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Hayward cup champs

Hayward Cup champions: Sato Real Estate eeks out the final win

Written by Monica Simpson on . Posted in Soccer, Sports.

The adult co-ed soccer season at The Center finished on schedule despite the seasonal rains, doubling up Thursday night with the last semi-final game and championship game played out within two hours.

Last week’s first semi-final game between underdogs Bins Be Clean and Mar/Kis Insurance was cut 10 minutes short because of lightning that took out the field lights and a torrential downpour that followed. Set to play out the final minutes, Mar/Kis, representing Uruguay in this season’s tribute to the World Cup, had to bow out due to lack of players.

The player shortage ended the game with Bins Be Clean up 6-4, awarding it the first slot in the big championship game.

Team Russia, sponsored by Ross Built Construction, took the field at 7 p.m. against Team Belgium to determine who played Bins Be Clean. Sponsored by Sato Real Estate, the undefeated squad easily handled number 4 seed Ross Built with the final score of 7-1.

Despite the size and stature advantage Greg Ross’ team had in the game, Ben Sato’s 16 saves just were not enough to stop big brother, Josh Sato’s, skill and confidence team from moving on to the final game of the season.

After a short break for Sato’s team Sweden, sponsored by Bins Be Clean, it took the field with Sato Real Estate in the Paul “Ace” Hayward Cup game. Coming into the playoffs in last place with not a single win to its name, Bins Be Clean had everything to prove and nothing to lose.

Having expended valuable energy in their first game, Sato Real Estate played determined to show why it finished the regular season in first place.

Both teams having impressive starters, the match-up made for an exciting 46 minutes of soccer.

Without its starting goalie in the box, Bins Be Clean played without Rico Beissert in scoring position. Beissert adorned the keeper gloves for the entire game, logging at least 20 saves, managing shot after shot by Sato Real Estate.

Bins Be Clean’s shots were limited but effective, setting the pace after five minutes of play with an amazing curving shot by Diego Felipe that went around the goalie to hit the far post and then the inside of the net.

Sato Real Estate’s Jessica Williams nailed a hard shot that went off the post and bounced just outside of the goal.

Team captain Sato soon found the net for himself, along with a nice shot by teammate Zack Lieb. Felipe and his brother Brayan each added a goal to the scoreboard keeping the game close and the spectators thrilled.

Taking advantage of another scoring opportunity, the assist by Amy Ivin gave Williams her solo goal of the game, bringing the game to a tie 3-3 with only minutes left on the clock.

Feeling overtime in the air, with no time on the scoreboard clock, Ivin hit the game-winning goal for Sato Real Estate.

Beissert tried to make something happen in the final seconds of the game kept on the official’s watch. Coming out of the goal, Beissert sailed a line drive over the wall of the field. Bins Be Clean’s players hustled, working for the tying goal until the final whistle blew, losing the championship to the extremely formidable opponent found in Sato Real Estate 4-3.

Starting the playoffs with not a single Bins Be Clean victory, the sure bet would have been an easy victory for Sato Real Estate. Both teams played a fast-paced, skill-filled match making the Hayward Cup championship game an exciting way to end another season of soccer on The Center pitch.

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four remain soccer

After the rain, four remain

Written by Monica Simpson on . Posted in Soccer, Sports.

The daily rains got the best of the island pitch for the originally scheduled first-round adult co-ed soccer playoff games. A week later, after three games, four teams remain in contention for the Paul “Ace” Hayward cup.

With Sato Real Estate off the schedule with a bye week as the number one ranked team at the end of the regular season, the remaining six teams went into head-to-head single elimination matches Thursday night.

All three games were a great matchup, making it anyone’s game to win. Team Russia, sponsored by Ross Built Construction, started off the action against Team Croatia. The team sponsored by Progressive Cabinetry looked strong on the field and carried the lead for a good portion of the game.

Team captain Greg Ross sealed the deal for his team with a rocket shot low and powerful in the last five minutes of the game for Team Russia. Teammate Maxim Panchenko nailed the Progressive Cabinetry coffin shut with the final goal of the game, moving Ross Built Construction to the semi-final round of the season.

Third-ranked Moss Builders struggled in the second game to put it together on the field against MAR/Kis Insurance. The feisty Team Uruguay, sponsored by MAR/Kis Insurance, was called early for a foul when Omar Polar was caught pulling the arm of Team Brazil’s Aaron Parkin.

Tony Morales later got into it with Parkin with Moss Builders team captain Ryan Moss holding Parkin back to keep him in the game. With a zero-tolerance policy, either player could have been ejected out of the game for fighting had the incident escalated.

Moss relieved Olaf Krause of his goalkeeping duties, taking him off the field action. Meanwhile, David Greene started in goal for Team Uruguay until Mario Primo arrived in scrubs to protect his net.

All four of MAR/Kis’ goals were scored in the first half of the game with two goals for Miguel Ajoy, and Joel Sanchez and team captain Jeremias Gramajo with a single goal each.

Moss Builders tried to make a comeback in the last 23 minutes of the game. Team high scorer Chris Scott was the only Team Brazil player to score in what would be its last game of the season.

In the last game of the night, last place Bins Be Clean took advantage of Lancaster Design’s roster. Missing one of its key players, Robert Armstrong, Team England, sponsored by Lancaster Design fell short of victory Thursday night.

Bins Be Clean’s Team Sweden played smart soccer in its first win of the season. Team captain Nate Welch was on fire with a hat-trick. Additional goals by Ricky Anderson and Francisco Oliviera gave Team Sweden the goals needed to progress to the second round of the playoffs.

Despite the efforts of Team England, and the breadth of talent on the squad, the goals by Adam Mott, Jake Parsons, Steve Oelfke and Nate Talucci just were not enough.

The semi-final action starts at 7 p.m. on Thurs., Sept. 20, with the bottom two teams, MAR/Kis Insurance and Bins Be Clean, matching up. Sato Real Estate gets back on the field after weeks off at 8 p.m. against Ross Built Construction.

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center soccer youth champs

Ugly Grouper Red Team champions

Written by Monica Simpson on . Posted in Soccer, Sports.

The Center of Anna Maria Island’s gym was filled with fast-paced, wall beating, bouncing ball youth indoor soccer. With six regular season games under their belt, the three teams sponsored by the Ugly Grouper headed into playoff night last Wednesday with Team Blue at the top of the rankings.

Ugly Grouper Team Red and Team White went head-to-head in the first game of the night to decide who survived elimination and play in the championship game. Consistent with the final season standings, Team Red won the semi-final game.

After a short break in the action, Ugly Grouper Team Blue and Team Red took to the court for the last 40 minutes of play in the season.

Ugly Grouper Team Blue came into the game with the stronger record, but the championship game proved once again that the win could be earned by any team.

Frankie Coleman started off the game with the kickoff back to an Ugly Grouper Team Blue teammate. Team Red’s Gregory Jordan quickly showed the many friends and family in the stands his abilities on the indoor pitch with a shot rocketing to the goal.

