Bella Vista Futbol Club

Race St over Pats 3-1, Fergies dominates Artful, and a new Spitter!

2006-10-16T21:28:00.000-05:00

RACE ST SPITS ITS WAY TO VICTORY
Race St. beat the Patriots 3-1, but that was predictably the unexciting part. Sources tell me that there was a spit... i hear, not as dramatic as last year, but it made Ref Ricky pull out his Reddy.
Can you guess who? Not in a million... Alan, the tall eastern defender. Can you guess why? Let's just say boy Jimmy must have pulled one of those "yo mamma so fat.. " to tick the docile Alan off, until his salivary glands got just too wound up and he had to let loose a glob over his left shoulder. This is just hear say... but who knows! My take... blown way out of proportion.

About the game, Race St's capt. conrad put his mark, julian added to it before getting injured, and a third came from somebody. Never heard who scored for the Pats. Christina's HOT PINK "I can see your ... from the moon" shorts may have distracted the Pat's construction just enough. Is that legal?

Said Nachmi of the new spitter: "I am glad to see someone inherit the throne. I wish i was there to see it!"

THE RISE OF FERGIES - DOMINATING TEAM TIMMY 3-0

Yes. Ben believes he is solely responsible for the rebound of Fergies whose first 2 games saw them looking hopeless, then a draw with Vesuvio, and now a victory over Artful Dodger... timmeee! Well, perhaps Said may have a little to do with it. The awesome striker has been superb and with Alex, has been a menace for the opposing defence. And what about that rocket freekick by young Louis drilling a hole through Charlie. This game was so one sided, it seemed ironic. Said scored one. Can't remember who scored the third. This game should have been 8-0 Fergies, but a win is a win. Team Timmy looked drunk and hung over. May be those loser Penn State games keepin' them up late, but they just did not look good at all. Darin, one of the better players, barely touched the ball, and Bull never got a shot off. Aleks is still in Europe... at least in spirit. Timmy who came out strong this season, seems to have taken the Fergies fever.

Let's see if captain Charlie can rally his troops, and the others should watch out for the new Fergies.

Race St jab el Fuego 3-2 in a flowless game

2006-09-29T15:48:00.000-05:00

Race St came armed with their champion winning side from last year. Conrad had prepared his troops by commands of continuing ball pressure and open play, the latter of which seemed missing. El Fuego had half its team from last year, and was beginning to break the others in. This was going to be an uphill battle for the burritos, who were easily the underdogs.

Kenji and Julian the Kid controlled the entire game. The strategy for the others seemed to feed it to either of them who were bent on coming up the left wing. It worked. Kenji scored the first goal by screaming by John after intercepting a pass in the midfield. One on one with the goalie, Kenji put it away. El Fuego came back with an equalizer 10 minutes later with the Zanzibar international Heri Ali's half volley at close range. The burritos almost went up a goal after a corner deflected of Alans head hit the Race St. post. and also from a dipping free kick from Marcus that was acrobatically saved by Mike of Race St. In the second half, pressure poured on from the Race St. strikers. Big Kev held the Fuego defense for most of the game. The burritos seemed to be playing off key by a lack of passing and trying solo efforts that always seem to result in losing the ball... primarily in the midfield.

Burrito Kevin's shot in the second half took a wicked bounce and went in! What do you know, the burritos were level again. But, a counter attack 10 minutes later created another goal for the Racers. Race St had a number of chances, and were it not for shots gone awry or sloppy finishing, the score may have been more one sided. A last moment header by Zack could have tied the game, but Mike had good hands in the Race St. goal. All in all, a good first game with vast improvements needed to justify the title "the beautiful game".

Vesuvio barely hold off Patriots, Timmy crushes Fergies

2006-09-29T15:26:00.000-05:00

Better late than never... and without captain reports, just eye witnesses...

Timmy Thumps Fergies 3-0
Oh no, what happened? One could argue that Fergie's got the short end of the stick. Or is it that their own team and captains had barely organized the team or prepared them to battle the Timmy. The latter was clearly reflected in what seemed to be a one sided affair. The game ended 3-0, and Fergies can thank the rain for that. Back to the drawing board for some German Engineering!

Vesuvio barely hold off Patriots to win 4-3 - by Kevin Vogt
Team Patriot came out in their season opener a little sluggish. May it have been a case of the binge drinking the night before? Or anxiety? Or fear? Possibly, but most of the poor effort is too blame on disorganization. The Calamaris jumped on the Patriots early and often and built a 3-0 (a nice finish off a cross, a header off a set piece, maybe Ben, and a PK by Daoud) lead by the half way mark. Intra-squad bickering in the first half was replaced by a calm, cool and collected halftime speech by Napolean Dynamite. The second proved to be a reversal of fortune for Team Patriot. Paul Roberts got the Patriots on the scoreboard with a nifty that escaped the Calamari keeper. And followed with another minutes later. However, in between his goals, the Calamaris added goal of their own off a corner kick.

Andy scored for the Calamaris through a crowded defense with a splendid volley. With the score at 4-2, Team Patriot still gave a valiant effort. Lil Jimmy took the ball off Ricky (who was left wondering what the f**k happened) on the left flank and with the keeper off his line, deftly poked it over his outstretched arms, making it 4-3 and a game with 10 minutes left. However, thats how the final score read as neither team could convert any chances in the games final minutes. Vesuvio, lucky to have time on their side, came up with a victory. If the game may have gone longer, the gellin' Patriots may have stolen it.

Vesuvio has proven to be a strong squad this year. And, after their lackluster start, Team Patriot seemed to work out the kinks and may prove to be a formidable opponent. Vesuvio, has to thank their happy captain Sarah for concocting a formidable squad of strength - new Marco, new Greg, Ricky, Dave, Andy, .... perhaps Race St will be the ultimate showdown.

Timmy 2 - Vesuvio 2: A competitive nail-biter start!

2006-09-22T10:37:00.000-05:00

This past Tuesday saw Team Tim "Tim-may" fight back to equal the highly regarded Calamaris, Vesuvio. Frank led Vesuvio by scoring the first goal of the new season with a deft shot into the lower right corner of the Tim goal. After a shakey start, Timeee wasn't going to let his team end the first half down, and as fate would have it, Captain Tim returned Frank the favor. At the end of the half, Tim remarked: "Chris had a great pointwith winning 50/50 balls and I think we corrected this problem in thesecond half leading to several more opportunities to score", and he continued, "Offensive played well, once passes were strung together, we had great chancesand really broke their defense down." Frank too was happy with his team's performance.

Not only was this a game of the captains, but one for the stars! Vesuvio benefitted with their new star Greg, who would end up being a valuable "steal". Greg has now stamped is place in the BVFC league as the one to watch in the Vesuvio side with his first goal in the second half. But this was not to be unmatched with another rising star, Mr. Bull, Timmys first pick in the draft, who placed his equalizer nicely to tie the game with one minute left! Goalie John for Timmy was a star with some great game savers.

Many thanks to the awesome referreeing of JT and Paco! Tim concluded: "I look forward to therest of the season and couldn't be happier with our 2 - 2 tie tostart the season, but I am ready to put a few in the win column soon."

Welcome to the 2006 BVFC Championship!

2006-09-21T16:43:00.000-05:00

After a bit of a bumpy start, fields, or perhaps field, became available. Waitlists have never been longer for amateur soccer wannabes longing for their adrenaline charge after the spectacular 2006 World Cup. So we have 20, perhaps 30 persons on the wait list! We have 1, 2, or 3 fields, or back to 1... Palumbo! Whatever it is... football season is here.

Teams... ha! Sponsors are neither here nor there, cheap for the most part, or tardy... but that may be due to the last minute assurance of "Ah, yes, we have a field to play on". New Teams, but let's see if they show up! We have a merger of Abacus and Patriots from last year to form Team Timmy (pronounced in the SouthPark icon "Timmy"). The Germans Stephan and Marco coupled to form Team Fergies Pub, a well respected Irish watering hole; Germans and Irish and its Oktoberfest! El Fuego (burritos), Vesuvio (calamaris) and Patriot Construction return.

