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NEWS ABOUT REAL ESTATE IN & AROUND THE CITY OF ST. LOUIS, AS WELL AS NEWS REGARDING SOCCER IN & AROUND THE ST. LOUIS COMMUNITY.
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SSL O-40, 6, VINTAGE UTD, 5 & 7v7 TOURNEY
BLACK SHIRTS CARVE OUT NARROW WIN
POST FIFTH VICTORY IN LAST FIVE
To say this match was nip 'n tuck would be an understatement. Each team traded goals for the first six tallys of the game. Vintage scored early for a 1-0 lead. SSL answered at 1-1. SSL scored the 2nd goal for a 2-1 lead. Vintage answered at 2-2. Then Vintage scored the 3rd goal of the match for a 3-2 lead, but then again SSL answered & tied it at 3. And in spite of sorties by each side for the rest of the half, each keeper turned away all the challengers & the score remained tied 3-3 at the interval. Interestingly, this first half would just be a preview of the way this see-saw match would play out all the way to the final tick of the clock.
With the black shirts continuing to press the attack, counter opportunities presented themselves aplenty for the Vintage side. SSL keeper John Kozuscek had a remarkable match, but on two of these odd man counters, he had no chance. As it got later in the match & SSL having only a single sub (again!!!), fatigue again played a part. The black shirts were slow getting back, & on two of the Vintage counters, they struck paydirt. Lead by striker Nick D'Amato, who had 3 tallys on the evening, they converted these counters into two goals, taking a 5-3 lead late in the 2nd half. Time was running out on the black shirts.
Then the tide started slowly to turn in the form of SSL forward Ken Brigden. Down 5-3, & Vintage pushing up for some add-on goals, Brigden found himself in space with the ball. He turned toward the goal, released a shot & it caromed off a Vintage defender & into the goal. That narrowed the deficit to 5-4 with a little more then 5 minutes left in the match. Bridgen would then be involved in the tying goal as well.
Vintage, in possesion of the ball in their defensive end, was under pressure from Brigden. Brigden then dislodged the ball & fed it directley to an on-rushing Joe Baer, who had two goals on the evening. Baer continued towards the goal & let go with a shot that eluded the keeper & into the back of the net, tying the match at 5. So, with about 5 minutes left in the match & two goals down, the constant pressure of SSL had resulted in two unanswered goals and a tie match. However, the real fireworks were yet to come.
With less then two minutes remaining in the match in a 5-5 game, Vintage had two particularly dangerous sorties that were turned back by Kozsucek, who had another outstanding match turning back 20 to 25 shots & a half dozen of the dangerous variety. On each of the two late chances by Vintage, Kozuscek had to sprawl to turn back shots from unmarked opponents & on one, dove out from the goal where he made the initial save. As the ball bounced crazily in the air, it went behind him where he reached behind him & latched on to it, just as it appeared to be crossing the line & into the goal. Huge! That kept the match tied & the black shirts in the game.
On the ensueing counter, SSL attacked the Vintage goal. Joe Baer, the "man of the match", was making a run to the right of the Vintage goal. He then slotted the ball across the face to a slashing Tim Ford, who one-touched the ball & banged it off the Vintage keeper & into the back of the net for only their 2nd lead of the match at 6-5, & 3rd unanswered goal. As time ticked off the old Bulova, SSL ran out the clock & secured a difficult, back 'n forth, hotly contested victory, solidifying thier hold on 2nd place in the division. It was a truly entertaining, end to end game. Of note was Tim Ford performance, participating in only his 2nd game, notched his 2nd straight game winning tally. Not a bad way to start a session.
Next up will be the Vetta Red side, winless on the session, next Tuesday @ 8:35. A win in this match would secure a championship playoff berth for the black shirts, so it'll be a win that they'll surely covet. Hope to see you there. Thanks for reading.
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SOCCER ST. LOUIS STATS O-40
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NAME
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GAMES
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GOALS
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ASSISTS
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POINTS
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JOE BAER
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5
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4
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7
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15
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GIANNI PENS
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4
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4
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4
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12
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KEN BRIGDEN
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5
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5
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2
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12
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STEVE RANKIN
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3
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5
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1
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11
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TIM FORD
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2
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3
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1
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7
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MICHAEL HARTSOOK
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4
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1
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1
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3
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WALLY STOKES
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5
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0
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1
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3
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STUART INTAGLIATA
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2
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1
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0
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2
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JOHN KOZUSZEK
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5
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0
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1
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1
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ED MUEHLHAUSLER
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2
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0
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1
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1
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Warning: Your facilities tie breaker rules and rankings may not follow the rules above.
SSL TO PLAY AT SOCCER PARK THANKSGIVING WEEKEND
SET TO PLAY IN 7V7 OVER 35 TOURNEY
SSL will participate in the St. Louis Scott Gallagher Thanksgiving Tourney, held at Soccer Park, Friday, 11/27 & Saturday, As information is distributed as to the game times & fields, we'll pass that information along. This will be a great warm-up for the January Mitre Tourney. Hope to see you there. Thanks. |
Posted: 8:46 AM, Nov. 18, 2009 |
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SSL O-30, 8, PLS ZOOM, 2
BLACKS SHIRTS DOMINATE FROM START TO FINISH
UNBEATEN STREAK REACHES SIX
After a scintillating game versus this same PLS Zoom club last week, in a match that ended with a 7-6, breathtaking one goal win for the SSL side, this match was anticlimatic. It was everything that last weeks match wasn't. Except for a few things.
Some of those few things that carried over from last weeks match were the clockwork precision in the explosian of the offense that produced 8 goals on the heels of last weeks 7 goal outburst, & the confident, aggressive game management of the black shirts. Aside from that, it was a different match.
Last weeks Zoom side was a handful. Aggressive in their own right, forceful, physical & quick, they brought their "A" game & threw everything they had at the SSL side. Every SSL goal was answered with a Zoom goal. This week, a different team showed up.
From the outset, the black shirts were quicker, more aggressive, distributed, defended & countered better than the Zoom. That was no small feat considering that the match was played on field #3. Certainly not one of the favorites of the black shirts, but in spite of the small size of the field & their history of underperforming on it, they played perhaps one of thier best matches in this short six game winning streak.
Just a few minutes into the match, Guillermo Cortez, leading scorer of the black shirts, got things started with another of his patented left-footed bombs, putting SSL up 1-0. They would never look back. That first goal started the avalanche. Five different players scored for the black shirts, not the least of which was Edin Coralic, who lately has been a beast, who chipped in with two goals & two helpers. That pressuring offense contributed to a solid first half lead of 5-1, a cushion they would never relinquished.
One of the things that SSL has done exceedingly well as of late is the defense. Consisting of Bernard Anic, Casey Walsh, Mike Hogan & Ronnie Rowden, who also contributed a tally for the match, they marked exceptionally. Typically SSL would have at least four players back defending, with the forwards getting back to help out. Keeper John Kozuscek was called on to make only two difficult saves, far different than last weeks eight or ten.
The black shirts also played dazzling offense. They ran off the ball well, passed well & put an enormous amount of pressure on the Zoom keeper, who was called on to make a multitude of difficult saves. As a result of this pressure, SSL was stubbornly opportunistic, so that when presented with those chances, they were able to finish.
Perhaps two of the prettiest of the eight goals scored on the evening for SSL, involved defender Mike Hogan. On the first, Hogan carried the ball into the right offensive corner. Well marked, he was able to beat his man, turn to his left & serviced a ball directly into the middle of the box, where an on-rushing Jayson Adelsberger hit a one-time lunging header past the keeper & into the back of the net. It was a bang-bang play.
On the second of his two goals, Hogan made a rush out of the back up the middle of the field. Upon reaching the Zoom penalty area, he received a ball from a black shirt stationed in the left hand corner that he one-timed & buried a lazer into the back of the net. It was a beautiful thing. Scoring for the evening: Edin Coralic with 2 goals & 2 helpers; Guillermo Cortez, 2 & 1; Jayson Adelsberger, 2 goals; Mike Hogan, 1 & 1; Ronnie Rowden, 1 goal; Will Suk & keeper John Kozuscek, 1 helper each.
Next up will be a difficult match for the black shirts. Thursday @ 9:30 they'll face the 2nd place club, CD Cobras, who sport only a single loss & a tie. They're always a difficult match. These two teams don't care for one another & always play each other tough. SSL is 5-1-4 overall against the Cobras including a 4-3 win last session. These are always tight, physical, close matches & this upcoming match Thursday should prove to be no different. Hope to see you there. Thanks for reading.
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SOCCER ST. LOUIS STATS O-30
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NAME
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GAMES
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GOALS
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ASSISTS
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POINTS
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GUILLERMO CORTEZ
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5
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9
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4
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22
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EDIN CORALIC
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5
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7
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5
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19
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DAVID HIPPERSON
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4
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5
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8
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18
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JAYSON ADELSBERGER
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5
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8
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2
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18
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MIKE HOGAN
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5
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3
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2
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8
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WILL SUK
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4
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1
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3
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5
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GIANNI PENS
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4
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2
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0
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4
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RONNIE ROWDEN
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4
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1
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2
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4
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BERNARD ANIC
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3
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0
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2
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2
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TONY MEADOWS
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4
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0
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2
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2
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CASEY WALSH
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5
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0
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2
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2
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JOHN KOZUSCEK
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5
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0
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2
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2
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SLADAN KURTOVIC
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1
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0
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0
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0
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Schedule
Warning: Your facilities tie breaker rules and rankings may not follow the rules above.
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Posted: 8:55 AM, Nov. 14, 2009 |
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SSL O-30 & O-40 RESULTS
SSO O-40, 3, LAMPERT, 2
BLACK SHIRTS HANG ON
NOTCH TWO 1 GOAL WINS
This match was unlike any other match that the SSL O-40 side has played since 9/29/09. They had two subs! Not since that September match, one they lost to this same Lampert side, have they had as many as two subs. In the previous 4 matches, SSL fielded 0, 1,1 & now 2 subs. That alone would have been cause for a celebration, had it not been for the victory in this hard-fought, white-knuckle nailbiter of a contest.
In the history of matches between SSL & Lampert in this O-40 division, SSL jumped out to a strong start, winning the first four games. However, SSL then lost the next four, including three last session, resulting in four wins for each side. So, this match last Tuesday would be the tie-breaker. And what a match it was.
The Black Shirts were feeling good about this match, what with two subs & two new players in the form of Ed Muehlhausler & Tim Ford. To further that feeling of confidence, the Black Shirts scored first, &, for that matter, second as well. Ken Bridgen started the scoring for the SSL side with a nice turn to his right with his back to the goal, inside the box & letting go with a quick left-footed shot that found the lower left corner of the goal, getting the black shirts on the board first.
Gianni Pens followed that up with his 4th goal of the campaign & 1st of the evening with a shot from just outside the box that just eluded the Lampert keeper, increasing the black shirts lead to 2-0. Shortly after scoring the 2nd goal of the game, the black shirts dodged a bullet when keeper John Kozcusek snatched a ball off the boards at the corner of the goal, with a Lampert player standing over him, just waiting for the rebound that never came.
They would maintain that lead until the 12 minute mark, when the Lampert side tallied their first goal of the evening, closing the SSL lead to 2-1. Then, just a moment later, in response to the Lampert tally, SSL hit paydirt again.
On a counter from the SSL defensive end, Gianni Pens found himself in a scramble in the box, but still had the composure to get off a shot from the right side. That shot caromed off the crossbar, & back out to the left side of the box where a waiting Tim Ford, showing great patience, one-timed the rebound with a rocket back into the far corner of the net. That upped the SSL lead to 3-1 with only 27 ticks of the old Bulova left in the half, once again regaining that all important 2 goal cushion. They would need it!
With both teams making constant runs up & down the pitch, & generally making life miserable for both keepers, the score remained the same all the way to the interval, with neither side able to add to the score.
In spite of the fact that the black shirts good fortune of having two subs, fatigue would still be a factor. As the match grew late & the SSL players slow getting back, Lampert continued to apply pressure on the defense & in particular the keeper, Kozcusek. Both would rise to the challenge as the match concluded. Lampert continued countering & the attacks ultimately resulted in a ball that an unmarked forward buried in the top right hand corner of the goal, narrowing the lead to 3-2, making everyone's collar just a little tighter.
During the last 5 or 6 minutes of the match, the black shirts were playing keep-away, knocking the ball around, maintaining possession. Sometimes this is good, & others it's bad. If you don't go for the goal, & just maintain the lead & possession, you won't score & perhaps give your opponent an opportunity. On the other hand, if you perform it well, you'll maintain the lead & lock down the win. That was the plan. However, Lampert was having something to say about that.
As successfully as the black shirts performed the keep-away, the Lampert side still got their opportunities. The later in the match it got. the more chances Lampert had. With about 3 minutes left, Kozcusek was called on to make a kick-save to his left, that, had he not made it, would have tied the score. Both Kozcusek & the defense continued to repel the relentless Lampert side, with the keeper saving the bacon again & again.
Then, one of the biggest scares of the match came with only about 5 seconds left. A Lampert player, standing just outside a very crowded SSL box, serviced a crossing ball from right to left, that was bending into the upper left corner, just out of reach of Kozcusek & just out of reach of another Lampert player stationed at the corner of the goal. It continued past the goal & into the corner of the playing field just as time expired. The black shirts were both happy & lucky to be able to hang on, & notch this difficult, well-played, 1 goal win.
