NEW LINE-UP

SECURES 2ND STRAIGHT

A tweak here, a tweak there, & the next thing you know, we had a new line-up. With several of our regulars out for a variety of reasons, we needed some subs & to move people around. And move them we did.

To cover for Mondo Martinez, we subbed Guillermo Cortez, who did a great job playing for us in Indy. He blended in nicely, chipping in with a goal and an assist, & generally helped greatly attacking & with ball movement. In the mid-field, wholesale changes took place. For the missing Jayson Adelsberger & Michael Poropat, David Hipperson & Casey Walsh moved into those positions, doing a great job linking the defenders to the forwards & also contributing on offense, with Casey contributing a goal & an assist & Little Hip chipping in with a goal & three helpers.

The 7-2 win over the Buckshots exacted a small measure of revenge. They are the team that ended SSL 16 game unbeaten string the 1st game of last session. So that was nice. But it was a fun game to watch. SSL played one of their better games by knocking the ball around, playing possession, constantly attacking & playing stellar defense. In fact, the 2nd goal the opponents scored was with less then a minute left in the game. About the only thing I could find fault with was they were being TOO unselfish.

They'd have a scoring opportunity & instead of taking a high percentage shot, would lay the ball off. Invariably, that ball would be a lower percentage chance & didn't score, when their original opportunity would have been the higher percentage chance. But, those are the kinds of games you want to play. The kind where you have to look closely to find any kind of fault at all.

Once again, the defense. led by Bernard Anic, limited the opponent to two goals, further securing SSL hold on allowing the fewest goals against. Probably a statistic easily overlooked, the goals against are huge & a true barometer of how good your team really is. It's not always just about the scoring.

If you look at the teams that allow the fewest goals, those are the teams that consistently are among the front-runners. If you stop the other side, your chances of winning the game are much greater. The SSL side has led the league in fewest goals allowed for a remarkable 7 consecutive sessions. Think about that. That's 56 games! That's why it's so maddening when the 2nd goal of this game was scored in the final minute. But, hats off to the defense: Casey Walsh; Noel Pachecho; Sladan Kurtovic; Tony Meadows & the aforementioned, Bernard Anic. Of course, you can't mention the defense without mentioning last sessions MVP, goalie Dave Shelton. Keep up the good work!

Star of the game would have to be David (Little Hip) Hipperson. 2nd star, Casey Walsh & 3rd star, Guillermo Cortez. Honorable mention to Johnny Pens.

Scoring for the game: Little Hip, 1 goal, 3 helpers; Casey, 1 goal, 1 helper; Guillermo, 1 goal, 1 helper; Johnny, 1 goal, 1 helper; Edin Coralic, Bernard Anic & Tony Meadows, 1 goal each.

Next weeks game is VJ @ 6:20 on field # 2. We'll continue to wear our black shirts.

SOCCER ST. LOUIS REUNIION!!!

Mark your calendars. Saturday, Sept., 27th, 7pm till 1am @ the Bocce Club, on "The Hill". Music provided by the "Happy Endings", Jayson Adelsberger, Jimmy Barton & their band. Food provided by Steve "The Chief" Rankin, & hospitality provided by Dave Zona, head man at the Bocce Club.

Cost will be $10 per person, & that will cover the food. Drinks (cheap) will be at the Bocce Clubs cash bar. A flyer regarding the reunion is going out in this weeks mail. Look for it!

Also, I'll need your help finding old (all pun's intended) SSL players. Some have moved off into that soccer field in the sky. However, others have moved & I've lost contact with them. If you know of someone that played with us previously, & is not on the list attached to the flyer, or someones contact info that I'm requesting on that flyer, please call or e mail me & I'll get a flyer out to them.

It'll be a blast & you won't want to miss it & you won't want anyone else to miss it. Just let me know.

