TALE OF TWO HALVES

TNG POURS IT ON IN 2ND HALF

TNG's comeback two weeks ago versus Maddox, when they were down 4-0, & turned that into a 7-6 win would be a tough act to follow under any circumstances, but Tuesday's game had some of those same ingredients. In this game, however, TNG jumped to a quick 2-0 lead, very unlike falling behind 4-0 in the previous game. But, this night that lead was quickly squandered & TNG found themselves tied midway thru the first half 2-2. But a late 1st half goal put TNG back on top 3-2 as the first half ended. This is where the similarity to their previous Tuesday game began.

In the 2nd half, the TNG side pumped in a total of 5 more goals to up their lead to 8-2 with only one window dressing goal by the Vetta Blue side  late in the 2nd half, resulting in the final score of 8-3. By virtue of this win, TNG secures an undefeated session & 1st place & a berth in next weeks championship game versus old rival, Maddox.

One of the big keys for the TNG side this session, was strong defense, not allowing the opponent scoring opportunities & as a result, goals. Leading the league with only 20 goals allowed over the span of 7 games, 9 better than their closest competitor, & a goal differential of 25, which also lead the league, is due in a large part to their keeper, John Kozuszek. As they say, he "stood on his head" in many tight situations & came up with the big save. And overall, the TNG defense has been stingy all session, leading to their 1st place position & berth in the championship game. Offense creates stats, but defense wins championships. We hope to see you all there next Tuesday @ 7:30. It'll be fun.

Scoring for the game: Steve Rankin, 3 goals; Tim Kelley & Steve Schlittig 1 goal & a helper each; Johnny Pens, Johnny Hip & Ed Dwyer, 1 goal each & Bob Janko with 2 helpers.

Standings & stats follow, however, the stats include only the last two games. Have a safe & happy Thanksgiving. Thanks for reading. 

NAME			GOALS	ASSISTS	POINTS
STEVE RANKIN			6	1	13
TODD LORETTA			2	1	5
JOHNNY PENS			2	0	4
TIM KELLEY			1	2	4
DUCKY MAURER			1	1	3
STEVE SCHLITTIG			1	1	3
MARTY ISSA			0	2	2
JOHNNY HIP			1	0	2
ED DWYER			1	0	2
BOB JANKO			0	2	2

 Schedule

Date			Location
Tue 9/30 7:35 PM	W 7-1	at Vetta 40+ RED TEAM	Concord, Field 3
Tue 10/7 7:35 PM	W 7-3	Vetta 40+ BLUE TEAM	Concord, Field 3
Tue 10/14 8:30 PM	W 4-0	at Maddox 40+	Concord, Field 3
Tue 10/28 8:30 PM	W 8-4	Attev	Concord, Field 3
Tue 11/4 7:35 PM	W 4-3	Vetta 40+ RED TEAM	Concord, Field 3
Tue 11/11 7:35 PM	W 7-6	Maddox 40+	Concord, Field 3
Tue 11/25 7:35 PM	W 8-3	at Vetta 40+ BLUE TEAM	Concord, Field 3
Tue 12/2 7:35 PM	55 minutes	at Maddox 40+	Concord, Field 3

SSL STAGES MIRACULOUS COMEBACK

SNATCH VICTORY FROM JAWS OF DEFEAT

In a complete reversal of the previous encounter with the CD Cobra's on 10/30/08, where SSL held a 4-2 lead late in the game, & then squandered it away resulting in a 4-4 decision, this game was the complete opposite.

SSL had been applying pressure early in this game, only to have the Cobra's take the lead on a blistering knuckleball from a Cobra defender that found the bottom left corner of the SSL goal, to take the lead 1-0. SSL responded almost immediately.