Jackson Pakbaz, the eldest son of coach Sam Pakbaz, made the first assist to Coleman for the tying goal soon after.

For the first half of the game, the scoring went back and forth, making for an exciting match-up. Key player Anthony Nguyen, for Team Red, put the third point on the scoreboard giving his team a one-point lead.

Pakbaz’s first shot of the night was saved by goalie Harrison Schenerlein. Fighting back his brother Pakbaz scored the second goal for their team with the assist from William and goal by Jackson.

Tied up, Team Red played a strong offensive game with two girls playing in the big game. Ava Harlan and Laila Yavalar covered the entire court, supporting their team on both sides of the bouncy yellow ball.

Nguyen, all by himself with coach Pakbaz trying to get his team to cover him, scored his second goal of the game. He followed up quickly with another shot only to be stopped by J. Pakbaz.

Coleman made a fast-paced charge toward the Team Red goal. With strong defense by Payton Harlan, Coleman could not find the net.

Back and forth action with post shots and Schenerlein saves charged the atmosphere with energy.

Playing to the direction and encouragement of Team Red coaches Gary Harlan and Kris Yavalar pushed offensively and attacked defensively with a no quit attitude.

Dribbling through defensive traffic, Nguyen got his hat-trick pushing Team Red’s lead up by two points.

Team Blue’s W. Pakbaz and Coleman put the pressure on Jordan blocking his shot and preventing the score. The defense could not stop the offensive assault by P. Harlan and Jordan. Harlan’s shot went just wide of the post, but Jordan’s quick thinking and speed chased down the rebound for the fifth Team Red goal, moving the score to 5-2.

Despite having just played the semi-final game, Team Red showed no sign of fatigue as the first half of the championship game came to a close.

After a great halftime talk by coach Pakbaz, J. Pakbaz came out from behind the boards to stop Nguyen in his tracks. Pakbaz scored on a free kick sparking a fire for Team Blue narrowing Team Red’s lead.

Team Blue’s goalkeeper Michael Coleman saved another missile shot by Nguyen. His relentless pursuit gave Nguyen another scoring opportunity, this time successful.

Caden Quinby, for Team Blue, took the court with a vengeance helping to give his teammates support as they fought to make a comeback.

Both teams used the boards to move the soccer ball past the immediate defenders. Jordan took advantage of the indoor rules finding an opening for his second goal in the game, widening Team Red’s lead.

Team Blue’s drive to win continued and the crowd exploded when J. Pakbaz’s midcourt shot went through the hands and legs of Schenerlein.

Team Red shot another strike for a goal before F. Coleman fired a shot that went off the back of Yavalar. The team’s MVP J. Pakbaz took another free kick that went past the goalie advancing the score to 8-5.

Minutes later J. Pakbaz hit another goal reducing the deficit for Team Blue by only two points.

The Team Blue defense just could not stop the Team Red offense in the last minutes of the game. Once again not covered, Jordan took the behind the net pass by Nguyen for a goal.

After a brilliant stop by Yavalar on the offensive press by J. Pakbaz, Team Red scored its 10th goal of the game.

Nguyen scored the final goal for his team after a tough possession battle between Jordan and W. Pakbaz.

With the remaining fight in the game, Team Blue’s F. Coleman scored the final goal of the game, capping the score at 11-7, giving the underdog Team Red the championship title.

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Belgium defeats England on AMI

Written by Monica Simpson on . Posted in Soccer, Sports.

After capturing third place in this year’s World Cup, Brazil met England on the soccer field again, but this time on Anna Maria Island, and earned another victory.

Thanks to local businesses Sato Real Estate and Lancaster Design, the two countries were well represented on The Center’s field Thursday night. Team Belgium, sponsored by Sato Real Estate, unexpectedly ran away with the game against Lancaster Design’s Team England.

Once again the heat and humidity of the 6:30 p.m. summer game made for a game that was not only a test of soccer skill and team unity, but was also a test of physical fitness that made the best athletes question if they hydrated enough before kickoff.

Newbie to the league Zack Lieb had the hot foot for Sato Real Estate with three goals in the game. Teammate Jessica Williams had two of her own, lighting up the field.

The duo put two points on the scoreboard in less than four minutes into the game, giving Sato a quick 2-0 lead.

Hoping to make the difference for his team, Lancaster Design’s Robert Armstrong hit his only goal early, taking the score to 2-1.

Lieb found the net at the close of the first half of the game with no time left on the game clock, giving Team Belgium a two-point lead going into the last 23 minutes of the match.

With plenty of time in the game and only a slight margin in the score, Team England took the field hoping to make quick work of the field. Sato Real Estate’s team passing proved to be a key to their win.

Substitute Lancaster Design goalkeeper Steve Oelfke did not make it easy on his opponents. Credited with three saves in the first half of the game, the saves kept his team in the battle.

Team Belgium’s goalie’s skills helped the Sato team capture the win with seven saves of his own.

Lancaster’s Jordan Demers took his place at the goal for the last half of play. Seven minutes in, Cemal Duzgan, returning to the league this season, shot and scored with a ball that just barely sailed over Demers for the point.

The Sato three-point lead quickly turned into four when team captain Josh Sato followed up on his own shot that hit the right post on the first attempt.

Sun Scoreboard

Tuesday, July 31 – Youth Indoor Soccer

Ugly Grouper – Blue Team 11

Ugly Grouper – Red Team 8

Thursday, August 2 – Adult Co-Ed Soccer

Sato Real Estate (Team Belgium) (2-0) 7

Lancaster Design (Team England) (2-1) 3

Moss Builders (Team Brazil) (2-0) 8

Ross Built Construction (Team Russia) (0-3) 4

Progressive Cabinetry (Team Croatia) (2-1) 5

MAR/KIS Insurance (Team Uruguay) (0-2-1) 3

Adam Mott made his return to Center sports this season after a nagging injury took him out of the last flag football season early. Mott’s laser shot alluded Bear with 11 minutes left on the clock and the score 5-2.

After a lot of running, subbing and sweating, Lieb snagged the hat trick with his third and final goal in the game four minutes later, giving Sato’s team a four-point lead.

Refusing to quit, with plenty of time on the game clock, Mott hit another shot for Team England.

Holding a glimmer of hope, Lancaster Design continued to fight hard taking shots. The last goal of the game by Williams was the feather in Belgium’s cap and the end of the fight by Belgium, ending the game with the score 7-3.

Sato Real Estate is at the top of the leader board with Moss Builders, both with a 2-0 record. The two teams have already had their bye weeks, along with Bins Be Clean.

Bins Be Clean and Mar/Kis Insurance each have a tie and have not yet claimed a true victory this season. The winless record is shared with Ross Built Construction with a 0-3 record going into the fourth week of play.

Center adult soccer championship

Championship sudden death on the pitch

Written by Monica Simpson on . Posted in Soccer, Sports.