Schedules... who cares about schedules when we can plan this week by week! Actually, perhaps we'll have a schedule before we know the game had been played.

Race St returns with their squad (Conrad should have been a DC lobbyist), while everyone else was poured into the bvfc blender. Team captains picked their crew from names we've never heard of amongst the regulars; some looking to luck out with a Kenji-like striker. Rumor has it that newcomer Greg came out to play one practice saturday as a Timmy boy and went to bed with a calamari. Dealings and trades amongst captains have been going on behind the scenes... need an agent?

Its biz as usual, so show off 'em World Cup cleats. The Trophy shines bright on the top shelf (deservedly above the single malt shelf) at Race St Cafe, a sponsor so proud that they even offer the 2005 Race St. Cafe Soccer jersey for sale on their menu! Well it is time to challenge Conrad and his boys... and girl. Who will it be this year?

Race St. Are 2005 BVFC Cup Champions!

2006-01-13T16:47:00.000-05:00

As always, when Race St wins, Conrad has a word or two...
"Race Street came into this final game in the same frame of mind thatwe had before every other one played this season, determined to win.We wanted to stop all of the gloating coming from the FC STUN squadwho never missed an opportunity to remind us that because they wonour first match they were the better team. Winning the regularseason crown must have counted for something, we thought! But weonly had ourselves to blame for letting them escape with a win inthat first match because we were clearly the better team! In ouropinion this match would only have one outcome: A win for RaceStreet which would confirm the outstanding team play that we showedthrough the season! We started with the following formation: Kenji Julian Conrad Jerry Q Alan Omar Mike G Jason Eddy Max

We started the game nervously as we had difficulty keeping the ballon the ground due to the field's lumpy condition. But after thefirst five to ten minutes we settled down and started to take thegame to STUN, creating a few clear goal opportunities in theprocess. Despite being determined not to allow them to score first,we got sucker-punched by a controversial goal. We did not panic asthis seemed to have been the norm from our most recent games. Butto our surprise, STUN scored a well-worked second goal not too longafter in the first half! Coming back from a one-nil score in a finalis one thing, but two-nil is a very different story.But for some reason, the Racers kept playing their usual game ofquick passing and attacking down the flanks. We knew that the gamewould not be over until after the final whistle (I knowcliché, butso true!). At half time we received another blow! Eddy our standout right backthrough the season had been playing on badly strained right quad anddid not know whether he would be able to continue. Despite his hugecontribution to our presence in the final game, we would have to winthe game without him if we had to. That turned out to be the case, ashe had to be substituted early in the second half. He wascompetently replaced by Mike Park.The second half was a little bit different, as FC STUN, sensing thatthey may be able to claim the first BVFC cup, started matching ourintensity and were creating goal opportunities.

Our defense, which Ibelieve was the best in the league (I know that the stats don'tnecessarily back me on that claim) was as solid as ever; alwayssticking a foot at the last moment to deny the STUN strikers thatlast control or shot.In the middle of the second half, a sense of urgency started to cometo us; we had twenty minutes or so to turn this thing around or allof our pre-game party preparations would have been for nothing, One could feel that a goal from either side could change the balance ofthe game!And it came right after the referee had indicated that there werethirteen minutes left. It started with Omar on the left side,through Julian in the center then to Q on the right who beautifullydropped the ball on Kenji's chest on the left side of the STUNeighteen. In textbook fashion (this is how kids should be taught tochest-trap a ball while redirecting it into their path for a volley)Kenji put the ball on that surgical left foot of his and just likethat, momentum swung in our favor!Just a couple of lines to describe that surgically deadly weapon that Kenji calls his left foot. That thing can snap so quickly and whenit does, beware! Just ask the STUN goalie as they again gotreacquainted two minutes later from that same angle with the samepredictable result. Within three minutes, we were leveled and feltthat we could take the game. Within five minutes of the ref'indicating the 77 minute mark, we took the lead from a goal comingonce again from a left to right to left play which saw Marco make afinal pass that emphasized the level of confidence that the Racerswere playing with at that moment. 3-2!As anyone who's ever been involved in the game will tell you, teamsare usually at their most vulnerable point after scoring. And true enough despite Jason's screams to maintain our defensive focus, werelaxed too much and STUN quickly capitalized on that moment ofweakness. They were truly worthy opponents!Wow! Four goals in less than seven minutes! Great game!In extra time we came so close to end the game in storybook fashion!But it wasn't to be! As Julian's dad said to me:"You guys like tomake it difficult on yourselves!"However, we were not to be denied, FC STUN's nerves betrayed them inthe end in the penalty shoot-outs. RACE STREET wins! Despite STUN'sinitial advantage in the league for having played together as a teamfor a few years, we never believed that they were better than us andwe showed it both in the regular season's standings and by winning itall in the end!I am glad to say that all the BVFC teams did a wonderful job.

We were all assigned to a squad at the beginning of the season and werefaced with the challenge of turning ourselves into teams quickly.For the most part, we were close to being equal talent-wise, but thedifference came from how successful we were at molding the squad intoa team. Despite it all, there were no undefeated teams and we eachhad at least one victory.I think we all have to agree that as a result of winning the BVFCcup, the Racers did a wonderful job and have earned the right todefend their title next season!"

"It went to penalties and we didn't have the luck as Race Street won it with the final penalty. Full match report will follow (probably monday). It was a GREAT game, with ebb and flow, drama, and good football all around. Truly a fitting final, just a shame it had to be settled on penalties as both sides could have won it in extra time with chances at both ends." - Richard

"A fitting end to a fabulous season. One of the best games played this year, and in excellent spirits!! Congratulations to Conrad for leading a good team to a great win, and Stun for helping the rest of us become competitive. Walter and Frank are simply fantastic! They have organized a very successful first season." - Bula

Its Stun and Race St in the Finals!

2005-12-05T23:35:00.000-05:00

Yesterday will go down in BVFC's history as one of the toughest in football. With temperatures hovering above freezing and the field a mudpit from the melted snow, we were bound to see some sludgy football. But the games did not fail to entertain. Both games were extremely competitive, refereeing was decisive and strong, and the players were fired up to leave their prints in the mud.

Race St. and El Fuego make it an epic 3-3 after extra time, with Race St winning 3-2 on Penalties.
This game was historical. Despite the grounds being a mudpool, passes were quite accurate, and ball skills were good. Tough defending by both teams were evident, although it was unusually tough for strikers to burst past the last line. John D in the Burrito goal and Max in the Racer's goal had especially strong performances.

The first goal came from Lil Kev the burrito in the first half, which was a shot from within the penalty area after an eruption of mud from defenders and strikers vying for the ball. Race St scored an equilizer in the last minute of the first half from a Julian cross. Midway through the second half, the burritos went up once more with Mike Fisher getting a foot on a delightful cross from Chakib. After a brief celebration of mudsliding, the burritos were silenced by a goal within a minute by the Racers. Q's hard cross skimmed the muddy surface past burrito defenders to Kenji, who deftly turned past his mark and tapped the ball past the goalie. The ball stopped at on the goal line where Conrad was there to finish it. Despite last minute pressure from Race St., the score was 2-2 after 90 minutes. In the 15 minute extra time, it was the Racer's turn to go ahead. A counter attack by Race St led to a decisive goal off a cross, but just as one thought it was over, the burrito Aleks saw the goalie off his line and deftly chipped it into the Race St goal. At the end of regular play, it was 3-3 and penalties ensued.

Max began the penalty kicks as a kicker, unfortunately missing, but he would have his moment of glory. Zack put the burritos up 1-0. At the end, it was the captains... Bula missed his, while Conrad put his in to claim victory for Race St. Bula remarked: "The burritos played like a team worthy of a final, and my missed penalty denied them the chance. It was our best performance in many games, and thoroughly enjoyable. All credit to Conrad and his team for a great game played in great spirits. Despite the conditions, this was one of the greatest matches of the season." Richard and Darin were awesome in refereeing the game.

Stun beat Vesuvio 2-1 in a closely contested game

Vesuvio's version I get the report from Walter.