With that win, SSL moved back into 1st place with a 3 -1 record. However, the 2nd place team, Triad Painting, having only played 3 matches to the black shirts 4, have a game in hand. However, it's always nice to be in first no matter the game count.
Next up will be Vintage Utd., @ 7:45 & in two weeks, a rematch with this same Lampert side. Soccer isn't just a game, folks, it's an adventure. Thanks for reading.
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SOCCER ST. LOUIS STATS O-40
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NAME
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GAMES
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GOALS
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ASSISTS
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POINTS
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GIANNI PENS
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4
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4
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4
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12
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STEVE RANKIN
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3
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5
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1
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11
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JOE BAER
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4
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2
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5
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9
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KEN BRIGDEN
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4
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3
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1
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7
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WALLY STOKES
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4
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0
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1
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3
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MICHAEL HARTSOOK
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3
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1
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1
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3
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STUART INTAGLIATA
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2
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1
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0
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2
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TIM FORD
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1
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1
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0
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2
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|
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JOHN KOZUSCEK
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4
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0
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1
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1
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ED MUEHLHAUSLER
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1
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0
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0
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0
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Warning: Your facilities tie breaker rules and rankings may not follow the rules above.
SSL O-30, 7, PLS ZOOM, 6
O-30 WIN STREAK REACHES FIVE
SURVIVE SLUGFEST
You may look at the final score of this match & ask, "where was the defense". Don't be mislead. This was an offensive shootout. The goals that were scored weren't the fault of either keeper. The goal scoring was the result of persistant & aggressive offense. In fact, the "Man of the Match" turned out to be the SSL keeper, John Kozcusek. How you say? You should have seen the match.
In spite of SSL holding on to record the well-earned & deserved victory, they were outshot & Kozcusek turned away more than 30 shots for the match. As it was, 3 of the Zoom tallies were on man-advantage counters & a fourth was as a result of a two minute penalty. The black shirts, thru the course of the match, also managed to squander 2 goals leads on two different occaisions, putting Kozcusek in a position where he couldn't make a mistake. It appeared to be one of those matches where the team that scored last would win the match. In fact, it looked like, following the end of the game, as if the Zoom didn't lose, they just ran out of time. It truly was exciting soccer.
Both teams sprinted out of the blocks. These two sides have some history between them, & they came to play. The Zoom drew first blood. Five minutes in, a Zoom forward, who accounted for four of their six goals, hit a bomb from just outside the top left corner of the box. That put the Zoom on top, 1-0. The black shirts would answer quickly.
Gianni Pens got SSL on the board. David Hipperson, controlling the ball down low in the box, let go with a shot the keeper deflected. However, Pens was right there & pounced on the bouncing ball, tucking it into the back of the net for a 1 all score. Then the black shirts caught fire.
Hipperson scored the 2nd SSL goal & first of three straight on a blistering shot from outside the box, giving the black shirts their first lead of the game at 2-1. Edin Coralic then got into the act contributing a goal to the proceedings on a hustle play down in the box, following up on his own rebound & increased the SSL lead to 3-1. It all looked very comfortable. It wasn't.
At about the 10 minute mark of the first half, as a result of an inadvertant handball, SSL was awarded a two minute penalty. While short-handed, SSL could not turn back the Zoom & they scored their 2nd goal of the match, narrowing the score to 3-2. This ignited the Zoom side even further, & sent them on a tear during which they scored two more goals, resulting in their 2nd lead of the game at 4-3. This match was back & forth from start to finish. At that point, momentum had completely vacated the black shirt bench & taken a spot over on the Zoom side. Having squandered a 2 goal lead, taking a two minute penalty that resulted in a Zoom goal & finding themselves behind for the second time in the match appeared to have taken its toll. But, enter Guillermo Cortez.
Late in the first half, trailing by a goal at 4-3, Cortez singlehandedly evened the score. He collected the ball down deep in the corner & worked his way past several defenders toward the top of the box. At that point he had created a little space. It was all he needed. He let go with a left-footed rocket that blew by the keeper into the back of the net, tieing the score at 4. All the black shirts took a deep breath of relief. They were back in the match. The score at the interval was 4-4, & there was more where that came from.
The 2nd half started much as the first half ended, with a goal by the black shirts. Jason Adelsberger got into the act. After being denied all the first half on two or three memorable chances, that would not be the case in the 2nd. Again finding himself in a scramble in the box, he was able to get off a shot that caromed off a couple bodies. But, showing a lot of hustle as he always does, he followed up on the rebound & re-directed it into the vacated goal, giving SSL a coveted 5-4 lead. That lead was short-lived, again.
The Zoom came right back, knocking in their 5th & tieing goal of the match on yet another man-advantage counter. Kozcusek would have no chance. The black shirts thruout the match had pressed the action, getting a lot of chances, taking the lead & continuing to pressure the Zoom. But the Zoom would only bend, not break, & it was game-on at 5-5.
It was a stalemate for much of the rest of the half, with opportunities for both sides, but nothing to show for it. At one point it seemed this match may result in a tie. No, not a chance! As time continued to trickle down, Coralic again put a jolt in the SSL offense. On a seemingly innocent play with about 6 minutes left in the tie game, he collected the ball from a black shirt defender, just between the center line & red line, with his back to the goal. Unmarked, he casually turned, looked up, & let go with a lazer that whistled past the startled Zoom keeper & into the upper left corner of the goal, giving SSL the lead once again at 6-5 in this crazy game. Still, the Zoom kept coming.
With just under 5 minutes remaining, the Zoom cashed in again, scoring thier 6th goal of the match, again knotting the score at 6. This was the third time this match was tied. There were still 4+ minutes left in this game, plenty of time for more fireworks. Those fireworks were happily provided by David Hipperson.
At about the 4 minute mark, Adelsberger was down in the left hand corner of the Zoom end & spied Hipperson at the top box. He turned & gave Hipperson the ball quickly. Hipperson, with his back to the goal at the top right hand corner & marked tightly, turned to his left. But, he couldn't shake the defender. He put one more move on the defender, giving him just enough space to quickly slot the ball into the back of the vacated goal for yet another SSL lead at 7-6 & Hippersons 2nd goal of the match. This lead would finally stand up. But not without some last minute trepidation & heroics on the part of the SSL defense & the keeper Kozsucek as they turned away a couple of last minute desperate attempts.
But, as time wound down to all zeros, the black shirts found themselves riding a modest 5 game winning streak, & maintaining their hold on first place with a 4-0 record. However, that could all change next week. Vetta, with their creative scheduling practices, managed to have SSL play Sinclair & Rush twice in a row earlier this session, & now they find that they are priveleged to play the Zoom twice in a row as well, albeit next Thursdays match will be at 7:05 on everyones favorite field, #3. That will be followed by the SSL session Bar B Q on the parking lot immediately following the match. Hope to see you then. Thanks for reading.
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SOCCER ST. LOUIS STATS O-30
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NAME
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GAMES
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GOALS
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ASSISTS
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POINTS
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DAVID HIPPERSON
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4
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5
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8
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18
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GUILLERMO CORTEZ
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4
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7
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3
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17
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JAYSON ADELSBERGER
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4
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6
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2
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14
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EDIN CORALIC
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4
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5
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3
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13
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MIKE HOGAN
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4
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2
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1
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5
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WILL SUK
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3
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1
|
2
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4
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GIANNI PENS
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4
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2
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0
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4
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|
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RONNIE ROWDEN
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3
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0
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2
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2
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|
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BERNARD ANIC
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2
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0
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2
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2
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TONY MEADOWS
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4
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0
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2
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2
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|
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CASEY WALSH
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4
|
0
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2
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2
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|
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Posted: 12:33 PM, Nov. 8, 2009 |
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TRIAD PAINTING 4, SSL O-40, 3
WINNING STREAK ENDSDROP OUT OF FIRSTThe first match-up between these two sides (this is Triad Painting's first session) went much like it was expected to. SSL was coming off three straight wins including last sessions playoff & Triad was coming off a win & a tie with the tie being a 7-7 shootout. It was thought that this would be a good match, & it proved that it was indeed. As the match unfolded, the players were tightly marked, & one could see that it would be low scoring & played close to the vest. Each team was getting a feel for an opponent they'd never faced. After 12 minutes of the first half the score was still zero zero. That says all you need to know. Once again, as has been the recent theme of the Black Shirts, they started short on players with only 2 subs. That would be a factor late. As it was, the Black Shirts suffered from a missed opportunity early on, when, with the score still zero, zero, Joe Baer collected a ball at the top of the box, turned & headed the short distance to the goal. He was immediately met by two defenders & the keeper. At that moment, Baer, the defenders & the keeper all hit the turf with the ball careening into the back of the net. However, it was a "no goal", with a foul called on Baer. Shortly after, the Painters scored the first goal of the match to take a 1-0 lead on a nice shot from just outside the top right of the box. Then, once again, it was Baer with another opportunity. He collected the ball just outside the top right hand corner of the box, turned to his left, & let go a toe-ball that eluded the Painters keeper to his right, & knotted the score at 1 all. But that lead was short-lived as the Painters came right back to take a 2-1 lead on a nice shot by Craig Feltz from just outside the center of the box that just slipped over the outstretched arms of the Black Shirt keeper, John Kozuscek. That's the way the score remained all the way to the interval. For the first 10 minutes of the 2nd half, there was no scoring, just thrust & parry from both sides. Unfortunately for the Black Shirts, they had 3 shots carom off the post & back out into play, as well as withstanding a 2 minute penalty. The Painters keeper, meanwhile, played well, stopping everything close to him & giving no rebounds. Then things started happening for the Painters late. As fatigue started settling in to the Black Shirt side, the Painters were getting more wide open looks, mostly on counters. They finished on two of those, hitting perfectly placed balls into the exact same place, the bottom right hand corner of the goal, where the SSL keeper had no chance. That upped the Painters lead to 4-1, & it looked at that point that the match was over. But it wasn't. The Black Shirts found another gear. They continued to press the attack, out-chancing the Painters in the 2nd half, & peppering the goal with shots. In spite of how well the Painters keeper was playing, he couldn't stop everything the Black Shirts thru at him. Eventually Michael Hartsook found the back of the net out of a scrambe in front, narrowing the Painters lead to 4-2. There was still about four minutes left on the clock & the Black Shirts kept coming. Literally just a minute later, as the Black Shirts continued the pressure, Stewart Intagliata, on 2nd effort, placed one nicely behind the painters keeper, closing the gap to 4-3 with a little more than two minutes left in the match. Plenty of time. Still the Black Shirts applied the pressure. But, it was too little, too late & the tieing goal would elude them. As time ran off the clock & it ticked down to all zeros, they just could not find the back of the net, with the Painters keeper still playing large. Fatigue late in the match is what turned the tide for the Painters, who ran well the entire match, scoring their last two, big goals, on counters, when they had a lot of space. Even so, the Black Shirts had their chances, but just couldn't convert. The winning streak was over! As a result of this match, Triad Painting leap-frogged SSL to take over first place, relegating SSL to second place after three matches. Now it's up to SSL to take care of their own destiny if they want a chance to face the Painters again. They are not on the remaining schedule & the only chance to face them would be if both made it to the finals. So, stay tuned. A lot can happen in the next four weeks. Next week, SSL will face Lampert @ 9:25. In spite of their 0-2 record, they are always a dangerous side. You may recall, they were in the finals last session. So, SSL has their work cut out for them if they are to have any chance for a return to the finals. We hope to see you then. Thanks for reading. | SOCCER ST. LOUIS STATS O-40 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | NAME | | GAMES | GOALS | ASSISTS | POINTS | | | | STEVE RANKIN | | 3 | 5 | 1 | 11 | | | | GIANNI PENS | | 3 | 3 | 3 | 9 | | | | JOE BAER | | 3 | 2 | 4 | 8 | | | | KEN BRIGDEN | | 3 | 2 | 1 | 5 | | | | WALLY STOKES | | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 | | | | STUART INTAGLIATA | | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | | | | MICHAEL HARTSOOK | | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | | | | JOHN KOZUSCEK | | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | | Warning: Your facilities tie breaker rules and rankings may not follow the rules above. |
Posted: 10:00 AM, Nov. 1, 2009 |
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SSL O-30, 5, SINCLAIR & RUSH, 4
BLACK SHIRTS RECOVER FROM YET ANOTHER 2-0 DEFICIT
POST 2ND STRAIGHT 5-4 WIN OVER S&R
It was Deja Vu all over again. Same opponent, same result, same score. For the 2nd week in a row, & third time in four weeks, SSL O-30 played Sinclair & Rush, their opponent in last sessions championship match which they won 8-3, & posted another 5-4 win. It was identical to last weeks outcome. However, once again, the Black Shirts fell asleep late in the match & it almost cost them.
For the fifth time in their last 11 matches, SSL fell behind 2-0. I think you'd have to conclude they are slow starters, eh? They started out slowly but their opponent, S&R, did not. They came out running & gunning, keeping SSL on their collective heels, maintaining possession, creating chances & that pressure netted them two early goals, both of which keeper John Kozuscek had no chance on. Field #3 has never been a favorite of the Black Shirts & this night, on 3, down 2-0, to say the least, it would be an uphill battle. But battle they did, & slowly the tide would turn.
Jason Adelsberger got things started for SSL. After taking 3 or 4 shots to that point in the match, unfortunately with no results, on yet another mad dash down the right side of the pitch, he easily side-stepped a defender & hit a right-footed bomb from a few yards outside the box. He buried it into the back of the S&R net to close the gap to 2-1. At least they were on the board & momentum was gradually moving toward the Black Shirts.
