Our game of the week saw Scrappy Dogs and RazzMaTazz face off in Indoor Women’s O30 play.

It was clear from the get go that both teams were here to play. In the early minutes, strong defense on both sides kept the ball primarily in the middle of the field, preventing either team from any real scoring threat. As time went on, Scrappy Dogs found their rhythm, moving the ball around well, and slowly began to dominate possession.

The first goal-scoring opportunity came when the RazzMaTazz goalkeeper fumbled a save that was picked up by Scrappy Dogs, but the forward would kick the ball wide of the goal. Not too long after, the Scrappy Dogs continued pressure paid off when Patti latched onto a ball kicked off the wall by her teammate to score. This goal started off a Scrappy Dogs run. They added a second moments after their first, and then a third resulting from some excellent passing between Stephanie and Vivian who eventually slotted it home. Scrappy Dogs added another from a long ball, which was played from defense, and then one more as Edie made an excellent run down the middle, passing if off to a teammate on her left who placed a neat cross to the center, which was then tapped into the net.

RazzMatazz never allowed the score to thwart their efforts, and they started to build a rhythm towards the end of the half. Their determination bore fruit when Sarah dribbled past a Scrappy Dogs player and found the back of the net. They finished off the half with another when the RazzMaTazz goalkeeper instructed her players to move forward, subsequently kicking a beautiful long pass to Sarah who turned on her inside and landed a shot.

The first half ended 5-2.

As the second half commenced, Scrappy Dogs took control of the game once again, scoring early. But, RazzMaTazz eventually picked up the intensity. The team held possessions and were composed on the ball, launching a barrage of shots on goal. The opposing goalkeeper however, made one diving save after the other, denying them at seemingly every turn.

Mid-way through the second half the game was equally balanced, with both teams having possession and moving the ball around well, resulting in end to end action.  In the last third of the game, a Scrappy Dogs player was able to dribble past two defenders, used the wall for a teammate and calmly slotted the ball into the back of the net to extend their lead. Edie added another as a result of some good passing and an excellent turn and shot. Despite being down by a considerable score, RazzMaTazz continued to press on. They were awarded a free kick in the opponents half of the field. The ball was kicked off the wall to land perfectly in front of the RazzMaTazz striker who blasted it into the roof of the net. RazzMaTazz added another before the final whistle, thanks to a brilliant move by their striker who lobbed the ball over the defender while it was in the air, controlled it and took a powerful shot, which was initially saved but a failed stop allowed the ball to eventually crawl into the net.

The game ended 8-4 in favor of Scrappy Dogs.

The Game of the Week comes from our 8v8 Co-ed league and features T-Birdz and Blacked Out.

Immediately you could see the skillfulness and competiveness from both sides, which always makes for a fun game to watch. Early on, neither team dominated possession, and there were back and forth individual battles all across the field.

Blacked Out opened up scoring midway through the first half. The forward coolly collected a bouncing ball into the box and put it away with ease. T-Birdz equalized minutes later when some nice passing around the top of the box led to a solid shot into the bottom corner of the net. Blacked out would take back the lead as their midfielder played a beautiful ball in to his forward who then created space for himself and hit it across his body into the far post’s side netting. Blacked Out would score once more to end the half up 3-1.

In the second half it would be T-Birdz who would score first off a great counter-attack starting with their goalie. After this goal, T-Birdz began to dominate and maintain possession in Blacked Out’s half of the field, connecting passes beautifully. However, with both keepers having amazing games, T-Birdz struggled to convert on their chances. With around 10 minutes left in the game, T-Birdz possession paid off as they found the back of the net to tie things up. Shortly after the tying goal, T-Birdz’ Vinny Nyguen took the ball up the field with a touch like Messi and ripped a shot off the outside of his foot and into the back of the net. With T-Birdz now up 4-3 with only a few minutes left, it was a tense ending as Blacked Out pushed to equalize. But in the end T-Birdz defense held strong to keep the lead.

After being down 3-1, the T-Birdz came back to win 4-3 in impressive fashion. The game was tense, full of talent, and an overall fun game to watch. We’re excited to see what the rest of our 8v8 league season has to offer.

The game of the week comes to you from the Coed D indoor league.  With the Spring session in full swing, both teams came prepared for battle.

Early in the seventh minute the action started with the Old Folks Home working the ball up from the defensive third and challenging the Panthers Goalkeeper.  A ricocheted shot off the back wall led to a nicely executed volley, but the Panther defense denied them of a goal.  The first goal came from a quick counter-attack; Robley Jama of the Panthers found the back of the net after his teammate played him a perfectly weighted through ball to him in the eighth minute.  Old Folks Home responded well to the goal, and a short one minute later Jason Soper found the back of the net after skillfully dribbling around two defenders and slicing it past the last line of defense, the Panthers goalkeeper.  Old Folks home began to pick up the intensity, which lead to them scoring two more goals before halftime.  The game went into halftime with a score of 3-1 in favor of Old Folks Home.

