//fall+winter re-cap

REEEE-MIIIIX // Below are the practice/tourney re-caps from our FALL and WINTER seasons! the ATL has been very busy over the last 6 months - WHEW! With all of the practicing/scrimmaging/tournaments, we are READY TO LEAP into our Spring seasons!! (CHECK OUT the official FALL+WINTER WRAP-UP below!)

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JANUARY 23 - ICEBREAKER TOURNAMENT

COACH JILLIAN on TOURNAMENT:
"We had another freezing day in Atlanta, but that didn't stop us! We steamrolled through the initial rounds and semis', getting better every game - YEAH!! In the finals we ended up playing against a loud, rough and tough hot pink team. While our skill, sportsmanship and heart shined bright, we learned that we cannot let our hearts and emotions over ride our skill. This will make us better players in the end and when we meet them again we will rise above! Congrats on being the runner ups!

SHOUT OUTS
KATIE COX – awesome defensive positioning girl! You stood strong and successfully helped clear the ball from the defensive end, which helped us get more goals!!! Love your enthusiasm too!!
JENNA KASMARIK – She scores hi, low, low to high, high to low, side arm, around the back!!!!!!!! Whoooooo! The goalies didn't know where you were going - love it!!!!!!!!!

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JANUARY 9-10 - ANCIENT CITY WINTER TOURNAMENT

COACH JILLIAN on TOURNAMENT:
“AWESOME job at the Ancient City Winter Tournament girls!!”

The ATL girls had a great time in Jacksonville, FL! The tournament held true to its name as it was FREEEEEEZING! We played 4 different teams from 2 from Florida and one from the Midwest and North Carolina. We fought with heart every game and learned or tried something new each time. Everyone hustled and rotated positions all over the field – as we didn't have any subs! One shout out goes to Rachel Joseph who was a defensive anchor and speed demon on midfield!

Our toughest game was the very first one- as it was probably the coldest part of the the day. After we warmed up a bit (if possible) we did a better job communicating on defense. We started to move the ball better on transition, giving our defense a trail if they got double teamed. Offensively, we were able to settle the ball down and SCORE!! Wahooo!! Another shout out goes to Anna Jump who rallied the team when we were down and hustled at every position on the field!
Saturday night we had a fun pizza dinner @ Peppe's along with the Xteamers!!
Overall we had an awesome time!!

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JANUARY 3 - PRACTICE

COACH JILLIAN on PRACTICE:
"Happy New Year ATLers!!!!!! Cheers to those that braved the cold today, dusted off their sticks, and prepared for the Ancient City Winter Tournament! Uniforms were also handed out. If you missed practice, you will get your uniform the next event t hat you attend."

WHAT WE WORKED ON
Conditioning- start getting in shape NOW for your upcoming school seasons!! We did lots of sprints and stickwork. We then did some modified scrimmaging, which again worked on conditioning!!

THINGS WE DID WELL
You all didn't complain once about the cold- how could you ? You never stopped moving!! Way to jump right in and get the kinks out early!

THINGS WE NEED TO WORK ON
We need to continue work on our conditioning for upcoming tournaments and games. We also need to focus on tightening up our stick skills. Remember, even if you have a break away, someone could check you from behind- keep your head on a swivel and draw your stick in between your shoulders.

SHOUT OUTS
SENIORS – Connor Sullivan, Allie Ware, Callie Wheatley- thanks for coming and keeping the pace up!!!!
EMILY JAMES – Way to stand your ground in goal! You are a wall girl!!
ANNA JUMP - Great speed during sprints! You kept it up all the way through practice- way to go hard!!!!

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NOVEMBER 15 - PRACTICE

COACH JULIE on SCRIMMAGE:
“Great practice this weekend! Hope you all had fun!!”

WHAT WE WORKED ON
We focused on double teaming, passing and moving in the 7v7 format. We talked about the fact that it was a fast paced game and that you need to take advantage of the settled attack b/c if the ball is turned over it comes right back down to the goalie.

THINGS WE DID WELL
You all listened, took risks, brought great attitudes, worked hard AND HAD FUN!!!

THINGS WE NEED TO WORK ON
Since we struggled with the settled offense, we need to learn to take control, settle the ball, and start cuts through. Remember, when you settle the ball, it doesn't mean stalling or sitting on the ball. You need to keep it moving around the offense and keeping the defense busy. Or they will steal it away from you!! We discussed how to use general words (help right, help left, slide) to talk about double teaming on defense.

SHOUT OUTS
MADDIE SEILOFF - knowing how to pull out and set up.
EMILY JAMES - great job in goal when at times there was no action!
SARAH VENABLE - never gave up, worked 110% and tried some new stuff!

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NOVEMBER 15 - UGA SCRIMMAGE

COACH JILLIAN on SCRIMMAGE:
"YOU GIRLS ROCK - WOW! What a scrimmage! With a combination of ATL and XTEAM, we dominated over the 8th ranked UGA!"
PLAYER SHOUTOUTS
LINDSAY BRINKER – the BRINKER is BACK!!!!!!! There is no stopping her on a clear!
LYDIA CASSADA – A threat on offense. Fabulous stick skills and a powerful shot!
ERIN FLAGG – Dominated the draw and tore down the field. UGA could not keep up!
AMANDA LOCKWOOD – The interception queen!
CLAIRE ENGLISH - A feeding frenzy from behind the cage!

