Our game of the week saw Scrappy Dogs and RazzMaTazz face off in Indoor Women’s O30 play.
It was clear from the get go that both teams were here to play. In the early minutes, strong defense on both sides kept the ball primarily in the middle of the field, preventing either team from any real scoring threat. As time went on, Scrappy Dogs found their rhythm, moving the ball around well, and slowly began to dominate possession.
The first goal-scoring opportunity came when the RazzMaTazz goalkeeper fumbled a save that was picked up by Scrappy Dogs, but the forward would kick the ball wide of the goal. Not too long after, the Scrappy Dogs continued pressure paid off when Patti latched onto a ball kicked off the wall by her teammate to score. This goal started off a Scrappy Dogs run. They added a second moments after their first, and then a third resulting from some excellent passing between Stephanie and Vivian who eventually slotted it home. Scrappy Dogs added another from a long ball, which was played from defense, and then one more as Edie made an excellent run down the middle, passing if off to a teammate on her left who placed a neat cross to the center, which was then tapped into the net.
RazzMatazz never allowed the score to thwart their efforts, and they started to build a rhythm towards the end of the half. Their determination bore fruit when Sarah dribbled past a Scrappy Dogs player and found the back of the net. They finished off the half with another when the RazzMaTazz goalkeeper instructed her players to move forward, subsequently kicking a beautiful long pass to Sarah who turned on her inside and landed a shot.
The first half ended 5-2.
As the second half commenced, Scrappy Dogs took control of the game once again, scoring early. But, RazzMaTazz eventually picked up the intensity. The team held possessions and were composed on the ball, launching a barrage of shots on goal. The opposing goalkeeper however, made one diving save after the other, denying them at seemingly every turn.
Mid-way through the second half the game was equally balanced, with both teams having possession and moving the ball around well, resulting in end to end action. In the last third of the game, a Scrappy Dogs player was able to dribble past two defenders, used the wall for a teammate and calmly slotted the ball into the back of the net to extend their lead. Edie added another as a result of some good passing and an excellent turn and shot. Despite being down by a considerable score, RazzMaTazz continued to press on. They were awarded a free kick in the opponents half of the field. The ball was kicked off the wall to land perfectly in front of the RazzMaTazz striker who blasted it into the roof of the net. RazzMaTazz added another before the final whistle, thanks to a brilliant move by their striker who lobbed the ball over the defender while it was in the air, controlled it and took a powerful shot, which was initially saved but a failed stop allowed the ball to eventually crawl into the net.
The game ended 8-4 in favor of Scrappy Dogs.
