PREDATORS
2 - STARBURSTS 1
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Predators Roll Past Elk Grove Starburst in District Cup |
The Predators fought from behind in the semi-final game of the District Cup, eliminating the Elk Grove Starburst on their home field and clinching a spot in the Championship Game to be played on Sunday December 9th. This was the second meeting between the Predators and the Starburst. In fact, the Starburst were the only team to beat the Predators in league play this year.
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Coach Juan must have been up half the night figuring up this lineup! After a whole season of playing a 4-3-3 line up, he changed things around for this game and came up with a 3-4-3 look, featuring 4 midfielders and only 3 defenders. Good call Juan! The midfield dominated play all game and won almost every 50/50 ball situation. The extra midfielder neutralized the strong defense of the Starburst, especially the extremely talented Sweeper. Katrina went the distance in goal and notched a great effort with 6 saves, including one diving save in the second half.
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Kristina, Kylie, and Yolanda anchored the new look 3 deep Predator's defense with a great team effort that notched 28 intercepts and 4 steals. Amy, Sara, Sabi, and Angel started the game in midfield, and put together a nice compliment of combination passes and tough defense. Ericka, Kelsey and Andrea started off in front and kept the pressure on throughout the first half. Ally, Erica and Melissa came off the bench to give the Predators fresh legs and good hustle. The game was a see-saw battle for the first 30 minutes with both teams having their chances, but the first half came to the end with the score 0-0. The second half started with the Predators back on their heels, and the Starburst took advantage with a quick goal that made the score 0-1. But that would be the end of the Starburst offensive attack for the day. The Predators basically shut the Starburst down after that, out-shooting them 7-1 in the second half. The Predators put it into high gear for the rest of the game, dominating the midfield and beating the Starburst to every loose ball. With about 15 minutes left in the match, Kelsey scored on a break away, knotting the score at 1-1.
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The Predators needed one more goal to make it to the finals, and they had about 13 minutes to do it. The next 10 minutes were the turning point of the match. The Predators had 5 or 6 chances, but were just one step or one pass short of scoring, but instead of getting frustrated, they kept pushing the ball up front for another chance. With about 3 minutes left, Amy sent a pass from about midfield up to the front to Ally, who quickly sent it to the wing where Angel was waiting... Angel one touched a beautiful cross right in front of the goal, where Sara was waiting to push it in the goal....GOOOOOAAAAALLLLL !!!!!
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Four different Predator players touched the ball on that play! Awesome! 2-1 Predators and a chance to take home the Championship! They beat the home-town Starburst on their own field and never, never gave up despite being down 0-1 with only 15 minutes left. Can it get any better than this? ... We will see on Sunday in the Championship!
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