It was very much a see-saw match to that point, with SSL getting more of the play. However, the score remained 2-1 S&R at the interval. Then things started happening for the Black Shirts. Quickly.
Guillermo Cortez, leading scorer for the Black Shirts, knotted things up at 2 all, with one of his patented left footed rockets early in the 2nd half. Shortly after that, a nice finish by David Hipperson, who was robbed late in the first half on a rocket that came back out off the corner post just as quickly as it went in, bent one just inside the upper left corner, giving the Black Shirts their first lead of the match. I also think it's interesting to note at this point, that at the interval, the SSL side chose to change directions on the pitch. It was a small manuver, however, it appeared to be a benefit to them late in the match when the S&R side was slow with their substitutions. But, I digress.
After the Hipperson goal, the Black Shirts struck again on a thing of beauty. On a quick counter, which in and of it self is surprising on that small field, Mike Hogan headmanned the puck down deep into the right hand corner of the field. The S&R side was slow getting back & Hogan turned & slotted a ball directly across the middle of the box where an onrushing Edin Coralic pounced on it & tapped home for an easy lay-up. It was a beautiful thing.
Then, about five minutes later, with about 10 minutes left in the match, Cortez again found himself with some space after racing down the field, & let go with yet another left-footed lazer that found the back of the net, upping the lead to 3 at 5-2. Little did they realize at the time, that it would be the game-winner.
With only a few minutes left on the clock, it seemed as if SSL could go ahead & lock this victory away. That couldn't be further from the truth. S&R still had game & time was on their side. SSL put it in nuetral at that time, meanwhile, S&R shifted into overdrive. It would be a frantic finish.
S&R kept chipping away, eventually notching their 3rd goal of the match, closing the score to 5-3. Not to worry, right? Only a few minutes left in the match, right? Wrong! It got worse.
S&R kept the pressure on while SSL stayed in neutral. The Black Shirts basically shut it down, playing possession, playing the ball back & burning time off the clock. But that clock was running s l o w l y. What they didn't do was play their game. They stopped pressing the attack & creating offense, instead choosing to play conservative, possession & knock the ball around. All that did was keep S&R in the match.
Then S&R scored their 4th goal. Now it was 5-4. Time to start that offensive engine again. However, with only a minute remaining on the clock, the Black Shirts were able to hang on a post a well-deserved, come-from-behind win, & retain thieir first place hold in the division at 3 & 0. But, it was not without some late trepidation.
The Black Shirts actually played well when they played. Excellent defense, not only by the defenders, but the keeper as well who had to come up with 3 or 4 critical saves as well as ball-handling in the corners, to keep S&R at bay & keep SSL in the match. The defense also passed the ball well out of the defensive end, creating space for the forwards to collect the ball & create chances. They also played the ball back well, changing sides as well as defending. Now, if they could just do that for 45 minutes instead of 40, they might find it a little easier to close out an opponent. We shall see.
Well, they'll have some time to ponder that thought. Next week, no game. A bye on the schedule sometimes can be a good thing or a bad thing. The Black Shirts have been on a bit of a roll, winning four consecutive matches. However, in those matches, late, the same thing occurs. They get the lead, hold it, add to it, then as time expires, go into a defensive shell. They've been fortunate that it hasn't cost them a match.....yet. So, with the week off, although they've been playing well, perhaps they'll give some thought to a unique idea. Play the whole 45 minutes! See you in two weeks. Thanks for reading.
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SOCCER ST. LOUIS STATS O-30
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NAME
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GAMES
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GOALS
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ASSISTS
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POINTS
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GUILLERMO CORTEZ
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3
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6
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2
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14
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DAVID HIPPERSON
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3
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3
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5
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11
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JAYSON ADELSBERGER
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3
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5
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0
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10
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EDIN CORALIC
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3
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3
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3
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9
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MIKE HOGAN
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3
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2
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1
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5
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WILL SUK
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2
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1
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2
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4
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GIANNI PENS
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3
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1
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0
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2
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RONNIE ROWDEN
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2
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0
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2
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2
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BERNARD ANIC
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2
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0
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2
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2
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TONY MEADOWS
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3
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0
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2
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2
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CASEY WALSH
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3
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0
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2
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2
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JOHN KOZUSCEK
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3
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0
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1
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1
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SLADAN KURTOVIC
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0
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0
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0
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0
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Warning: Your facilities tie breaker rules and rankings may not follow the rules above.
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Posted: 9:08 AM, Oct. 24, 2009 |
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SSL O-40, 6, VETTA BLUE, 5
O-40 TAKE EARLY LEAD
HOLD OFF HARD-CHARGING VETTA BLUE
The SSL O-40 side increased their league record to 2 & 0, narrowly dodging a bullet from the Vetta Blue side. Once again short on manpower, the Black Shirts started, & finished, the match with only one sub. Fortunately for SSL, they jumped out to a quick lead, wilted a bit in the 2nd half, & then withstood a late rally, to notch their 2nd consecutive win.
Riding the coattails of the teams leading scorer, Steve Rankin, who lead the Black Shirts with 3 goals on the evening, SSL managed to jump on top with two quick goals. The first, from Gianni Pens, on a blast from just outside the top left corner of the box, rocketed past the startled Blue keeper. He had no chance. Rankin then chipped in with his first of the evening, putting the Black Shirts up 2-0. With only a single sub versus the Blue side that featured 5 subs, the lead was significant.
SSL continued to pad that lead on goals by Ken Brigden & two more by Rankin, giving him a Hat Trick in the first half, while at the same time allowing two Blue goals. The Black Shirts eventually closed out the first half with a 3 goal cushion, at 5-2. However, the 2nd half would be a nail-biter & a cliff-hanger. (insert your own adjective here).
The 2nd started as the 1st one ended. SSL was still pressing the attack, maintaining possession, creating great ball-movement, resulting in multiple chances. However, there was a noticible trend taking place. Lots of chances & no goals. Not a good situation for the Black Shirts.
The Blue goalie was playing tough. Coming off his line, cutting down the angle, & in spite of all the shots faced, nary a one was getting by. This is not the scenario a team wants. Lots of possession, lots of chances & no goals is a recipe for failure. You can only go to the well so often. Keep doing that, you'll keep your opponent in the game, & that's not a good thing. That's exactly what happened.
As the Black Shirts tired, the Blue side got stronger & kept pressing the attack, mostly on counters, when SSL would only be defending with one, two or possibly three. Blue finally notched their 3rd goal of the eveing, narrowing the score to 5-3. They continued to press the attack. Soon, they were rewarded for their efforts with their 4th goal, virtually erasing the cushion that the Black shirts had worked so hard to get. Now SSL held a narrow 5-4 lead with about 10 minutes left in the match. A lifetime in indoor soccer.
Kenny Brigden to the rescue. After SSL had burned off about 5 minutes of those remaining 10, on a quick counter out of the back, Brigden, stationed just outside the top left corner of the blue box, received a ball from Rankin at midfield. With no hesitation whatsoever, he turned, unmarked, & let go with a bomb that flew into the upper left corner for a goal & a much-needed 6-4 lead, just as time running out. They would need it.
Shortly thereafter, Blue scored yet another goal, closing the score to 6-5 as the final seconds ticked off the clock. As it turns out, the Brigden goal was huge, since it ultimately became the game-winner.
So, for the third time in the last three games, SSL entered the game either a man down, even or one sub, & managed to pull out the win. Obviously, they can't continue to do that. The odds are stacked against them. They'll definitely need some more depth this coming Tuesday when they face a new team in the league, Triad Painting. Triad will be entering the match following a solid 5-2 win over always tough Vetta Red, & a 7-7 tie versus Vintage Utd., in a high-scoring affair the previous week. That'll be a late one at 10:15. Hopefully there'll be a few more Black Shirts on the sideline for that one. They'll need them. We hope to see you there. Thanks for reading.
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SOCCER ST. LOUIS STATS O-40
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NAME
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GAMES
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GOALS
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ASSISTS
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POINTS
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STEVE RANKIN
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2
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5
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1
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11
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GIANNI PENS
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2
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3
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3
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9
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KEN BRIGDEN
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2
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2
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1
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5
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JOE BAER
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2
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1
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2
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4
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WALLY STOKES
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2
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0
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2
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2
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JOHN KOZUSCEK
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2
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0
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1
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1
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MICHAEL HARTSOOK
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1
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0
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0
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0
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Schedule
Warning: Your facilities tie breaker rules and rankings may not follow the rules above.
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Posted: 8:35 AM, Oct. 22, 2009 |
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SSL O-30, 5, SINCLAIR & RUSH, 4
CHAMPIONSHIP RE-MATCH HAS SAME RESULT
A SOLID, IF NOT PERFECT, WIN
The final score of 5-4 was actually not as close as it appeard. SSL had pulled away to what appeared a comfortable 5-2 lead & apparently had turned on the cruise control for the remainder of the match. Had the Black Shirts not lollygagged the last 5 minutes of the game, they may well have posted that 5-2 win.
As it was, as time literally ran out the clock, Sinclair & Rush, who worked hard the whole game, short-handed as they were, continued to apply pressure, while the SSL side was ready to retire to the refreshment area. Had there been a bit more time on the clock, this story may have had a much different ending. Let this be a lesson to you youngun's. Don't stop playing no matter what the score or how much time is on the clock. Remember Jauquin Andujar? Youneverknow!!!
The goals scored by the Black Shirts were really things of beauty, a result of hustle & hard work. Too bad the final five minutes did not reflect their work ethic during the rest of the match. David Hipperson & Jason Adelsberger, who had two tallys for the match, were the result of just plain hustle & second effort, following up on misses, being in the right place at the right time & working hard to get there. They got the results they deserved.
Edin Coralic, a horse up top for SSL, always a threat, tough, if not impossible, to mark, always charging the goal, taking on the defenders, again got the prize as a result of his hard work up top. Guillermo Cortez, probably possessing the hardest shot on the SSL side, turned on one, far outside the top of the box & buried a canon in the back of the net that the keeper had no chance on. That also came as a result of hard work in the corner, making space for his shot.
The passwork, goaltending, possession, ball distribution & hardwork by the Black Shirts, was a thing of beauty for 40 of the 45 minutes of the match. S&R scratched out a couple goals in the first half, but really hadn't been a real threat, as SSL dominated play on both the offensive & defensive sides of the ball resulting in multiple scoring chances. In fact, SSL received a two minute penalty, & hardly missed a beat.
SSL took advantage of the single sub for S&R & spread the field, making S&R work hard for any results. It was paying huge dividends as SSL reeled off shot after shot. It got to the point where SSL started becoming concerned with all the missed chances, hoping that S&R wouldn't take advantage of their misses, score a few goals of their own, & jump right back into the match. Not to worryl That is, not til about five minutes remained.
Holding a 5-2 lead, the Black Shirts looked as if they put in in nuetral. S&R did not. S&R kept chipping away, finally scoring their third goal with a little less than five minutes left on the clock. Still in neutral, SSL starting knocking the ball around, eating up the clock, protecting their 5-3 lead as time ran down. However, there still was time on the clock.
With 15 ticks left on the old Bulova, SSL played it back from the offensive end to the defensive end trying to burn off those pesky seconds. A scramble ensued, the ball bouncing like a ping-pong ball, eventually ending up on the foot of an S&R forward, who deposited into the back of the net with 2 ticks left. All that was left at that point was a SSL center off. Whew!!! Everyone could now exhale & were just glad that this one over & the Black Shirts slinked away with a 5-4 win. It just goes to show you, kids, you just can't quit.
By the way, it doesn't get any easier. With some creative Vetta scheduling, SSL gets yet ANOTHER re-match with S&R this Thursday at 9:35 on thier favorite field, #3. This will be their 2nd meeting in a row & 3rd in the last 4 games. Are there any other teams in the league??? You know what they say, don't you? It's tough to beat a team three straight times. Don't lollygag. Hope to see you there. Thanks for reading.
Warning: Your facilities tie breaker rules and rankings may not follow the rules above.
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Posted: 4:30 PM, Oct. 18, 2009 |
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SSL O-40, 5, VETTA RED, 2
O-40 START OFF NEW SESSION
AS THEY FINISHED LAST SESSION...
WITH A WIN!
Unfortunately, there actually was a WHOLE lot of similarity to their playoff win last week. In that contest, the Black Shirts started with four players, added one in the first half & completed that game with five field players. In this past game, they did one better, starting the game with five. That's a 20% increase! Time to celebrate.
As you would imagine, the match was a tight one.The opponent in this one was Vetta Red, the team that defeated Lampert in last sessions finals. They would be no easy match for the Black Shirts. They weren't.
But SSL got off on the right foot. Steve Rankin, taking his rightful place at the top of the box, corralled the ball, dribbled laterally past several defenders & deposited a right-footed shot in bottom left hand corner of the net. No easy task. That put SSL up 1-0 early. It would not stand up.
The Vetta Red side came right back, unfortunately, & tied it up shortly thereafter. The Black Shirts work was going to be cut out for them this night. But Rankin came to the rescue once again, putting SSL back on top 2-1, again with his patented "top of the box" postiioning. Defenders just cannot dislodge the ball from him, when at that position with his back to the goal & a place in which he is most dangerous.
SSL was able to maintain that lead for most of the rest of the half. But, as luck would have it, the Red side scored a nice goal to knot it all up at 2, just prior to the interval. That's the way it stood into the 2nd half.