On an excellent solo effort, Michael Poropat evened the score with a wicked knuckleball of his own. But that was all the offense SSL could muster for, not only the remainder of the first half, but the majority of the game. Many of the SSL passes weren't connecting, they committed turnovers, & players trying to do it all themselves, all resulted in an ineffective attack. Of those few opportunities that they were able to muster against an extremely fast, aggressive, constantly attacking Cobra's side, were either smothered by the quick Cobra's goalie, or pushed just wide of the goal.

At the same time, the Cobra onslaught was taking its toll. The Cobra's were creating many opportunities on offense by stifling the SSL offense. They collected turnovers or stripped players of the ball, & in turn would create a lot of offensive movement, resulting in shots. However, goalie Dave Shelton was up to the task, turning away most of the chances, except for one, when the Cobra's attack resulted in a tally about midway thru the first half.

Following a lot of up & down action by both teams, neither could add a goal, either to stretch the lead or tie the game. Both sides were in an up-tempo mode. It featured each team attacking, retreating, attacking, retreating, attacking, retreating. End to end action, again, with neither able to notch a goal. The defense on both sides threw a blanket over the others offense. That's the way the half ended, witha 2-1 advantage for the Cobra's. It would be more of the same in the 2nd half.

As time moved ahead in the 2nd half, with neither team able to notch that next goal, they found themselves deep in the 2nd half when a huge break occurred for the Cobra's. With the score still standing at 2-1 Cobra's, that same score being maintained for the last 25 minutes or so, the Cobra's were on the attack, deep in the SSL end. One of the Cobra defenders had the ball on the wing. He had some space & took the shot. The SSL defender attempted to clear the ball & instead, deflected it into the SSL goal. Just like that, it was 3-1 Cobra's with about 6 minutes left on the clock. The SSL outlook was gloomy at best. Not a great effort to this point by the SSL side, & now they were down by two, late in the game. It looked bleak. But this is where the tide turned.

In retrospect, it looked almost like the SSL side kicked it up a notch, shifted into another gear, drank some energy drink, or whatever you want to label it. But at that point, down 3-1, it looked like a different SSL side took the field.

SSL immediately started pressing the attack. Attacking the Cobra defenders with the ball, forcing them into bad passes & turnovers. Eden Coralic jumped on one of these loose balls, moved smartly toward the goal, & cranked a hard shot that found its way past the keeper to narrow the Cobra lead to 3-2. However time was growing short with only about 5 minutes left in the contest. Still a long way to go for the SSL side to salvage this one.

Next, it was newcomer Will Suk to make a huge contribution. Again, with SSL on the attack, pressing the Cobra defenders, Sladan Kurtovic collected the ball & slotted it to an on-rushing Michael Poropat. Poropat collected the ball just in front of the Cobra goalie. With his back to the goal, he laid a beautiful ball back toward the top of the box where Will pounced on it, & hit a bomb that found the bottom left corner of the goal, tying the game at 3. An amazing comeback to that point, but there was still time on the clock for some additiional miracle work.

With about two minutes left in the game, SSL still on the attack, wanting more, David Hipperson, in effect, took the game into his own hands. Carrying the ball toward the Cobra goal & about at the mid-field mark, he attracted several Cobra defenders. Weaving his way past them, he encountered more defenders. He probably should have been looking to pass the ball at that point to an open teammate, but, he was a man on a mission. Finally stepping over,around & thru a double-team, he ended up in the clear for just a moment, & unleashed a rocket from just outside the box that found the back of the net for an improbable & unbelieveable 4-3 SSL lead.

The final minute of the game was as you might imagine. Both teams fighting feverishly to control the ball & get either the tying goal or the coffin nail. But as time ran out, SSL controlled the ball & secured the win in this most improbable of comebacks. Congrats to the SSL side for their tenacity & "never say die" attitude. It was a truly entertaining game & one that had a finish that no one watching earyly could have expected. This game was a perfect illustration of what makes soccer so much fun. They'll be back next Thursday for more. See you then & thanks for reading. Later......

