click on a result to get a detailed game report.
| Date | Time |
Location | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, May 28 | 7:15 PM |
Metro North 3 | Roswell Santos Red | Won 3-0 |
| Saturday, May 29 | 5:00 PM |
Metro North 3 | Brookwood Steamers White | Won 1-0 |
| Sunday, May 30 | 12:30 PM |
Metro North 2 | United Quest Red (U-12) | Won 1-0 |
| Monday, May 31 | 10:00 AM |
Canterbury 2 | United Quest White | Lost 4-2 |
Tournament links
Game 1 vs. Roswell Santos Red (Won 3-0)
Today's game was played on a Friday night at Metro North field 3. Weather was sunny and pleasant ... not too hot.
After completing a jam-packed schedule at the end of the regular season, the Quest hadn't played in two weeks, and only had one practice during that time. The rust showed in the first half as Roswell looked like the better-prepared team. The Quest did have a few promising attacks, though, and Sarah and Nisha came close to scoring. Roswell had a few promising attacks as well. The Santos sweeper came forward on one play and had an open shot from just outside the area, but she hit it over the goal. Otherwise the Quest defense was able to get in position to either prevent any open Santos shots, or clear loose balls out of danger. The first half ended 0-0.
The Quest's goal for this game was to win 3-0. Under the tournament scoring system, a 3-0 win ensures maximum points. The silver lining to the 0-0 halftime score was that the Quest knew they hadn't played up to their potential. If they could get it together in the second half, Roswell may not know what hit them.
The silver lining turned out to be golden. The Quest came out in the second half and looked like a totally different team. The Quest was on fire, stringing together quick passes and constantly pressuring the Santos defense. At the 6-minute mark, the Quest attacked up the left side and centered the ball to Nisha at the top of the penalty area. The Santos defense closed on Nisha, and she quickly passed to Jillian, who was wide open on the right side of the area. Jillian took a touch toward goal, then launched a perfect shot into the top left corner of the goal. Goal Quest, and a 1-0 lead.
After Jillian's goal, Roswell lined up for the kickoff to restart play. The Santos did the "play it back" kickoff where one forward touches the ball to another, who passes it back to the center midfielder. The Quest's outside forwards are always supposed to rush the center mid, whether the other team makes the back-pass or not. Margaret rushed in from the left side, and when Roswell made the back-pass, she was there to intercept it. Margaret was at full speed, and she beat the center mid and another defender as she approached the penalty area. The sweeper came over to pressure. If Margaret was going to shoot, she'd either have to use her left foot or the outside of her right foot. She went with the outside of her right, looping the ball over the keeper and into the top center of the goal. Goal Quest, making the lead 2-0.
That's right, Roswell took a kickoff, the Quest intercepted and scored immediately. That's two Quest goals in about 20 seconds, both on perfectly struck shots that were impossible to save. Just two more in a string of beautiful goals the Quest has scored this spring.
The two quick goals gave the Quest an even bigger energy boost, and the team continued their relentless attacking play. The Quest knew the goal of a 3-0 win was within reach. Roswell got the ball into the Quest end a few times, but the Quest would quickly win it back and start another attack. One attack led to Margaret beating her defender (which she did all game long), who tripped her as she went by. The referee called the foul (left side, outside the penalty area). Alex took the free kick, lofting the ball toward the back post. Sarah ran onto it for a header, but barely missed, with the ball going just outside the post.
A few minutes later, a rapid-fire passing sequence led to Sarah taking a left-footed shot from about 8 yards out. She hit it low and toward the corner. But the Santos goalie made an excellent save to block it, and a Santos defender barely cleared the rebound before Margaret could get there to knock it in. Goal #3 was just a matter of time. Sure enough, with 5 minutes left, Lindsey fed a through ball to Meghan as she made a run from her center mid position. Meghan shot from just inside the area, hitting it low and hard just inside the left post to give the Quest a 3-0 lead.
The 3-0 win gives the Quest the maximum of 7 points (3 points for the win, 3 bonus points for goals scored, and 1 bonus point for the shutout) and puts the team in first place after day 1. The United Quest U-12 Red is in second place with 5 points after their 2-1 win over the Brookwood Steamers White.