The 2nd half was a thing of beauty for the Black Shirts. Keeper John Kozuscek allowed nary a single tally for the Red side turning back each of their attempts & SSL deposited three of their own in the back of the opponents netting, with Joe Baer chipping in the third goal & eventual game-winner. As usual, leading SSL scorer, Gianni Pens, contributed to the surging offense with two goals of his own to seal the win & start off the session on the right foot.
In addition to the goals, both Pens & Baer continued to chip in on the offensive side of the ball, contributing 1 & 2 helpers respectively. Next up will be a real test for the Black Shirts. The Vetta Blue side, who opened with a solid, if not stunning, win over the Lampert side, will have the big Mo-Jo on their side. They'll be a handful. Hope you can join us for that 9:25 center-off. See you then. Thanks for reading.
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SOCCER ST. LOUIS STATS O-40
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NAME
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GAMES
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GOALS
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ASSISTS
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POINTS
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GIANNI PENS
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1
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2
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1
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5
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JOE BAER
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1
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1
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2
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4
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STEVE RANKIN
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1
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2
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0
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4
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WALLY STOKES
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1
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0
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1
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1
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KEN BRIGDEN
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1
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0
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0
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0
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JOHN KOZUSCEK
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1
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0
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0
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0
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LAST SESSIONS FINAL STATS
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SOCCER ST. LOUIS STATS O-40
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NAME
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GAMES
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GOALS
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ASSISTS
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POINTS
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JOHNNY PENS
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8
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15
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7
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37
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JOE BAER
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4
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5
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1
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11
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STEVE RANKIN
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6
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4
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2
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10
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CHRIS CARPENTER
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6
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5
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0
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10
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BOB JANKO
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5
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2
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5
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9
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TIM KELLEY
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4
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3
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0
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6
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STEVE VITALE
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2
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3
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0
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6
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MIKE HARTSOOK
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6
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2
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2
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6
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WALLY STOKES
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7
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0
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5
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5
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JOHN KOZUSCEK
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6
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0
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2
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2
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JAMES AHEARN
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4
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1
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0
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2
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DOMINIC ANIC
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2
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0
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1
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1
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KEN BRIGDEN
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2
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0
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1
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1
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MARTY ISSA
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1
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0
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1
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1
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Warning: Your facilities tie breaker rules and rankings may not follow the rules above.
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Posted: 2:58 PM, Oct. 18, 2009 |
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SSL O-30, 11, FREAKY SHAKRA, 4
GAME ONE MUCH LIKE GAME EIGHT
A DOMINATING PERFORMANCE
After winning last sessions game number eight championship match 8-3, in a dominating performance versus Sinclair & Rush, SSL followed that up with yet another dominating performance in their 11-4 win over a short-handed Freaky Shakra side in the first game of the current session.
To start this late, 10:30 match, SSL, as usual, had its full complement of 10 field players. Freaky did not. Freaky could field only 6 players, & that was reduced to 5 when, later in the first half, the Freaky keeper came up lame with an injured knee, & had to be replaced by another player. Bad for Freaky, good for SSL.
However, the way it started was no indication of the the outcome. In fact, Freaky slugged it out, toe to toe, with SSL in the early going. SSL scored first early. Freaky answered. SSL scored its 2nd. Again, Freaky answered. SSL scored its 3rd & once again, Freaky answered, tying the score @ 3 all. Frustrating. SSL had most of the possession, most of the play & most of the shots, but not the lead. Then it all started to change.
In a flurry of goals from seven different players, lead by Guillermo Cortez with 3, Mike Hogan, who hammered home two improbable rockets, 2 from Jayson Adelsberger & 1 each from David Hipperson, Will Suk, Gianni Pens & Edin Coralic, SSL expanded their lead at the interval to 5-3. Then they exploded the lead to the final score of 11-4, while allowing only a single tally to a tiring Freaky Shakra side in the 2nd half.
After a couple of lackluster sessions & on the heels of some poor performances last session, the win in last sessions championship & the win versus Freaky last Thursday, were the best performances by the SSL side in quite some time. The solid defense, lead by substitute goalie John Kozuscek, playing his first game in place of injured regular, David Shelton, was stellar. Several of the Freaky goals were of the less than spectacular variety, save for one lazer a Freaky forward bombed from the right corner of the box that the keeper had no chance on. Other than those goals of good fortune, the defenders played spectacularly with particular note of the play of Ronnie Rowden, newly inserted on the defensive end from his previous home on the forward line.
Rowden, along with defenders, Casey Walsh, Tony Meadows & the aforementioned Mike Hogan (yes, hard to believe, he actually was playing defense), provided the forwards with all the opportunities they needed. They consistently sent beautiful thru balls to the streaking forwards as well as the occasional perfectly timed long ball that isolated a SSL forward or two on the Freaky defenders.
On the offensive side of the ball, the forwards played one of their better games. They were moving off the ball constantly, making it increasingly more difficult for the Freaky defenders to mark them, consequently, leaving open others to scoop up the SSL defenders passes & set up multiple scoring opportunities, many of which they converted. I wish you could bottle that effort & release it for every game!
So, all in all, it was a solid if not spectacular performance & they'll need to keep that performance on a short leash. Next week, in fact for the next two weeks, they'll have repeat performances against last sessions championship match opponent, Sinclair & Rush. So, in spite of how well they've played the last couple of weeks, it means nothing if they come out against S&R & lay an egg. As one of the long-time former SSL players always used to say, "you're only as good as your last game, so hurry up & play another game". Hopefully that next game will be as good as the previous two. See you next week. Thanks for reading.
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SOCCER ST. LOUIS STATS O-30
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NAME
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GAMES
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GOALS
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ASSISTS
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POINTS
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GUILLERMO CORTEZ
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1
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3
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2
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8
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|
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DAVID HIPPERSON
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1
|
1
|
3
|
5
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|
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JAYSON ADELSBERGER
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1
|
2
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0
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4
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|
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EDIN CORALIC
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1
|
1
|
2
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4
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|
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MIKE HOGAN
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1
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2
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0
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4
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|
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WILL SUK
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1
|
1
|
2
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4
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|
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RONNIE ROWDEN
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1
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0
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2
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2
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|
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JOHNNY PENS
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1
|
1
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0
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2
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|
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JOHN KOZUSCEK
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1
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0
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1
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1
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|
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TONY MEADOWS
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1
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0
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0
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0
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|
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BERNARD ANIC
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0
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0
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0
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0
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CASEY WALSH
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1
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0
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0
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0
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|
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SLADAN KURTOVIC
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0
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0
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0
|
0
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Warning: Your facilities tie breaker rules and rankings may not follow the rules above.
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Posted: 9:48 AM, Oct. 10, 2009 |
Comments (0) | Add Comment | Link
View more entries tagged with: None |
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SSL O-40, 7, VINTAGE UTD, 6
O-40 POST STRANGE COME-FROM-AHEAD WIN
WITHSTAND LATE VINTAGE UTD. CHARGE
It did not start well. Then it changed. Then it got better. Then it got much better. Then it started to go badly. Then it got worse. Then, time ran out with the SSL O-40 side in the lead, & they hung on to post the win. Barely!
At game time, SSL could only field 4 players! Not the way you want to start. However, they had no choice. But things got better. A wonderful finish for a goal by Gianni Pens & a short time later, a rope from a bad angle for Steve Vitale, & SSL strangely found themselves in the lead 2-0 less than 5 minutes into the game, & still a man down. Things got better still.
A fifth SSL player showed up in the person of Chris Carpenter. Now they were even & still maintained a 2-0 lead. Two more first half goals, again by Pens & Vitale, pushed the score to 4-0, & still, SSL had no subs. The good news was, they at least had five field players.....and the lead.
Later in the half, Carpenter chipped in with his first of the evening, upping the score to 5-0. Had you not been watching the game you'd have thought that the SSL side was two deep at every position. They weren't, but still, they held the lead, the possession, the chances & the finishes.
Shortly before the half, Vintage converted on one of their rare chances to get on the scoreboard at 5-1. That turned out to be the score at the interval. The second half would turn out to be be drastically different for the SSL side. This match was far, far from over.
Vintage continued to increase the pressure as the SSL side tired due to a lack of subs. Soon Vintage converted on yet another chance, narrowing the score to 5-2. Not to worry. Still a 3 goal lead, right? Unfortunately for SSL, there was still a whole lot of time on the clock.
Then, another goal by Pens, his 3rd on the evening, pulled back one of the Vintage goals to once again increase the SSL lead to 6-2. Much more comfortable. But not out of the woods just yet. At that point, one of the Vintage forwards, their target man, Nick D'Amato, went on a scoring spree, scoring three straight unanswered goals, closing the SSL lead to 6-5. Just that quickly, D'Amato had single-handedly gotten Vintage back in the game. SSL had a game on their hands once again. But, they still had the lead.
At that point, SSL scored a huge goal, one that turned out to be the game winner, in the person of Steve Vitale. Vitale, who had been open most of the evening, was open once again, He collected an outlet pass from goalie John Kosuscek, raced down the right sideline, let go with a right-footed bomb from an extremely bad angle, & buried it in the back of the net. Shazam!!!, just like that, that goal upped the SSL lead to two goals at 7-5. That was his 3rd tally of the evening as well, & they would need that goal. Badly.
Again, D'Amato was in on the next Vintage play. Chasing a ball into the corner, he turned quickly & passed the ball on a line into the box where an onrushing teammate slashed into the box & one-timed the ball into the back of the SSL net for their sixth goal of the game, closing the score to 7-6. However, time was running out for the Vintage side. SSL continued to maintain the lead, press the attack, control the play, & deny Vintage the ball. As time expired, SSL was able to hang on & post a 7-6, white-knuckle win in what turned out to be a very strange but entertaining game.
With the win, SSL was able to even their record at 4-4 & win this 3rd place playoff game. Now, with next session looming next Tuesday, they now have to hope to see more of their regular players. Any more of these types of short-handed games, & they may find themselves not so lucky. Time may well run out on them the next time around. Thanks for reading.
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SOCCER ST. LOUIS STATS O-40
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NAME
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GAMES
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GOALS
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ASSISTS
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POINTS
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|
|
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JOHNNY PENS
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8
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15
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7
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37
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JOE BAER
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4
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5
|
1
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11
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|
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STEVE RANKIN
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|
6
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4
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2
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10
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|
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CHRIS CARPENTER
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6
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5
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0
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10
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|
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BOB JANKO
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5
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2
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5
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9
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|
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TIM KELLEY
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4
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3
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0
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6
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|
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MIKE HARTSOOK
|
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6
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2
|
2
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6
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|
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WALLY STOKES
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|
7
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0
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5
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5
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JOHN KOZUSCEK
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6
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0
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2
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2
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|
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JIM AHEARN
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4
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1
|
0
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2
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|
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DOMINIC ANIC
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2
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0
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1
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1
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|
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KEN BRIGDEN
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2
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0
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1
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1
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MARTY ISSA
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1
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0
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1
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1
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STEVE SCHLICHTIG
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0
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0
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0
|
0
|
|
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TODD LORETTA
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|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
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|
Warning: Your facilities tie breaker rules and rankings may not follow the rules above.
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Posted: 6:11 PM, Oct. 7, 2009 |
Comments (0) | Add Comment | Link
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SSL O-30, 8, SINCLAIR & RUSH, 3
BACK IN THE SADDLE AGAIN
O-30 TAKE CROWN FOR SIXTH TIME
The onslaught began with a goal by Mike Hogan. It ended with a goal by Guillermo Cortez. In between, SSL rode on the back of Jason Adelsberger, with 3 goals, & David Hipperson, with 2, & another single tally chipped in by Edin Coralic, just for good measure. In the middle of the game, the Adelsberger-Hipperson connection scored on back, to back, to back, to back, to back goals. At the half, it was 5-0. Then, Adelsberger got the motor running in the 2nd half with his 3rd, & first of the half. It was quite the offensive show.
SSL came out of the gates flying. With only minutes gone in the first, Hogan, on a 2nd effort deep in the right hand corner, corraled the ball, shot, collected the ball again &, from an acutely poor angle, buried a rocket in the back of the net for an early 1-0 lead. Then a goal by Adelsberger. Then one by Hipperson. Then one by Adelsberger. Then one from Hipperson. You get the picture. At the half it was 5-0. Looked like they'd be popping the champagne early in this one. But, not so fast.
The Sinclair & Rush side, a truly formidble opponent, didn't get to the championship game by being lucky. They're a good side with excellent players. They never quit, & they didn't quit here. They continued to apply a lot of pressure, getting lot's of shots requiring David Shelton, the SSL keeper, to be on his game. He was! Twice he was called on to make point blank saves to his left, once getting his left hand on the ball that was headed for the upper ninety & slapping it away. Another time he was required to dive to his left for yet another difficult save. But, the S&R side kept coming & the SSL defense couldn't hold them out. They notched two unawnsered goals, to narrow the SSL lead to 5-2. Just that quickly, SSL found themselves with a difficult match on their hands. The championship didn't look nearly as close as it did at the interval.
Then Adelsberger took over the match, with a run the length of the field down the left side, stepped around a defender, & deposited the ball neatly into the back of the net for a commanding 6-2 lead, & SSL would never look back. SSL would then trade goals with S&R, with Edin Coralic contributing a hard shot from the top of the box, upping the score to 7-3. Then Guillermo Cortez would close out the scoring for the evening with his patented left-footed bomb from the left side of the box to the right side upper ninety, resulting in the final score of 8-3.
