Game 3 - Jaguars vs Upper Hutt Cougars

Result - Win - 4 - 1!

Player of the day - Cody - for fantastic goalkeeping & positive forward play.

Strengths - Realise that teamwork wins games.

Areas to develop - Taking shots quickly & passing.

The game
It was a sunny autumn day as we prepared to take the field. Vinnie was captain for the day and won the toss, electing to kick-off and we played with the slight in the first half.

It looked like Vinnie was going to score the first goal from the halfway line with a huge punt up the field.

Our 4 goals came as a result of great team play.

The first was after Andy tackled a player and sent the ball upfield to Josh B who passed deftly to Bosco who sent it on to Joshua D who scored a great goal. It was worthwhile seeing the delight and joy on Joshua's face.

AJ scored twice. Once after a nice pass to Bosco, who passed it back, giving AJ room to score. AJ repaid the favour with a well-placed kick across the goal allowing Bosco to run on to it and put it in the goal.

The Cougars played well and had better positional play. They deserved to go away with a goal.

The highlights for me were:

- Vinnie's solid defence that saved a number of attacking plays.

- Caleb was reliable and didn't allow anyone to get past him.

- Vincent's ability to play a strong defensive/ midfield game that gives us extra striking power on attack but is fast enough to get back quickly on defence.

- Sam is improving with every game, making more tackles and looking for passes.

- Aaron moved to left midfield, then defence. His strong positional play creates space that allows us to exploit the gaps.

- Josh worked hard in the mid-field and I was proud when he offered to goalie the second half.

- Another player who provided structure to our play was Liam who showed up in the right place at the right time with a strong ability to read the play. I liked it when Liam took a shot at goal with his first touch, which just went wide.

We still need to develop our positional play and kicking skills.

It was great to win the game and everyone seemed to have a lot of fun which is what it's all about. Now we have to polish our boots for the photos on Monday!