HERE IS NEW SECTION FOR 2010-2011 LADY LAUNCHERs - WEEKLY REPORTS FROM TRAINER TOM F.

SPRING SEASON FIRST REPORT FROM TRAINER EMMA H.

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SPRING SEASON WEEK B - 3/23 AT SOUTH PLAINFIELD

The Lady Launchers' first game of the spring season was against South 
Plainfield. I arrived half way through the game and by all accounts 
the girls had given a strong performance in the first half, going 1-0 
up and having a goal disallowed.
Throughout the second half I was impressed with the girls hard work 
and team ethic. They attacked the ball well, and tried to dribble when 
they had space, and passed when they didn't. This helped them build 
some strong attacks, creating many chances to score!

One thing I would like to work on with the girls is pass completion. A 
lot of the time when they had the ball they would look to pass, but 
often their pass would go into open space, or to one of the other 
team. If they can start looking  at who is around them and passing the 
ball to their team mates they will be able to retain possession a lot 
more enabling them to create more attacks and goal scoring 
opportunities, as well as reducing the amount of defending they will 
have to do. This week we will also talk about why the goal was 
disallowed, and go through the rules and procedure of indirect free 
kicks.

Good work this week girls, this weeks game was a strong start to the season!

Emma

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WEEK J - 11/21 AT SOUTH PLAINFIELD (LAST POST FOR FALL SEASON)

Hi Guys

Another great game played by all the girls today, which I’d hoped you would agree, has been the case over the last 3/4 weeks. We have really stated to look like a team and that is down to the girls putting in a lot of effort in training and that has transferred to the field.

We have worked on passing the ball a lot this season and the girls are starting to understand the importance of this and as time goes by all the things we have worked on will become second nature to the girls.

On to Sundays game. I do not normally mention any names in my game report but I would like to say well done to Claudia who has really excelled in goal over the season and has enjoyed playing the position. She has shown great ability and it has made the team a lot more settled having a more regular goalkeeper, so well done. Also all the girls who have played in goal this season have done fantastic, and it is a position we are strong in.

The defense looked strong, coming out of defense to win the ball. I feel we need to concentrate a bit more when we are pushing up field though as the defense are often caught a bit out of position with one staying back and the others pushing forward. One thing that has been noticeable is that the girls are all looking to take the ball out wide from defense and this has become a natural thing for them to do which is great.

The midfield played very aggressively going forward, but need to remember to help out with their defensive duties as well.  The girls are defiantly looking to pass the ball around a lot more, but need to remember to keep there heads up and looking for all the options they have. But overall I thought the midfield played well and kept going until the end of the game.

Going forward I thought we did really well. The forwards held a high line, which offered depth to our team. They also stayed in the middle a lot more and did not come chasing after the ball, which helped our positioning.  We attacked for a lot of the game and the forwards play allowed them to link with midfield very well.

Overall a good game played by the girls, who showed they have made great improvement from the start of the season.

I would like to say it has been a pleasure coaching the girls and it has been great to see the improvement that has been made. I look forward to working with them again and hopefully continuing our improvement as a team.

Thanks to everyone for supporting the girls and bringing them to and from games and practice, much appreciated.

Thanks

Tom

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WEEK I - 11/12/10 VS. RIDGE MAVERICKS & 11/14 VS. UNION BEACH

Hi Everyone

 A good weekend of games for the girls, who have been playing with a lot more confidence over the last few weeks and have all become a lot more comfortable on the ball and all the girls looking for the ball which is fantastic.

This past week in training we have been looking at moving off the ball, and over the weekends game we did see more evidence of the girls being a bit more spread out, occasionally the girls would bunch up a bit but a lot less than before. One thing I would like to commend the girls for over the two weekends game is the effort and enthusiasm they showed, playing the game and also supporting the team.

I am going to look at the weekend as a whole and during the two games the goalkeepers were excellent. They held the ball well, but the part I was most impressed with was the distribution of the goalkeepers. Whether it was a long kick forward or a short throw out we were often finding one of our players, which is great.

The defense worked well this weekend, with one of the side defenders often pushing on when we were attacking to give us more numbers going forward and this worked well. The defense did play very aggressively as well, coming towards the ball and winning a lot of challenges. We looked to play the ball out of defense a lot more and take the ball out wide a lot more, which is very encouraging.

Moving onto the midfield, they showed a lot of energy during the game and looked to go forward a lot. One thing we are tending to do is over dribble or pass the ball. This is fine as I feel the girls have improved both aspects of their game, especially passing, what we need to show them now is when and where to do this, and that will come with time.  But overall I thought the girls were excellent and played really well as a unit.

