Magnificent Effort

The Blues met a good Washington United Navy team on Saturday, again with no substitutes to call on.

In the early part of the game chances came and went for both teams with the Navy keeper making some great stops. Jake had one piece of serious action to take care of and he did so brilliantly; closing down a Navy attacker and smothering the ball quickly.

Neither side looked like they would take their chances during the first half and both teams played some good football.

In the second half the Blues dominated play but were caught out by a quick break and a bit of ball watching. Not the first time this season that has happened.

However, the team displayed magnificent fighting spirit and kept piling the pressure on Navy's defensive third. The deserved equaliser came from Sebastian.

The whole team gave their all: Jake and Max had a quiet game (testament to the work put in by those in front of them) but what they had to do, they did well. Coaches noted that they need to work with Max to encourage him to bring the ball forward a bit more so he is involved in the game. Finn was outstanding in defence but also as an attacking threat; setting up numerous forward movements. Danny was a powerhouse throughout the game but also added the extra dimension of picking out forward passes to create opportunities for others; he thoroughly deserved to take home the "Player of the Game" award. Sebastian showed his ability through attack and defense and linked up with team mates to play some intelligent football. Beth was another who had a quiet game but created a few good attacking chances, dancing through in to the box more than once. Coaches noted that she does not respond well to too much instruction and will attempt to reign this in in the coming year. Harry played as striker and was relentless in closing down the opposition and was a constant source of threat. The fact that he was very disappointed that he did not take one of his opportunities shows that he has set himself high standards and Coaches had to remind him that not scoring a goal did not matter; what mattered was that he was in the right position to attempt to to score.

The "Excellent Contribution" medal was split between the other six players as Coaches felt they all deserved recognition for their efforts and game intelligence.

Keep up the excellent work, Blues!