SUNDAY CYC CLOSED LEAGUE

I need to find out immediately, how many of you want to play on this outdoor team. In all likleyhood, these Sunday games will be played at any one or all of the following fields: Forest Park; Lindenwood or Carondelet. Times will probably be 11am, 1pm & 3 pm. I need to know, pronto, who will be playing, before I make any kind of financial committment. E mail, call me or talk to me. Let me know. Do it! Do it now!!!

Standings & stats follow:

SOCCER ST. LOUIS STATS
NAME			GOALS	ASSISTS	POINTS
BERNARD ANIC			4	0	8
DAVID HIPPERSON			1	4	6
TONY MEADOWS			2	0	4
CASEY WALSH			1	2	4
RONNIE ROWDEN			1	1	3
JOHNNY PENS			1	1	3
GUILLERMO CORTEZ			1	1	3
EDIN CORALIC			1	0	2
JASON ADESLBERGER			0	1	1
NOEL PACHECO			0	1	1

Schedule			Location
Thu 7/17 7:05 PM	W 5-2	Freaky Shakra	Concord, Field 3
Thu 7/24 7:45 PM	W 7-2	Buckshots	Concord, Field 1
Thu 7/31 6:20 PM	55 minutes	Vee Jay	Concord, Field 2
Thu 8/7 8:55 PM	55 minutes	at PLS Zoom Motors	Concord, Field 3
Thu 8/14 10:30 PM	55 minutes	at Fossils	Concord, Field 1
Thu 8/21 10:00 PM	55 minutes	at Imos Men	Concord, Field 2
Thu 8/28 5:55 PM	55 minutes	at Buckshots	Concord, Field 1

LOST WEEKEND.....

IN INDY!!!

Disappointing is the only word that comes to mind to describe last weekends 6v6 tourney in Indianapolis. The team we took was one of the strongest we've taken in recent years, but the 2 wins & 2 losses for the weekend, deflated any high hopes we had.

Traditionally a slow starter, the SSL side played their 1st game against the Kickers, an excellent team from Louisville. Predictably falling behind in the 1st half 3-0, SSL rallied in the 2nd to tie the game, & dominated play, only to lose in the final minute of play on an own goal. The Kickers went on to win the 14 team Over 30 Division with a 6-0 win in the Finals. How ironic is that. But, the ironies didn't stop there.

After that tough 1st game loss, SSL easily handled the Flying Burrito Brothers, the local host team, 4-0 to square their record at 1-1. The 3rd game, against another local team, the Coffee Crew, was a crazy shoot-out, with SSL prevailing 6-5. So, SSL ended the day with a respectable 2-1 record. Now it was off to the Sunday playoffs, & the confidence was running high following their improving style of play. SSL was primed to get to the Finals & win it, & bring home the trophy. There was only one small problem. A 1st game loss on Sunday knocked them out!

In an ugly game against EKSTRA F.C., SSL went up 1-0. Then tied 1-1. Down 2-1. Tied 2-2. Late in the 2nd half, fell behind 3-2, couldn't recover & that was the final score. Out of the tourney at 2-2. Disappointing.

I stayed around to watch the rest of the games. It's always fun to watch the playoffs. You win, you advance. You lose, you're out. It's great to watch the ebb & flow of emotion in those types of circumstances. As I mentioned earlier, there were more ironies then our 1st game loss to the eventual champ.

Each of the 2 teams we defeated, won their 1st round games. We lost ours. The team we lost to in game 3, lost their 1st round game. The team that beat them ended up in the finals, where they lost 6-0 to the team we played in the 1st round, whom we lost to 4-3 on an own goal. So, did you follow that? Just ironic, that's all.

When I spoke with the players following the final loss, everyone was in agreement, albeit stating it differently. One said we just didn't click. Another said we were either on or off & yet another said it was a lack of chemistry. Any way you look at it, we under performed. It cost us. As I said, disappointing.

Indy was a good time, except for the tourney. Well, not really. Win or lose, a soccer road trip is a good time. In spite of our results, this was no different. A good time was had by all. See you next year!