The second half started off with passion and the Panthers were solid in the defensive third.  The Panthers goalkeeper had multiple phenomenal saves.  He acted as an unbreakable brick wall in front of the net stopping three shots in a row.  In the twelfth minute Old Folks Home had a free kick 18 yards out, the first attempt on goal was denied, but the rebound was slotted back post to take the score to 4-1.  A short thirty seconds later, the Panthers found themselves in a quick counter-attack.  A lovely shot, slotted to the back post, sixteen yards out brought the game back within reach for the Panthers.  With four minutes remaining the Old Folks had two successful wall passes to move the ball up the field and beautifully put the ball in the back of the net to clench, what would be the game winner.  With a lot of time left in the season, one can be sure that the Panthers will find chemistry within their team and that the Old Folks Home will see continued success.

GOTW (4/3/13) Tom Ace vs. Man U
The Game of the Week comes to you from our Wednesday Men’s Indoor League. Tom Ace faced off with Man U in their second game of the spring season.
Tom Ace started the scoring off quickly. The first goal came off a quick counter-attack; Tom Ace’s keeper rolled the ball to his defender and then the defender played an absolutely perfect ball through-ball to Matt Carnell for an easy goal. Tom Ace really began to pick up the pace and play with amazing team chemistry. They seemed to find even the smallest of gaps in Man U’s defense and exploit them. This led them to a 3-0 lead in the first 13 minutes of play. With 2 minutes left in the half, Man U was awarded a penalty kick and Jesus Vasquez buried it into the bottom left corner confidently. Unfortunately for Man U, Matt Carnell for Tom Ace was able to put another one in the back of the net with just 58 seconds left in the first half. The game went into half time with a score of 4-1 in favor of Tom Ace.
Tom Ace begins the action quickly again in the second half. Brandon Laverne was about 6 yards out when he skillfully scored a diving header off of a rebound, making it a 5-1 game. Man U got their 2nd goal on the 15-minute mark, cutting the lead back to 3. At this point in the second half you could tell that both teams looked a little more fiery and competitive. However, unfortunately for Man U, they were just not able to keep up with Tom Ace’s quick passing style of play. Tom Ace went on a streak and scored 3 goals in the next few minutes. They were able to connect passes, which created great scoring opportunities. With just a couple minutes left they put it two more to give the game a final score of 10-2.
The score may suggest that the match was completely one sided, but this was not the case. Both teams had great opportunities to score and both teams had great talent and skill. In the end, Man U just did not possess the same team chemistry and efficiency that Tom Ace did, and that really made all the difference. Tom Ace has been together for a long time; at least two of the players have been playing together since they were 10-years old! On the other hand, Man U has been together for just one game. They are a new team with a lot of talent and as soon as they create the same type of team chemistry that Tom Ace possesses, they will be a dangerous team.

Game of the Week, GOTW (03/28/13)
ECS-La Barra FC vs. Flying Fish– Thursday Coed D Outdoor

 

ECS Labarra and The Flying Fish faced off in our GOTW. This was the first match to open up league play for our Outdoor Coed Thursday league, and what a great start it was.

The game kicked off under the lights on a cool 60 degree night, no breeze or clouds to be found; a perfect beginning to the Spring season. Immediately after the kick-off, the action started. The Flying Fish pressed hard and fast into ECS Labarra’s half. This coed game had a very competitive atmosphere – the tackles were hard and the passes were crisp. The first goal for The Flying Fish came off of a free kick near the sideline. The ball was whipped in with some pace and after being knocked down in the 6-yard box, a striker for The Flying Fish calmly slotted the ball into the back of the net. The Flying Fish continued knocking the ball around and maintaining most of the possession. Not long after their first goal, The Flying Fish’s second goal came from Luke Ricci. He found himself with a few yards of space about 25 yards out and saw that the keeper was coming off his line, so he chipped it over him to put The Flying Fish up 2-0. The Flying Fish got their third when the striker, Colin, shot an absolute missile off of the bottom of the cross bar and into the goal. The half ended with 3-0 lead for The Flying Fish.

Although The Flying Fish dominated the first half, the second half was a whole new game. You could tell that ECS Labarra was finding their rythym and learning to connect with each other. The ECS was able to string passes together in a structured attack like they were unable to do in the first half. Both teams had their opportunities throughout the second half, but the fourth goal of the match did not come until about the 80-minute mark. A striker for The Flying Fish received the ball right on the corner of the 6-yard box and ripped a shot near post for a goal. This did not discourage ECS Labarra at all. Their pressure continued and you could see the purpose in their passes. Soon after being scored on, ECS Labarra was awarded a free kick from about 35 yards out. It was driven into the box with pace and when a defender for The Flying Fish tried to get a head on it, the ball was deflected into his own goal, making the score 4-1. The game ended just minutes after.