SOCCER ST. LOUIS STATS
NAME			GOALS	ASSISTS	POINTS
MICHAEL POROPAT			2	1	5
RONNIE ROWDEN			1	2	4
EDIN CORALIC			2	0	4
JAYSON ADELSBERGER			1	1	3
CASEY WALSH			0	2	2
DAVID HIPPERSON			1	0	2
WILL SUK			1	0	2

Date			Location
Thu 11/13 6:50 PM	T 4-4	at PLS Zoom Motors	Concord, Field 1
Thu 11/20 10:00 PM	W 4-3	at CD Cobras(BLUE)	Concord, Field 2
Thu 12/4 7:45 PM	55 minutes	at Soco Utd (thurs Men C)	Concord, Field 1
Thu 12/11 8:40 PM	55 minutes	at Buckshots(ORANGE)	Concord, Field 1
Thu 12/18 7:45 PM	55 minutes	at Imos Men(RED)	Concord, Field 1
Thu 1/15 9:50 PM	55 minutes	Sinclair & Rush	Concord, Field 3
Thu 1/22 8:55 PM	55 minutes	The Brew(PURPLE)	Concord, Field 3

SSL STUMBLES OUT OF GATE

COUGH UP 4-1 LEAD

Well, the new session picked up very close to where the last session ended. Without a victory. Last week, the SSL side lost a controversial, uninspired Championship match 6-4 to Freaky Shakra. That performance wasn't a whole lot different than this latest performance, albeit with a bit of a different result.

In the last three games, SSL has 2 ties & a loss, & over the last five games, has only one win to show for their efforts. After having played in 7 of the last 9 championship matches, to have struggled over the last 5 games, is a drastic departure from their performance over the last several years. I don't think they've put together a five game stretch like this in, well, a long, long time. It certainly looks like it's time to pick up the pace & recapture that mojo.

After jumping out to a quick 1-0 lead on an excellent effort by Jayson Adelsberger, SSL quickly padded that lead to 2-0, again on an excellent finish by Adelsberger. On successive goals by Ronnie Rowden & Eden Coralic, the SSL side stretched the lead to 4-0, only to have the Zoomers finally get on the board, making the score at half 4-1 in favor of SSL.

The 2nd half was nightmarish. SSL had trouble with possession, getting the ball out of their own end & generally being ineffective on the offensive end, allowing the Zoom to creep back into the game. Then late in the contest, with SSL protecting a one goal lead, the Zoom pressed the attack. On a corner kick, the Zoom slotted the ball into the box, & an on-rushing Zoomer slashed into the box & one-timed the ball into the back of the net to tie the score. That's the way the game ended.

And it doesn't get any easier. Next Thursday SSL will face the CD Cobras. They faced the Cobras twice in the last four games, winning 5-2 & tieing 4-4. However, the Cobra's got off to a good start this session by defeating perennial powerhouse Imo's 5-3. So this will be quite the challenge for SSL.

With the league re-alignment in place, eleven teams will now compete for the top two berths to play in the championship game. Since there will be some teams that you don't play over an eight game session, it's extremely important to win every game you play. You may not have a chance to play an opponent head to head that may be in front of you in the standings. You can't depend on other people to take care of your business for you. As they say, your fate rests in your own hands. See you Thursday @ 10.

SOCCER ST. LOUIS STATS
NAME			GOALS	ASSISTS	POINTS
JAYSON ADELSBERGER			2	1	5
RONNIE ROWDEN			1	2	4
EDIN CORALIC			1	0	2
CASEY WALSH			0	1	1