Richard's report for Stun:

"With Rod, Moez, and James on the bench aided by bench coach DanJ and the first few minutes being captured for posterity by STUN official photographer DanG we were ready to avenge the regular season sweep we suffered at the hands (or should that be feet?) of Daoud and company. Big thanks go to Q and Max for running the lines and a huge Baby Shaq sized round of applause goes to Mike Giuliana for doing a fantastic job refereeing . thanks guys.We began brightly and everyone really lifted their play and (more importantly) their effort and concentration. This was probably the best ninety minutes of football we have played as a team in this competition, and I was really impressed by everyone.s commitment and teamwork. Despite (or perhaps because of, eh Rod?) the mud we did not resort to just hoofing the ball up field and we passed the ball around with as much Ã©n as one could hope for. Numerous times we put together moves of seven or eight touches, working one-twos and constantly putting the Vesuvio defense under pressure.

Were it not for Kasey Keller in their goal this game would have been over as a contest before the half and it was unfortunate that the first goal was a penalty, with the foul committed by the aforementioned .keeper. I can.t remember who played the ball through but, as the STUN defense broke down a Vesuvio attack yet again, the ball was worked out to the inside right position and played in to the center forward channel for Adel to run on to. It was a teasing ball and as Adel outpaced the cover the goalie rushed out to challenge at the edge of his area. The keeper did manage to get the slightest of touches on the ball, however his next .touch. clattered Adel and sent him flying through the air looking like a whirling dervish on a trampoline. Despite vociferous protestations from some in the Vesuvio camp, the penalty had to be given. No matter that the goalie touched the ball, he got way more of Adel than he did the ball . if his tackle had been clean and he played the ball wholly and then Adel it would be fair enough, however Mike was right on the spot and made the correct decision.

T.O. stepped up and, not wanting to slip on the treacherous surface, took one step and pushed the ball low and hard to the keeper.s right in to the side netting. One nil to STUN and we took a lead we would not throw away this time. With a good twenty minutes left to play in the first half we kept on attacking, knowing that we could not relax for a minute. We kept pushing and poking, and with everyone in the midfield getting spelled we always had willing runners in the middle of the park. Thanks again to DanJ for looking after the bench, bringing the first aid / trainer.s kit, and as always for your moral and vocal support . get well soon buddy, we miss you out on the field.

No matter what Vesuvio threw at us our defense was holding firm, and they didn.t really get a single scoring opportunity in the entire first half. We limited them to maybe two shots on goal, and they were speculative punts from way outside the area so while it may seem like Sarge didn.t have much to do in goal he had to maintain his concentration for the whole game, with often nothing to keep him busy for a while. One slip, either mentally or physically, could have spelled disaster for us and he was solid as a rock, always getting his body behind the ball and claiming everything confidently and calmly and always managing a good solid goal kick . my hats off to you Sarge.

The second half began soon after the whistle blew for time as it was buh-loody cold and we all wanted to get on with it. We immediately started where we left off with a flowing move right from the restart which must have been at least fourteen touches and eight players narrowly missing goal as the final shot was blasted in to the wrong side of the side netting. It was a portent of danger as we attacked and attacked with renewed vigor, in search of a second goal we richly deserved. In the first half T.O. had a fantastic turn-and-volley off a throw-in denied by a great save and Adel could have had two but for outstanding saves again by their keeper (where did they find him from?) but instead of getting frustrated we kept on plugging away.Yet another Brasilesque move ended up with Moez (I think) crossing a beauty of a ball over the flailing arms of the keeper who (for once) was out of position and T.O. connected first time with a lunging outstretched right foot . the ball seemed destined for the back of the net but it clanged off the underside of the crossbar and down on to the line (not over the line). We were too busy celebrating the .goal. to bother following it and it was desperately hacked clear by the Vesuvians. If I have to take one negative out of a great team performance it is that we are too complacent in getting to the second phase of a ball, i.e. when a header is won or a ball comes loose we are too slow to react to it and anticipate where the second bounce is going to be or the ball is going to land . if we can get on top of that we will score a lot more goals. Anyhow, speaking of more goals..
With about twenty minutes gone our passing and probing football paid dividends. Again it was an unbelievable move, given the conditions, with a trademark skipping, dancing run from the North African Connection of Karim, Moez, and Adel ending with one of .em (couldn.t see from way back in our half) smacking a fine shot past the keeper from a tight angle. Two nil to STUN and you could see the deflation in the slumped shoulders of the blue clad Vesuvians.
With a last desperate roll of the dice, Vesuvio decided to bring on their inspirational talisman, Ricky, despite the fact that he was still hobbling after getting crocked in a tackle in the first half. It was a little sad to see Ricky unable to operate at full speed but he has skill and effort to burn and he was rewarded as after a corner was half cleared from his pressure the ball was knocked back in to the box. With STUN looking to move up instead of holding on to their markers Claudio was left with a free header and he nutted a beauty, text book style, down in to the ground in front of the keeper giving Pauric no chance at all.

We didn.t panic, despite the fact that Vesuvio were throwing everyone forward desperate for an equalizer. The back four were not to be denied though, and we really dug in, continuing to cover for each other, hustling, and playing calm football. Yes, we hoofed it away when we had to but we also looked for an outlet to play to feet when it was available too. Lauren was fantastic as ever (I love Lauren, she is consistent, a consummate team player, unassuming, has a great attitude, gives everything she has, I could go on but George might come looking for me!) Jon was aggressive and controlled and won a ton of balls in the air, Ezra just had a great game, nothing spectacular or fancy, but his positional sense is just getting better and better, and as for that Slugger guy . well, I love games like that.

We never looked like conceding another goal and perhaps having learned from our previous defeats, we did not relax, or sit too deep inviting Vesuvio on. We didn.t just stick ten men behind the ball or panic and boot the ball up field at any opportunity; we kept playing STUN football and tried to keep possession as much as we could and played out the half to victory. Everybody played a really good game yesterday, including everyone who subbed in and out and it was a real team effort . everyone should be proud of the result and the effort."

Next Sunday will see Stun and Race St battle for the title.

Vesuvio are 3rd with 5-2 Win over Patriots

2005-11-27T20:23:00.000-05:00

Details to follow when I receive the captain reports...

League standings are updated.

Vesuvio clinches 4th Playoff spot with win over Abacus

2005-11-21T11:51:00.000-05:00

Abacus had 7, so this game was not defaulted, and for the spirit of our matches, that is important. With 4 others, it actually turned out to be a fun game in surprisingly great weather. Without their star players - Nachmi, Vincenzo and Mike Keller - this was to be a tough battle against a persistent, fast and very skilled Vesuvio squad looking to avenge their previous loss to Abacus. With 4 borrowed players, the game was on despite initial "legal" bickering by some willing to concede and others vying for forfeiture. But the spirit of fun won, and the game begun.

Abacus played impressively for the first 30 minutes taking a 3-0 lead. Contributors included Brian (an execlent shot), Tomo (a header from the back post) and Chris (another shot). But this only served to awake the Vesuvian squad that came back in impressive fashion to tie the game at 3 a piece at the half. Momentum had definitely shifted for the Calamaris. Their first goal was a shot at the near post on a quick comeback from Abacus' 3rd goal. The following two goals were caused by goalie errors, the first of which was a Lil' Jimmy long throw that went through Charlie's hands hence qualifying it as a goal, and the second was a cross from Jim that drew Charlie off his line in full extension but missing the ball. This left an open goal and a simple header drew the game at 3-3.

Vesuvio continued this momentum into the second half and took the lead with a cross to an open Mike who put it past Charlie. Andy had 2 impressive goals, a 20 footer that was perfectly angled to strike the bar and go in, and a solo effort that saw him dribble by two defenders and Charlie. Chances came to Abacus too with a couple of breakaways, one of which hit the post, and a host of corners that were headed over the bar. All in all, the game was played in excellent spritis, and Omar was a good referee. The final score was 7-3 for Vesuvio.

What does this mean? Vesuvio are currently in forth, and have a final game with the Patriots, who were hoping for an Abacus win to keep their chances alive. Patriots should play Vesuvio to establish themselves as a squad that would have been worthy of that crucial 4th spot. If the Calamaris win, they will play Stun in a matchup that they have previously dominated. If they lose to the Patriots, they face Race St. the league leaders, with whom they have drawn their previous games. It looks to be an exciting match up either way. Check the calendar for friendlies and pick-ups through Thanksgiving.