The Flying Fish is definitely a team to watch in our Outdoor Coed Thursday league. They play fast and well together.

ECS Labarra did not take home a win, but being their first time playing together, they should be very pleased with their progress. They improved drastically in 90 minutes, we are looking forward to seeing what they do this season.

Game of the Week, GOTW (03/14/13)
Barclay Boys vs. Arsenal – Wednesday Men’s C Upper Finals

This week’s Game of the Week saw Barclay Boys and Arsenal face off in the Men’s C Indoor Championship. The season had been hard fought for both these teams, adding buzz and excitement surrounding this game. Barclay Boys wasted no time in making their presence known, scoring within the first five minutes off a long-range effort. While appearing slightly rattled at first, Arsenal came back strong. A notable force for Arsenal in the first half was Oscar, who would go on to score a hat tirck before during the first half. Barclay boys would land one more in the back of the net, but Arsenal would quickly respond as Garcia knocked one in off an exceptional individual effort with 20 seconds remaining in the first half.

The second half opened with a quick series of passes and a brisk goal by Barclay Boys. Arsenal seemed a little fatigued, leaving too many holes at the back and the Barclay Boys took full advantage by scoring a couple of goals in quick succession. Both teams started to settle into the game again and find their rhythm with some great attacking play on both ends of the field. Oscar upped his goal count to 4 when e latched on to a pin point pass from Garcia to add to his goal tally. Barclay Boys piled on the pressure and controlled possession for the bulk of the second half, while Arsenal focused their efforts on defending their thin lead. Despite Arsenal’s best defending efforts, Barclay Boys were able to score two more goals, tying the game. There were a couple of anxious moments at the back for Arsenal in the last minute of the game as Barclay Boys continued to press, but Arsenal’s goalkeeper made a few magnificent stops to send the 8-8 tie into extra time.

Extra time saw both teams playing it safe, not wanting to push too many men forward for fear of leaving their defense exposed and susceptible to a counter attack. As a result, extra time ended with no new advancement, and the fate of the match would be determined on penalties. Three kicks were to separate victor from second best. Both teams had their first attempts saved, and both were able to convert their second. On the third round Arsenal found the back of the net while the Barclay Boys dribbled the ball right into the arms of the goalkeeper to secure the Championship for Arsenal.

GOTW (3/5/13)
The GOTW comes from the indoor co-ed C league, featuring LTFC and Sparkle FC, ranked 2nd and 3rd respectively. This season is up for grabs and it has been a tight race between the top four teams, so this match was cut out to be an exciting one. After just a few minutes the action started when Jason Kenway dribbled from the halfway line and scored a skillful goal for Sparkle FC. His teammates put another two in the net soon after. Although LTFC were putting up a strong fight and making it difficult, Sparkle FC seemed to find the back of the net with every strike. Jason Kenway scored again right before the close of the second half to make it 4-0.
The second half opened up and the LTFC goalie, Calli Bergstrom, was tested as Sparkle FC attacked from every angle. She had over 10 saves in the second half alone. Sparkle FC continued to attack while LTFC began to find their rhythm and produce some great offense, making it an exciting match to watch. LTFC’s first and only goal came just around the 15-minute mark in the second half by way of Kyle Summers. He found himself on a break away and slotted it brilliantly past Sparkle FC’s keeper.
The game ended with an 8-1 win for Sparkle FC. However, LTFC can take pride in the fact that it was a hard fought game and much closer than the score suggests. Jason Kenway is named MVP of tonight’s match not only because of his hat trick, but because of the way he was able to facilitate the action on the field.
Sparkle FC will face off against Saints in the league championship next Tuesday. Saints upset the league front runner, Pain in the Grass, with a 4-1 win to advance.

In this week’s Game of the Week, Snowmen took on Tickle Muffins in our Sunday night Men’s 8v8 league. While Tickle Muffins put in a valiant effort playing a man down for much of the match, Snowmen would prevail 3-1.

In this week’s Game of the Week, Big Al Brewing FC squared off against Thirty Seconds to Goal in our Thursday Coed Outdoor league. Big Al Brewing FC carved out several chances during the match, but they were unable to convert any against their rivals. A goal in each half from Thirty Seconds to Goal was enough to separate the two sides in a 2-0 victory for the visitors. Check out this week’s Game of the Week!

In our most competitive Coed Indoor League at Starfire Sports, Vacca Patrol and OGs played out a thrilling match on Tuesday night. The first portion of the match was back and forth between the two sides, but as the game wore on OGs began to create some separation between their rivals Vacca Patrol. OGs took down the match 8-4. Check out the enthralling encounter in this week’s Game of the Week!