COACH TARA on SCRIMMAGE:
WHAT WE DID WELL
-Tackling back was KEY - the attackers that played aggressive, went for interceptions, put pressure on the ball coming out of the defensive zone really created a ton of turnovers and in result GOALS for us! Great job!
- The goalies did a fabulous job making saves
- Defense was loud and communicating well
- The draws were incredible! ATL Lax definitely beat UGA Club in terms of draw stats which is very important - the more draws, the more possessions, and the more opportunities to score and thus WIN the game!
By focusing on what we are strong at - draws, aggressive play throughout the field, and loud defense, we can continue to have successes against teams -- these 3 aspects of the game help contribute greatly to wins as you girls saw today! Congratulations!

WHAT WE NEED TO WORK ON
- We need to keep MOVING on attack. It is okay to "settle the ball" and give the middies a rest by just passing around the perimeter - but keep your feet moving, keep cutting through and moving the ball quickly. If you are next to the ball, cut through! Keep the defense busy by moving around - you may even feel a little funny doing this, but bounce around in place, do a fake cut and then cut again, dodge your defender and change directions - you want the defense to go crazy and be overwhelmed by your movement - once they become confused, they loose players, focus and sight of the ball - giving YOU the attackers to do my favorite thing, score! As soon as we became static (not moving and just standing passing the ball) the defense took advantage and went for the checks - stripping us of the ball.
- Also – KEY - it has to become a habit as an attacker, ALWAYS make sure someone is behind for the side line on shots that go wide - this is a really unfortunate turnover when no one is behind.
- Defense - your head needs to be on a swivel - never stop looking around and seeing the entire field space - see the BALL, your girl, and the player next to you...anticipation will get you more involved as a defender!

PLAYER SHOUTOUTS
You girls are a great group and a lot of fun to watch, I am so proud of your success today - there is clearly a LOT of natural talent and potential. I really encourage all of you to keep playing/ practicing on your own, with teams, and friends as much as possible.
ERIN FLAGG & AMANDA LOCKWOOD - I was really impressed with the draws, speed and tackling back, you guys really opened up some great opportunities for ATL!
REBECCA SIEGELMAN & LANIE DINARDO - way to stop collegiate level players!
ALLISON THOMPSON & LINDSEY BRINKER - great aggression back there and defensive talk!
LYDIA CASSADA - way to go with your tucked in stick and face dodges as you were able to beautiful rocket off some great shots!
CLAIRE ENGLISH - way to use your height when tackling back and putting on pressure.

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OCTOBER 18 - PRACTICE

COACH JILLIAN on PRACTICE:

WHAT WE DID WELL
- We got in a lot of stickwork!!!
- Four man two ball helped us keep our stick between our shoulders.

WHAT WE WORKED ON
- We worked on settled defense.
- Lots of talking- ball, help, slide.
*Remember the triangle and seeing the ball at all times when playing defense.

PLAYER SHOUTOUTS

EMILY JAMES- Our middle school goal keeper. Great moving in the goal- stopped a shot from Tara!!! Wahooooo!!
SARAH VENABLE- Awesome intensity throughout the defensive drills and our 7v7 !!!

We also had the opportunity to meet Tara Schoen, a Harvard grad and lacrosse player. She helped us focus on strong defensive skills. She runs a program called www.girlsgotdreams.com. Check it out!!

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OCTOBER 17 - FLEET FALL FUN

COACH JILLIAN on TOURNAMENT:
"Through the mud, rain and cold, we won all 5 of our games, including the playoff game! We beat Carolina Revolution 13-4!!!! ATL WON THE TOURNAMENT...way to go girls!!!!!!"

PLAYER SHOUTOUTS
Madison Bluhm, Katie Ciardello, Katie Cox, Alex Crawford, Reagan Foster, Jennifer Hennelly, Lindsay Kytle, Caitlin Palanza, Erin Palanza, Megan Patterson, Madison Rudnick, Annie Ruland, Erin Shwartzenfeld, Allison Thompson, Carolyn Whalen. All 15 girls played with intensity throughout the day- it was truly a team effort!!

MADISON RUDNICK - A fighter on midfield, smart field sense and put the ball in the back of the net with authority!! You go girl!!
CAROLYN WHALEN - exhibited team leadership and consistent, smooth midfield transition. She rolled her way through the defense for several clean and precise shots!!
ERIN PALANZA - who strategically claimed HER goal each game...do you think any other team noticed that?? She deserved it, as she played every single one of our games. What a trouper!!!

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SEPTEMBER 13 - PLAYDAY

WHAT WE DID WELL:
- Both teams did an excellent job moving the ball up field in transition.

WHAT WE WORKED ON:
- We worked on spreading out the offense, running through the ground balls and controlling our checks.

PLAYER SHOUTOUTS:
CANDICE BROWN - great field positioning!!! Made smooth, connecting passes in transition. Well done!
MADDIE SEILOFF - awesome on getting the ball from the draw and moving it to the attack. Kept the pressure on the defense by continuously attacking the goal!
JENNA KASMARIK (XTEAM) - No one would know this girl was recovering from a consussion!! She was unstoppable on attack.
AJ ATHANAS(XTEAM) played with consistency up and down the field- you go girl!

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AUGUST 23 - OPENING DAY

COACH JILLIAN on PRACTICE:
What an awesome day we had!!! You all were fantastic! We couldn't have asked for a better day to kick off the 2009 ATL season!!!! Loved the intensity and hard work from the plyos through the stations + skills ... to the crazy, fast paced scrimmaging!!!

SHOUT OUTS:
A HUGE shout out to our HOT PINK BOUNCE COACHES - LC and Marissa!!!! They LOVE Atlanta and can't wait to come back!

Also to our UH-MAZING LOCAL COACHES - Jess, Julie and Lexie!!!

We all had such a great time getting to know all of you ... and we can't wait to see your smiling faces at the NEXT ATL LAX PRACTICE! YEAH!