Race St. League leaders due to forfeiture by Abacus

2005-11-19T10:46:00.000-05:00

Charlie said: "Abacus showed up on Tuesday, a beautiful night for football, with 4. We had to forfeit." Conrad's team now leads the league. Abacus have a final game versus Vesuvio, and have all the talent to provide for an exciting game if they show up. This can be the game to bow out in impressive fashion. Should Abacus win, Vesuvio and the Patriots will play for the final 4th position, bringing a dramatic end to the round-robbin season.

Patriots keep playoff hope alive, Racers wrap Burritos, Vesuvio over Stun.. again!

2005-11-14T09:42:00.000-05:00

Patriots thumped Abacus 4-1
"It was a gorgeous day and the Patriots manged to play some nice futbolas well. Starting with the dynamic uncle/nephew combination of Said and Abdul in the center, and the controlled, aggresive play of our midfield, the Pats jumped ahead early and never really looked back for a 4-1 result.We really played a good passing game in the midfield, fought for every ball and generally controlled the first half. John Hochhold put us on the board early off of a quick shot near the 18 that AS gaolie, Charlie Flowe could not control. Goal number 2 came off of an impressive shot from the 18 by young Abdul. He dashed laterally and popped a great shot into the side net. At the half, Pats were up 2-0. The second half saw more attacks from the AS side, despite the early departure of their star striker, Vincenzo. Abdul, also sat out due to a pulled leg muscle, so we played as a 10 side and managed to put 2 more in. Goal number 3 was a brilliant backwards flick off the head by Said, over charlie's head and into the back of the net. Number 4 happened when Said fired a cross from the Abacus touchline, and it bounced into the goal after hitting an Abacus defender.Late in the half, an Aacus handball just outside the penalty box, turned into a penalty after an Abacus defender on the wall called for another hand ball. The kick was taken by Pat defender, Stephanie Singer but "Charles in Charge" Flowe denied the goal with a nice one handed deflection.Great game. Now, we wait for the Vesuvian results to determine what our playoff chances are." - by Juan Parada.

I guess somewhere in there, Abacus managed a goal. If the Patriots beat Vesuvio, they are through.

Race St. regained 2nd position with 2-1 win over El Fuego
El Fuego has stuck to its format of play. Open strong, take the lead, and then render the midfield and strikers completely ineffective for most of the second half. In the game versus Vesuvio, this was the story... a one goal lead, and Vesuvio dominated in the second to win 2-1. Subsequently, against Abacus, the same... a one goal lead, but this time hang on by a thread to win 1-0. Was this to change for Race St.? No!

Against the Racers, the burritos opened up strong and again interupted Conrad's midfield now allowing a rhythm. El Fuego put on pressure of its own and after numerous corners, a cleared ball fell to Lil Kev who hammered it home for a 1 goal lead. For the rest of the half, the game was evenly fought with Julian and Conrad putting pressure on the El Fuego D.

In the second half, El Fuego confirmed that they were only a first half team. The pattern of play was true as it seemed like there was no threat made to the Racers in the entire second half. Some of this can be credited to the solid defensive line, while considering the previous 2 burrito encounters, most may agree that it was a predictable meltdown in the midfield and forward positions in the second half. Race St on the other hand, used this opportunity to turn their performance around. A controversial penalty call put Max on the spot, and with the maturity of a 30 year old, he scored. The second was a goal by his agemate, Julian. Bula commented: "We start strong because we play as a team by passing. We end weak because we play as individuals, where we lose the ball due to overdribbling, and bark at each other in blame. In the playoffs, we need to relearn to play together for 90 minutes, like a team. We can do it, but our midfield and forwards must work together."

Vesuvio beats Stun in dramatic turnaround
The calamaris are quite a resilient bunch. Stun came out challenged to seek revenge in their first round loss against them, and were well on their way to doing so. Darin and his group were up in a commanding 3-1 lead at the half, with Darin as the opening scorer and Ricky the scorer for the calamaris. In the second half, just as it seemed as though the game was getting away from Vesuvio, Ben scored and Adam put another 2 in to make it 4-3. No captain reports has this game without details.

Who will get the 4th Playoff spot?

2005-11-11T15:00:00.000-05:00

This is how it stands:

Qualified
Stun: Qualified. Should retain first position (on goal difference if they lose Sunday).
El Fuego: Qualified. Should be a battle for 2nd with Race St this Sunday.
Race St: Qualified.

The 4th Playoff spot is up for grabs:
Vesuvio: best chance to get it and should do so with at least one win and one draw. Will Vesuvio croak or destroy the hopes of their trailing foes?
Patriots: they can get still qualify but would need one more win than Vesuvio. Can Justin, Chris, Juan and Heri win their last 2 games?
Abacus: a slim possibility remains, they would need to win all their matches and hope Vesuvio wins none, and Patriots win no more than one. Can Mike Keller and Vincenzo pull off a miracle run?

I am sure there are other scenarios, but I am just not smart enough to figure them out. Sunday is expected to be a beautiful, sunny fall day for soccer. Be there for the triple header.

Stun extends league lead with 3-1 win over Patriots

2005-11-09T22:26:00.000-05:00

At the dustbowl on Wednesday, league leaders Stun and a revived Patriots team played a quality game. Stun put 3 in the net in the first half, capped off by Darin's turn-and-shoot that found a gap in the Patriot defense. The Patriots fought back in the second half and were able to convert one by their consistent Zanzibari striker Heri. Justin Wood and Heri had numerous chances to score including a header that went barely over the crossbar, and an gift for Heri in front of Stun's goal that just missed. Sarge in Stun's goal had a strong performance and a critical factor in Stun's win.

Stun's executive spokesman, and strong defender, Richard said: "A very solid first half defensively, became a bit shaky in the last twenty minutes. Big ups to Sarge in goal, putting his body on the line and to both teams for not quitting for the whole game. It was a good game of football with some excellent passing and movement from both sides."

Juan, encouraged by his team's performance, but nonetheless disappointed by the result said: "Patriots put up a good fight. We fought for the ball in the midfield and had many missed opportunities in the second half, but our efforts could not prevent a victory for a strong Stun side."

El Fuego wins 1-0 over Abacus in one that could have gone either way.

2005-11-09T11:43:00.000-05:00

In a game characterized by lack of execution by strikers on both sides, scoring chances were plenty to be found. The game began with strong pass play and chance creation by the burritos which opened up some scoring chances but were unable to convert until the 20th minute, when an unintentional handball (some would say a tough call), set up a freekick just outside the Abacus penalty area. Aleks struck the ball through the Abacus wall and past Charlie for the first goal. Abacus, now a revived team, began to prove why they are a team to be reckoned with. Without their striker Nachmi, execution suffered, but play creation did not. As the first half wound down, momentum was shifting to Abacus' favor led by the ever-solid Mike Keller in their midfield. Mike has proven to be a significant asset at midfield position, and his ball control and distribution makes him a strong part of the Abacus offense. Their objective to get past the el Fuego defense was hampered by Leah, who put the brakes on Tomo, as well as Zack and Big Kev, who tried to keep the towering Vincenzo from doing what he does best.

In the second half, the teams played equally, with some open chances at the goal mouth for both. Two shots by Keller were just over the bar, while Vincenzo, Tomo and others had their go at John D "Fuker" (Fuego Keeper), who is on top of his game and has proven a real asset to the burritos. On the El Fuego's side, transition play was lacking as the midfield found it difficult to connect with their strikers, even though the backfield seemed open. The only real opportunity was a 24 yarder by Bula that grazed the left post. Abacus had numerous opportunities to equalize, or even take the lead. Numerous freekicks at the edge of the box were squandered, and some long throws drifted across the goal without an Abacus foot to strike them in. Bula said, : "Abacus are much stronger than anticipated. We need to work on our transition game and our team chemistry in order to bring back a cohesive attacking strategy. As usual, our defense was strong, winning contested balls, and clearing well. We are glad to come away with a win against a good team." Ben was a very good referee, and much his service yesterday is much appreciated.