Scoring: Mondo, 5; Little Hip, 3; Michael & Chief, 2 each; Pens, Tony & Hoags, 1 each.

Tourney Team: Mike Hogan; Johnny Pens; Michael Poropat; Tony Meadows; Dave Shelton; Mondo Martinez; Steve Rankin; David Hipperson; Chris Carpenter & Guillermo Martinez.

IT WAS A FREAKY GAME

VS

FREAKY SHAKRA

It was Thursday @ Concord, but that was about the only thing familiar about our regular weekly game there. We faced an opponent we had never seen before, a new entry into the league, & on a newly prepared field that we had never played on. It was square! If any of you are old enough & remember the Crestwood field, well, it was the re-incarnation of that field. Never liked it then, don't like it now. It was freaky.

So was the game. It was as wide as it was long. Different game. Never saw the Shakra boys before. They have a really good, fast team. They just can't shoot straight. Our defense, as usual, played well. But, with those kinds of conditions, shot came from all over. We were more accurate than they were. It's that simple. Well, not really.

We played well, for the most part. Had most of the possession, particularly in the 2nd half. However, we missed on some golden opportunities, but so did they. We need to shoot more. We're falling in love w/trying to look for the perfect shot. Need to let it fly.

Bernard Anic had a great session......in the first half! He scored all three of our goals, resulting in a 3-1 half-time lead. But his comment after the game was not about the ones he scored, it was the ones he didn't. He lamented the fact that he had two or three opportunities in the 2nd, that just wouldn't fall. There's always next week.

A new welcome addition to the team, although he showed up late (been hangin' around johnny pens too long) was David (little hip) Hipperson. He came in, did a great job fitting in in his first game with us in some time, & set up Tony Meadows for his goal on a nice give n go. Welcome aboard, Hip.

Scoring for the game: Bernard Anic, 3 goals; Ronnie Rowden, a goal & a helper; Tony Meadows, a goal; Casey Walsh, Jayson Adelsberger, Noel Pacheco & David Hipperson, each with a helper.

Star of the Game? Hands down, Bernard. Well done.

Next week, 7:45, the Buckshots on field #1. Finally, we're off that freaky field #3. We'll continue to wear our black.

HOAGS WINS SCORING TITLE

Congrats to Mike Hogan who led all scorers for Soccer St. Louis last session with 7 goals & 4 helpers for 18 points. Edin Coralic was 2nd with 7 goals & 2 helpers for 16 points

OFF TO INDY!!!

Soccer St. Louis heads north today for our annual trip to Indy for their fabulous outdoor, 6v6 tourney. I believe this is our 8th, 9th or 10th year in a row. Something like that. What's pretty amazing is there are as many teams in the O-30, at 14, as there are in the Open. Does that mean we're all getting older? They've also added an O-40 division. Yeah, that cinches it. We're all definitely getting older.

I'll have the story, pic's & stats when we get back. Stay tuned. Later.....

Standings & stats are below:

 

	SOCCER ST. LOUIS STATS
	NAME			GOALS	ASSISTS	POINTS
	BERNARD ANIC			3	0	6
	RONNIE ROWDEN			1	1	3
	TONY MEADOWS			1	0	2
	CASEY WALSH			0	1	1
	JASON ADESLBERGER			0	1	1
	DAVID HIPPERSON			0	1	1
	NOEL PACHECO			0	1	1

League Standings: Thurs Men 30+ C North 7/10
Team	W	T	L	Pts	GF	GA	GD	PCT	GP
Fossils	1	1	0	4	10	7	3	0.750	2
PLS Zoom Motors	1	1	0	4	12	10	2	0.750	2
Soccer St. Louis	1	0	0	3	5	2	3	1.000	1
Buckshots	1	0	0	3	5	2	3	1.000	1
Imos Men	1	0	1	3	9	8	1	0.500	2
Freaky Shakra	0	0	2	0	8	13	-5	0.000	2
Vee Jay	0	0	2	0	6	13	-7	0.000	2

