Our second day saw us take on Baldwin, a Hawaiian school who came with a big reputation. We started the game very well and put our opponents on the back foot with some impressive play from Derek and Mayson in midfield. We should have taken the lead with a great break from Jun but unfortunately his shot was saved by the keeper. This relentless pressure by YIS continued for the opening stages of the game but then errors started to creep into our play and we lost our composure. We conceded a goal mid way through the first half and that quickly turned into two at the start of the second. Although YIS seemed in control, we made some fundamental mistakes and conceded goals against the run of play.
Some substitutions were made and we began to regain our control. A sublime pass from Mayson saw Derek get the Dragons back into the game. YIS were pushing for an equaliser when the unthinkable happened again. We conceded another sloppy goal. The conditions plus the jet lag proved too much for the Dragons to get back into the game and we ended up losing 3-1.
So our first game ended in defeat. In analysing the game the boys played well in patches and showed a lot of positive play. The heat and jet lag contributed to the result. However, to progress further in this tournament, the Dragons will need to eradicate those fundamental mistakes evident in today’s play.
Its ThanksGiving in the states today but there is no holiday for the boys. A 2 hour practice is planned in the park followed by some hard core swimming on Waikiki beach!!!
David Noon 