When the top two adult teams meet on the soccer field at The Center of Anna Maria Island, one can expect an exciting game with many spectators in attendance. Thursday night’s championship game did not disappoint.

To start the evening, the Center’s Recreation Director Will Schenerlein had the adult players read the Youth Sports Core Promise after the escapades that took place on and off the field during the final semi-final game the week before.

Respect, sportsmanship, and integrity were the focus of the message that Schenerlein tried to emphasize to the players participating in the co-ed recreational soccer league grand finale.

Commencing play in the heat and humidity of the early evening, the anticipation of the kickoff filled the air. The chants and cheers of the league players, friends and family became louder and more spirited with every minute of play.

Finishing at the top of the heap undefeated at the end of the season did not automatically give Team Legler Flynn Law an advantage over the strong roster of Team Lancaster Design.

Both teams started with their gentle giants in the goal: Trey Horne for Lancaster and team captain Sean Flynn for Legler Flynn.

At the start of play, Flynn’s team played with six field players and a goalie with no subs on the bench.

In the hard-to-miss bright orange jerseys, Lancaster came out on the pitch short one player due to the absence of league newbie and game changer Sumiko Chipman. John Coleman began the final game of the season on the sidelines waiting to enter the game at any time to give a teammate a breather.

Both teams came out running hard ready to make the first goal to set the tone of the game. After just 30 seconds of play, a throw-in by Lancaster Design team captain Danny Anderson was right to Robert Armstrong who headed the ball into the goal just past the reach of goalkeeper Flynn.

With the 1-0 lead, Greg DeMeuse took the soccer ball down the field finding Anderson on the other side of the goal. Anderson returned the ball to DeMeuse, giving him a scoring opportunity in front of the net.

Jeremias Gramajo brilliantly stopped the ball and prevented the point for Legler Flynn Law.

Legler Flynn fought back with a beautiful on the mark shot by Amy Ivin only to be stopped by a Lancaster defender.

Six minutes into the game, Diego Felipe took over the goalie responsibility for Legler Flynn, allowing Flynn to take the field in an attempt to tie the game.

Yorvi Moreira was denied his goal with a sliding defensive move by Horne in front of the net.

Legler Flynn Law’s solid and versatile player, Steve Oelfke, arrived on the field to give his team a much-needed extra player.

Felipe found himself just a little too far away from the goal and out of position when Anderson sent a rocket strike to put his team ahead by two.

Ivin tried to answer back with a missile of her own that went off the head of Armstrong as he leaped up in the air with his defensive move.

The goalie switch by Team Legler Flynn put Oelfke as the ultimate protector for the team with a little less than 12 minutes to play in the first half of the championship game.

Team Legler Flynn Law continued to fight hard knowing that there was plenty of time left on the clock. Felipe took is first shot that hit hard off of the hands of Horner, resulting in a corner kick. Ivin took another shot that landed at the side of the net.

Gramajo’s shot rolled the soccer ball on top of the crossbar denying his team another goal.

Unable to score despite a phenomenal effort, Legler Flynn continued to play hard down by two goals.

After goal stopping defense, Felipe took another shot with five minutes ticking off the scoreboard. His miss gave Ivin the possession. Ivin found Diego with plenty of space and time to blast the ball past the defense of Team Lancaster Design to move the score to 2-1.

Flynn dribbled the ball all the way down the field before shooting to tie the game. His shot went off Lancaster Design’s Coleman for the score-tying own goal.

In a repeat move, Flynn once again moved the offense to the goal. Horne just got a hand on Flynn’s shot preventing the shot and giving Legler Flynn Law a corner kick.

The time clock showed nothing left in the half, but the official’s clock allowed both teams to play for an additional two minutes. The battle of the defense left the score 2-2 at the whistle.

Wearing the penny, Flynn started the second half of play as the keeper. The 15 teams that played the championship game sprinted, juked, and maneuvered for more than 13 minutes before the next point was earned.

Lancaster Design got the soccer ball got to Coleman with Flynn slightly out of position giving him the go-ahead shot.

Ahead by one point, Lancaster Design found itself on the defensive attack on its end of the field for two long minutes. Moreira took the corner kick that made its way into the net to once again tie up the game.

Both teams, tired but determined, fought hard for nine minutes until the official ended regulation play with the score 3-3.

As a new rule for the season, the two teams faced off in five minutes of sudden death play – the first team to score wins – as opposed to a shootout.

Legler Flynn Law started off strong with shot attempts and corner kicks. A shot that went to the left of the post by DeMeuse could have been the winning goal for Lancaster Design.

The effective passing game by Legler Flynn Law just could not produce the critical scoring shot needed to take the championship.

With 80 seconds left in overtime play, Ricky Anderson, brother of Danny, took a shot in front of goal that was batted away by goalie Oelfke. Lady luck was smiling on Lancaster Design as the soccer ball went directly back to R. Anderson who was alone with plenty of time to produce the perfectly placed the game-winning shot.

Lancaster Design’s fourth goal gave the team the honor of being called the Paul “Ace” Hayward champions for the spring 2018 season.

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Semi-final sparks fly at The Center

Written by Monica Simpson on . Posted in Soccer, Sports.

After a slow start to the night on the soccer field in the first semi-final game Thursday night, June 7, the battle for the final seat in the championship game proved to be one of the most exciting games of the league’s history.

Uncharacteristically, Team Sato Real Estate lost to the second seed team, Lancaster Design in the first semi-final showdown. Losing most of the 50-50 balls, sluggish passes and missed opportunities for Sato Real Estate places the team in the third-place game this Thursday night at 7 p.m.

Despite great efforts by the entire Sato squad and goals by team captain Josh Sato, Francisco Oliviera, and Jose Caseras, the team just could not outrun, outshoot and outplay Lancaster Design.

With non-stop speed and tireless runs, Danny Anderson, Lancaster Design team captain, was credited to one assist and two goals. Anderson’s first goal came at the 13th minute of the game, after a perfectly placed high arching shot by Sumiko Chipman three minutes into the game.

At the corner of the field, Anderson miraculously passed the soccer ball with his knee to Greg DeMeuse, who shot a rocket into the lower right corner of the net. With little time on the clock, the bullet pass by Lancaster Design’s Robert Armstrong was hit tapped off the foot of Sato Real Estate’s Nate Talucci for an own goal advancing the score to 4-1.

In the second half of the game, Sato tried to rally his team with standout play and a quick goal to take the score to 4-2, but his efforts just were not quite enough to carry the team.

League newcomer Armstrong should see himself taken at the top of the draft next season with impressive games like the one he played Thursday night, with strong field play and two goals of his own.

Leaving the goal, keeper Trey Horne, who was noted to have five saves in the game, handed the penny to DeMeuse with 12 minutes left in the game and the score 6-2.