Date			Location
Thu 11/13 6:50 PM	T 4-4	at PLS Zoom Motors	Concord, Field 1
Thu 11/20 10:00 PM	55 minutes	at CD Cobras(BLUE)	Concord, Field 2
Thu 12/4 7:45 PM	55 minutes	at Soco Utd (thurs Men C)	Concord, Field 1
Thu 12/11 8:40 PM	55 minutes	at Buckshots(ORANGE)	Concord, Field 1
Thu 12/18 7:45 PM	55 minutes	at Imos Men(RED)	Concord, Field 1
Thu 1/15 9:50 PM	55 minutes	Sinclair & Rush	Concord, Field 3
Thu 1/22 8:55 PM	55 minutes	The Brew(PURPLE)	Concord, Field 3

TNG SNATCH VICTORY FROM CERTAIN DEFEAT

In one of the more thrilling games we've witnessed in some time, the TNG bunch won this game after getting blindsided from the outset & finding themselves down 4-0. TNG started the game by centering off, losing the ball immediately to Maddox, who moved smartly down the field, & 3 touches later, pushed the ball into the back of the net. TNG found themselves down 1-0, & remarkably, only 10 seconds had run off the clock! Not exactly the way it was written up in the pre-game chalktalk. It didn't stop there.

The hits just kept on coming. Maddox continued to press the attack, taking advantage of a reeling TNG side, & kept pouring it on. The next thing they knew, they found themselves down 4-0, & they were only halfway thru the 1st half. Yikes! Time to pack it in, eh? Not so fast.

One thing you can say about this bunch is their resilient, never say die attitude. Keeping their eye on the prize, they just continued to play. And play they did. They finally notched their first goal with about 10 minutes left in the half. Plenty of time, if they could stay focused. They did.

Then, with about 5 minutes left in the half, they scored their 2nd goal of the game. More importantly, they stopped the bleeding, finally keeping the Maddox side out of the goal. The TNG side was encouraged. At the half they were down 4-2, but, they were back in the game. Only two goals down. It was do-able. Very do-able.

Then TNG went on a tear of their own. The scored the next 3 goals to finally take their first lead of the game at 5-4. What a turn of events, & what a comeback. However, this game was far from over. The Maddox side is an excellent team, & nothing was taken for granted. TNG kept applying pressure, but the Maddox side was applying pressure of thier own. These two teams were locked in a battle, each throwing haymakers. As if to send that particular message clearly, letting TNG they were still in a game, Maddox then scored the next goal to knot the score at 5. They were not about to go meekly into the night. TNG had battled back to take the lead, but were they now about to let all that hard work go to waste? The short answer was, no!

After that tieing goal by Maddox, TNG took control of the game scoring the next two goals, re-taking the lead & padding it for a 7-5 lead. Maddox scored a late goal to narrow the margin of victory to 7-6, but that's the way it ended, for TNG's sixth straight win. What a game, what a comeback & what a testament to the attitude of the TNG side, not to cave after finding themselves down 4-0 & instead having the attitude & skill necessary to score 5 straight unanswered goals & 7 of the next 8. Quite remarkable & a reflection of the make-up of this team.

The offensive stars of the game were Steve Rankin with 3 goals & a helper; Todd Loretta with 2 & 1; Ducky Mauer with 1 & 1; Johnny Pens with a goal; Marty Issa with 2 helpers & Tim Kelley with a helper. But not to be overshadowed was the team defense, led by keeper John Koszuzek. John felt like the target at a shooting range, facing a huge number of shots and stopping most. Most of the goals that were scored by Maddox were of the unstoppable variety. He had no chance. But when he did, he saved the game.

Just to get a perspective of the defense, look at the standings below. Not only is TNG  in first, but look at the goals against & the goal differential. They lead the league in that category. I think you'll all agree, that the fewer goals you allow, the easier it is to win. If you look at successful teams, those that allow the least goals, points, runs or whatever, are consistently winners. This is no exception. After being down by a bunch early, they slammed the door,  & won the game. Well done, not only the offense, but the defense. They stepped up & the game was won. It was thrilling.

However, this was probably just a warm-up. The way the standings stack up with one regular season game to go, it looks like the finals will be a re-match between TNG & Maddox. If it's anything like this game, it'll be worth the price of admission. Thanks for reading. Later......

