Headlines
- Summer Camp Sign Ups
- Chipotle Night
- In-House Field Sizes
- Second Week of Inter-Community Play Results
Summer Camp Sign Ups
We are so excited to invite David Falvius back this summer for another training camp. David comes to us with over 15 years of professional experience and 17 years of coaching in the Greater Pittsburgh Area. David is a Riverhounds Veteran and has competed in CONCACAF qualifier tournament games among other accolades. The camp will be one evening per week over the course of the summer. This is the Shaler Soccer Club’s recognized summer program.
For More Information and pricing please go to our Club Site.
There have been fliers circulated from other programs that incorrectly identify as a Shaler program but they have not been endorsed by the club and are completely independent from Shaler Soccer Club. While we encourage any developmental opportunities, we are not associated with any programs outside of Complete Moves for summer training.
Chipotle Night
Shaler Soccer Club is a community club. What that means is our focus is on the community. We strive to provide a complete soccer training/competitive gaming program for all in our Shaler community. We do this by offering low cost programs run by, administered by, coached by and otherwise supported by volunteers and our club families.
We have an opportunity this coming weekend for a time together in the community. Chipotle is offering a Shaler Soccer Club night Saturday April 20thfrom 4-8pm, where those that present a flier will have a portion of their bill donated to the club for equipment and further club development. This is a great time to come out together for some team/club bonding.
For More Information and for the printable flier, please go to our Club Site.
In-House Field Sizes
If you have walked onto the fields this spring, you will notice some things right away. Firstly, some fields remain closed or partially closed, goals are configured differently, and if you are playing at Denny you will notice a complete refresh of the field layout. In-house programs have been placed on new fields this season with the most notable difference being positioning and sizing. The U5 fields have shifted away from the concession stand to attempt to prevent from the swampy ground that consumed two fields in the fall. U6 has been shifted sideways and oriented lengthwise between the U5 and the U12/U8 fields to allow for larger fields of play. Finally, the U8 fields have grown in size and have been lined within the U14 field primarily to allow for more space and the club’s desired introduction to goal keeping.
One of the biggest pieces of feedback we have received year over year is the culture shock that comes with moving from U6 to U8 and more impactful U8 to U10. The primary driver is the field size and focus on positioning.
The club’s refreshed focus in 2019 has been on improving the player/parent/coaches experience from the first time they step on the field to the final time the step off. In an effort to help manage the the challenges with the younger players moving up, our new field manager with the support of the board elected to increase the size of the U8 fields for the following reasons.
- It helps the players adapt to the larger playing fields of U10
- It promotes players staying in position instead of bunching and following the ball as in younger age groups
- It allows for the introduction of build out lines, goal keeping, corner/goal kicks and other aspects of the gameplay that come as a shock when making the transition to the inter-community leagues.
In the fall the club is strongly considering adopting the grassroots model of training with more information to come in the following weeks. While the grass roots program is at the core a solid training program, it is indeed a training course, which should be completed through out the weekly practices and is a great form of building foot skills. That being said, the weekend program is designed with a format to introduce the U8 players to some advanced portions of the game.
All in all, we hope that you and your in-house players are finding the adjusted field size fun and challenging as the season kicks off. By season’s end, the additional conditioning the players receive will only help them in the fall!
Second Week of Inter-Community Play Results
U10 Boys
Bennie:Team Bennie played a strong game against Avonworth Saturday on their turf field. The team had to adapt to the surface change as well as the field width and even with these obstacles, they grabbed their first goal of the season. Although the outcome wasn’t in Team Bennie’s favor when the whistle blew, the boys held strong and sent a message to the district 2 teams that they are here to play!
Marsula:10-1 Victory over Pine Richland left Coach Marsula incredibly proud of his teams efforts. Transitioning to attacks kept the Pine Richland team on their heals and the stellar defensive efforts of Team Marsula kept their opponents advances to a minimum.
Schmidt:Another strong effort by Team Schmidt held Fox Chappel to a close goal margin. Although they fell short on the scoreboard, the team is really starting to gain their stride.
U10Girls
Bianchi:Another stellar showing by team Bianchi Saturday when they shutout Avonworth to a 6-0 win! Shut-Down defense and offensive zone passing were the keys to success. Coach Bianchi is very proud of his girls.
Crider:Team Crider faced a tough Hampton team this week and pulled out a 7-3 victory. Although the halftime score showed Shaler up by 4, the girls did not relax their efforts.
Fuscaldo:Team Fuscaldo fell to North Hills in a close contest.
U12 Boys
Quinn:Team Quinn with a terrific effort on a sloppy field propelled the team to a 7-4 victory over Avonworth. Four different players scored and one with a hat trick.
Rios:Team Rios cements their 2-0 record with a 5-1 victory over North Hills. With three scoring players and one player notching a hat trick, Coach Rios was very excited about the team’s performance.
Sidick:In a tough game in the rain, Team Sidick fell to Old Allegheny in a close match up. Last minute field changes and the less than stellar field conditions challenged the team, but with a strong defensive effot, the boys were able to hold Old Allegheny to a score gap of two.
U12 Girls
Paladin:In a decisive 6-2 victory over Fox Chapel, the girls of Team Paladin inch along on their undefeated streak.
Crider:Tri-City left Shaler with a win over Team Crider. Even though the score board didn’t show it, the girls played hard and hung in there until that final whistle blew.
U14 Boys
Salego:Game Rained Out at Pine Richland, to be rescheduled
U14 Girls
Wilkins:In a close match against Fox Chapel, Team Wilkins scores with 10 minutes left of play. With a strong defensive effort, the girls hold Fox Chapel off and mark another Shaler victory in the record books.
U19
Heere:Game Rescheduled with North Allegheny
***If you capture game time photos and want to share them with the club, please post them to our Facebook account. ***