The forwards worked extremely hard and helped us create a lot of opportunities by sticking to their position and holding a high line in the middle, allowing our team to have more depth and create more space on the field.  We had the forwards always being in the centre, so when a pass came in from a wide player they were in the middle to have an opportunity.

I thought I would only write one report for the weekend as I thought the girls were fantastic in both games and demonstrated all the attributes we have been working on in practice over the two games. I have noticed a big difference in the girl’s confidence as players over the last 3-4 weeks and it is really encouraging to see. I thought the girls showed tremendous effort and gave there all during both games. Well done.

Thanks again for your continued support and I hope it continues as we reach the last week of the season.

Thanks

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WEEK H - 11/7/10 AT RIDGE MAVERICKS

Hi Everyone

A great game from all the girls yesterday and they all seemed to really enjoy playing and did really well, and all looked to play very aggressively, so well done for that.

In practice this past week, we looked to work on moving off the ball to create space, we have only worked on this for one practice so it is a work in progress and this was clear to see, but the girls have developed to the stage where we need to work on this and hopefully over time this will improve our game. This will be our main focus for the last two weeks of the season.

Moving onto the game. For long periods of the game we had the ball and created a lot of chances, when the opposition had the ball we pressed really well and didn’t give them anytime on the ball. The girls played with a lot of confidence and this really showed.

The goalkeepers although they did not have a lot to do performed well when needed and showed great concentration as they were without anything to do for a lot of the time, but when called upon they did well.

The defense looked strong whoever played there, pushing up as a unit and always looking to play it out wide. They also played very aggressively and did not let a lot passed the defense. This area of the field is it important for the girls not to get drawn out of their positions towards the ball. We are starting to look into it this week and we will see a improvement in this side of our game. But overall a strong game for the defense.

The midfield did well and looked to support the forwards a lot, which helped us create a lot of scoring opportunities. One thing we do need to work on is spacing out, as I have said this will come with time and I feel once we work on this we will continue to improve. When we were spreading out we did look to pass which was fantastic.

The forwards worked hard and held a high line on a lot of occasions. What we need to continue to stress to our forwards is to hold a high line to push the rest of the team forward, this was more evident on Sunday, which was great.

Overall a great game for the girls and they really seemed to enjoy playing and it showed in there performance.

Thank you for your continued support of the girls, much appreciated.

Thanks

Tom

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WEEK G - 10/29 VS. NEW PROVIDENCE UNITED

Hi Everyone

Another good effort from the girls, who again looked to pass the ball out from the defense. Which resulted in a lot of encouraging play.

The last few weeks we have continued to focus on passing in our play, developing it from basic through to opening out and incorporating turns and movement into our play. There were signs of this during the game and things seem to be becoming slightly less forced, but as with a lot of things it is a work in progress and will not happen over night.

Moving on to the game. The goalkeepers did really well in a difficult position. All the girls that played there enjoy the position and handled the ball well collecting a lot of loose balls. What I would like to hear more of is calling for the ball as it stops a lot of confusion for the defenders, but this is something we can work on. One thing I was very pleased with was the distribution of goal kicks, which were aimed towards a player rather than just a big kick, which is great.

The defense for the most part looked strong, winning the ball and pressing the opposition. What we struggled with was maintaining concentration and often being outnumbered due to this. What we did end up doing well was holding our line and working well as a defensive unit and this was pleasing to see.

The midfield, looked to play the ball and move the ball forward by passing or dribbling and this was encouraging to see, and if the girls continue to look for space this should click a lot better. One thing the midfield needs to remember is that they are both offense and defense. There is a lot of running involved and players should not neglect their defensive duties.

Overall the midfield looked to play and support the forward well against a good defense and this gave us numbers and helped us create some good chances so a great effort there.

The forwards worked hard, and holding the high line to offer our team depth and push the opposition back. What I want to see is for the forward to shoot a little more, we often try and dribble the ball in to close and then the opportunity has gone. What we will look at is shooting a little over the next few weeks. Overall the forwards did well and helped out the midfield when we were defending to add bodies, which was great to see.

The girls all played in a lot of positions during the last game and I appreciate their efforts. The girls will all have favourite positions to others but its important to remember that it is a team game and also an important part of development to play in a number of different roles and I feel this will benefit all the girls greatly.

Thanks

Tom

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WEEK F REPORT - 10/23 VS. UNION BEACH & 10/24 VS. MILLBURN

Hi Guys

Another busy weekend with two games, and it was good to see the girls
looking to pass the ball a lot more.