Date			Location
Tue 9/30 7:35 PM	W 7-1	at Vetta 40+ RED TEAM	Concord, Field 3
Tue 10/7 7:35 PM	W 7-3	Vetta 40+ BLUE TEAM	Concord, Field 3
Tue 10/14 8:30 PM	W 4-0	at Maddox 40+	Concord, Field 3
Tue 10/28 8:30 PM	W 8-4	Attev	Concord, Field 3
Tue 11/4 7:35 PM	W 4-3	Vetta 40+ RED TEAM	Concord, Field 3
Tue 11/11 7:35 PM	W 7-6	Maddox 40+	Concord, Field 3
Tue 11/25 7:35 PM	55 minutes	at Vetta 40+ BLUE TEAM	Concord, Field 3
Tue 12/2 8:30 PM	55 minutes	at Attev	Concord, Field 3

SSL DENIED 2ND STRAIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

LOSE CONTROVERSIAL FINAL

In a blatant disregard of the rules, Freaky Shakra stopped SSL in their bid for a 2nd straight title, winning this controversial game 6-4. More on the controversy later.

This much anticipated championship match started out with SSL on the attack, resulting in a quick, 1st shift score by Eden Coralic, to put SSL up 1-0. However, Freaky answered only a minute later with their own tally, to tie it at one. Then, later in the 1st half, Coralic tallied his 2nd goal of the game  for SSL, upping their lead to 2-1. But, once again, Freaky answered with their 2nd goal of the evening, late in the half, to once again tie it at 2-2. That's the way the first half ended. The 2nd half was much different.

Less than a minute into the 2nd half, Freaky scored to break the tie & take the lead at 3-2. Then quickly, less than a minute later, Freaky scored a 2nd time, upping thier lead to 4-2, all in the span of 2 minutes. It got worse. At about the 17 minute mark, Freaky again scored its 3rd straight un-answered goal, stretching its lead to 5-2, & the future looked bleak for the SSL side.

However, not to go down without a fight, the SSL side roared back with 2 goals of its own, both by David Hipperson, to get them back in the game, down only 5-4, with about 8 minutes to go. Plenty of time. But, after a flurry of attacks followed by a multitude of shots, SSL just couldn't get that tieing tally. While pressing the attack on the Freaky defense, the defenders collected the ball, sent a long pass downfield. However, the SSL defenders hustling back to stop the Freaky counter, were too late, as Freaky scored their 6th & game deciding goal with less than a minute on the clock.

But, the SSL side, as they always do, fought hard, all the way to the end. Just what you expected, & played with class & sportsmanship in the loss of  this championship to a better team on this evening. But, here's the rub. You don't win every game. No one does. SSL is no exception. They've had great success over the many sessions, this game being their 6th championship game in 8 sessions. But, when SSL plays, they play with their regular players. They don't get ringers, players from the bar or bring their brothers friend. They dance with who they bring. Same guys, same team, week in, week out. That was not the case for Freaky.

It's a sad testamonial for our society, that so much emphasis is placed on winning at all costs, that players & coaches will stoop to doing whatever it takes, legal or illegal, making classless decisions, just to win a game, a match, a championship, or whatever the particular venue is. This mentality is reflected in our everyday life, when you read & hear a variety of stories of cheating, fighting, intimidation, all of which is just to win a game either for yourself or your children. It saddens me. Is this what our society has become. Win at all cost, whether it's business or sport.

Now, all those emotions didn't all take place in our game, but that attitudude, that way of life, is what permeates our society. It's a microcosm of our society & it's disturbing & it's shameful. It was that attitude that was present at our game. In order to win just this one game, Freaky stooped to inviting several new non-rostered players, some of which were under 21 & the others under 25, just to play in this game, for the sole purpose of winning the championship, rules be damned! Those kids must be very proud of beating a team who's average age is 35. That's one you can brag about at the bar. Oops, forgot, they're not old enough to drink.