After a Sato Real Estate goal, Armstrong sprinted down the sideline with Sato hot on his heels moving toward the Sato Real Estate goal. Goalkeeper Jordan Demers, with six saves in the game, readied himself, but just could not stop the on-the-go strike by Armstrong ending the game with the score 7-3 and moving Lancaster Design to the final game of the season.

The sparks flew in the second game of the night with exciting soccer play, heated defensive attacks by each team and high emotions on the field. Undefeated Legler Flynn Law’s solid roster faced a determined Slim’s Place.

Out of the gate, Legler Flynn’s Amy Ivin shot quickly to put her team on top early. Andre Lewis, Slim’s Place’s man to stop, answered back with the first of three goals to tie the game.

In the 14th minute of the game, Lewis fired the soccer ball past Mark Rudacille in the goal for Legler Flynn Law. With 26 minutes of regulation play left in the game, Jeremias Gramajo put the soccer ball in the net for Sean Flynn’s team.

As the first half of the game came to an end, Lewis got wrapped up with Legler Flynn defenders clotheslining one of the players. With the no call by the officials, Lewis was able to break free to take his shot for a goal, with jeers from the spectators, who thought the move was intentional, giving his team the lead going into the second half of play.

To start the final minutes of the game, Team Legler Flynn played textbook soccer with Gramajo passing to Diego Felipe. Felipe sent a rocket toward the last defender Rico Beissert with the intended receiver Yorvi Moreira in perfect position. Felipe’s shot went off the foot of Beissert for an own goal in the 25th minute of play.

With emotions increasing and the desire to win filling the air, team captain PJ Smargisso was given a yellow card after rough play on Felipe. The official’s call was the first lightning strike for the Smargisso verbal hailstorm that would ensue later in the game.

Flynn followed with an amazing free kick that hit the inside of the post once it fired past the line of defenders, putting Team Legler Flynn Law ahead 4-3.

Triple teaming the Slim’s Place strong man Lewis, the Legler Flynn defense made him work hard for every inch and every shot.

Saves by Will Case, with six saves in the match-up, kept Slim’s Place in the game up to the very last second.

Playing hard against Gramajo, Smargisso found himself on the verbal defense with a spectator, players, and Gramajo. Unable to let down, the verbal judo continued well into the second half of the game and after the final whistle was blown.

The emotional distraction and injury to Smargisso allowed Diego to work his magic on the field with solid midfield missile that was blocked but bobbled by Case, giving Moreira chance to finish and score, advancing the score to 5-3 with 10 minutes left on the scoreboard.

Diego fired another shot in an attempt to spread the score. Case held his own in the net solidly handling the soccer ball.

Avoiding the breakaway by Team Slim’s Place’s Ray Gardner, Moreira grabbed the back of Gardner’s shorts, pulling him down and stopping his progress. Moreira was called for the foul, but tempers flared as Moreira pushed Gardner in the chest.

Both players were given a yellow card with the testosterone levels at an all-time high on the field for many of the male players on both teams, as Gardner retaliated and gave Moreira a taste of his own medicine.

Taking the fiery energy onto the field, Smargisso fired one past Flynn in the goal with the help of a community center field bounce.

Down only by a single goal with just seconds left in the game, both sides fought fiercely on the field; Legler Flynn Law working to stay a point ahead and Slim’s Place hoping to at least move to a shootout.

Lewis launched a shot that went just wide of the post with 20 seconds left on the clock. On the official’s time, Gardner knocked hard shot toward the net that was grabbed by the skillful hands of Flynn to prevent the tie.

The final free kick taken by Lewis was blocked, ensuring the win for Legler Flynn Law as the official blew the whistle to end the action and emotionally packed game, advancing the team a place in the Paul “Ace” Hayward Cup championship game Thursday, June 14 at 8 p.m.

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center team Planet Stone soccer

Team Planet Stone gains solid victory

Written by Monica Simpson on . Posted in Soccer, Sports.

In their third match-up of the season, Team Salty Printing and Team Planet Stone took the field Tuesday night May 1 with plenty of spectators on hand to cheer them on in a strongly competitive game.

With two age groups combined to make a league, older, more seasoned players teamed up with younger ballers, who proved themselves on the field by stepping up their game.

Goalkeepers Evan Talucci, for Planet Stone, and Salty Printing’s Fiona McCarthy protected their team’s goal with agility, quick reflexes and leadership.

Talucci started the game, setting the defensive tone with great saves. McCarthy worked her position with confidence, but could not stop a solid shot by Planet Stone’s Aiden Templeton that went off her hand and into the net.

Down by one point, Jack Mattick quickly showed why he is a force on the field with a shot on goal that was saved by Talucci.

Salty Printing proved its own defensive strength with confident play by Madeline Lessig and Cale Rudacille. Lessig’s tenacity stopped Templeton’s forward offensive progress, preventing the shot.

Given another chance on offense, Templeton took the soccer ball down the field in front of the net only to be met by Michael Coleman. Coleman stopped Templeton giving Salty Printing another chance on offense.

Mattick dribbled the ball down the field and found Frankie Coleman in scoring position. Talucci used his body in a nerves of steel move to make the save on the ground.

Caden Quinby put his first goal into the net with eight minutes left in the half to tie the ball game, giving Salty Printing the mental boost it needed.

Two minutes later, Planet Stone’s Nick Yatros put the ball between the posts past the goalie to move his team ahead again.

A slide tackle call was made against Salty Printing with four minutes on the scoreboard, giving Templeton the free kick that went just wide of the left post.

As the time ticked off the game clock, Rudacille provided critical defensive pressure, stopping the scoring push by Planet Stone. Despite the strong offensive push, the Salty Printing defensive was able to hold off its opponent to end the half.

Krosby Lamison started the second half of play in the key defensive position as the keeper, giving Talucci time on the field.

Templeton stopped the strong push toward the goal by M. Coleman and Jack McCarthy. Planet Stone’s Evie Baugher played phenomenally fearless defense against Jack Mattick, stopping his scoring opportunities.

Stealing the ball from Salty Printing with 16 minutes left in the game, Templeton dribbled to midfield and found Yatros open. Unselfish, Yatros made a long pass to Talucci. Sprinting Talucci got his foot on the soccer ball with a solid pass to Yatros in front of the goal for his second score.

With a point deficit, Salty Printing continued to fight hard on the pitch. Off a throw-in by M. Coleman, Mattick scored his team’s second goal of the game, moving the score to 3-2.

In less than a minute, Mattick got another shot off and hit the net.

Team Plant Stone put Talucci back in the goalkeeper position to guide his team for the remaining eight minutes of the game.

After K. Lamison took a hard hit by the ball in the stomach, Templeton found his next opportunity to shoot. F. McCarthy just could not stop the rocket shot.

With the lead, Planet Stone continued to put the pressure on the Salty Printing team on both sides of the field with the help of Natalie Talucci, Malia Keith, Julia Baugher and Kasey Lamison.

Templeton’s last-second shot was stopped by F. Coleman right in front of the goal to end the game with Team Planet Stone the victors.