In practice this week we have again looked at passing and the girls and it
is slowly becoming more natural for the girls to control the ball then
pass which is what we are trying to emphasis.
Due to a conflict I missed the game Saturday but after speaking to Bill it
seemed as though we passed the ball well and that is fantastic to hear.

Onto Sunday’s game, the goalkeepers did very well. This is a position we
are very strong in and the goals showed a lot of aggression controlling
the 18-yard area. This is a very hard position and requires a lot of
concentration so well done to the girls that played, god job.

The defence looked very solid during the game, stepping out to win the
ball and in a lot of cases and looking to move the ball out wide. The
girls played very aggressively in defence and never looked to give up, and
most importantly looked to pass the ball out of defence, which is great.
The midfield supported the forwards fantastically well, but what we need
to try and avoid is to much bunching up around the ball, I will continue
to emphasis this to the girls as it makes the girls easier to mark and
easier to loose the ball, spreading out will help us create a lot more
passing opportunities. The girls worked hard, supporting on offense and
defence and this meant we had numbers all over the field as the girls
worked very hard.

All the girls that played forward never stopped running and held a high
line so we could push there defence back and pressure high up the field,
this helped us create lots of scoring chances, something we may need to
touch on is shooting as we are starting to create a lot of chances and if
we put them away we can have a lot of success.

Overall a good game, I was pleased with the girls efforts in practice and
the concentration levels seem to be improving as well so well done.

Thanks for all your efforts, I really feel the girls have learnt a lot out
of the weekend’s games and in practice this week we will look to work on
shooting and more positional play as well as passing.
Again if you have any questions please do not hesitate to speak to me
after a practice or game.

Thanks

Tom

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WEEK E REPORT - 10/17 VS SOUTH PLAINFIELD ECLIPSE

Hello Everyone

An encouraging performance from all the girls in the game today and I can
not fault anyone’s effort on the field, with all the girls trying as hard
as they can for each other which is great.

I sat the girls down at the end of practice on Wednesday and asked them
about what I wanted from them at practice and during a game day, and
Fridays session was exactly that and in to today’s game from the warm up
right to the end the girls were excellent so that was fantastic.

In training we have been working on passing the ball and looking to turn
into space. This is a work in progress and I feel that the girls are
developing well and becoming more confident on the ball. Sometimes the
passing does seem a bit forced but in today’s game this was less evident
and hopefully over time this will become more natural to the girls.

We will continue to work on the girls touch and passing and this will
breed more confidence on the ball as players. We also touched on the
positioning and I feel that this was evident today and we looked to do
things more a unit and we looked a lot more solid as the girls held there
positions well.

On to the game, thanks to the girls that played in goal, this is a tough
position and demands a lot of concentration and the girls that played
there did fantastically well. Having a strong goalkeeper is very important
to any team and today our goalkeepers did a fantastic job so well done.

The defence looked good in spells, but I feel we need to pressure the ball
a bit more and look to bring the ball out wide a little more. But one
thing the defence, whoever played there did do incredibly well was push up
well together and on a lot of occasions we played their forwards offside
which shows great confidence and incredible team work and is something we
touched on this past Friday, so well done.

The midfield never stopped running and pressuring the ball, and they did
look to play the pass and when we did we created a few scoring
opportunities and this was very encouraging.  What I would like to see
more is us spreading out, the girls are staring to realise this and it is
an important part of their development which will come in time.

I was very impressed with how the midfield looked to support our forward
when we were attacking, this is something we have stressed to the players
that midfield is defence and offence and the girls are starting to realise
this and it means we are pressuring the ball high up the field, so a great
effort from everyone who played midfield.

The forwards worked hard pressing the opposition defence and holding a
high line to push the other teams defence back and this worked and gave us
space to exploit and when we did we creating chances to score so a great
effort. It is hard playing forward alone and the midfield did really well
to support and the forwards put in a lot of effort throughout.

I hope you agree the girls are becoming more comfortable on the ball and
more confident when in possession, which is great. One thing we will touch
on is shooting/finishing as I feel we know the technique but we need the
decision making and this will come as part of there development as
players.

Overall a good game, where the girls worked hard and looked to pass the
ball a lot more.
I appreciate your efforts in bringing the girls to the games and hope you
will continue to support their development as players.

If you have any questions do not hesitate to speak to me after practice or
a game as always.
Thanks

Tom

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WEEK D REPORT - PARSIPPANY TOURNAMENT

Hello Everyone

A busy weekend for the girls with a lot of very hard games played. Their
effort was second to none and could not be faulted and when the girls
looked to pass, we worked our way out wide and forward. Our passing for
our goal was excellent and is what I am trying to get the girls to improve
on.