It may appear that I'm angry over the loss. I'm not.  However, I am terribly disappointed. Disappointed that a very, very good team in their own right,  would resort to these classless tactics, just to win a game. Is it that important? Apparently, yes. Yes, we wanted to win the game. But, we also lose games, & that's part of the thrill, the challenge, the reason we play, the risk you take. It's not life or death. It's just a game. That's the way we approach it. To resort to those kind of tactics is bushleague.  It shouldn't be that important that you totally disregard the rules, just to win.

I asked the players prior to the game if they wanted to have a roster check. To a man, they all said no, we'll just play & let the chips fall where they may. That's the type of classy player the SSL side is composed of. Let's just play. And play they did, giving it their best shot. It just wasn't good enough to overcome Freaky on this evening.

I have a proposal. In fact, it was a suggestion from Michael Poropat, one of the fine gentlemen on the SSL side. He suggests that it be mandatory that a roster check take place prior to every championship game. I like that idea. Simple, clean & effective. Let's make sure they implement that procedure for all future championships to avoid having something like this happen again, & cast an ugly shadow over what otherwise is an excellent soccer showcase of talent & sportsmanship. See you next session......with the same team!

 

SOCCER ST. LOUIS STATS
NAME			GOALS	ASSISTS	POINTS
DAVID HIPPERSON			9	6	24
GUILLERMO CORTEZ			8	6	22
EDIN CORALIC			5	1	11
MICHAEL POROPAT			3	3	9
JOHNNY PENS			3	3	9
OTTO ETZEL			3	2	8
SLADAN KURTOVIC			3	0	6
MIKE HOGAN			2	2	6
TONY MEADOWS			1	4	6
RONNIE ROWDEN			1	2	4
JAYSON ADELSBERGER			1	2	4
JOE TARTICCHIO			1	1	3
DAVE SHELTON			0	2	2
CASEY WALSH			0	1	1

Date			Location
Thu 9/11 10:55 PM	W 7-2	PLS Zoom Motors	Concord, Field 2
Thu 9/25 8:55 PM	W 9-3	Buckshots(ORANGE)	Concord, Field 3
Thu 10/2 10:00 PM	W 4-0	at Imos Men(RED)	Concord, Field 2
Thu 10/9 9:05 PM	W 4-3	Freaky Shakra	Concord, Field 2
Thu 10/16 8:00 PM	T 2-2	at PLS Zoom Motors	Concord, Field 3
Thu 10/23 8:10 PM	W 5-2	CD Cobras(BLUE)	Concord, Field 2
Thu 10/30 6:50 PM	T 4-4	at CD Cobras(BLUE)	Concord, Field 1
Thu 11/6 8:40 PM	L 4-6	Freaky Shakra	Concord, Field 1

TNG WINS 5TH STRAIGHT

RETAIN HOLD ON FIRST

TNG stretched their winning streak to five straight with a tight, tough, hotly contested 4-3 win over Vetta Red last night, on field # 3. There was no score for the first 10 minutes or so, but then, the goals came in a flurry.

TNG went up 2-0 in quick succession. But not to be denied, the Vetta Red team charged back, scoring 2 of their own in quick succession to knot the score @ 2 all. That's the way the half ended.

The TNG side found the 2nd half to be a whole lot more challenging. Vetta Red actually took the lead at one point, 3-2. Then, midway thru the 2nd half, following a lot of heavy pressure by the TNG side, they forced an own goal & that evened the score at 3.

Then, late in the game on a terrific individual effort, Steve Rankin buried the ball in the back of the net for his second tally of the game, to allow TNG to re-take the lead at 4-3. But, that didn't stall the effort of the Vetta Red side. They continued to attack & but for the outstanding goaltending of TNG's John Kozuscek, the Red side could have tied the score. Both sides continued to trade haymakers, but to no avail, & that's the way the game ended, with a hard-fought, physical win for the TNG'ers.