Not to overlook what took place with the SSL side as a whole was that their possession, ball movement & attack was probably the best its been since a 7-4 win over PLS Zoom in the first game of the session. The defenders would collect the ball, move it up to the offense, who were running off the ball with much more consistency & quickness then they had shown in the last few games. That alone resulted in multiple scoring chances for SSL. Additionally, their defensive pressure, marking S&R players, even in their own end, was almost flawless. Seldom did an S&R player receive the ball & not be marked. It was a marked improvement from several previous games.
All in all, this was certainly a team win. Yes, the scoring was spread among 4 players. But, make no mistake. Without the stellar defense of Casey Walsh, Tony Meadows, Ronnie Rowden & Bernard Anic, & timely goal-tending, distribution & shot-blocking by David Shelton, this outcome could certainly have been different.
As far back as my records go, it would appear that for the 12th time in the last 17 sessions, SSL has played in the championship match. In those 12 championship matches, they have won 6 & lost 6. Truly, a remarkable record & a credit to their consistency. Congrats to all the players on their hard-earned crown. But don't get too cozy. It starts all over again next week. Thanks for reading.
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SOCCER ST. LOUIS STATS O-30
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NAME
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GAMES
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GOALS
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ASSISTS
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POINTS
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|
|
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JAYSON ADELSBERGER
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|
7
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11
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3
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25
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|
|
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DAVID HIPPERSON
|
|
7
|
6
|
6
|
18
|
|
|
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GUILLERMO CORTEZ
|
|
8
|
4
|
4
|
12
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|
|
|
IVAN BODUL
|
|
4
|
5
|
0
|
10
|
|
|
|
EDIN CORALIC
|
|
7
|
3
|
4
|
10
|
|
|
|
TONY MEADOWS
|
|
8
|
3
|
1
|
7
|
|
|
|
BERNARD ANIC
|
|
8
|
2
|
1
|
5
|
|
|
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RONNIE ROWDEN
|
|
7
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1
|
1
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3
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|
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JOHNNY PENS
|
|
8
|
1
|
1
|
3
|
|
|
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DAVID SHELTON
|
|
8
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0
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3
|
3
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|
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MIKE HOGAN
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|
5
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1
|
0
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2
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|
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CASEY WALSH
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8
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0
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2
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2
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|
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WILL SUK
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5
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0
|
1
|
1
|
|
|
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SLADAN KURTOVIC
|
|
5
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
Warning: Your facilities tie breaker rules and rankings may not follow the rules above.
|
Posted: 2:47 PM, Oct. 4, 2009 |
Comments (0) | Add Comment | Link
View more entries tagged with: None |
|
SSL O-30 & O-40 RESULTS
BACK TO THE FUTURE
O-30 RETURNS TO FINALS
In what might be called a strange & quirky game, the SSL O-30 side salvaged a berth in the finals with a late surge, while at the same time, hanging on to post a 5-5 tie versus Freaky Shakra. It was one of those nights. It started out poorly.
The first issue of the evening was the fact that game number seven of the session, the game in which SSL needed either a win or a tie to advance to the championship match next week, was to be played on field #3. Everyone certainly is aware of its quirky dimensions which allows games on that field to be played as if it were a pinball machine.
The second issue was that, Freaky Shakra, traditionally a power house team, entered this game winless on the season. That's a bad combination. Field #3 & a winless opponent. That steep hill just kept getting steeper.
The third & more pressing issue was that SSL fell behind quickly, 1-0. Shortly thereafter, they fell behind even further, 2-0. What is odd about that score is, in four of their first six games this session, SSL had fallen behind by identical 2-0 scores, but managed to salvage four victorys in that span. This nights game would prove to be another uphill battle.
To complicate things even further, later in the first half, SSL gave up yet another tally to Freaky, to fall behind 3-0, & that was the score at the interval. That championship berth kept looking further & further away. It goes without saying that the second half would be a struggle. As it was, the SSL was having difficulty under the circumstances keeping their focus. It's a tough task to come back from 3 down.
But an unlikly hero emerged in the form of defender Tony Meadows. Meadows got SSL back in the match, by carrying the ball out of the back & unleashing a rocket from just inside the half line & roofed it for the first goal of the game, narrowing Freaky's lead to 3-1. They at least were back in the hunt with a lot of time left in the match. Still, a formidible task.
SSL continued to press the attack, now with a new vigor, & was playing well defensively. Edin Coralic got an important 2nd goal for the club, on a nice individual effort, stepping around a defender & hitting a left-footed shot from the top of the box, that found the back of the net. Now, back to Mr. Meadows. As SSL continued to press the attack & secure multiple offensive chances, Meadows collected the ball out of the back & spied Jason Adelsberger flying down the sidelines. Sending a perfect thru-ball to Adelsberger, he deftly stepped around a defender & deposited a bomb in the back of the net for the 3rd & tying goal. What a comeback by the SSL side after being 3 down. To come back & tie the game was a huge reward for all their work. However, their work was far from over.
Now tied at 3 all, & back in the game, the SSL side continued their surge, wanting to post a win, & a spot in the championship. At that point, the momentum was all SSL. Taking advantage of that was Adelsberger, who had been playing like a man possessed, or a whirling dirvish, you name it, all night long. He had been making runs, taking shots & generally was a thorn in the Freaky side all evening. His efforts would not go unrewarded.
Making another run down the left side, both around & thru Freaky defenders, he launched another bomb, finding the back of the net, giving the SSL side the first lead of the evening. It is also worth mentioning, that, not only did Adelsberger create a lot of scoring opportunities, but so did virtually the entire SSL side thruout the evening. They just could not find the back of the net. However, their perseverance ultimately paid some handsome dividends.
Then, shortly after Adelsberger's 2nd goal of the evening, Meadows again made his presence felt. Again, coming out of his defensive position, supporting the attack, Adelsberger laid a ball back to Meadows who then deposited it into the back of the net, launching another laser that found a goal at the end of it, upping the SSL lead to 5-3. Five straight unanswered goals. At that point, it appeared everything was well in hand. It wasn't!
Two SSL 2 minute penalties & 2 Freaky Shakra goals later, the game was tied 5-5 & the match ended in a draw. This match was not without its thrills & its chills. Had SSL squandered the two goal lead & allowed a 6th Freaky goal, they would have missed their chance at a return to the finals & would have had no one to blame but themselves. But, as it was, they played well defensively, with keeper David Shelton coming up with two dazziling saves late in the match & on the offensive end, created a lot of possession & ball control which resulted in many scoring chances. Perseverance definitely paid dividends.
So, the unlikely hero Tony Meadows chipped in with two goals & a helper, scoring the first & last goals of the game, & Jason Adelsberger's contribution, scoring back to back tallys, all contributed to a most valuable single point, locking them into a 2nd place finish in the division & a berth in next weeks finals. In fact, this will be SSL first trip back to the finals in two sessions & their eigth trip to the finals in the last eleven sessions. Folks, those are remarkable numbers. A true credit to their consistency & abilities.
Next weeks finals match will pit them against first place finisher, Sinclair & Rush, whom SSL defeated earlier in the session, 3-2 on a penalty kick. It appears that this will be a very entertaining game. Let's just hope SSL doesn't fall behind 2-0 again. You can only dodge so many bullets. Hope to see you there. Thanks for reading.
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SOCCER ST. LOUIS STATS O-30
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NAME
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GAMES
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GOALS
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ASSISTS
|
POINTS
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JAYSON ADELSBERGER
|
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6
|
8
|
2
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18
|
|
|
|
DAVID HIPPERSON
|
|
6
|
4
|
4
|
12
|
|
|
|
IVAN BODUL
|
|
4
|
5
|
0
|
10
|
|
|
|
GUILLERMO CORTEZ
|
|
7
|
3
|
2
|
8
|
|
|
|
TONY MEADOWS
|
|
7
|
3
|
1
|
7
|
|
|
|
BERNARD ANIC
|
|
7
|
2
|
1
|
5
|
|
|
|
EDIN CORALIC
|
|
6
|
2
|
1
|
5
|
|
|
|
RONNIE ROWDEN
|
|
6
|
1
|
1
|
3
|
|
|
|
JOHNNY PENS
|
|
7
|
1
|
1
|
3
|
|
|
|
DAVID SHELTON
|
|
7
|
0
|
2
|
2
|
|
|
|
CASEY WALSH
|
|
7
|
0
|
2
|
2
|
|
|
|
WILL SUK
|
|
5
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
|
|
|
MIKE HOGAN
|
|
4
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
|
SLADAN KURTOVIC
|
|
5
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
Warning: Your facilities tie breaker rules and rankings may not follow the rules above.
O-40 POST 7-5 WIN
PLAY LAMPERT FOR 2ND NEXT WEEK
In what has been & up & down session for the SSL O-40 side, with multiple player injuries & three 2 goal losses, a victory this past week over Vintage Utd., evened their record at 3 & 3 & provided them with a chance to salvage the session versus Lampert next week.
The match versus Vintage was not without its ups & downs, as well, as SSL jumped to a 7-3 lead, only to allow Vintage back into the match with a couple late goals. However, with strong goaltending from John Kozuscek & goal scoring from five different players, SSL hung on to post a much needed win.
Vintage came out firing on all cylinders. Pressing the attack & answering each SSL goal with a goal of their own, the teams were tied at 3 at the interval. With two more SSL goals early in the second half & a 5-3 lead, it appeared that SSL would ride this lead to the end. Not so fast.
Vintage, continuing to possess the ball, create offense & attack the goal, scored another two goals, offsetting the two scored by SSL. Even though the winning margin was two goals, this game was not settled until the final whistle. The Vintage side continued to be aggressive on both sides of the ball, continuing to create offensive chances, & had it not been for a strong offensive performace from Tim Kelley, contributing 3 goals & Gianni Pens with 4 assists, the outcome might well have been different.
As it was, this slugfest of 12 total goals, was much like whoever was the last one standing, won the game. If nothing else, it certainly was entertaining. Next up for SSL is the 2nd place team, Lampert. Lodged in 3rd place, SSL can only hope to salvage some pride from this match. Having played Lampert twice already this session, SSL suffered two goal losses in each, at 4-2 & 5-3. So, being able to post a win in this match may not put SSL in the finals, but will certainly provide some satisfaction & some momentum going into next session. The match is scheduled for 7:45. Hope to see you there. Thanks for reading.
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SOCCER ST. LOUIS STATS O-40
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NAME
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GAMES
|
GOALS
|
ASSISTS
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POINTS
|
|
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JOHNNY PENS
|
|
6
|
12
|
7
|
31
|
|
|
|
STEVE RANKIN
|
|
5
|
4
|
2
|
10
|
|
|
|
BOB JANKO
|
|
5
|
2
|
5
|
9
|
|
|
|
JOE BAER
|
|
3
|
3
|
1
|
7
|
|
|
|
TIM KELLEY
|
|
3
|
3
|
0
|
6
|
|
|
|
MIKE HARTSOOK
|
|
4
|
2
|
1
|
5
|
|
|
|
CHRIS CARPENTER
|
|
4
|
2
|
0
|
4
|
|
|
|
JIM AHEARN
|
|
4
|
1
|
0
|
2
|
|
|
|
WALLY STOKES
|
|
5
|
0
|
2
|
2
|
|
|
|
DOMINIC ANIC
|
|
2
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
|
|
|
JOHN KOZUSCEK
|
|
4
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
|
KEN BRIGDEN
|
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
|
MARTY ISSA
|
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
|
STEVE SCHLICHTIG
|
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
|
TODD LORETTA
|
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
SSL O-30, 4, COBRAS, 3
O-30 HANG ON
POST THRILLING VICTORY
Another nail-biter & yet more gray hair. These kinds of games aren't healthy.....for spectators! The games versus the Cobras are always pretty predictable: low scoring & physical. In the last four matches versus the Cobras, SSL has posted two wins & two ties. The wins were by a single goal & the ties were 2-2 & 3-3. Tight defense & two teams that don't particularly care for each other. This match was no different.
The match was tight, end to end, vocal & physical from the outset. Tempers were frayed at the center-off & it deteriorated from there. In spite of the pushing, shoving & name-calling, SSL, on the strength of a great run & finish from Guillermo Cortez, took an early 1-0 lead. That lead was short lived.
The Cobras continued to defend & counter, which is the indoor model they use, & struck paydirt on a very good shot from the right side, just outside the box. But on the ensueing center-off, SSL pushed forward quickly & as a result of some good ball movement, found Edin Coralic streaking down the middle where he finished a one-timer, giving back the lead, 2-1 to SSL. However, this game was far, far from over.
At the interval, the score remained 2-1 in favor of SSL. SSL continued to press the attack, moving the ball smartly out of the back, creating multiple scoring opportunities, but unfortunately, missing on two or three point blank chances. However, they continued to move the ball, continually creating chances, & keeping the Cobras on their heels. On one of these chances, a quick thinking Bernard Anic upped the score to 3-1. As a result of the SSL pressure, Anic received the ball from the left corner. As he moved toward the top of the box to take the shot, he was fouled. Thinking quickly, he put the ball down & let go with a bomb that bent from right to left & into the bottom right hand corner of the goal before the defenders could even react. Just like that SSL took a two goal lead. It appeared they hand the game in hand. They didn't!
Say what you will about the Cobras, there is no quit in that team. They continued to play, continued to attack & as a result of their persistancy, collected their second goal. Not to worry. SSL still had a one goal lead at 3-2 & time was short. Shortly after the Cobra goal, a significant play took place. At the time it didn't seem extremely important, however, as it turned out, it was.