Center soccer Legler Flynn

Legler Flynn Law locks down the win

Written by Monica Simpson on . Posted in Soccer, Sports.

Taking the field for the second game of the night on Thursday, April 26, Team Legler Flynn, without team captain and versatile player Sean Flynn, pulled out the win of the season against Eric Pullen and Team Acqua Aveda.

Working the field down a player and without their speed and endurance player Scott Eason, Acqua Aveda took a 3-0 lead thanks to shots by team captain Pullen.

Pullen’s first goal came five minutes into the game past goalkeeper Diego Felipe.

Legler Flynn played strong offensively, keeping the soccer ball on the Acqua Aveda side of the field for most of the first half, but shots taken were stopped with nerves of steel exhibited by one of the league’s top keepers, Jason Sato.

Center soccer
Jeremias Gramajo works to handle the ball for Team Acqua Aveda with Amy Ivin applying the pressure for Team Legler Flynn. – Monica Simpson | Sun

Despite a strong presence at the net, Diego was not able to stop the second missile shot by Pullen three minutes later, moving Acqua Aveda’s lead by two points.

Both teams moved the ball well, but defensive pressure at midfield prevented scoring until one breakaway play by Acqua Aveda that left Pullen all alone for his hat-trick shot.

Starting the second half of play with the league seeing the return of Jeff Walker on the field for Acqua Aveda, it is always interesting to see if a team with no one on the bench can keep the pace for the second 20 minutes of play.

After seven minutes ticked off the clock, Legler Flynn’s energy sparked with a goal by Shay Coleman. The Flynn-less team scored its second goal one minute later to close the scoring gap to 3-2.

As the game became more exciting and onlookers were on their feet, Christophe LeClainche hit the tying shot with one minute on the scoreboard clock.

On the official’s clock, both teams scrambled on the field with Acqua Aveda working to close out the game in a tie and Legler Flynn fighting to put the winning goal in the net.

With all of her shots blocked for more than 40 minutes, Amy Ivin hit her shot for the go-ahead point to finish the head-to-head with Legler Flynn victorious.

Center soccer

Moss Builders worked hard for the tie

Written by Monica Simpson on . Posted in Soccer, Sports.

Week two of the adult co-ed soccer season started out with a game that showed why Team Legler Flynn Law is at the top of the leader board. The dominating win by team captain Sean Flynn’s squad was followed by an exciting come from behind game by Team Moss Builders.

The tied ballgame gave Team Slim’s Place its second draw in the season after what looked like a game that would give it its first win.

Moss Builders Jessica Williams’ goal eight minutes into the first half gave her team the early lead. In less than five minutes, Renee Rupp shot a goal of her own to tie the game for the first time.

Slim’s Place’s Nate Welch gave the team a go ahead goal a couple of minutes later to be followed by another goal by Welch in a penalty kick.

Welch was given the chance for the second goal after a handball in the box by Ivan Gaeta off a corner kick.

The fourth goal for Team Slim’s Place came in the beginning of the second half by team captain PJ Smagisso advancing the score to 1-4.

With less than eight minutes left in the game, Chris Scott found his groove for Moss Builders. Scoring his first goal with 7:40 on the clock, Scott hit the net again leaving five minutes on the scoreboard.

Scott’s second goal came after a Moss Builders throw-in to Williams. Williams passed the ball to Gaeta in front of the net. Gaeta found Scott open for the third goal of the game for Moss Builders.

Speedy Ray Gardner handled the soccer ball on the field, moving past Moss Builder’s Josh Bernet, who makes his return to the league this season. Gardner could not quite get in scoring position after taking the ball down the field.

Team captain Ryan Moss held his position in the goal in the last minutes of the game, giving his teammates the opportunity to tie the game with less than two minutes left.

A free kick call for Moss Builders put the ball to Williams’ feet in front of the goal. Williams found Scott for the eighth goal of the game, tying the score 4-4.

Zero seconds were on the scoreboard clock, leaving the official game time in the hands of the referees. Extra time was played in the game due to delays, giving Williams the chance to score.

Shots desperately taken by both teams in the last 45 seconds of play failed to get in the goal, ending the game in a tie after 46 minutes of hard played soccer.

Down players due to injuries and absences, Team Ross Built lost its second game to a dominating Sato Real Estate team. In a show of good sportsmanship, team captain Josh Sato played a man down matching the Ross team.

The final game of the night gave Acqua Aveda its first win of the season while handing Team Mar/Kis Insurance its first loss.

With six regular season games to go, the season is still too early to predict who will be at the top of the winner’s bracket for the Paul “Ace” Hayward Cup.

Andrew Terman

A coin toss put Bins Be Clean on top

Written by Monica Simpson on . Posted in Football, Sports.

Team Bins Be Clean, led by captain Ray Gardner, finished the regular season of the adult co-ed flag football league at the top of the rankings with a flip of a coin. Don Purvis’ Beach House Real Estate team matched Bins Be Clean in the win-loss columns after eight games. Bins Be Clean’s forfeit against Beach House split the head-to-head match-up record, leading to a tied record for the two teams.

After an eventful night of flag football, with close games between Moss Builders versus Beach House Real Estate and Lancaster Design versus Beach Bums, The Center’s Recreation Director Will Schenerlein’s coin flip decided league’s playoff bracket to finish the season.

Bins Be Clean’s win was attributed to an amazing leaping one-handed catch by Chad Woods with two strong defenders on the long pass of Ray Gardner. Holly Belton’s own touchdown reception and extra point conversion contributed to her team’s victory.

The team’s add-on Chris Culhane, replacing injured Adam Mott, used his speed to sack and rattle CABB Cleaning’s quarterback Jason Sato. KB Belton put important reception and throwing stats on the board for Bins Be Clean. Joey Carder’s snaps under center gave Gardner added flexibility on the field, allowing him to run or pass to winning yardage.

Lexi Sato’s untimely injury took her out of the game for CABB before halftime. Her absence on the field was felt as her teammates worked hard to try to keep the game close with five men on the field.

Beach House Real Estate maintained a lead and pulled out the win against Moss Builders with touchdowns by Jesse Griffin and Andrew Terman. Extra point conversion receptions by Terman and Leah Purvis put critical points on the scoreboard, causing Moss Builders to fight for every yard in hopes of getting into the end zone.

Despite touchdowns and extra points by Moss Builders, including scoring receptions and runs after by Lane Burnett, Jacob Berger and a key reception by Emily Moss. The Ryan Moss-Jon Moss chemistry just could not make the difference for the Moss Builders team last Thursday night.

In a nail biter, Beach Bums one-point victory over Lancaster Design gave them five wins for the season. Brianna Shaughnessy’s Lancaster Design has a roster built for victory. The record does not show how competitive the team has been all season, with many close losses.

The semi-final games are set for Thursday, March 8, with Beach Bums playing Lancaster Design at 7:30 p.m. and Moss Builders challenging CABB Cleaning at 8:30 p.m.