Next up on the schedule will be a tough Maddox side. Maddox has only one loss on the session, & that was due to a forfeit, & that was to the TNG side. I'm sure they'll be more than ready to even that score. That match is scheduled for next Tuesday @ 7:35. See you there.

Date			Location
Tue 9/30 7:35 PM	W 7-1	at Vetta 40+ RED TEAM	Concord, Field 3
Tue 10/7 7:35 PM	W 7-3	Vetta 40+ BLUE TEAM	Concord, Field 3
Tue 10/14 8:30 PM	W 4-0	at Maddox 40+	Concord, Field 3
Tue 10/28 8:30 PM	W 8-4	Attev	Concord, Field 3
Tue 11/4 7:35 PM	W 4-3	Vetta 40+ RED TEAM	Concord, Field 3
Tue 11/11 7:35 PM	55 minutes	Maddox 40+	Concord, Field 3
Tue 11/25 7:35 PM	55 minutes	at Vetta 40+ BLUE TEAM	Concord, Field 3
Tue 12/2 8:30 PM	55 minutes	at Attev	Concord, Field 3

COBRA'S TIE SSL

WON'T DERAIL TRIP TO FINALS

As a result of accumulating enough points to be in the finals, the 4-4 tie with a pesky CD Cobra's team won't interfere with SSL's 6th straight trip to the finals.

The game started out much like the previous weeks contest against the same opponent, with SSL sprinting to a quick 2-0 lead. But, this was a bit different than last weeks 5-2 SSL win. The Cobra's scored to make it 2-1. Then they scored again to knot the score at 2 all.

The Cobra's kept running and gunning, but SSL scored a 3rd goal to un-knot the score & take a 3-2 lead at the half. But the 2nd half proved to be a good one for the Cobra's, but the SSL side, not so much. Although it didn't seem that way at the start.

SSL scored again to take what looked like a commanding 4-2 lead late in the 2nd half. But the Cobra's kept coming. They closed the gap to 4-3 about midway thru the 2nd half when a lot of pressure from the Cobra's resulted in an own goal.  A lot of back n forth by both teams resulted in no more scoring until, with less than a minute left in the game, on a counter, the Cobra's scored to tie the score at 4, & that's the way the game ended.

However, the good news is, that was a great warm-up game for the finals. You don't want to lose or even worse, defeat an opponent so badly, that you fall into bad habits. Well, as a result of this difficult, challenging & fun match against the agressive Cobra's, the SSL side got a good opportunity to prepare for the finals under challenging circumstances. But, beware of the strike of the Cobra's! They'll be heard from next session.

 SOCCER ST. LOUIS IN THE FINALS

FREAKY SHAKRA PROVIDES THE COMPETITION

SSL will make its unprecedented 6th trip to the finals, looking for its 2nd straight championship & 3rd in the last 4 sessions. The opponent, Freaky Shakra, will be making its first trip to the finals. Freaky's trip to the finals is quite a story in and of itself.

Following game # 6 of our 8 game session, Freaky found themselves in 3rd place, one point behind Imo's. As the league schedule unfolded, everyone played the same team twice the last two regular season games. As luck would have it, Freaky faced a difficult task by being scheduled to play Imo's those last two games. So, as they say, their fate was in their own hands.

Freaky won the first game with Imo's handily, 5-1. However, they only jumped ahead of Imo's by two points, & since three points are awarded for a win, Freaky had the difficult task of not only beating Imo's once, but having to beat them twice, to stay in 2nd place & assure themselves of a trip to the finals. Just beating Imo's is a difficult task. beating them twice, in a row, well, that's a challenge.