In practice we have been trying to work a lot on the girls general
technique, such as control and passing of the ball and make them more
comfortable on the ball, which I think is important for us to improve as a
team.

We are going to touch on positional play in the coming weeks and hopefully
over time we will see the girls become more spread out on the field.  I am
also trying to get across to the girls that kicking the ball long up field
to know one should be the last option and promoting to them that
controlling the ball and then look to pass or dribble the ball forward,
this will benefit there game massively in the long term.

Thanks to all the girls that played in goal. This is a very hard and
important position of the team and the girls who played all looked
confident and did well for the team.

The girls that played in defence worked hard and looked to block the ball,
but the standard of opposition was very high and it was tough for the
girls throughout the weekend.  What they need to remember is to take the
ball out wide and play forward to our wide midfielders, if we can start to
do this, the ball should start to move up the field a lot quicker.

The midfield again worked hard but whoever is playing their needs to
remember their positions (which as I mentioned earlier we will be working
on), which will create more space and more opportunity to pass the ball.
We also need to remember to play both offensively and defensively, it is a
lot of running and the girls need to continue to work hard there. Again
when we did have space and control the ball we did look to play a pass out
wide, which was great to see.

The forward had a difficult weekend as we struggled to pass the ball
through midfield and into the forward on occasions, but when we did, the
forward looked to control the ball and the midfield moved forward and
offered support in the opposition penalty area, which was a very positive
sign, and hopefully the girls continue to do this.

We played against very high end teams this weekend and the girls kept
going and when they came off wanted to come straight back on the field
again which shows great enthusiasm and team work, which is fantastic. We
still have a lot of games remaining this season and hopefully the girls
can continue and improve.

I appreciate all your efforts on supporting the girls throughout the
weekend and driving all the girls to the various games, much appreciate.

Again if you have any questions do not hesitate to come and speak to me
after training or a game.

Thanks

Tom

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WEEK B REPORT - 9/26 VS. NEW PROVIDENCE UNITED

Hi Guys

A good effort from the girls during the game Sunday, they never gave up
and kept playing right to the end, which was fantastic.

The girls passed the ball very well in spells, but then went back to
bunching up and just kicking the ball towards the end of the game, I think
this is due to concentration but we are working on passing in practice and
the girls seem to be becoming more confident on the ball and hopefully
this will become second nature.

Thanks again to the girls that played in goal, I appreciate the girls’
efforts and tremendous effort in what is a hard position to play in.

For the early part of the game the defence looked really strong with the
girls blocking a lot of the offense from the other team and took the ball
out wide and looked to pass the ball up the field which was great.

In the midfield all the girls worked hard and looked to pass, I just felt
the girls struggled holding positions, at points in the game but this is
something were working on and has improved with each game.  We looked to
pass the ball, which was terrific and is what the focus of our training
has been on.

The midfield and forwards worked hard and tried to link through most of
the game, running up to support the offense and we created a few scoring
opportunities doing this and hopefully throughout the season the girls
will do this more and more.

I hope the girls continue to work hard in training  and continue to
improve throughout the season.

If you have any questions do not hesitate to speak to me at practice or
after the games.


Regards,

Tom Fruci

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WEEK A REPORT - 9/19 GAME VS. MILLBURN DYNAMITE

Hi Everyone

In the first game of the season we got off to a good start in what was hot
conditions and I appreciate all the girls efforts throughout.

In training over the last few weeks we have been working on a lot of
passing and moving and it was great to see the girls demonstrate this in
spells throughout the game on Sunday.

I appreciate all the girls’ efforts that went in goal and they all did a
fantastic job for us so well done.

In defense we looked solid and organised overall, but a bit more
concentration was needed as players where drifting away from positions,
but as a unit they covered each other well, what I would like to see is a
bit more communication between the defense but this will come with time.

The midfield I thought put a lot of energy into the game regardless of who
was playing but What I would like to see more of is passing and moving
more and then look to dribble when in space, but we will touch on this at
practice this week. We will also be looking at positioning a little more
throughout this season in practice to try and create more space and the
girls have a tendency to bunch together, but this is becoming less
frequent which is fantastic

I thought the midfield linked well with whoever was playing forward and on
the occasions when we did pass up to the forward and supported them we
looked dangerous and again created a lot of shooting opportunities. The
forwards throughout the game did not give there defense a second which is
exactly what I like to see them do and especially on a hot day like
Sunday.

A good effort from all the girls this past Sunday, and hopefully we can
continue to improve throughout the season.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask.


Regards,

Tom Fruci

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