Bins Be Clean will play the winner of the quarterfinal battle between Beach Bums and Lancaster Design. The victor of the other early round playoff game putting Moss Builders against CABB Cleaning will play Beach House Real Estate in the semi-finals on Thursday, March 15, at 7:30 p.m.

The playoffs always set the stage for surprise winners. It is any team’s championship to win.

adult soccer

Jiffy Lube takes the Hayward Cup

Written by Monica Simpson on . Posted in Soccer, Sports.

ANNA MARIA – The pitch at the Island’s community center was warmed up and ready for the big championship game after three fun-filled pick-up games with current and former league members. As the spectators filled the bleachers and stands, the anticipation of the much-awaited final game of the season thickened.

At the conclusion of last week’s semi-final match-ups, it was clear that Danny Anderson’s Team Jiffy Lube was the team to beat. The eight-player squad moved like a well-oiled machine, making great passes and taking shots on goal challenging the opponents defense to the hilt.

Veterans in the goal, Jason Sato for Jiffy Lube and David Greene for Slim’s Place took their places in the box for 46 minutes of championship soccer. Matt Kretzmann and Damir Glavan started the game strong for Slim’s Place with solid ball movement down the field, but Sato’s fearless play kept the ball out of the net.

Jiffy Lube’s Eliza Faillace made her move only to have the Greene make the save. Ricky Anderson and Chis Klotz turned up the game with corner shots and strikes.

Greene showed his Ultimate Frisbee tenacity and agility saving goal shots by both Anderson brothers within seconds of each other.

The intensity of the game was apparent on the field. After 12 minutes of play, Klotz and Kretzmann tumbled with a yellow card handed out as a quick warning by the referees to keep the game under control.

Quick goals by Kretzmann and D. Anderson made it a 1-1 match and got the scoring going deep into the first half of the game.

The penalty called on Kretzmann and free shot by D. Anderson ignited Jiffy Lube’s energy level, moving the game to a whole different level of action.

Klotz found the net with his only goal of the game in the 20th minute of play.  Chris Culhane scored his first goal 90 seconds later, giving Jiffy Lube a two point led.

With the scoreboard clock ticking down, Slim’s Place’s Greg DeMeuse tried to make something happen with a shot that went right of the post. The official time left two minutes in the first half of the game, but neither team could take advantage of the extra time on the pitch.

Second half play started with a rapid-fire shot and score by Angela Wiles for Slim’s Place, moving the score to 2-3. More than six minutes later after heavy defensive play by both teams, R. Anderson was denied his goal, but Culhane hit his second shot of the big game, once again giving Jiffy Lube a two point lead.

Brad Laudicina worked both ends of the field for Jiffy Lube, while Charles Buky and Lyn Clark aggressively worked the defensive end for Slim’s Place.

Kretzmann hit the net less than a minute later. D. Anderson answered back with a goal of his own taking the score to 3-5.

DeMeuse made a move of his own, only to have Sato make the stop.

The dynamic duo of Anderson and Anderson put another point up for Jiffy Lube with D. Anderson taking the ball down the field to find R. Anderson ready to finish.

Mike “Il Toro” Brusso was called in the 35th minute of play for a foul against Slim’s Place’s captain Kris Yavalar, who played strong with a nagging injury.

Kretzmann’s free kick took a curve right into the net. With the score 4-6 the battle continued with a DeMeuse shot, save after save by Greene and a dangerous play call for a high kick by Klotz.

Making outstanding saves of his own, Sato kept the soccer ball out of the net for the remaining minutes for Jiffy Lube, despite the many efforts by Team Slim’s Place.

With no time on the scoreboard clock and seconds of official time, Klotz scored the last point of the game with a beautiful free kick, finishing the game with the score 4-7. Jiffy Lube captured the Paul “Ace” Hayward Cup championship game with amazing teamwork and solid play all season.

Slim’s Place and Jiffy Lube play for the cup

Written by Monica Simpson on . Posted in Soccer, Sports.

At the end of regular season play, the final two slots in the championship bracket could have been filled by any of the eight teams in the Island’s adult co-ed soccer league. Only the top two odd ranked teams remain after nine weeks of action on the pitch, first seed Slim’s Place and third seed Jiffy Lube.

Slim’s Place held the top of the record sheet throughout the season, while Jiffy Lube held its own despite injuries and losses to finish the season strong as it showed why the Anderson brothers and the rest of the solid team roster put it in the final game of the season.

The final score of the first game Thursday night does not clearly depict the struggle and fight that Team Mulock Flynn Law had to put up against Team Jiffy Lube in the second half of the game. With team captain Sean Flynn in the goal for most of the game, it was up to the rest of the team to put points on the scoreboard.

Mulock Flynn’s defense just could not stop Ricky Anderson who finished the game with four goals.

Jiffy Lube started the game off with the first goal of the night five minutes into the semi-final game with a hot shot by Eliza Faillace after strong passing down the field.

Mulock Flynn Law quickly tied up the game with the cross-field pass by Aaron Parkin, taking Jiffy Lube goalkeeper Jason Sato out of position, allowing sister-in-law Lexi Sato to hit the net.

Three minutes later, Chris Scott made his move with the soccer ball against Jiffy Lube defender Brad Laudicina to allow Sarah Greene to score her single goal of the night, moving Mulock Flynn ahead 1-2.

Chris Klotz landed his tying goal in the 15th minute of the game, showing the caliber of play by both teams.

In the last few minutes of the game, Scott was all by himself at the Jiffy Lube end of the field with defender Chris Culhane sprinting full speed trying to catch him before he got the shot off. Scott’s goal put Mulock Flynn Law ahead once again, but not for long.

Working the other end of the field, Culhane made a beautiful pass to Anderson, who was in perfect position in front of the goal, with less than 30 seconds on the scoreboard to once again tie the game 3-3.

Right before the halftime whistle blew, Anderson once again struck in front of the net, temporarily leaving the score 4-3 after 23 minutes of play.

With the game’s momentum on its side, Team Jiffy Lube started the second half of the game with the Anderson brothers connecting after three minutes of play. Team captain Danny Anderson found R. Anderson who made a huge strike for another goal, putting Jiffy Lube up by two points and giving R. Anderson a hat trick.

Minutes later, off the hands of goalie Flynn, R. Anderson hit his fourth and final goal of the night, advancing the score to 6-3.

In the last six minutes of the game, Team Mulock Flynn rallied, putting two more goals on the scoreboard. Ivan Gaeta hit the net in the 41st minute of the game. Gaeta’s girlfriend and league veteran Jessica Williams scored her goal with no time left on the board.

Only down by one goal and with the soccer ball on Jiffy Lube’s end of the field, Flynn’s team kept fighting in the last minute of official game time, hoping to take the game to a shootout. As the 60 seconds click down, J. Sato slowed the game down for Jiffy Lube, preventing the shot and the score, giving his team the win and capturing the first spot in the championship game.