Tony Meadows carried the ball out of the back & into the offensive end. After some ball movement, Meadows received the ball back. As he was taking the shot, again there was foul. Just as Anic did earlier, Meadows placed the ball, & again like Anic before him, quickly took the shot & again, bent the ball beautifully into the bottom right hand corner of the goal for a comfortable 4-2 lead. The SSL side was breathing easier. It was short-lived.
With just 3 minutes left on the clock, the Cobras, on a bit of a quirky play out of a scramble just to the left of the goal, was able to sneak a ball past the keeper, closing the SSL lead to 4-3. The final moments of the game were hectic. There were two, two minute penalties charged to the Cobras as well as a red card & ultimately, three of the Cobra players were sent off. As I said, it was a nail-biter. SSL was able to hang on, withstanding a final pressure-packed minute to lock up a 4-3 win & retain thier hold on first place.
But the defense was the game. On three different occasions, keeper David Shelton made saves on point-blank break-aways. Will Suk, called on to play defense in the absence of regulars Mike Hogan (injured) & Ivan Bodul (work), turned in a spectacular evening, defending as well as often contributing to the offense, Additionally, the solid defensive work of Sladan Kurtovic, Casey Walsh & Tony Meadows, limited the Cobras to few shots while at the same time, creating beautiful thru-balls for the forwards & mid-fielders.
All in all, a more than satisfactory performance against a very good opponent. However, it was not without its thrills, & chills. By virtue of the win, SSL strengthened its hold on first place by 3 points over second place SoCo Utd with two to play.
From this point, the SSL destiny is in thier own hands. Next Thursday @ 8:50 of field #2, they'll face a familiar foe, PLS Zoom, whom they defeated 7-4 in game #1 this session, but who have played much better of late. Following that match, they'll face the following week, also for the 2nd time this session, the always dangerous Freaky Shakra on field #3 @ 7:00 pm. In their last match a couple weeks back, SSL prevailed in a very difficult test, 6-4. So, win the next two, they're in. Lose, well, see you next session. Hope to see you Thursday. Thanks for reading.
|
|
SOCCER ST. LOUIS STATS O-30
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
NAME
|
|
GAMES
|
GOALS
|
ASSISTS
|
POINTS
|
|
|
|
JAYSON ADELSBERGER
|
|
4
|
6
|
0
|
12
|
|
|
|
DAVID HIPPERSON
|
|
4
|
4
|
3
|
11
|
|
|
|
GUILLERMO CORTEZ
|
|
5
|
3
|
2
|
8
|
|
|
|
IVAN BODUL
|
|
3
|
3
|
0
|
6
|
|
|
|
BERNARD ANIC
|
|
5
|
2
|
1
|
5
|
|
|
|
RONNIE ROWDEN
|
|
5
|
1
|
1
|
3
|
|
|
|
JOHNNY PENS
|
|
5
|
1
|
1
|
3
|
|
|
|
EDIN CORALIC
|
|
5
|
1
|
1
|
3
|
|
|
|
DAVID SHELTON
|
|
5
|
0
|
2
|
2
|
|
|
|
TONY MEADOWS
|
|
5
|
1
|
0
|
2
|
|
|
|
CASEY WALSH
|
|
5
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
|
|
|
WILL SUK
|
|
3
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
|
|
|
MIKE HOGAN
|
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
|
SLADAN KURTOVIC
|
|
3
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
Schedule
Warning: Your facilities tie breaker rules and rankings may not follow the rules above.
|
Posted: 2:55 PM, Sep. 14, 2009 |
Comments (0) | Add Comment | Link
View more entries tagged with: None |
|
SSL O-40, 4, VETTA BLUE, 2
O-40 BOUNCES BACK FROM LAST WEEKS LOSS
EVEN RECORD AT 2-2
Following last weeks forgettable loss, it would be easy to assume that SSL would follow that up with yet another disappointing performance. As it was, at the outset, that's exactly the appearance they gave. Early in the first half, they found themselves down 2-0. That score has followed both they & the SSL O-30 team around for the past month or so.
The O-40 side found themselves down 0-2 to both the Lampert & Vetta Red teams, prior to this early 0-2 deficit versus Vetta Blue. The SSL O-30 side, for their part, were down 0-2 in 3 of their first 4 matches as well. However, in spite of these poor starts, the SSL sides were able to win 4 of those 6 matches. Certainly not the way you want to start a game. Obviously, this trend needs to cease, or it will make for a long session.
In this game, however, the SSL side hitched its wagon to the offense provided by Gianni Pens & his three goals on the evening. He now leads the team with 10. The fourth goal of the evening, one of the spectacular variety, came off the foot of James Ahearn. Ahearn collected the ball in the defensive end, raced the length of the field, slashed by a flatfooted defender, & fired a ball quickly past a startled keeper.
On the strength of those four tallies, & sturdy defense, SSL held on & notched a much needed win. Regarding the defense, substitue goal keeper Steve Rankin filled in for an excused absence by John Kozuscek & turned in a terrific performance. He limited the opponents opportunities by pouncing on shots & loose balls, & not giving up any dangerous 2nd & 3rd chances. That defense, combined with an opportunistic offense, was just enough to bring home a winner & help erase the memories of the previous weeks painfull loss.
Next up for the O-40 side will be a difficult test. Looming on the horizon is the Lampert side, currently occupying first place by a single point over the SSL side. Adding some excitement to this match is the fact that it is the first time the SSL side will participate in the new Vetta Initiative, called "Flex Scheduling". In this format, a team can find themselves playing their league match on another day of the week. This idea is supposed to avert byes. We shall see. In any event, it should be interesting to see how players react when called on to play thier league game on another night. I'll keep you posted on that one. In any case, the match versus Lampert will be this Wednesday @ 7pm. So, stay tuned. Thanks for reading.
|
SOCCER ST. LOUIS STATS O-40
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
NAME
|
|
GAMES
|
GOALS
|
ASSISTS
|
POINTS
|
|
|
|
JOHNNY PENS
|
|
4
|
10
|
3
|
23
|
|
|
|
STEVE RANKIN
|
|
4
|
2
|
2
|
6
|
|
|
|
BOB JANKO
|
|
4
|
1
|
3
|
5
|
|
|
|
CHRIS CARPENTER
|
|
3
|
2
|
0
|
4
|
|
|
|
MIKE HARTSOOK
|
|
3
|
1
|
1
|
3
|
|
|
|
JOE BAER
|
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
3
|
|
|
|
JIM AHEARN
|
|
3
|
1
|
0
|
2
|
|
|
|
DOMINIC ANIC
|
|
2
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
|
|
|
WALLY STOKES
|
|
3
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
|
|
|
TIM KELLEY
|
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
|
JOHN KOZUSCEK
|
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
|
KEN BRIGDEN
|
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
|
MARTY ISSA
|
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
|
STEVE SCHLICHTIG
|
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
|
TODD LORETTA
|
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
Posted: 4:59 PM, Sep. 10, 2009 |
Comments (0) | Add Comment | Link
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|
SHOW-ME GAMES, 2009
FC ST. LOUIS JOURNEYS TO SHOW-ME
LOSES IN BRONZE
For the 3rd year in a row, the FC St. Louis side traveled to beautiful, & normally scorching hot, Columbia, Missouri, to participate in the Over-50 Mens bracket of the annual Show-Me Games fesitval last month. Under the guidence of the Vitale brothers, Nick & Steve, the previous two years found the FC STL side playing well but losing in the finals, taking the silver medal. This year, with a re-vamped line-up they hoped would get them over the hump, they aspired to take the gold. However, fate & the soccer gods worked against them, & it was not to be.
Before ever leaving St. Louis, two of their valuable defenders, Ed Dwyer & Mike Hogan, went down with injuries & didn't make the trip. These two injuries happened so late, they were unable to make any roster additions. This greatly hampered their effort & depth in the tourney. Additionally, they lost yet another player, Jim Ahearn in the first match & Nick Vitale in the 3rd match, to injuries. It just was not their year.
However, things started well. In their first match @ 10am on a beautiful, 75 degree, overcast day, versus a team from Maryville Illinois, they faced many players from the Granite City indoor soccer facility, Soccer For Fun. It wasn't fun for that side, as they absorbed a 7-2 defeat. FC STL was off to a good start. However, that all changed the next match.
Facing a team comprised mostly of players from south St. Louis & captained by John Brensic, FC STL suffered a 5-1 loss in the afternoon match. In the match, short-handed from the start, & facing a fully stacked southsider squad, they just didn't have a deep enough bench to counteract the wave upon wave of fresh substites the southsiders continued to throw at them. At the half it was 1-1, but in the 2nd, the southsiders ran past FC STL for another 4 goals, posting a convincing 5-1 win. Some of the southsiders were Bob Pollihan, Ike Bibas & Jake Heilich.
The 3rd match on Sunday morning, again featured unlikely Missouri August weather, somewhere in the high 70's & low 80's. The opponent this day for FC STL was a familiar foe, U City. Two years ago, FC STL faced U City in the championship match, only to lose 2-1 in penalty shots. Losing that match 1-0 late, they scored the tying goal with only a minute or two left in regulation. However, in the Show-Me, they don't play overtime, they go directly to penalty kicks. They were outscored 3-1, resulting in a 2-1 loss, taking the silver medal.
On this day, however, each team, having one loss apiece, would be playing for the bronze. Once again, FC STL fell to U City 1-0, this time in regulation. Unfortunately for FC STL, late in the first half they lost yet another player, Steve Vitale, to an injury, hampering their substitution even further & they just didn't have enough left in the tank to pull back even from the U City first half tally. They'd have to settle for fourth.
However, a great time was had by all & hopefully next year, they'll have a full roster to take to the Show-Me. It might make a difference.
In the thrilling championship match, featuring the Southsiders versus a north side team lead by Ed Cody, the north side team prevailed 2-1 in exciting fashion.
Much like FC STL's championship match two years ago where they lost in penalty kicks, this match would end much the same way. The Southsiders scored in the first half, but couldn't get any add-on tallys. Late in the match, after applying heavy offensive pressure the whole 2nd half, the Northsiders scored late in the match, knotting the game at one & forcing penalty kicks. In the exciting penalty sequence, the Northsiders outlasted the Southsiders, 3-1, taking a 2-1 decision & the goal medal.
But it was a fun weekend for everyone with beautiful weather, great camaradie & excellent soccer. Everyone looks forward to next year, every year. Thanks for reading.
First Row: Rich Dierkes; Steve Vitale; Dave Braun; Nick Vitale & Paul Cummins.
Second Row: Dave Zanaboni: John Muehlhauser; Joe Baer; Ed Muehlhauser; Chris Coyle; Wally Stokes; Jim Ahearn & Jack Coleman.
|
Posted: 12:35 PM, Sep. 5, 2009 |
Comments (0) | Add Comment | Link
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|
SSL O-30 & O-40 RESULTS
O-40 FALTERS AFTER LAST WEEKS BIG WIN
LACKLUSTER EFFORT VERSUS VETTA RED
On the heels of a magnificent 10-2 win last week versus Vintage Utd., the SSL O-40 side delivered a poor effort, much like their week one 4-2 loss at the hands of the Lampert side. This time the opponent was Vetta Red, but the outcome was the same. Another 4-2 loss.
A sluggish effort combined with an anemic offense will usually result in a loss. It did! Even though SSL had the majority of the possession by a great margin, they could not convert those opportunities into goals. Even following the ejection of the Red keeper, (more on that later), SSL could not break through. This was a very strange match indeed.
Even though SSL was forcing the attack, Red scored first on a counter. Later, as tempers flared & the match became more heated, (this match, after all, was a World Cup final, was it not?), on a quirky play, John Kozuscek, the SSL keeper, inadvertantly collided with a Red forward. For that indescretion he was awarded two consecutive 2 minute penaltys & Red was additionally awarded a penalty kick, which they converted for a 2-0 lead. SSL put that unfortunate turn of events behind them & then went on to kill off both the penaltys.
SSL continued to attack, but this was an uphill battle. However, on goals by Gianni Pens & Steve Rankin, they drew even @ 2 at the interval. So, in spite of a bit of adversity, SSL found themselves back in the match at the start of the 2nd, with a great opportunity to take the lead & the win, based on their dominating play to that point. It was not to be.
Even though the match leaned heavily in the favor of SSL for the 2nd half, they could not find the back of the net. As we all know, if you can't score more than one or two goals in an indoor game, victorys are few. That was the case in this match & it cost SSL. Late in the 2nd half, on a clearing ball from deep in the SSL end, a Red attacker picked it off & immediately deposited it into the back of the net for a 3-2 Red advantage. One they would not relinquish.
Later in the half, following some additional "penalty area dancing", the Red keeper was given a 2 minute penalty for his physical play. He was not happy. Not happy at all. At this point, he entered into a shouting match with the referee, which escalated into an ejection. Then, he really got angry. Screaming at the top of his lungs at the referee, he was sent off. All the way off the field, up the stairs & across the balcony, the keeper continued his harangue towards the aggravated refereee. Well, as you know, these world cup matches result in heightened emotions.
In any case, SSL could not take advantage of the substitue goalie & still could not find the back of the net, getting shut out for the remainder of the match, suffering an ugly, lethargic, 4-2 defeat. Perhaps the icing on the cake was the 4th Red goal. SSL, pushing the attack, were all in the Red end when the Red keeper collected the ball & thru it the length of the field & into the SSL goal. Exclamation point!!! That pretty well summarized this match.
