DAISY 6 - JCWP Yellow 4

In the first game of the day on Saturday, a weakened DAISY team surprised the Yellow Cats in the first half, and the Cats were not able to make up the difference after refocusing midway (i.e. too late) through the game.

Defensively, the Cats struggled in two related aspects of the game. First, the 2-meter defenders overplayed the ball side and got caught on 2-meter's right shoulder, and too often allowed the DAISY hole men to create enough space on their (left) goal side for a safe entry pass. To compound this defensive weakness, the wing defenders were unable to deny either of the following: a) the pass too the too the wing from the flat or point positions, or b) the hole entry pass from the wing. Remember, 2-meter defenders: the first rule of defense is to get to the goal side and overplay the 2-meter's strong shoulder. Then, work on denying the entry pass, but never allow your goal side to be compromised.

On the offensive end, the Cats were sloppy. Several "blind" over-shoulder-passes went straight to DAISY defenders, and several scoring opportunities were squandered with lackluster attempts to finish in front of the goal. In the second quarter, two sequences highlighted a collective passivity. First, the Cats' John Lewis drew an ordinary foul inside the five meter, and the other five Cats responded by floating in place. The same reaction followed an ordinary foul at the right wing. On another occasion, the Cats' Dan Pike was prepared to impose his will when he took a mismatch into 2-meter, but the failure to reverse the ball - even with the opportunity to do so - wasted the opportunity.

By the start of the second half, the Cats recognized, down by a score of 6-1, that an attitude adjustment was in order. And the adjustment showed, as DAISY was shut out for the entire half. The Cats, meanwhile, chipped away at the score, and eventually found themselves within striking distance, down 6-4 with a minute remaining. But two more missed scoring chances were emblematic of the second half, during which the Cats set the tone and imposed their will but were unable to put the bisquit in the basket. The DAISY goalie received several Mikasa tattoes, courtesy of JCWP.

A more disciplined approach in warm-ups can go a long way toward a succesful competition. This does not mean that you have to be some version of the Cobra Kai, but the joviality and jocularity (for you fans of the SAT) should cease when you get on the pool deck. I can remember a team from St. Louis that went out to JO's one year, and played against SoCal (a pretty good team) for a spot in the final eight of the 17U's. The SoCal team was stacked with guys going to UCLA, Irvine, etc. They were lauging and joking and jumping off the bottom in warm-ups, while the guys from St. Louis were all business. The guys from St. Louis led 2-1 after one half, and this was very upsetting for some people, including a certain game official. The point is that no amount of athletic ability will substitute for hard-nosed, focused water polo. And while flipping the switch at halftime will sometimes be enough, it also sometimes will not be.

Coach Hayes