The Series is Tied

The AFC vs Thunder (my adult team vs. my youth U-16 team) match was last night at 8 PM and the series is tied 1-1. The adults won 6-0! That's right, 6-0. With the game last year at 4-3, it makes sense to wonder what the differences were this year. There were a few:

1. Ratio: We played 1-2 less women then we normally do. Making the ratio 7:3 or 6:4 depending on the time of the game. Normally we play 5:5. I am not sure this would make a big difference for some other co-ed teams but our men are all college level players (as are a few of the women) so this may have tipped the scales in our favor.
2. Tactics: We played 3 men across our defensive line to manage the U-16 speed. They never adjusted to the fact that through balls down the middle and 1 on 1 encounters were not going to beat the back line. When they attacked on the outside, they exposed us a little bit.
   
3. Mental Preparation: The adults came out with revenge in mind. We were looking to prove that we could compete. I am thinking that the kids came out overconfident a little bit. When the tide turned on them, their overconfidence made it tough to pull through the challenge. So I think mentally, we were more prepared and a bit more mature.
4. Finishing: They hit the post twice, missed about 4 crosses with clean paths to goal and generally were just unable to put shots on target. In fact, the game was almost evenly played. They dominated entire portions. I think that the first 10-15 minutes of both halves we were unable to mount an attack on them. When we did get on the offensive side of the ball, we shot and we finished. They could not. 6-0.

So the darby is tied at 1-1. The rematch next season is going to be a hard fought game.