Now, saddled with a 1-2 record, they have their work cut out for them. They'll have to face the first place Lampert side in two of the remaining four matches. If they are to make a run at the championship, they'll certainly have to improve on offense. As mentioned earlier, you won't win many matches scoring only two goals.
Next up will be Vetta Blue next Tuesday @ 8:35. Hope you can join us. Thanks for reading.
|
SOCCER ST. LOUIS STATS O-40
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
NAME
|
|
GAMES
|
GOALS
|
ASSISTS
|
POINTS
|
|
|
|
JOHNNY PENS
|
|
3
|
7
|
2
|
16
|
|
|
|
STEVE RANKIN
|
|
3
|
2
|
2
|
6
|
|
|
|
BOB JANKO
|
|
3
|
1
|
3
|
5
|
|
|
|
CHRIS CARPENTER
|
|
2
|
2
|
0
|
4
|
|
|
|
MIKE HARTSOOK
|
|
2
|
1
|
1
|
3
|
|
|
|
JOE BAER
|
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
3
|
|
|
|
DOMINIC ANIC
|
|
2
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
|
|
|
KEN BRIGDEN
|
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
|
WALLY STOKES
|
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
|
JIM AHEARN
|
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
|
TIM KELLEY
|
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
|
MARTY ISSA
|
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
|
JOHN KOZUSCEK
|
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
|
STEVE SCHLICHTIG
|
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
|
TODD LORETTA
|
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
Warning: Your facilities tie breaker rules and rankings may not follow the rules above.
O-30 BOUNCES BACK FROM UGLY LOSS
POSTS HUGE WIN OVER FREAKY SHAKRA
Following last weeks horrible 5-2 loss to SoCo Utd., even though SSL sported a 2-1 record after that match, the soccer future looked bleak. The game versus SoCo was ugly. For the 3rd week in a row, they found themselves down 2-0 early in the first half. However, this time they could not recover.
Unforgiving field #3, always a nemisis for SSL, would not relent. The harder they worked, the behinder they got. They could never recover, and in the process, proceeded to implode, leading one to think that there may be no soccer tomorrows, in spite of their decent record. There are losses & then there are bad losses. This, was a bad loss. The way it looked following the SoCo match, it may well have been all she wrote regarding any possible return to the championship. But what a difference a week makes, and a win.
The match this week versus always formidble Freaky Shakra, last sessions championship finalist, would be no easy task. If SSL played this week as they did last week versus SoCo, well, it would be a long, long session.
This match started out the same way the previous 3 matches started. The opponent scored first. Not a prescription for success. However, SSL righted the ship, scored the next two goals & managed a precarious 2-1 lead at the interval. But, there was still a long way to go. Freaky is a goal scoring machine. Last session they were 2nd in the league in scoring with 44, only one behind Sinclair & Rush's 45. If SSL had a relapse & played as they did last week, that 2-1 lead they forged in the first half would vanish quickly. That would not happen.
SSL came out flying in the 2nd half, outscoring Freaky 4-2, posting a 6-4 win in an extremely difficult match. Freaky continued to press the attack thruout the half, only to be turned back by excellent defense by Casey Walsh, Tony Meadows, Sladan Kurtovic, Ivan Bodul & Joe Baer. Not to be overlooked was the incredible play of keeper David Shelton, who made at least 3 point-blank saves as well as turning back a break-away. This great defense conspired to hold the potent Freaky attack to two 2nd half goals, while the offense was depositing 4 of their own on the other end, padding the 2-1 half-time score.
Excellent offensive efforts were turned in by Ivan Bodul, with two rocket shots off great moves, Guillermo Cortez with two excellent contributions of his own on great individual effort, Gianni Pens with a 2nd effort finish in the box while being double-teamed & perhaps the best goal of the match from Jason Adelsberger. He collected the ball in his defensive end, raced the length of the field, & while tightly marked, from the right side of the field just outside the box, let go with a right-footed shot that exploded into the back of the goal, past a flat-footed, startled keeper. The offense was back, with a bullet.
Continuing their fine play & pressing the attack for the remainder of the match, SSL carried the 6-4 lead to the finish, posting their 3rd win in 4 matches, vaulting them back into first place, with 3 matches to go. However, as luck would have it, SSL will face Freaky one more time. They will face each other in the sessions final game on their favorite field, #3. So, stay tuned. It could be interesting.
Next up will be the always pesky CD Cobras @ 7:50 on field #1. Hope to see you there. Again, thanks for reading.
|
|
SOCCER ST. LOUIS STATS O-30
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
NAME
|
|
GAMES
|
GOALS
|
ASSISTS
|
POINTS
|
|
|
|
JAYSON ADELSBERGER
|
|
4
|
6
|
0
|
12
|
|
|
|
DAVID HIPPERSON
|
|
3
|
4
|
3
|
11
|
|
|
|
IVAN BODUL
|
|
3
|
3
|
0
|
6
|
|
|
|
GUILLERMO CORTEZ
|
|
4
|
2
|
2
|
6
|
|
|
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RONNIE ROWDEN
|
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4
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1
|
1
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3
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|
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BERNARD ANIC
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4
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1
|
1
|
3
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|
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JOHNNY PENS
|
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4
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1
|
1
|
3
|
|
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EDIN CORALIC
|
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4
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
|
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DAVID SHELTON
|
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4
|
0
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1
|
1
|
|
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CASEY WALSH
|
|
4
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
|
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TONY MEADOWS
|
|
4
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
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WILL SUK
|
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
|
MIKE HOGAN
|
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
|
SLADAN KURTOVIC
|
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
Warning: Your facilities tie breaker rules and rankings may not follow the rules above.
& |
Posted: 10:39 AM, Sep. 5, 2009 |
Comments (0) | Add Comment | Link
View more entries tagged with: None |
|
SSL O-40, 10, VINTAGE UTD, 2
O-40 POST HUGE REBOUND FROM GAME ONE LOSS
REACH DOUBLE DIGITS IN GOALS SCORED
After a lackluster performance in last weeks first game of the session, a 4-2 defeat at the hands of the reigning league champ, Lampert, the SSL O-40 side rebounded in style, leveling the Vintage Utd side with a 10 goal outburst en route to a 10-2 win. If you have to rebound from a disappointing loss, scoring in double digits is certainly a great remedy.
In spite of 5 goals by Gianni Pens, the SSL side found themselves down early 1-0. Then they went on an 8-0 tear, before Vintage scored their 2nd & final goal of the evening. Then, to add insult to injury, SSL then scored the next & final goal of the match, their 10th, to cap the scoring for the evening. But, even though SSL featured an extremely potent offense, the defense was the highlight of the evening.
With James Ahearn, Michael Hartzook & Joe Baer patrolling the defensive zone, & outstanding goalkeeping by John Kozuscek, who was playing his first match in several weeks after being out with an injury, they virtually shut down the Vintage attack, save for a single tally in each half, & moved the ball smartly out of the back providing the midfield & forwards with ample goal scoring opportunities. Obviously, the forwards made no mistake with these multiple chances, posting thier highest goal scoring output in several sessions.
At the interval, SSL held a comfortable 5-1 margin. However, they didn't stop there. With a huge advantage in possession, they created multiple scoring chances. Their red-zone passing was pinpoint perfect, creating several tap-in finishes. That just does not happen in the in-door game.
Now that the hoopla regarding this decisive win is over, SSL must now concentrate on getting back in the hunt for the championship. Next up on the schedule is a difficult match in Vetta Red next Tuesday @ 7:45. In their last two matches versus Red last session, all SSL has to show for their efforts are two losses, by scores of 5-4 & 9-4. So obviously, SSL has something to prove. Perhaps they'll be able to build on this offensive outburst. They'll certainly need to.
Scoring for the match: Gianni Pens, 5 goals & 2 helpers; Chris Carpenter, 2 goals; bob Janko, 1 & 3; Joe Baer & Michael Hartzook, one & one; Steve Rankin & Dominik Anic one helper each. Thanks for reading.
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SOCCER ST. LOUIS STATS O-40
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NAME
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GAMES
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GOALS
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ASSISTS
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POINTS
|
|
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JOHNNY PENS
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2
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6
|
2
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14
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|
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BOB JANKO
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2
|
1
|
3
|
5
|
|
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CHRIS CARPENTER
|
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2
|
2
|
0
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4
|
|
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STEVE RANKIN
|
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2
|
1
|
1
|
3
|
|
|
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MIKE HARTSOOK
|
|
2
|
1
|
1
|
3
|
|
|
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JOE BAER
|
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
3
|
|
|
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DOMINIC ANIC
|
|
2
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
|
|
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KEN BRIGDEN
|
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
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WALLY STOKES
|
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
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JIM AHEARN
|
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
|
TIM KELLEY
|
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
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MARTY ISSA
|
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
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JOHN KOZUSCEK
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1
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0
|
0
|
0
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|
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STEVE SCHLICHTIG
|
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
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TODD LORETTA
|
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
Warning: Your facilities tie breaker rules and rankings may not follow the rules above.
|
Posted: 10:27 AM, Aug. 31, 2009 |
Comments (0) | Add Comment | Link
View more entries tagged with: None |
|
THE SOCCER ST. LOUIS UPDATE
LAMPERT, 4, SSL O-40, 2
FIRST GAME OF SESSION FAR DIFFERENT
FROM PLAYOFF GAME OF LAST SESSION
Last session for the SSL O-40 side ended on a high note when they rolled out the offensive firepower to overwhelm their opponent, Vintage Utd, 8-1. That same firepower was sorely lacking in their opening game of the current session. In this match, they could manage only 2 tallys while allowing 4, & ended up with the loss in a 4-2 decision in favor of the Lampert side.
Last week they were aggressive, possessed the ball, created multiple scoring opportunities & finished with 8 goals. That offense was AWOL this night. What few opportunities they were able to muster, were turned away by good goal-keeping by the Lampert keeper. But there was just a total lack of cohesion & fluidity between the offensive & defensive ends. Although SSL possessed the ball much more than their opponents, they just could not make that final pass that would result in a good offensive opportunity. You won't win many games in this league scoring only 2 goals.
It started off well for SSL, scoring the first goal, on a long, curving ball off the foot of Steve Rankin, that squirted past a startled keeper who had just been screened by Chris Carpenter. It spun crazily into the bottom left corner for an early 1-0 lead. The lead remained 1-0 for the majority of the opening half, but SSL, even though it possessed the ball the majority of the time, just could not get any add-on goals. As luck would have it, just before half, Lampert tied it.
The 2nd half was a bit bizarre. A Lampert forward took a shot that was wide right. However, in chasing the player & the ball, a SSL player was struck in the arm with the carom off the boards & Lampert was awarded a penalty shot, which they promptly converted for a 2-1 lead. Later in the half, a SSL player was sent off for two minutes, but, they were able to kill off the penalty. Then, as the craziness continued, Lampert took a 3-1 lead when a ball in the SSL penalty area was bouncing off players like a pinball machine, & took an unfortunate bounce into the back of the SSL goal.
SSL got a goal back on a great individual effort by Gianni Pens, closing the gap to 3-2 Lampert with just under 4 minutes left. But still the craziness continued. 30 seconds later Lampert scored on yet another pinball goal that bounced into the SSL net out of a scramble in front of the goal, resulting in a 4-2 lead for Lampert, which they would never relinquish.
So, now SSL heads into the the 2nd game of the session 0-1, needing a win very badly. Next up on the schedule is Vintage Utd @ 7:45. However, winning the game will be a moot point unless SSL rediscovers their missing offense. In this league, no goals means no wins. We'll see if the offense reappears. I'll keep you posted. See you next Tuesday. Thanks for reading.
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SOCCER ST. LOUIS STATS O-40
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NAME
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GAMES
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GOALS
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ASSISTS
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POINTS
|
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JOHNNY PENS
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1
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1
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0
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2
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|
|
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STEVE RANKIN
|
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
2
|
|
|
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BOB JANKO
|
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
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CHRIS CARPENTER
|
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
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KEN BRIGDEN
|
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
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DOMINIC ANIC
|
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
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WALLY STOKES
|
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
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|
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MIKE HARTSOOK
|
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1
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0
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0
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0
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|
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TIM RILEY
|
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1
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0
|
0
|
0
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|
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JIM AHEARN
|
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
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|
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TIM KELLEY
|
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
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|
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MARTY ISSA
|
|
0
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0
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0
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0
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JOE BAER
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0
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0
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0
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0
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JOHN KOZUSCEK
|
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0
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0
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0
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0
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|
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STEVE SCHLICHTIG
|
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0
|
0
|
0
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0
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TODD LORETTA
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0
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0
|
0
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0
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Warning: Your facilities tie breaker rules and rankings may not follow the rules above.
SSL O-30, 3, SINCLAIR & RUSH, 2
O-30 RECOVER FROM 2-0 DEFICIT
2ND WEEK IN A ROW
This is obviously not the way you want to start any game. Last Thursday & this Thursday, the SSL O-30 side found themselves trailing 2-0 early in each of the two games. Last week they had a spectacular comeback, winning going away, 7-4 over the reigning league champion PLS Zoom. This was a much different, & far more difficult match.
Unlike last weeks game where everything flowed smoothly & effectively, in this match the reverse was true. It appeared they were fighting it all night, almost like bucking a headwind the whole game. The harder they tried, the behinder they got.