The team topped off the night with a party at Bertucci's Brick Over Pizzeria. As we arrived at the restaurant, the moms disappeared. Lo and behold, when they returned, they had transformed themselves into a legion of big-haired ladies! This surprise visit put an exclamation point on an exciting evening! Click here for pictures from the party, or click here to read the Jesup game recap to learn about our team's fascination with big-haired ladies.
Game 2 vs. Brookwood Steamers White (Won 1-0)
Today's game was played on Saturday afternoon at Metro North field 3. Weather was sunny and fairly hot, but with an occasional breeze.
The Quest dominated most of the first half and had plenty of shots, but couldn't put them on goal. The Quest keeper only touched the ball once during the half, and that was to come out to get a long through ball. Brookwood gave up a penalty kick in the final seconds of the half, but got a break as the Quest PK hit the crossbar. The halftime score was a 0-0 tie.
The Quest dominated most of the second half too. But Quest shots either missed the goal or went right to the Brookwood keeper. Brookwood managed to generate a few attacks during the half, two of which were very promising. During one attack, the Brookwood right forward beat the Quest defense and dribbled into the penalty area toward the goal. But Christina came hustling over from the other side of the area to tackle the ball away just as the Brookwood forward wound up to shoot. A definite close call, but Christina's heroics saved the moment.
Time started to wind down, with the Quest still controlling most of the play. In the final moments the Quest dropped a defender and added a midfielder to help the attack. This move backfired almost immediately!
With three minutes left, Brookwood won a loose ball in their own end, then sent a quick long ball down the right side. The long ball beat the Quest defense and put the Brookwood right forward on a breakaway. She dribbled into the area and shot, and had the Quest keeper beat. But the shot hit the left goalpost and rebounded back across the face of the goal. The Quest defenders had never quit on the play, though, and as the ball bounced inches from the goal line, Christina and Jillian combined to clear it out of danger as no Brookwood player was there to challenge. Sometimes a team gets lucky, sometimes a team generates its own luck. The bounce was lucky, but the heads-up recovery runs by Christina and Jillian gave them the chance to make the play. Excellent work girls!
The Quest knew this was a gift, and after regaining possession, they struck immediately. Christina won the ball in the right defensive area, then passed to Margaret on the right side. Margaret faked her defender, then passed to Sarah, who was making a diagonal run from her center forward position toward the right sideline. Margaret's pass beat the Brookwood defense, but Sarah was going to have to turn the ball back inside before she'd be able to shoot. She made a good turn and dribbled into the right side of the penalty area, then she sighted her target and shot. Her angle didn't give her much of a target. But she didn't need much as her shot was low and hard into the far side of the goal, inches inside the far post. Goal Quest! Goal Quest! Goal Quest! Great shot Sarah!
Talk about a dramatic turn of events! Game after game, the Quest U-13 Blue finds a way to get the job done, often creating a magic moment along the way. Credit the players' belief in themselves and each other, and their "never quit" attitude. The goalpost save followed by Sarah's great shot is just the latest in a long run of Quest magic this spring.
The 1-0 win gives the Quest another 5 tournament points (3 points for the win, 1 bonus point for the goal, and 1 bonus point for the shutout). and puts the team in a tie for first place with the United Quest U-12 Red. The Quest U-13 Blue and U-12 Red play tomorrow, with the winner advancing to Monday's championship game. Go get 'em girls!
Game 3 vs. United Quest U-12 Red (Won 1-0)
Today's game was played on Sunday afternoon at 12:30 PM at Metro North field 2. Weather was sunny and hot, but a breeze started up just before game time. This would be some challenging weather not only for the players, but also for a group of big-haired ladies (they're back!) on the parents' side.
For the sake of the game report, we'll refer to their team as the U-12 Reds, and we'll refer to our team as the Quest.
The U-12 Reds are probably the most skilled team the Quest has ever played. They're a year younger, but they're one of the top U-12 Athena "A" level teams. The Quest expected the key to this game to be the first 10 minutes: would the Quest be able to make the adjustment to playing a fast and highly skilled team?
The U-12 Reds put the Quest on the defensive right off the bat. But the Quest defense was up to the task, though, and was able to thwart the U-12 Red attacks before they got within shooting distance. After a few minutes, the Quest generated a few attacks of their own, but nothing too promising yet.
After 10 minutes of play, the Quest had the answer to their question. Yes, the Quest had adjusted to the faster pace of play and the task of defending against skilled attacking players. The Quest wasn't dominating play by any means, but they were holding their own and giving the U-12 Red team a good challenge.
