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

Date			Location
Tue 8/18 8:35 PM	L 2-4	Lampert 40+	Concord, Field 3
Tue 8/25 7:45 PM	W 10-2	Vintage Utd 40+	Concord, Field 3
Tue 9/1 7:45 PM	L 2-4	at Vetta 40+ RED TEAM	Concord, Field 3
Tue 9/8 8:35 PM	50 minutes	at Vetta 40+ BLUE	Concord, Field 3
Wed 9/16 7:00 PM	50 minutes	Lampert 40+	Concord, Field 3
Tue 9/22 8:35 PM	50 minutes	at Vintage Utd 40+	Concord, Field 3
Tue 9/29 7:45 PM	50 minutes	at Lampert 40+	Concord, Field 3

 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
	RONNIE ROWDEN		4	1	1	3
	BERNARD ANIC		4	1	1	3
	JOHNNY PENS		4	1	1	3
	EDIN CORALIC		4	0	1	1
	DAVID SHELTON		4	0	1	1
	CASEY WALSH		4	0	1	1
	TONY MEADOWS		4	0	0	0
	WILL SUK		2	0	0	0
	MIKE HOGAN		2	0	0	0
	SLADAN KURTOVIC		2	0	0	0

Date			Location
Thu 8/13 8:00 PM	W 7-4	Zoom Motors	Concord, Field 2
Thu 8/20 10:00 PM	W 3-2	at Sinclair & Rush	Concord, Field 1
Thu 8/27 10:15 PM	L 2-5	at Soco Utd (BLUE)	Concord, Field 3
Thu 9/3 11:20 PM	W 6-4	Freaky Shakra(WHITE/BLUE)	Concord, Field 2
Thu 9/10 7:50 PM	50 minutes	CD Cobras(BLUE)	Concord, Field 1
Thu 9/17 8:50 PM	50 minutes	at Zoom Motors	Concord, Field 2
Thu 9/24 7:00 PM	50 minutes	at Freaky Shakra(WHITE/BLUE)	Concord, Field 3

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