Playing without their team captain Josh Sato, Team Sato Real Estate came up two goals short in the second semi-final game of the night against Slim’s Place.

Sato Real Estate’s Bobby Troxler started of the scoring after four minutes of play, putting the ball past goalkeeper David Greene. Matt Kretzmann answered back for Slim’s Place a few minutes later with his shot that whizzed by Adam Mott in goal.

After leaving the field with a nagging injury, Slim’s Place’s team captain Kris Yavalar put another point on the board, followed by Kretzmann’s second goal of the game four minutes later to end the half with a two-point lead.

With the score 3-1, Kretzmann started the second half of play with another goal in the 27th minute of play.

Defense and missed shots dominated the next 13 minutes of the game until Zoran Kolega came alive for Team Sato Real Estate. Hitting the net with six minutes on the scoreboard, “Z” moved the score to 4-2.

Kretzmann used his strong strike against Mott for another goal. Teammates Lyn Clarke and Angela Wiles scored their single goals giving Slim’s Place a four-point lead, 6-2.

A quick energy shift came too late for Sato Real Estate with a goal by Junior Guerra and a gorgeous pass from Nate Welch to Kolega for the header into the net.

Down by two goals with two official minutes left in the game, Sato Real Estate fought hard for the next goal, but just could not make it happen.

Can Yavalar once again lead a team against the “curse of the first,” that has plagued so many first place teams in the past? The healthy Jiffy Lube team looks hard to beat.

The match-up Thursday, Dec. 7 at 9 p.m. is surely not to disappoint. Who will take home the Paul “Ace” Hayward Cup?

Acqua Aveda

Moss Builders out-numbers Acqua Aveda

Written by Monica Simpson on . Posted in Soccer, Sports.

As the rain dampened the field and the soccer ball, Team Acqua Aveda found itself out numbered on the pitch and on the scoreboard Thursday night. Playing without their number one draft pick, Stephen Adair, captain Eric Pullen and speed man Ray Gardner, the five-man crew just could not find the net enough times against the full roster of Team Moss Builders.

To start the game, high scorer for Aqua Aveda, Rico Beissert, immediately lit up the scoreboard with a direct kick from mid-field in and out of the wet hands of goalkeeper Jordan Demers. With the score 1-0, Steve Oelfke protected the goal on the other end of the field ready for immediate retaliation.

Moss Builders’ Andre Lewis took the ball downfield in a hurry, out-maneuvering the defense. Lewis’ shot was blocked by Beissert preventing the score. For nine minutes of play in the drizzle, Ryan Moss’ team kept the soccer play on Acqua Aveda’s end of the field before finally scoring with a header by Moss to tie the ballgame 1-1.

Trying for a repeat, Beissert rocketed the shot half the length of the field right to Demers who chose to bat down the wet soccer ball instead of catching it. After the Demers boot, Olaf Krause scored the second goal for Moss Builders after eluding father-daughter defenders Darrin and Cortni Wash.

Saves by Oelfke and Demers, along with a shot by Moss, finally led to the third Moss Builders’ goal by Shay Coleman with eight minutes on the clock for the first half of play.

At the 17th minute of play, Beissert nailed another shot at the goal only to be stopped by Demers. On the other end of the field, Jillian Ptak saw her first scoring opportunity with a pass by Coleman. Ptak’s shot went just wide.

Acqua Aveda’s Drew Mitchell took his first shot after arriving late to the game. The Demers save gave Moss Builders another change on offense allowing Ptak, in the “cherry picking” position, her first goal of the game.

With only 10 seconds left on the board, Krause crushed another goal ending half with the score 5-1.

Taking the field with a four-point lead, Moss Builders started on offense. Both teams struggled to put anything together with tough defensive play on each end of the field. Coleman finally got a shot off that went wide of the right post.

Oelfke, playing on the field, was the recipient of a perfect pass from Beissert allowing movement down the field before passing it back to his teammate for the third goal for Acqua Aveda, keeping the team in the game.

In the 31st minute, Moss saved the ball from going out of bounds at the corner at the Acqua Aveda end of the field. After dribbling out a few yards, Moss found Ptak in front of the goal for another light touch into the goal.

Ptak found herself in scoring position two minutes later, but her shot went just wide. Moss Builders’ Matt Plummer found his shot late in the game with a rocket against Oelfke. Again in the goal, Oelfke made another amazing save.

Ed Moss, father of the Moss Builder team captain, took his turn at shooting. His hard shot was stopped by Oelfke to maintain the score at 6-3.

Setting up the perfect scoring opportunity, Beissert made a beautiful long cross-field pass to Mitchell. Mitchell settled the ball and made a pass back across the field without a teammate nearby.

Using all of their energy with no substitute players on the bench, Acqua Aveda struggled to keep possession, but they never stopped fighting and striking. Out of the goal once again, Oelfke sailed the ball over the post in a scoring attempt.

With the fourth Acqua Aveda goal on the scoreboard, Lewis answered back with a goal of his own to advance the score to 7-4.

Injured D. Wash put himself in the goal for the last few minutes of the game, putting Oelfke in scoring mode on the field. Despite Acqua Aveda’s efforts, they could not hit the net again and struggled on defense.

The 40th minute of the game gave Plummer a shooting opportunity against D. Wash. Plummer’s strike hit the target, giving Moss Builders a four-goal lead.

Coleman put the soccer ball at the right post past the goalie for the ninth goal of the night for his team.

Team Moss Builders continued to move the ball in the last seconds of the game with C. Wash in the goal for Team Acqua Aveda to end the game as her dad dribbled the ball down the field to take the last shot of the game.

Moss Builders’ win was their first of the season heading into the mid-point mark on the schedule. Undefeated Slim’s Place won the second game of the night by forfeit by Team Jiffy Lube due to a lack of players.

Finding their first win of the season, Team Ross Built Construction defeated Team Mar/Kis Insurance with five goals by Kevin Roman, as well as goals by Jake Parsons, Greg Ross and Scott Eason. Mar/Kis’ single goal was scored by Jeremias Gramajo.

The battle of the week was between Mulock Flynn Law and Sato Real Estate. With a strong comeback, Sato Real Estate overcame the early four-point lead by Mulock Flynn with the dominating play by seventh round pick and newcomer Chris Scott. Scott ended the game with six goals with an additional score by Lexi Sato.

The team scoring by team captain Josh Sato, Nate Welch, Adam Mott, Zoran Kolega, and Angela Albrecht tied the game for Sato Real Estate giving them a season record of 1-1-1.

With four games remaining in the regular season, the top spot in the adult co-ed soccer league is still up for grabs. Everyone makes the playoffs. Any team could be named the season champions.

 

Team Blue Lagoon

Progressive Cabinetry shuts door on Blue Lagoon

Written by Monica Simpson on . Posted in Soccer, Sports.