Early in the match, just as in the previous weeks match, they fell behind 1-0. Not to worry, just 1-0 & a lot of game left. Wrong! After an offensive sortie by SSL, the ball came flying out of the offensive end & directly onto the foot of a waiting, unmarked, S&R forward. He turned & headed upfield with a breakaway. The SSL keeper, David Shelton, had no chance. Just as the S&R forward reached the penalty area, he waited no longer, & launched a rocket that found the bottom right corner of the goal. Just that quickly, SSL found themselves looking up at a 2-0 deficit. I'm sure the thought occured to many. Could they come back two weeks in a row? Lot's of time left, but, could they do it? Although you couldn't tell by the play of the SSL side at the time, the answer was yes. But it was a nailbiter!
A deadly connection that has materialized recently for SSL is Jayson Adelsberger to David Hipperson....& vice versa. The first goal for SSL came off this combination where Hipperson fed Adelsberger the ball, whereupon he made no mistake from an extremely bad angle, finishing the ball, & getting SSL back in the match. At this point, all the SSL players spirits were definitely lifted. With the remainder of the first half & all of the 2nd half still to be played, they knew they had plenty of time & the goals would come. Well, as it turned out, they had plenty of time, but tallies were hard to come by.
Both teams rode the 2-1 Sinclair & Rush lead to the interval. The 2nd half featured more of an up-tempo game by SSL, but not the likes of the previous weeks match. Shelton was called on to make easily a half-dozen difficult stops in the first half alone, not the least of which were two more break-away's, keeping SSL in the match & buying the offense more time. They would need every minute of that time.
Although not mustering as much offense as they did the previous week, they still managed to maintain the majority of possession & created multiple offensive opportunities, many more than their opponent. However, the S&R keeper was up to the task, turning away a multitude of SSL shots, maintaining the S&R lead. But the continued offensive pressure ultimately paid dividends.
On yet another offensive sortie by SSL, the ball was heading for the back of the net when an S&R defender swatted it out with his hand, resulting in a penalty shot for SSL. Hipperson stepped up & calmly, with the help of a freaky little dance step, stroked the ball into the back of the net for a 2-2 tie. All the SSL players thought the avalanche of goals would surely now start, providing them with yet another runaway win. S&R, however, was much stingyer then anticipated, & held SSL to but a single additional tally for the match. However, it was an important one. It was the game-winner!
The continuing offensive pressure applied by the SSL resulted in another of many dead-ball fouls. This particular one was just outside & to the left of the box. It appeared that, with the wall set up by S&R, there was nowhere to go with the shot, the better opportunity being perhaps laying it off to a teammate. Not so fast. Hipperson approached the ball, & as he did earlier in the match, calmly struck the ball that found the tiniest of openings & flew into the back of the net for their first lead of the game at 3-2. It was the only lead they would need.
Not to be overleooked in a match of this pace & intensity, was the defense of both sides, but particularly, the SSL side, protecting, successfully, a one goal lead, & riding it to a win. Save for a few breakdowns, the defensive marking, all over the field, not just in the defensive end, created turn-overs that SSL pounced on, thwarting yet another of the S&R attacks. This helped keep thier offense in check, & resulted in only a couple shots in the second half, & completely shutting them out in the last 20 plus minutes.
So, tucking away this hard-fought victory & savoring their win & first place tie for a few moments, the thoughts quickly were on the battle that continues next week. The SSL opponent, SoCo Utd., @ 10:15 is coming off a tremendous 5-3 win over perenial powerhouse, Freaky Shakra. Compounding the problems facing SSL in this match is the fact it will be played on field #3, not their favorite place to do battle. It has been said that, all that field does is level the playing field, making a bad team better & a good team worse. We shall see. Again, thanks for reading.
|
|
SOCCER ST. LOUIS STATS O-30
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NAME
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GAMES
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GOALS
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ASSISTS
|
POINTS
|
|
|
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DAVID HIPPERSON
|
|
2
|
4
|
3
|
11
|
|
|
|
JAYSON ADELSBERGER
|
|
2
|
4
|
0
|
8
|
|
|
|
RONNIE ROWDEN
|
|
2
|
1
|
1
|
3
|
|
|
|
BERNARD ANIC
|
|
2
|
1
|
1
|
3
|
|
|
|
GUILLERMO CORTEZ
|
|
2
|
0
|
2
|
2
|
|
|
|
JOHNNY PENS
|
|
2
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
|
|
|
EDIN CORALIC
|
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
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TONY MEADOWS
|
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
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DAVID SHELTON
|
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
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MIKE HOGAN
|
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
|
CASEY WALSH
|
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
|
WILL SUK
|
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
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|
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IVAN BODUL
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|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
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SLADAN KURTOVIC
|
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
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SSL O-30, 7, PLS ZOOM, 4
O-30 MOUNTS FURIOUS COMEBACK
ROARS PAST DEFENDING CHAMPS
In a match that, early on, looked as if it could be a long & frustrating night at the old ballpark, took a remarkable turn, & instead turned out to be one of SSL best efforts in quite sometime. Their 7-4 win over defending champs PLS Zoom, the Zoom's first game back after winning last sessions championship, was a consolation of sorts for the SSL side.
After a lackluster previous session, one in which they recorded only 3 victorys & 2 ties in 7 matches, one of which, ironically, was a 2-1 win over the same PLS Zoom side, the SSL side seemed to re-invent themselves. With this win they seemed to be sending a message to the rest of the league that PLS Zoom had only borrowed last sessions championship banner, & that SSL would once again lay claim to it. Of course, it's a long session so the results remain to be seen. But it certainly seemed as though SSL recaptured its missing swagger & confidence. They played with an attitude.
From the SSL point of view, the game started about as poorly as possible. Within the first 5 minutes of the game, they found themselves down 2-0. I recall thinking that this match could go either way from this point. It could be an opportunity to re-assert themselves & show the formidible team they were, or, it could all cave in & they would be looking at a repeat of last session. The next goal, making it 3-0 or 2-1, would tell the tale. Fate & Ronnie Rowden would take a SSL turn.
Shortly after the Zoom's 2nd goal, Rowden found himself alone at the top of the box with the ball. As opposed to a one-timer, he calmly let a SSL player run thru & clear out the box, whereupon he deposited a rocket past a startled keeper into the back of the goal, putting SSL on the board, down 2-1, but, more importantly, sending a message, not only to the Zoom, but to his teammates as well, SSL was back in the match.
Shortly thereafter, David Hipperson collected a ball inside the SSL half. Hitting his stride with a Zoom player in hot pursuit, he continued his run toward the Zoom goal uninterupted, &, taking his time, looking up, perfectly placed the ball in the lower right hand corner where the keeper had no chance. That knotted the score at 2. SSL knew it was back in the match. It was game on!
Moments later, on a perfectly placed ball from the left corner to Jayson Adelsberger, left alone at the top of the Zoom box, Adelsberger hit a rocket, burying it in the back of the net for the first SSL lead of the game. However, the lead was short-lived, as the Zoom came back with a goal of their own, knotting the score at 3 & that turned out to be the score at the interval. However, had you told SSL they'd be tied at 3 at the interval after being down 0-2 at the outset, they'd have taken it. In the 2nd half, SSL put on a clinic.
Allowing Zoom only a single tally while scoring 4 of their own, SSL completely dominated the play, making some spectacular plays, & scoring some fabulous goals, while on the defensive end, virtually shutting down an extremely potent Zoom offense. The goal keeping by David Shelton was spectacular, making at least a half-dozen point-blank saves on balls that looked to be surely going in. The defenders, Casey Walsh, Tony Meadows, Jayson Adelsberger & Mike Hogan, literally slammed the door on the Zoom offense, blocking multiple shots, stealing the ball & making decisive outlet passes, creating multiple scoring opportunities for the offense & completely defusing the Zoom attack. Make no mistake, this Zoom team is formidble, having defeated Freaky Shakra in game 7 last session & then winning a re-match with Freaky in the finals. Pinning this 7-4 loss on Zoom was no easy task.
Three of the SSL 2nd half goals were of the spectacular variety. The 4th goal was on a patented David Hipperson dead ball, placing it nicely in the upper left corner, out of reach of the keeper. The 5th was of the ordinary variety, where Jay Adelsberger took a shot from just outside the box, burying it into the back of the net. His next goal, however, was of the spectacular variety. A ball sent by SSL down the field to a streaking Adelsberger was off line. The keeper came out to field the ball, but juggled it momentarily. Adelsberger flashed in from the left, streaking past the startled keeper, snatched the ball from him, immediately turned & rocketed a shot into the vacated goal. The 7th & final goal, was one of individual effort. Bernard Anic, playing a remarkable mid-field, ran half the length of the field with the ball, being marked closely. As he neared the goal, from an extreme angle, he hit a rocket that roofed the goal, just out of reach of the keeper, putting the 7th & final goal on the board, capping a remarkable comeback for the SSL side. The effort this evening for SSL was boderline brilliance.
However, the road to the finals gets no easier. Next week, SSL will face Sinclair & Rush @ 10pm on field #1. S&R handily defeated Freaky Shakra, last sessions championship finalist, 8-3. Then, later this session, on 9/17, a rematch with PLS Zoom. I'm sure they have that circled on their calendar. So, stay tuned. Although SSL got off on the right foot with a fabulous team win, there's a long way to go. The next several weeks will determine which SSL team is playing this session. Last sessions underachieving side or the one that rattled off 16 straight without a loss. It should be fun. Thanks for reading.
Scoring: Jayson Adelsberger, 3 goals; David Hipperson, 2 goals & 2 helpers; Ronnie Rowden, 1 & 1; Bernard Anic, 1 goal; Guillermo Cortez, 2 helpers & Casey Walsh & Gianni Pens, 1 helper each.
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|
SOCCER ST. LOUIS STATS O-30
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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|
|
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|
|
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NAME
|
|
GAMES
|
GOALS
|
ASSISTS
|
POINTS
|
|
|
|
JAYSON ADELSBERGER
|
|
1
|
3
|
0
|
6
|
|
|
|
DAVID HIPPERSON
|
|
1
|
2
|
2
|
6
|
|
|
|
RONNIE ROWDEN
|
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
3
|
|
|
|
BERNARD ANIC
|
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
2
|
|
|
|
GUILLERMO CORTEZ
|
|
1
|
0
|
2
|
2
|
|
|
|
JOHNNY PENS
|
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
|
|
|
EDIN CORALIC
|
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
|
TONY MEADOWS
|
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
|
DAVID SHELTON
|
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
|
MIKE HOGAN
|
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
|
CASEY WALSH
|
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
|
SLADAN KURTOVIC
|
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
|
WILL SUK
|
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
|
IVAN BODUL
|
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
Warning: Your facilities tie breaker rules and rankings may not follow the rules above.
|
Posted: 10:25 AM, Aug. 15, 2009 |
Comments (0) | Add Comment | Link
View more entries tagged with: None |
|
SSL O-40, 8, VINTAGE UNITED, 1
O-40 CLOSE OUT SESSION WITH WIN
BEAT VINTAGE FOR 3RD
After suffering thru a less than spectacular session, the SSL O-40 side ended it on an upbeat with a sound defeat of the Vintage United side. For a change, the SSL side actually had subs, with 3, which is a marked improvement over their previous efforts, many times having no subs whatsoever. This obviously impacted their ability to compete, resulting in their pedestrian 3 win session. However, there's no complaining. It was what it was.
But, with this convincing 8-1 win, they're building toward an even better performance in the upcoming session. With the addition of two new players, Chris Carpenter & Tim Riley, the SSL side greatly strengthened their line-up. Additionally, the return of Steve Rankin to the line-up, who was out with an injury, filling in nicely in goal for the recovering John Kozuscek, allowed only a single tally for the match. Hopefully this should help them avoid the malady of the just completed session, that being short-handed constantly. In this match they were not.
The game started with SSL striking paydirt first with an early goal by Gian Pens. However, on a rare defensive breakdown, Vintage came right back with a goal of their own, knotting the score at one. However, that was their last hurrah.
SSL then reeled off the next 7 goals, 4 each by Gian Pens & Joe Baer, who had a natural hat trick in the process & closed out this one-sided win. Solid defense & possession were the key factors in this win. Oh, did I mention? Having subs was the real difference in this win. See you next week. Thanks for reading.
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SOCCER ST. LOUIS STATS O-40
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NAME
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GAMES
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GOALS
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ASSISTS
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POINTS
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JOHNNY PENS
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7
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9
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7
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25
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JOE BAER
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5
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7
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5
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19
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BOB JANKO
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7
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3
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9
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15
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CHRIS CARPENTER
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3
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3
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4
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10
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KEN BRIGDEN
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5
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2
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1
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5
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MARTY ISSA
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5
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2
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0
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4
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DOMINIC ANIC
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4
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1
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0
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2
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JOHN KOZUSCEK
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5
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1
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0
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2
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WALLY STOKES
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6
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0
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2
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2
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MIKE HARTSOOK
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5
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0
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1
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1
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STEVE RANKIN
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1
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0
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0
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0
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TIM RILEY
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2
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0
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0
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0
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JIM AHEARN
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0
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0
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0
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0
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TIM KELLEY
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0
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0
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0
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0
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STEVE SCHLICHTIG
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0
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0
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0
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0
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TODD LORETTA
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0
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0
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0
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0
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Warning: Your facilities tie breaker rules and rankings may not follow the rules above.
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Posted: 7:31 AM, Aug. 12, 2009 |
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