Abacus is a reorganized side that is just as strong as any other in the league. Their playoff chances have dwindled but not impossible, but it would take 3 consecutive wins and no wins by Vesuvio for a qualification. The Patriots are coming off a strong win against Race St., and are also battling for this 4th and final spot, although Vesuvio needs only one to clinch it.

Patriots defy Race St, while Vesuvio dominates El Fuego

2005-11-07T11:33:00.000-05:00

Patriots beat Race St 4-2 in a strong performance
The Patriots played their best football yet when they challenged favorites Racers on a beautiful day for soccer. Regrouping and reorganizing the positions payed off for the Pats, but more importantly, Bill Inden provided much needed stability and energy in the Defensive and Midfield roles and turned out to be a key distributor of the ball upfield. Juan said: "Bill greatly stiffened a rejuvenated midfield that fought for every ball and defended tenaciously." By having a 4-3-3 formation, the Patriots were able to convert the numerous chances at goal. The first goal came from shot by Chris Reggiani, that deflected off a Racer and ended at the back of the net. Justin scored the second, and the game was tied at 2-2. Even though Race St had numerous chances, the level of energy and coordination we have come to expect from the team was missing, and many open chances were missed. The Patriots defensive 4 - Jimmy, Lance, Juan and Stephanie - stepped up strongly and disrupted the Racer offense. This resulted in some excellent counter attacking which Patriot star strikers Heri and Abdul executed with 2 deserving goals, making it 4-2. This was enough to deflate the unusually low energy the Racers showed. Juan, the Patriot captain, concluded: "Things came together for the Patriots today against a determined and dangerous Race team. The final 4-2 score does not accurately reflect how close it really was. A hard fought victory, an unexpected result." The Patriots have defeated a worthy opponent and now have a chance at the playoffs.

El Fuego break under Vesuvio's relentless pressure: Vesuvio win 2-1
Vesuvio played an exceptional game. Even though the burritos went ahead 1-0 from a Chakib goal, the scoring chances were very few for El Fuego due to a very strong defensive line with Frank, Ben and Ricky. Vesuvio coordinated their attacks with solid midfield play that won everything in the air, and coordinated excellent pass play that provided their strikers with one scoring chance after another. El Fuego were defending almost the entire second half, and one could smell an equalizer. Claudio's fantastic header from a Jimmy long throw drew the game at 1-1. The pressure continued to mount, and Jim found himself open to score the second putting the Calamaris up 2-1. Vesuvio looked very strong, and had numerous substitutes, while El Fuego barely had a team and were missing key strengths with Zack, Big Kev, JP and Jeff unable to play, and Mike, Geronimo, Chakib and Leah playing injured. On the other hand, Vesuvians JT and others in the midfield controled the possession and tempo for most of the game. Walter from the sideline did a great job of rotating players of a Vesuvio team that showed up with over 5 substitutes. Bula remarked: "We played as we were.. Injured, lethargic and fatigued, without many of our key players. All credit to Vesuvio for an exceptional performance as they dominated almost the entire second half. Their defense was a solid wall, and this gave their attackers the cushion to put together good attacks. With 8 of our players out or injured, we are finding it very difficult to remain competitive, but I am still hopeful. John D., our goalie, was exceptional, and his fantastic performance prevented a possible 8-1 loss. We need to rest and reorganize ourselves for our final two games. I am proud of the burritos who played despite tough injuries as they are an awesome contribution to our effort."

El Fuego win 4-1 versus the Patriots

2005-11-06T00:01:00.000-05:00

Let it be known that the Patriots came as a full squad, and with some to spare. Playing Heri and Justin as transition attackers, the Patriots seemed to play a defensive strategy in an effort to look for a counter strike. On the other hand, by focusing more and more on selfless pass play, El Fuego worked on possession and strength in the midfield. The Patriots were missing their key striker Said while el Fuego were without Leah, their key left back.

El Fuego opened the scoring by a fantastic 27 yarder from big Kev about 20 minutes into the game. The burritos continued to put the pressure on, and managed to hit the woodwork (both the crossbar and the goal posts) 3 additional times in the first half. Heri, the Patriot striker, also managed to hit the post once during the half on a counter attack. On the defense, Lil Kev, Big Kev, JP and Jeff combined to provide a solid back line to prevent through passes from the Patriot midfield. At the end of the first half, with half a dozen near goals, the score was 1-0.

In the second half, the momentum began in El Fuego's favor. A handball just outside the penalty area 10 minutes into the half, provide Chakib with the opportunity to demonstrate his Ronaldinhoesque free kick ability, and did not disappoint. The shot bent around the wall and dipped into the top of the goal making it 2-0. Minutes later, Chakib added to his scoring roster with another shot that took a severe deflection, and ended in the back of the Patriot net. The Patriots, led by Clay, began to regroup, and immediately began to put together passes down the right side. This new energy led to some excellent chances by Justin and Heri, all of which seemed to be off by just inches. Finally, some excellent passing led to a goal by Clay, and the Patriots pulled one back. 1-3 down, the Patriots applied more pressure, but were unable to convert. With 10 minutes, a counter attacking pass from Big Kev opened Bula on the left wing, whose cross was convincingly finished by Aleks. The game ended 4-1, with 6 shots hitting the post or crossbar for the burritos and once for the Pats.

Bula remarked: "We are now playing an excellent possession game, and our defense was astounding. It is critical that we control the game for 90 minutes for decisive victories. We had too many near goals, and I hope that we are able to execute more going forth." The Patriots see a strong Race St on Sunday at Noon, while the burritos face the calamaris at 2pm, both games at Palumbo.

BVFC weekend action - Bring Family & Friends!

2005-11-04T09:47:00.000-05:00

Moving along... Stun and Abacus are taking a breather after their tough week, but will be back in action after the weekend.

Friday
7 pm: The Patriots take on el Fuego at the dust bowl tonight at 7pm. Bring your popcorn, as there will be some competitive action. Look for Said to play ever convincingly for the Pats, while Zack and Chakib control the burrito Midfield. Juan and Lance are protecting the Patriot fort.

7-10pm?? Racers at Race St. Cafe for their big binge!

Sunday
Noon: Turnaround Patriots take on the ever-strong Racers at Palumbo at Noon. This is a matchup of some strong forwards and defense. Said and Justin will try to score versus Jason and his hard defense, while Kenji and Julian the Kid want to put his stamp of glory on the Lance and Juan.

2pm: Vesuvio play el Fuego. The bet is on! Bring the family to witness two fine cookin establishments go head to head. Can the cool calamaris get a win off the tackling tacos. Can someone bring a grill, coz this game's makin me hungry. Watch for Vesuvians Ricky on his unpredictable bursts, and Ben in the defense. The burritos will have Kev in the back and Geronimo upfront causing some chaos.

8pm: Sunday Night Eagles Football on ESPN

Tuesday
8pm: Soccer returns as the burritos, just off a busy soccer weekend schedule, take on newly winners, Abacus at Palumbo. Can Abacus clinch the 4th spot? Can el Fuego work its way to 2nd?

Finally, Victory for Abacus!

2005-11-03T12:05:00.000-05:00

IT'S ALIVE! Abacus can play team football! Last night at the Dustbowl, Abacus beat Vesuvio, a worthy opponent, led by a deuce from their striker Nachmi. This reverses a 5 game losing streak and provides Abacus with a glimmer of hope to make the playoffs. Abacus brought determination and persistence to a Vesuvio team still high off their Stun win. Go figure, Vesuvio beats the league leaders and loses to the the laggards.

Abacus began the game by aggressive plays that led to two goals in the first 25 minutes of play. The opening goal was scored by Brian from the left side. Nachmi scored the second goal, a signature Nachmi chip shot which put Abacus in new territory, a two goal lead. This put extra pressure on Vesuvio to retaliate; they regrouped and began their comeback. Ben's first timer, an excellent low shot beat Charlie to make the score 1-2. Ben is now trademarking himself as a shooter from midrange and has scored numerous times this season in a somewhat spectacular fashion. Before the half, Mike, Vesuvio's striker, broke away from from the Abacus defense to find himself one on one with Charlie. A remarkable chip over Charlie equalized the game. Was this to become another game that would slip away from Abacus?