In their first match-up of the season, Team Progressive Cabinetry found victory against Team Blue Lagoon which came on the field looking for its first win in the season. With three Center Select team soccer players, Progressive Cabinetry had the distinct advantage. The smooth passing and team chemistry of Progressive comes from the many months of some of the squad playing together.

The game started with Victor Albrecht keeping guard of the Blue Lagoon net, while female MVP for the Progressive Cabinetry team, Lily Kawahata, wore the goalie pinny. Lighting up the field for Blue Lagoon was the duo of Gregory Jordan and Frankie Coleman. The pair fought hard and fought early for position on the field, striking hard and often, but they could not hit the net.

Natalie Talucci played tough defense for Blue Lagoon, sweeping the soccer ball out of bounds to prevent the Progressive Cabinetry goal early in the game. With just seven minutes left in the first half, Jack Mattick put the first point on the scoreboard with a rapid strike past the goalie.

Unable to keep the ball on the Progressive Cabinetry end of the field, the Blue Lagoon defense was forced to stay on its toes. Kieran Cloutier’s first of two shots in three minutes went wide left of the post and the second was saved by Albrecht.

With 30 seconds on the clock, Progressive scored its second goal, eking the soccer ball just past the fingertips of Albrecht.

In less than one minutes into the second half, a beautiful pass by Jordan gave Coleman the opportunity to rocket one past Liam Coleman, taking over the goalie responsibilities.

The second half of the game found Jack McCarthy in the goalkeeper position for Blue Lagoon. Teammate F. Coleman took another shot that landed just left of the goal. Talucci was supported by fellow defender Madeline Lessig, making it hard for the Progressive Cabinetry offense.

Mattick finally caught a break against the Blue Lagoon defense finding the net once again, giving his team a two-point lead.

For most of the second half the soccer ball was on the Blue Lagoon’s side of the field, challenging its defenders left and right. McCarthy put up several strong save stats.

The Progressive Cabinetry offense continued to show its strong stance on the field throughout the second half of play. With 11 minutes left on the game clock, the boys in the red Progressive jerseys passed the ball back and forth making their way down the soccer field.

After the second half water break, L. Coleman took over in goal, as did Jocelyn Raines for Blue Lagoon. The defensive fight by both teams ensued, with no scoring until the corner kick by Progressive Cabinetry’s Ewin Cloutier that went off the post into the net, moving the score to 4-1.

Kawahata made her offensive move striking the ball that sailed just to the right of the post. Magness Rollins followed up with the fall flying off his foot and into the goal for the team’s fifth and final goal of the game.

The win against Blue Lagoon last Tuesday and against Wash Family Construction on Saturday keeps Progressive Cabinetry at the top of the heap with just one loss so far in the season. In the last regular season games on Tuesday, Blue Lagoon go head-to-head with Progressive Cabinetry in a much-anticipated rematch.

Aqua Aveda

Acqua Aveda takes the first victory

Written by Monica Simpson on . Posted in Sports.

The community center field was painted with the all-too-familiar white lines to start another adult co-ed soccer season Thursday night. The field, a bit smaller to accommodate the slightly smaller rosters for each of the eight teams, was filled with the energy of the 10 players, who took the field for the first game matching Team Acqua Aveda led by Eric Pullen and Team Sato Real Estate.

Missing their captain Josh Sato, Sato Real Estate held its own on the field with Nate Welch in the goal. After nearly 10 minutes of play, Pullen put the first goal on the scoreboard despite the defensive efforts of Zoran Kolega, who came out of retirement after several years away from the Island’s field.

Bobby Troxler, for Sato Real Estate, quickly took the soccer ball and slammed it into the goal against keeper Steve Oelfke to tie the game 1-1.

With a quick change of goalies by both teams, Pullen took the role as protector of the house, allowing Oelfke to take a hard shot that went over the post and wide right. Sato Real Estate took the missed shot as an opportunity to move the ball down the field with precise passing from Kolega to Chelsea Hoffner. Hoffner’s shot went just wide right with eight minutes left on the clock for the first half of play.

The next three minutes of the game saw rocket shots by Kolega off the back of Acqua Aveda’s Rico Beissert, a shot by Hoffner saved by Pullen and a saved shot by Sato Real Estate’s Yunior Guerra.

Aggressive defensive play by Oelfke against Kolega led to a foul call on Oelfke. Kolega’s free kick was intercepted by an Acqua Aveda defender. After tough play, Sato Real Estate managed to regain possession, finding Hoffner all alone down field.

Hoffner, with all the time in the world and green field in front of her with no defenders, took the shot that went to the right of the goal. Despite several excellent shot attempts, Hoffner could not find the net in the first game of the season.

Drew Mitchell wore he goalie hat of responsibility with less than three minutes left in the first half. With team captain Pullen back on the field, he was able to control the pace of the game and control Acqua Aveda’s offensive run by putting the ball in the goal, giving his team a one point lead ending the half.

Pullen’s neighbor and first round draft pick Stephen Adair started the second 23 minutes of play in the goalkeeper position. Troxler took his turn in goal for Sato Real Estate.

After three minutes of defensive soccer, Kolega worked the field and managed to get Adair to move away from the goal just enough to score, tying the game 2-2.

With both teams playing four players on the field for the entire game, fatigue started to set in and the pace of the game slowed. Pullen finally found an opportunity to take a shot that rocketed toward the net, only to be saved by keeper Welch.

Team Acqua Aveda put a point on the scoreboard with a shot by Adair, advancing the score to 3-2.

Neither team having a dedicated goalie in the game, Guerra took his turn at the helm just in time for Pullen to take another shot after stealing the ball from Kolega. Failing to score, Sato Real Estate took over on offense.

Both teams started to make rapid striking efforts with just 12 minutes left in the game. Shots by Welch and Oelfke were just off target. Beissert’s missile shot hit and moved his team up by two goals with the score 4-2.

Three minutes later, Sato Real Estate’s Troxler shot the ball past goalkeeper Mitchell, closing the gap against Acqua Aveda. Looking to tie the ballgame, Hoffner took her last shot of the game after a smooth pass from Welch. Mitchell popped the ball out of play to retain his team’s lead. Taking the corner kick, Welch found teammate Kolega in front of the goal, but the ball could not find the net.

Another goalie change by both teams put Welch and Oelfke on guard. Welch found himself in the ready position watching the fancy footwork of Pullen, anticipating the inevitable shot.

Getting the soccer ball past Kolega, Pullen fired the shot past Welch, giving him the hat trick and his team a two-point lead. With no time on the scoreboard, Kolega made another strong effort toward the goal hoping to find one more scoring opportunity before the official’s whistle, but to no avail.

Team Acqua Aveda collected its first win of the season to start the league’s season. Other winners of the night were Sean Flynn’s Mulock Flynn Law in an exciting comeback game, Danny Anderson’s Jiffy Lube with an easy win and Kris Yavalar’s dominating victory.

The season continues on into December with the championship game on the 7th. There are many games to play, and changes in the rankings are certain to come.