AKITA 32 - 9 HKUST (11 - 4)

4th win for AKITA After the previous week where the AKITA team struggled to quick start the match, the coaches and players were focused on having a strong performance in the first few minutes. The HKUST Team is made of students from the eponym university where they enjoy the facilities to train every week and are sometime joined in their training by members of the first division HKUST (former students of HKUST). the AKITA team expected a well in place team with a good knowledge of each other and some reasonable bench. The starting 7 was as follow (from left to right) Yoann (5), PA (11), Ulf (20), Hans (14), Rolf (12) with Alex (9) on the line and Markus (74) in the goal. Wan (28), David (18) and Lars (78) were waiting on the bench ready to step in. HKUST won the toss (4 matches and still no toss won for AKITA) and decided to start with the ball. After few moments of observations including an AKITA shoot on the post, PA opened the score passing through the middle of the defence. Continuing on some success from the previous match the AKITA team was working to give opportunities to the left side for PA and Yoann. PA scored a penalty for his third goal and Yoann added one to make the score 4 : 0. Using the pressure created by their early lead, the AKITA team was proving dangerous from all sides with Hans and Ulf increasing the score and Alex moving well to create opportunities for his team mates and finding the post himself. The HKUST was struggling to create chance from the distance and reacted well by doing interesting moves with the line as well as with entry of second lines. AKITA defenders were quick to concede 9 meters to avoid giving a free shoot on the goal and their keepers stepped in to protect the score. Hans was putting pressure on the HKUST defence through his runs and crosses. A good cross for a PA goal was followed by an interception and a fast break goal. David also scored on a fast break showing speed that would prove lethal in the second half. At half time the score was 11 - 4. The coaches refocused the team on the defense to cut the relationship between HKUST halves and their line. The team talk proved successful as the defence got tighter at the restart and did not concede a single goal before the 10th minutes. The backs where taking responsibility for the shooting with Ulf on the line and David in centre working hard to create space and movement. As Lars was then on the right wing he was launching Hans for crosses, long pass or shoots. On the other end as the HKUST right wing was coming to help its half, PA gave the ball to Rolf on the left wing where a clean finish brought the score to 15 - 4. Two more successive goals from David and the score was reaching 18 -4 before HKUST number 16 scored his third personal goal to stop their dry spell. After one last goal, PA went out for Alex going back to the line with David moving to left half. The score was then 20 - 6 and it was time for an acceleration in the rythm of both teams. With a quarter of the match remaining, David continued to prove his speed in fast breaks adding 2 more goals followed by 2 Hans goals where the keeper did not even move as the ball was going through. Number 15 from HKUST was pushing hard to get something in the match and managed to score the last 3 of his team reaching a score of 26 - 9. With 5 minutes left, it was time for Alex who had been unlucky so far to make a difference scoring 3 in 3 minutes plus one from Ulf. David added his 8th on a great performance and Yoann closed the scoring. Overall a strong performance from the AKITA team with an improved efficiency in the shooting and good roation of players. This will be something to built on as opponents in the new year should get stronger with every match. Have a good rest, thank you for everyone's effort this year and happy year end celebrations! Goals: David 8, PA 7, Hans 6, Ulf 4, Alex 3, Yoann 3, Rolf 1.