In the second half, determined not to lose, Abacus kept pressure on. Vesuvio had some excellent chances to go up a couple of goals, but Charlie and his defense held the fort in an awesome performance. On Abacus' offense, Mel had a career performance, with numerous scoring attempts and chances. With 10 minutes to go, the burning desire to win resulted in Nachmi's game winner. Frank admitted: "Abacus came ready to play with 13 strong and a solid midfield. Mike Geller came off injuries that keep him from play over the first half of the season and he proved to be a solid addition to the squad. As a team, they seemed to gel last night and may prove to be a squad to contend with over the 2nd half of the season. Aleks provided a fine job refereeing the game."

Abacus' victory makes this a very tight race for the 4th playoff spot between them, Vesuvio and the Patriots. Two more victories should secure that spot. Vesuvio play El Fuego on Sunday at 2pm while Abacus play Elfuego on Tuesday at 8pm, both games critical to their qualification. After the game, Charlie exclaimed, "We can win, and if we play like this, we can beat anyone in this league!"

Barbaric behavior, Intentional Roughness & Bad Sportsmanship NOT tollerated by BVFC

2005-11-02T22:22:00.000-05:00

In a league that prides itself with dignity, maturity and fairness, every player must remember that their conduct reflects the image of the club as a whole. Overly rough, vindictive, intentionally hurtful, or, as in this case, barbaric, actions or deeds will be severely dealt with, including immediate expulsion if necessary. These incidents are very rare, and players make amends quickly, but we all must remember that we are a social league as friends first, sportsmen at heart, and competitors only by choice.

Race St and Stun tie 2-2 in a match of equals

2005-11-01T23:19:00.000-05:00

A beautiful night as the top two teams entered the battlefield this Tuesday at Palumbo. The crowd was out to see a good quality football game and were not disappointed. The goals came in the first half with Julien the Kid scoring both for Race St. Stun acknowledged them by saying, "The two we conceded were down to defensive errors and a lack of concentration – against a team like Race Street, with their dangerous forwards, you cannot give them easy opportunities like that." Stun scored a pair, and seemed to have numerous chances to go up a few more. The game was fought in very good spirits, tough tackling, strong marking and a strengthening defense on both sides in the second half, and a majority of the game played in the midfield.
(will detail this half more when I receive a report)

Richard's 2nd Half Report: "Tied up at 2-2, the second half was an enthralling contest with both teams desperate to score but having to play fairly conservatively so as not to be hit on a break. The STUN defensive line was playing high and meeting the Racers forwards as soon as they received the ball and (as usual) Lauren was outstanding at reading the game and marking her men tight. Jon and Eric were a powerful physical presence in the middle and our team defense and commitment really shut down the Racers attack in the second half, not allowing a single real shot on goal for the whole of the second stanza. Up front the STUN forwards were finding it tough going against the taller center backs of Race Street and we were getting no real chances through the middle. We just couldn’t get a favorable bounce, despite the numerous miss-kicks and miss-headers that started cropping up as we applied more pressure and the defender’s legs became tired. Karim was working his bollocks off in the hole, trying manfully to spring our speedy forwards but the tight constraints of Palumbo meant there wasn’t much width to spray his trademark defense splitting passes. Too often the final ball was just too long or there was desperate defensive intervention. In the final five minutes T.O. was in a great position, having sneaked in behind his marker as Adel fought through the box. Adel punched it across the face of goal and with the goalie static I was getting ready to do a streak to celebrate the winning goal – unfortunately for us, and fortunately for the psychological well being of all the spectators, somebody, somehow got a toe to it and just knocked the ball spinning out of harm’s way. I also want to add big THANK YOU to Ricky for refereeing and Big Ben for running the line – both you fellas did a great job. I honestly couldn’t really complain about any decisions that Ricky made – an outstanding job by a nice guy."

Stun concluded by saying, "STUN bemoans profligate finishing and defensive errors in yet another game we should have won. It was a good game for the neutral, and there were a fair few spectators on a gorgeous night for football. Many thanks to Ricky from Vesuvio for refereeing and doing a good job."

Christina, a significantly improved and strong defender, came cleated but clocked no minutes in this game. Capt. Conrad and Christina have amicably burried this hatchet, with a 2 pint settlement of Race St. Cafe's finest brew being awarded to the Irish-Italian lass this Friday at their team soiree. Even though captains should make the decision on who they play, where and when, it is imperative that BVFC remain an inclusive social league, where the enjoyment of the game by all its members is not sacrificed for competitive spirit. Balancing a team's talent rotation is actually part of the challenge, and effective when done well.

Stun dismantles Abacus, while Vesuvio and Race St Draw

2005-10-31T12:25:00.000-05:00

Stun reverses 2 game loss with emphatic 7-1 win over Abacus
Stun began aggressively and scored 2 within the first 10 minutes of the game. After going up 3-0, Abacus' Nachmi retaliated with a goal, which was characterized by 4 consecutive passes (funny how that simplifies the ease with which one can score in our league). Stun dominated the second half by putting in 4 more. Stun said, "Napoleon Dynamite leading the charge with a brace of goals and strong second half performance." Stun also sat out some of their key players in preparation for Tuesday's matchup with Race St.

The good news: Abacus, the league laggards, had 14 of their players ready for this Sunday afternoon showdown versus Stun, the league leaders. The bad news for Abacus, they lost 7-1 to Stun, again! Was this deja vu? Abacus has a number of talented players, so why the loss? Here is a simple explanation: Firstly, the captain needs to take a more authoratative role. There seem to be too many people making too many decisions. "What position should I play?", "Who would like to substitute?", "Who should I pass to?", were amongst the questions asked during play. Secondly, teamwork is overshadowed by individual right to play echoed by "I already substituted", "who wants to substitute?", "what position do you play?", and even "what is that guy's (a teammate) name?". Thirdly, planning and strategy... seemingly nonexistant. Abacus could have done better by knowing their opponents more, by planning who will mark who, and most importantly by understanding their strong players and weak, so as to distribute them in a much more cohesive manner. With many of the skilled players in the midfield and offense, gaping holes in the defense were left unattended. This left Charlie with much work, even though his performance yesterday was just as polarized with both great saves and bloopers. 5 games to go for Abacus, they can still qualify for the playoffs, but much needs to be done off the field to bring quality soccer on it.

Vesuvio and Race St. tie 1-1
This should have been Vesuvio's game in hand. Race St, playing with 10 players, played well to level the game. Claudio Zampetti got Vesuvio ahead with a determined header from poor clearance in the Race St. penalty area. Race St., even though pressured for much of the first half, equalized with Max's lob that took a good bounce past Vesuvio's goalie. Walter, Vesuvio's captain, seemed a little disappointed at "squandered scoring chanches by taking unwarranted shots which seemed to be everywhere but at the Race St goal." Walter continued: "The second half was a hotly fought affair by both sides; Vesuvio failed to gain the upper hand on the ten sided foes and Race Street Cafe, deservedly, got their point, and we lost an opportunistic two. My hat's off to Conrad and his mates for a good game."

Palumbo Community Field EMPTY on Sunday 10AM to 2PM

2005-10-30T12:13:00.000-05:00

It was heartbreaking to see such a wonderful facility lie empty and unused by the community in Bella Vista from 10 Am to 2 Pm. After a number of visits to the field, I thought it was quite a shame that the field was without the usual bustle of players and friends watching. I hope this situation is remedied in the near future as it is still a fine facility, as the community of BVFC is eager to play soccer and bring life back to that block.

El Fuego stuns Stun with 3-2 victory

2005-10-29T12:43:00.000-05:00

At the dust bowl, Stun and the burritos came ready to play. Both teams had their full teams plus two substitutes even though El Fuego were without star midfielder Zack, and striker G. The 4 burritos - Leah, Big Kev, Shane & JP - held an almost impenetrable defensive line, which provided a boost of confidence in midfield. The Burrito gameplan was to disrupt the pass-play that defines Stun by pressuring each player on the ball. In the first half, this worked. The first goal came as the result of a controversial handball in the Stun box, which resulted in a penalty. Chakib's rocket penalty kick hit the bar in the middle of the goal and went it. 1-0 up, El Fuego continued to apply pressure on the league leaders. About 15 minutes later, strong pass play up the right side led to a cross from Aleks across the Stun goal which Mike Fish scored. Down 2-0, Stun began making plays of their own led by Darin, the center forward, whose deft skills opened up a couple of scoring opportunities, one that just missed over the bar, and some that were saved by John. At the half, the underdogs, El Fuego were up 2-0.