Another factor was the level of physical play, defined as hard but clean challenges. There tends to be more physical play at the higher levels. As an Athena "A" level team, the U-12 Reds are more physical than the Quest, who has only played "D" and "C" level. The Quest absorbed a few hard (but fair) tackles early and didn't show any fear, then raised their level of physical play as well.
15 minutes into the game, Margaret received a pass on the left wing. She tried to turn past her defender, who was a much taller player. The U-12 Red defender leaned on Margaret, and the height difference meant her elbow was in Margaret's neck. Tweet! The ref blew his whistle and called the foul, which led to a direct free kick.
Alex spotted the ball, which was about 10 yards in from the left sideline, about 20 yards out from the goal line. On the surface, this wasn't a prime location for a shot on goal, but upon further review, it was actually a decent shooting angle for a right-footed shot. Alex has proven herself to be deadly in these situations all year long. She took a shot, hitting it high and hard. The ball carried over the keeper's head into the top of the goal. Goal Quest Blue ... 1-0 lead! This was yet another in the series of excellent Quest goals this spring. Here's a great photo of the moment (photo credit Beverly Womack). Alex was only about 10 yards from the sideline, so she isn't in the picture.
The Quest had already erased any doubts, and now the 1-0 lead just added fuel to their desire. They stepped up their game even more, and almost took a 2-0 lead, as Rachael barely missed a header goal. (The Quest has never had a header goal, but they've come very close twice this weekend. Maybe tomorrow?)
It was a hot day, and fatigue hit the Quest in the final minutes of the half as the U-12 Reds began to attack consistently. The Quest was forced to concede three corner kicks in the final minutes of the half. The U-12 Reds have an excellent corner kick taker, and she put the ball into dangerous areas every time. One bounced through the goal area, and a U-12 Red forward barely missed tapping it into the Quest goal. The Quest cleared another with a back-header, then cleared the third after a brief scramble in the penalty area.
The halftime whistle not only meant a 5 minute rest, it also stopped the U-12 Reds' momentum. The Quest has improved in many areas this spring, one of which is learning how to "read" other teams. They knew the U-12 Reds would try to establish immediate dominance in the second half, which meant they'd have to turn their own game up another notch. The Quest players spent the final halftime moments motivating themselves and each other.
The Quest absorbed the U-12 Red pressure during the early minutes of the second half, which served as a confidence boost. The U-12 Reds had plenty of attacks, but the Quest defense was again shutting them down outside of the danger area. Sarah and Katie were outstanding as the sweeper/stopper duo, while Christina, Lauren and Shelby kept the U-12 Red outside attack at bay.
The Quest had a couple of scares along the way, though. Sally was on top of her game in goal. She had to make a couple of difficult saves. She was also in perfect position for a short-range shot that a U-12 Red took off the turn just outside the goal area. A few minutes later a U-12 Red center midfielder hit a long high shot from about 25 yards out. At first it looked like it would carry over the goal, but the breeze held it up and it ended up bouncing off the Quest crossbar! The Quest was quick to clear the rebound out of danger, though.
The game wasn't all U-12 Reds, though. The Quest managed to create some attacks and force the U-12 Reds to play defense. The Quest took some shots, but the quick U-12 Red defenders were in position to block them. A couple of times the ball rebounded to an onrushing Quest midfielder or defender, but the Quest couldn't find the goal. But every attack meant a brief rest for the Quest defense, along with a growing belief that they really could win the game.
Speaking of physical play, the U-12 Reds stopped a Quest attack and launched an immediate counter-attack up the right side. Lauren sprinted over to try to catch the U-12 Red defender, but as she sprinted, she realized her pursuit angle was wrong. Rather than let herself get beat, she went for the tackle anyway just as the U-12 Red attacker pushed the ball into the open space. It was a crunching tackle, and a definite foul. (If Wo-Wo had shown any previous tendency toward rough play, she probably would have gotten a yellow card.) This example isn't meant to condone rough play, it just demonstrates the overall intensity level of the game.
The Quest was determined to hold the 1-0 lead. The Quest defenders and midfielders did an excellent job and kept the U-12 Reds from getting any more dangerous chances. The final whistle came, and the Quest traded their game-faces for expressions of pure joy. Going into the game, very few people thought they had a chance, but 14 Quest Blue players believed, and the channeled this belief into a high-intensity 60 minute performance
Click here for some post-game photos of an exhuberant bunch of players.