But Freaky rose to the challenge, defeating Imo's a 2nd time, locking in their 2nd place finish, & a spot in the finals against SSL. It should be a good one. SSL has only played Freaky twice, since they've only been in the league two sessions, & come away with a victory both times. But, they were difficult, hotly contested games. The first a 5-2 win on the small field, #3 & a 4-3 squeaker on field #2. Stay tuned. It'll be fun.

Game time is 8:40 on field #1. Join us for some great soccer, fun & entertainment. See you there!

SOCCER NOTES

-Fontbonne's men's team, coached by our own Michael Poropat, lost in the conference finals 3-2 to a very good Greenville team. An exciting, end to end match. Great year Fontbonne.

-Casey Robinson, Kathy Robinson's daughter, playing for the Webster U., team, lost 1-0 in the conference finals. On a better note, Casey achieved 1st Team, All Conference selection. Congrats Casey!!!

-My alma mater, St. Mary's H.S., is competing in the District 2 soccer tourney, at Lutheran South. Seeded #1, they easily handled Sullivan, 8-0 in their first match last Saturday. #2 seed Lutheran South advanced past Pacific; #3 seed Du Bourg bested Union & #4 seed Affton got by Windsor.

Monday pitted Mary's vs. Affton. Scoreless till the 17 minute mark, Mary's scored & then again with about a minute to go to notch a 2-0 win.

In a truly thrilling game, scoreless till about the 20 minute mark, Lutheran South scored to go up 1-0. Du Bourg changed their strategy at half & started playing long ball, run 'n gun, sending the ball long & got several good chances on breakaway's finally scoring with about 7 minutes to go to tie 1-1.

More of the same after that, with Du Bourg getting many more opportunities, but just not able to finish. Then, with about 4 minutes left, a Du Bourg forward collected a long ball, racing in on goal. Just outside the penalty box, he was taken down from behind. South got a red card & played the rest of the match a man down, & on the ensueing deadball set piece, one of the Du Bourg players hit a bomb that just went off the top of the crossbar at the upper ninety. But still, they didn't score.

Then, with 7 seconds left on the clock & South with a throw-in deep in the Du bourg end, South sent the ball well into the box where it was headed on to an on-rushing South forward who hit a one-time rocket into the back of the net. Game over! How exciting. By the way, the place was packed.

The District finals are tomorrow, Wednesday, 11/5 @ 5pm @ Lutheran South, pitting St. Mary's vs. host South. It should be a great game. See you at the match.

SOCCER ST. LOUIS STATS
NAME			GOALS	ASSISTS	POINTS
GUILLERMO CORTEZ			8	5	21
DAVID HIPPERSON			7	6	20
MICHAEL POROPAT			3	3	9
JOHNNY PENS			3	3	9
OTTO ETZEL			3	2	8
EDIN CORALIC			3	1	7
SLADAN KURTOVIC			3	0	6
MIKE HOGAN			2	2	6
TONY MEADOWS			1	3	5
RONNIE ROWDEN			1	2	4
JAYSON ADELSBERGER			1	2	4
JOE TARTICCHIO			1	1	3
DAVE SHELTON			0	2	2
CASEY WALSH			0	1	1

Date			Location
Thu 9/11 10:55 PM	W 7-2	PLS Zoom Motors	Concord, Field 2
Thu 9/25 8:55 PM	W 9-3	Buckshots(ORANGE)	Concord, Field 3
Thu 10/2 10:00 PM	W 4-0	at Imos Men(RED)	Concord, Field 2
Thu 10/9 9:05 PM	W 4-3	Freaky Shakra	Concord, Field 2
Thu 10/16 8:00 PM	T 2-2	at PLS Zoom Motors	Concord, Field 3
Thu 10/23 8:10 PM	W 5-2	CD Cobras(BLUE)	Concord, Field 2
Thu 10/30 6:50 PM	T 4-4	at CD Cobras(BLUE)	Concord, Field 1
Thu 11/6 8:40 PM	55 minutes	Freaky Shakra	Concord, Field 1