The second half started with Stun bringing more pressure. Excellent footwork and control led to a professional finish by Stun's forward, who broke down the defense and put one in the corner of the net. El Fuego began to step up their midfield, and John E on the left wing, with some strong ball skills, provided Chakib and Aleks with scoring opportunities. A solid shot by Chakib which was deflected by the Stun goalkeeper, then headed in by John E was controversially disallowed and ruled as an unfair challenge on the Stun goalie. Another shot minutes later ended in the back of the Stun net after the goalie punched it out but it was headed in by Aleks. This was ruled offside. Stun had numerous scoring chances of their own, including 2 that rolled across the burrito goal but were unable to be converted by the strikers. Then the equalizer came with 12 minutes left to play. Stun's midfielder kept the ball in play down the left corner, and rocketed a cross into the dangerzone, which Big Kev attempted to clear, but after it ricochet off the stun striker, ended in the back of the net. El Fuego, regained its composure, and with a few minutes left in the game, John E coordinated with Chakib, who by drawing attention, was able to pass it to an open Aleks. Aleks' half volley struck with deadly accuracy, beat the Stun keeper.

Bula, El Fuego's captain, said: "After we lost 7-3 in the league opener to Stun, we regrouped, and began to play as a team, with an actual gameplan. The result of our "burritos 'n beer" team meetings showed today. Stun is an excellent team, and we needed to emulate their pass-play, while not allow them to execute in the midfield. Solid performances in the defense, and our midfield, allowed for continuous pressure, while excellent passing opened up our strikers. I now believe the burritos are a strong team, and we need continue our improvements through the next 4 matches."

(will amend to post Stun's comments when i receive.)

Games Restart 2nd Half of League Play

2005-10-28T15:24:00.000-05:00

El Fuego plays Stun on Friday at the Dust Bowl Columbus, while Abacus plays Stun at Palumbo on Sunday at 2pm. Vesuvio is a laggard needing 2 make up games, and Captain Walter should schedule these games in the near future with their respective opponents.

Really unfortunate and inconsistent decisions regarding Palumbo field for Sunday BVFC community league games leaves just the one reserved time that Stun has at 2pm. We really hope that an arrangement can be made soon, perhaps allowing just one more game on Sunday even at a least popular 10AM slot.

The schedules for the rest of the games remain intact. The games that are not played on Sunday will be considered makeup games and a facility and timeslot will be announced shortly for all make up games.

Abacus and Race St. played on Wednesday with Abacus lacking many players. Abacus was joined by El Fuego players and Said from Patriots, and ended up winning 6-4. The captains have yet to decide whether this game counts or not. It is unfortunate when players don't show and the Abacus organization needs to bring their team together for the Sunday game versus Stun.

BVFC Sunday Games at Palumbo Halted!!

2005-10-26T15:03:00.000-05:00

All Sunday games at Palumbo are on hold. Details will be posted here when things are clearer. Please contact your captain with any questions, preferably after Thursday. Sorry for the inconvenience. - BVFC.

Vesuvio Upsets Stun, while Patchy Patriots and Race St. win

2005-10-24T11:31:00.000-05:00

Vesuvio overpowers Stun 4-2
After a day of rains, and a 1 hour delay to the start of the first game, Vesuvio flexed its muscles versus heavily favorites Stun in a quality game. Ricky, a Vesuvio star player, put on a show by scoring 2 goals in the first half, while Ben added a third with an excellent volley into Stuns goal. Stun scored 2 goals in the first half, and were down by one at the break. The second half saw Vesuvio play strong defence under a pressuring Stun team who were eager to equalize. Numerous scoring chances were squandered, and Vesuvio capitalized by scoring another in the 85th minute in a counter attack. Walter's goal, the 4th one, was an excellent shot from a cross on a quick counter, a well deserveth end by a deserving captain. With Vesuvio's win, and Race St.'s close game with Stun, the competition between teams has evened out at the half of this season. Stun's captain graciously remarked: "Short handed, especially defensively, STUN struggled to play their usual passing football. Down 3-2 at the half we left ourselves with too much to do with people out of position and having to leave before the end of the game due to the late off-on-off-on again kickoff. No excuses though, we were beaten by a team who really wanted to win and they deserved their win." Vesuvio, always a team to be reckoned with, has awoken from the slow start they had this season.

Patriots win 8-5 after borrowing talent
Some would say that this is controversial. The Patriots showed up less than full squad versus an Abacus team poised for recovery. After taking a 2 goal lead, Nachmi and Vincenzo led Abacus to a 3-2 turnaround. The Patriots were armed with their star striker Said, who put in a majority of their goals and at 60 minutes, the score was 5-5, with both teams holding their own. The Patriots then borrowed fresh legs that brought new energy to their team inevitably boosted their abilities over Abacus at a critical time. Very influencial play by Q (borrowed from Race St), and Aleks (borrowed from Fuego), led to 3 critical assists for Said in the last 20 minutes. Abacus' sparse defence and midfield was to blame for the lapse towards the end of the game, and the disgruntled offence were ever reluctant reinforce this defense. Patriots' had key players missing once again, including Chris and Singer, but Said and their key borrowings carried the torch. Had Abacus closed down on Said, this game would not have run away from them. Hence this game seemed skewed, and one would wish they could say well-deserved for the Patriots. Much credit goes to Abacus for having a full squad but they need to organize in the midfield and defense with a cohesive strategy if they are inclined to take their elusive first win.

Race St. win 4-2 over El Fuego in a heated contest.
El Fuego, the underdogs in this encounter, provided a competitive challenge to Conrad's Racers. In the first half, the burritos clamped down on Conrad and shut out Kenji providing very few chances, and disrupting Race St.'s pass play entirely. Jason and Max were solid in Race St defense saving 3 chances by Geronimo on the line. Conrad, who was strongly marked, found himself with a rare chance in front of the Fuego goal from a delightful cross, but missed over the bar. Kenji was contained for the majority of the first half by Shain. The second half was a different story. It was about finishing, and this is when Race St.'s talent came through. After Kenji, their star striker, opened the scoring with excellent ball skills that bypassed John, the Burritos replied with an equalizer a minute later by Zack whose blistering shot carved a hole in Max's outreached hands. Race St. returned the favor by scoring another from a shot by Kenji that hit the post and unfortunately went in off burrito goalie John. The burritos came back to equalize at 2-2 with Geronimo's sneaky touch. Race St scored a controversial third from Q's cross to a goalside Jerry, who the burrito defense perceived as offside when the cross was played. After a number of chances to equalize again, el Fuego found themselves 4-2 down when Kenji received a gift from a throwin right in front of the goal due to a lapse in the el Fuego defense. Bula commented: "By containing Conrad and Kenji, Race St are vulnerable. The difference between the teams was the finishing. Kenji is a talented and opportunistic finisher, something we really need improvement on. We look forward to another exciting game with Race St. Our defense was superb in the first half, but inconsistent in the second." Paul, the referree, did an excellent job.

(I will add other captain remarks when i receive them)

Stun's lead widens with 4-1 win over a half-full Patriots team

2005-10-21T22:08:00.000-05:00

Stun did what they do best. Show up as a full team plus subs, play as a team and execute. The Patriots seem less and less as a team the more they play. The Patriot star studded cast failed to show up to support their own team against the league leaders Stun. The vulnerable defense was exposed by the absence of Lance Geren and Stephanie Singer. Chris Reggiani not being there left a sparse midfield and Said, their star striker, has been missing entirely. Bill Inden's support cast and Chakib borrowed from Fuego saved the Patriots from defaulting this drizzly fall Friday night at the Mud bowl.