Schedule			Location
Thu 7/17 7:05 PM	W 5-2	Freaky Shakra	Concord, Field 3
Thu 7/24 7:45 PM	55 minutes	Buckshots	Concord, Field 1
Thu 7/31 6:20 PM	55 minutes	Vee Jay	Concord, Field 2
Thu 8/7 8:55 PM	55 minutes	at PLS Zoom Motors	Concord, Field 3
Thu 8/14 10:30 PM	55 minutes	at Fossils	Concord, Field 1
Thu 8/21 10:00 PM	55 minutes	at Imos Men	Concord, Field 2
Thu 8/28 5:55 PM	55 minutes	at Buckshots	Concord, Field 1

 THE STREAK ENDS

A NEW STREAK BEGINS!!!

 After winning two successive championships, the streak came to an end last Thursday. A 6-3 loss to PLS Zoom ended all hope of a third straight trophy. In what was, shall we say, an interesting final two weeks of the session, SSL found itself facing the Zoomers two weeks in a row.

After winning last sessions championship, SSL lost the first game of this session to the Bushwackers 3-1, bringing to a close a string of 16 straight games without a loss that included two championships. Then SSL went on another streak, winning 5 straight games in the middle of the session. Which brings us to the "interesting" part.

The final game of the regular session, #7, pitted SSL against PLS Zoom, in what would be a preview of the championship game. Win or lose, SSL would be playing the Zoomers in the finals as a result of accumulating enough points. So, this would be an interesting match.

In that game, a 3-2 loss, a whole lot of things happened. Not many good. As you might imagine, it was, as it always is, a very physical, fast game. Unfortunately, as a result of this, SSL had roughly 15 to 20 fouls called against them, versus the Zoomers having only 5. A pretty big disparity. Use your imagination on this issue.

Zoomers scored 1st, only to be tied shortly thereafter on a nice finish in front of the net by Noel Pacheco. Noel would figure prominately later in the game. The Zoomers then scored their 2nd first half goal to go up 2-1, but Edin Coralic tied it at two shortly before half on a great 2nd effort, burying the ball past the keeper. It was 2-2 at the half. Then things turned really ugly.

In the 2nd half, Noel got into a shoving match with one of the Zoomers. However, it ended quickly with no harm done. Except in one persons eyes. Noel said the magic word & was sent off with a penalty. A FIVE minute red card, that was, in many opinions, totally uncalled for. During the ensueing 5 minute man advantage for the Zoomers, they scored the 3rd & ultimately winning goal in the game. A tough loss, but still there was an opportunity the following week in the championship against these same Zoomers. Everyone was keyed up for the match.

In the championship last thursday, it was a lot of the same. Physical, run 'n gun, end to end. After a slow start, SSL found itself down 1-0. Then, another penalty, similar to the previous week, albeit, this was of the 2 minute variety. The Zoomers made no mistake on this opportunity. They scored, taking an early 2-0 lead. It would be an uphill battle from here.

Michael Poropat got SSL back in the game with a great solo, 2nd effort, scoring a 1st half goal, halving the score to 2-1. That was the way the first half ended. The second half again was more of the same. SSL killed off another 2 minute penalty, preventing the Zoomers from scoring, but failed to score on some good opportunities of their own. The Zoomers took advantage of the missed opportunities, & scored 3 more times in the 2nd half, as SSL failed to defend their quick counters, which many times found them with a man wide open. SSL did manage to break thru for a couple goals, narrowing the score 4-2 & 5-3 on nice finishes by Jayson Adelsberger on a 2nd effort finish, & Casey Walsh, slashing thru the box & hitting a point-blank bomb. But it just couldn't get the equalizer against the Zoomers.

