As it neared noon at Youth Sports Inc. two teams in the U12 division, the Fireballs and Mustangs ignored the glaring sun and continued to battle through a long second half. After a high scoring first half, during which the Fireballs grabbed a 3-1 advantage, the second half slowed down and the game ended with the same score.

Fireballs forwad Trent Chamberlain had a big hand, or foot rather, in his team’s offense and was always in the middle of the action. The Fireballs struck first, scoring in the first 10 minutes of action on a smooth cross and finish in the back of the net.

“We scored well today, but still need to work on our passing,” Chamberlain said after the game.

Indeed some passes never found their mark, or were stolen by the opposing Mustangs, but the Fireballs were able to overcome any passing inefficiencies with breakaways and going one-on-one in the box.

Two Mustang players celebrate a goal in the first half that tied the game. They weren't able to hold off the Fireballs though, as they scored two unanswered goals to end the half before taking the victory Saturday at Youth Sports Inc.

The Mustangs scored an equalizer midway through the half, but the celebration was short-lived. Their defenses held at first. Then on a quick counterattack one of the Fireballs players broke free and was able to squeak the ball past the goalkeeper for the go-ahead goal. A third goal shortly before the break gave the Fireballs plenty of cushion for the rest of the game.

Mustang James Kenney, like Chamberlain, thought his team needed to work on their passing before the next game. His teammates Patrick Shields and Xavier Kenney thought their need for improvement was obvious, but that it needed to come on the defensive end.

“We need to communicate to each other better,” Shields said. “Our defense would especially get better if we talked more and knew where everybody was at.”

Players on both teams knew exactly what they wanted to work on in practice during the next week, but it was the Fireballs who came away with the win. After the high noon showdown was all said and done most players headed straight for water bottles, Gatorades or air-conditioned cars.

But some stuck on the field and worked on their ball handling skills or goofed around with kids from other teams. Either way, soccer was still on their minds, either in the form of game-planning or simply not wanting to leave the field.