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.

	SOCCER ST. LOUIS STATS O-30
	NAME		GAMES	GOALS	ASSISTS	POINTS
	GUILLERMO CORTEZ		3	6	2	14
	DAVID HIPPERSON		3	3	5	11
	JAYSON ADELSBERGER		3	5	0	10
	EDIN CORALIC		3	3	3	9
	MIKE HOGAN		3	2	1	5
	WILL SUK		2	1	2	4
	GIANNI PENS		3	1	0	2
	RONNIE ROWDEN		2	0	2	2
	BERNARD ANIC		2	0	2	2
	TONY MEADOWS		3	0	2	2
	CASEY WALSH		3	0	2	2
	JOHN KOZUSCEK		3	0	1	1
	SLADAN KURTOVIC		0	0	0	0

Date			Location
Thu 10/8 10:30 PM	W 11-4	at Freaky Shakra(WHITE/BLUE)	Concord, Field 2
Thu 10/15 9:30 PM	W 5-4	at Sinclair & Rush	Concord, Field 1
Thu 10/22 9:35 PM	W 5-4	Sinclair & Rush	Concord, Field 3
Thu 11/5 9:30 PM	50 minutes	Zoom Motors	Concord, Field 1
Thu 11/12 7:05 PM	50 minutes	at Zoom Motors	Concord, Field 3
Thu 11/19 9:30 PM	50 minutes	CD Cobras(BLUE)	Concord, Field 1
Thu 12/3 10:20 PM	50 minutes	Soco Utd (BLUE)	Concord, Field 1