This was very unusual for a SSL side, that inspite of allowing 6 goals in this final game, still lead the league in goals against for the 5th straight session. SSL doesn't allow many goals & to allow 6, with the 6th goal being an empty netter as time ran out, is a rareity. But to be fair, the Zoomers are a very good side. They attack with 5 & defend with 5. If you don't do the same, you'll get the result that SSL got last Thursday.

All in all, it was a good session, and, as usual, a lot of fun. The streak couldn't last forever, & it didn't. However, a little adversity often times results in opportunity. A new session starts next Thursday. It's time to start another streak! See you then.

INDY

Right now, the way the over 30 men's stacks up we have: Mike Hogan; Johnny Pens; Michael Poropat; Tony Meadows; Dave Shelton; Mondo Martinez; Steve Rankin; Tom Morris & David Hipperson. We have room for one more player. So, I need to find out from Ronnie Rowden, Jayson Adelsberger & Tim Kelley if they are going to take the final spot. LET ME KNOW!!!

I'm also working on a hotel. I'm negotiating with a Marriott Courtyard @ Southport & I-65 for a better deal, if I lock up 5 or 6 rooms. I'll get back to everyone as soon as I get that done.

WELCOME 2 NEW/OLD PLAYERS

Two familiar names will be re-joining the SSL side for the upcoming session. Names out of the past: Joe Tarticchio & David (little hip) Hipperson. They'll be coming on board to cover for injured players Mondo Martinez & Michael Poropat while they heal. When those latter two get healthy, we'll re-assess the situation to see if we can't make their job permanent. Welcome back, boys! See you Thursday.

SHELTON WINS MVP

ANIC WINS MVD

These two coveted awards, Most Valuable Player & Most Valuable Defender were awarded to these two deserving players for their contribution in the Championship Session that ended 5/1/08, based on a vote by their peers. In an extremely tight vote, Shelton edged out Anic for the MVP, 17 votes to 14, & in the MVD voting, the margin of victory was even closer with Anic topping Shelton by a single point, 22 to 21. Both earned their awards for their tireless contribution in that championship session, & that effort was recognized & rewarded by voting from their teammates. Others receiving votes were: MVP, Mike Hogan 11; Edin Coralic 10; Ronnie Rowden 10 & Michael Poropat 8. MVD, Michael Poropat 9; Jayson Adelsberger 6; Casey Walsh 4 & Ronnie Rowden 3. Awards are only presented following championship sessions.

Following are the pics, standings & stats.

SOCCER ST. LOUIS STATS
NAME			GOALS	ASSISTS	POINTS
MIKE HOGAN			7	4	18
EDIN COROLIC			6	2	14
MONDO MARTINEZ			3	4	10
RONNIE ROWDEN			3	3	9
MICHAEL POROPAT			3	3	9
BERNARD ANIC			3	1	7
SLADAN KURTOVIC			2	2	6
JOHNNY PENS			3	0	6
CASEY WALSH			2	2	6
JASON ADESLBERGER			2	0	4
TONY MEADOWS			1	1	3
OTTO ETZEL			1	0	2
DAVE SHELTON			0	2	2
NOEL PACHECO			0	1	1

Schedule			Location
Thu 5/8 7:05 PM	L 1-3	at Buckshots	Concord, Field 1
Thu 5/15 9:50 PM	W 3-2	Imos Men	Concord, Field 1
Thu 5/22 6:10 PM	W 6-2	Vee Jay	Concord, Field 1
Thu 5/29 11:40 PM	W 4-1	at Fossils	Concord, Field 1
Thu 6/12 8:00 PM	W 14-4	The Brew	Concord, Field 1
Thu 6/19 10:20 PM	W 6-1	at Big Red	Concord, Field 2
Thu 6/26 7:35 PM	L 2-3	PLS Zoom Motors	Concord, Field 2
Thu 7/3 8:00 PM	L 3-6	at PLS Zoom Motors	Concord, Field 1