With today's win, the Quest finished first in their bracket and advance - for the first time ever - to a tournament championship game! And they'll be playing their natural rival, the United Quest White. This should be another fascinating game! Go get 'em girls!
Championship vs. United Quest White (Lost 4-2)
For the sake of the game report, we'll refer to their team as the White team, and we'll refer to our team as the Quest.
The White team is a "sister" team, that is, they're the same age group as us, and they were chosen at the same tryout sessions as we were. (The Red team is the top team, followed by the White team, then the Blue team.) The White team has played Athena "A" level the last three seasons. They're also the former team of several of our players, and they've been a frequent scrimmage opponent in previous seasons.
All of this serves as natural motivation for both teams. The White team won't want to lose to an Athena "C" team, while the Quest Blue team will want to prove that they can compete with the White team.
Today's game was played on Memorial Day at 10:00 AM at Canterbury field 2. This is a large flat field with lush grass, which is a nice change from the smaller crowned fields we played on during our first-round games at the Metro North complex. Weather was sunny, warm and humid.
The Quest won a free kick four minutes into the first half. The kick was spotted about 30 yards out from goal, a couple of yards outside the left edge of the penalty area. Who ya gonna call? Call Sparky! Sparky (aka Alex) hit another of her patented high hard shots, clearing the wall with ease and sending it over the White team keeper into the top of the goal. Goal Quest and an early 1-0 lead!
The White team struck back soon afterwards to tie the game. Midway through the half, Sally came out of the Quest goal to clear a through ball just outside the penalty area, but her clearance caromed off the White team forward and bounded back toward the goal. Sarah had alertly run back to the goal line to cover the goal, and as the ball bounced high, she jumped to head it. But the bounce was too high, and the ball carried just under the crossbar and into the goal to give the White team a 2-1 lead.
The White team took control of the late stages of the first half, launching a consistent attack full of wide attacking play and strong crosses into the penalty area. They scored two goals in three minutes to take a 4-1 halftime lead. These two quick goals left the Quest looking demoralized.
The Quest talked it over at halftime. They realized that there's no shame in falling behind to an "A" level team. The girls recognized that they only had 35 minutes left together as a team (tryouts for next year's team start tomorrow), and they decided to go out in a blaze of glory and play attacking soccer, and let whatever happens happen.
The team shifted from a defensive oriented 4-4-2 into a risky but attack oriented 3-4-3 formation to start the second half. It paid off as the Quest generated numerous attacks. The three Quest defenders (various combinations of Alex, Christina, Katie, Lauren and Shelby) were up to the challenge, keeping the White team out of danger.
After a series of attacks, the Quest struck goal again. Rachael won a White team clearance in midfield, then passed to Sarah at the top left of the penalty area. Sarah passed to Nisha, who had gotten open near the top center of the area. Nisha first-timed it with her left foot and hit a spectacular curling shot into the top right corner of the goal. Goal Quest, which cut the White team lead to 4-2 with 18 minutes left to play.
The Quest had momentum now, and they continued to create attacks. But after a few minutes, the White team settled down and began to create some attacks of their own. They missed a couple of excellent scoring chances due to a handball and an offsides call.
Now the game shifted into an end-to-end attacking game. The Quest would attack, the White team would attack, and so forth. Both teams were giving everything they had. If the White team could score, they'd seal the win, while a Quest goal would make it a 1-goal game. The Quest played scrambling defense to keep the White team off the board, and they came close to scoring on some of their own attacks, but couldn't manage to get goal #3. The White team held on to earn the 4-2 win.
As mentioned above, the Quest had wanted to go out in a blaze of glory and play attacking soccer in the second half, letting whatever happens happen. They achieved this goal and gave the White team a good contest in the second half. The White team earned the win through their excellent first half offensive play, along with solid second half defense, and they are worthy champions. But the Quest Blue showed their desire and heart and willingness to compete at a higher level.
The Quest received an attractive silver team cup as the runner-up, and each Quest player received bronze runner-up medals. We'll take the cup to an engraver to have our team name and age group engraved into the cup, then we'll put it on display at the United clubhouse for everyone to see. Congratulations Quest!
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Created: 05/26/99 Revised: 10/24/99 |