All was not gloom. The Patriots started the game firing, with big gun Heri putting his stamp on the game by giving them a 1 goal lead over the league leaders. But Heri's smile was short lived. Stun showed their consistency by scoring 2 in the first half, and another pair in the second half to make it 4-1. The sheer disappointment of Patriot captain Juan showed when he remarked: "The absence of key players really hurt us in this game." The Patriots have to regroup, meet up, plan, boost their morale, and most importantly, show up if they want to revive their chances. Since the top 4 teams qualify for the playoffs, it is far from over for them. They are second from the bottom, above abacus who they play next. Vesuvio is not far above them in 4th, and a couple of wins should be enough for either of these teams to make it. Stun's Richard said, "Adel with a brace, Napoleon Dynamite, and debutante Pete the Greek score the goals." Stun has deservedly won 4 games, and takes on Vesuvio on Sunday at 10 AM.

Battle Of the Titans: Stun holds on for 3-2 Victory over Race St.

2005-10-20T13:10:00.000-05:00

To retain the excitement surrounding this game, and my laziness this rainy day, I left this report in the words of their respective captains:

Entertaining account from Richard of FC Stun:
"Ali versus Frazier, Red Sox versus Yankees, Borg versus McEnroe (or even Borg versus The Starship Enterprise), Celtic versus Rangers; to those great rivalries you can add one more – Ezra versus his receding hairline…no wait… what I meant to say was, FC STUN versus Race St. Café. This was one for the ages, as the two remaining unbeaten teams went at it in the strange atmosphere of the black dust and moon rock landscape of Columbus, at 12th and Reed.
The game got off to a furious start, and there was more cursing than a fiddy-cent track as the intensity was turned up to eleven, a la Nigel Tufnell, (“but these go to eleven”) right from the get go. FC STUN alum, ‘Q’, was a handful all night, not only with his Roberto Carloesque runs up the wing from full back, but also in his role of Race Street’s secret weapon for night time games – the blinding reflection of the floodlights off his head meant that the STUN defenders had to borrow Bono’s huge ‘Fly’ sunglasses, or risk being as blind as all those ‘blue states’. Joaquin’s balding, blinding, bonce notwithstanding, STUN pressed on.
The early going’s frenetic pace, just like Bush’s ability to f*ck up constantly, showed no signs of slowing down. After about ten minutes the old warhorse, Bertrand, floated in a teasing free kick from the left wing. It was nice and flat, with pace, and as Max hesitated for a split-second in the Racers goal, it was just begging for someone to flick it on. And that’s exactly what happened – unfortunately it was one of the Race St. defenders who guided it in, beautifully placed over the young Casillas’ despairing grope (like James’ despairing grope in the club Saturday night, but the less said about that the better!) But, just like that purple vampire off Sesame Street, it counts, and with the play fairly even at that point it was still very much anyone’s game at one-nil.
There were some great contests going on all over the pitch – Conrad and Bertrand in midfield; Jeremy and ‘Baby Shaq’ (their no. 20) battling for every loose ball like Andy Reid and Kirsty Alley fighting over the last cheeseburger on Earth; Kenji and Jonathan getting their limbs entwined like Muludiang in the champagne room at Delilah’s; Kenji and whoever is reffing at the time ;) , the list goes on! As an already frenetic pace became even more freneticer, the Racers started to gain some composure and play some neat passing football. Conrad had some very nice balls (steady!!) that were inches away from splitting the STUN defense, but someone, somehow always managed to get a toe, heel, knee, butt-cheek, or something to deny the forwards the chance to run on to them (Conrad’s balls, that is – Oi !! I said steady !!) Just like Q standing outside his apartment on a Saturday night, it was backs to the wall stuff – and we’d only had twenty minutes gone!
The rest of the second half was a tense and pulsating affair – both teams were playing balls out (with apologies to the awesome Lauren) but Race Street seemed to have the edge in midfield. The Racers were putting together more passes and generally controlling the middle third, however the STUN backline was fiercely committed to preventing shots on goal, the midfielders were battling hard for every ball and T.O., Jeremy, and Adel were always a threat.
As we had no real goalkeeper for this game we were always going to need a little luck and we got it when the STUN back line gave Kenji a little bit of a room and with a quick snap of his right leg a shot was heading goalward from just outside the penalty area. That boy has a very quick release, and we cannot give him any space whatsoever or he is going to hurt us. Eric desperately dived down, despairingly determined to deny (ok, I ran out of ‘d’ words now) de goal and the STUNers were relieved to hear the ‘kuhlunk’ of the ball hitting the foot of the post. The warning shot had been fired across the bows of the good ship STUN, and henceforth Jonathan was in Kenji’s back passage all night, erm… I’m mean in his back pocket all night. At the interval it was still just the own goal separating the sides. One nil to STUN, and a right ripsnorter of a second half in store.
Race Street had the better of it in the second half and fatigue was setting in for the STUNers – all credit to a patched up side, with folk playing out of position, and not having a sub until Karim came on for Bertrand later in the second half. With tiredness creeping in to the weary limbs, gaps opened up and you just knew that goals were going to come. I may well have these goals in the wrong order but whaddayagonnado?!
Who was going to give us some breathing room and come to the rescue of STUN? Karim? T.O.? Adel? Krypto the Superdog? All good bets, but the house always wins and I think you would have gotten long odds on the savior being one Jimmy Sunday. No disrespect, but James usually plays as a full back, however on this night he was plying his trade on the right wing and making a jolly good fist of it too! Diego was there along with T.O. right in front of goal when the old warhorse, Bertrand, got his second assist of the night with a corner and Flash was first to the ball to stroke it home and make it two nil to STUN. What price James coming up with another goal?? Nah…..I’m not taking that bet either!
With renewed Racers pressure, Captain Fantastic, Conrad was Johnny-on-the-Spot, when a kick through the legs of T.O. temporarily bamboozled the STUN defense and you can’t leave Conrad open like a 7-11 – bang! Two one to STUN and it’s very much game on.
Commeth the hour, commeth the man - (and no, Bertrand, I’m not talking about Peter North). Unbowed, STUN hit right back with our talismanic Tunisian. If you could bottle the energy, enthusiasm, and heart of our next goal scorer, we could move away from dependence on fossil fuels and all be happy little bunnies living in a beautiful pollution free world. As just reward for his efforts all night long (including tracking back and helping out), Adel was the man with a screamer across the face of the goal to hand the initiative right back to Gangreen: After so many half chances and chances it was good to see him flash that trademark smile. 3-1 STUN, and yet again the Racers would not lie down and die – they just kept on coming.
***!!! GOAL OF THE SEASON ALERT!!!*** Now, I have seen Q hit some fantastic strikes, and I have also seen him hit some that wouldn’t hit a barn door, but in this case it was the former - he hit a Ronaldoesque blast from just inside the box that fizzed over what is left of Ezra’s hair which was unstoppable as it flew in to the top corner. From that point on it was clear the ball at all costs and try and resist wave after wave of Racers attacks as STUN dug in and held on for dear life. There was a desperate goal line block as half the team seemed to be standing on the line, half clearances, half chances, and half a teaspoon of luck as the ball just wouldn’t bounce Race Street’s way.
STUN had lots of chances too, and with more clinical finishing or a truer bounce of the ball (unlikely, when we are playing a pitch that makes the surface of Mars look like the Linc) the game could have been finished as a contest well before. Young Max in goal is tough to beat, so it’s going to take more than the usual effort to score goals against a tough defense like theirs. Race Street will probably feel that the best team lost on the night and they may have a point – they definitely shaded it as far as possession goes and probably on chances too, but the only stat that counts is the one on the scoreboard.
...Hats off to Race Street – they played tough all night long and it was difficult to choose between the sides."

Captain Conrad of the Racers added:
"Tough game between two determined teams! The racers were surprised by an early goal on a free kick in the first ten minutes of the game and found themselves 2 goals down half way through the first half after a swift counter by STUN. Despite having most of the possession in midfield we found ourselves with a mountain to climb early on and, unaccustomed to fighting from behind it took a little time to get started; but we finished the half strong.
We started the second half with the same determination but something seemed to be missing. That is until Kenji pointed out the source of the problem: no consistent link between the center of our midfield and the strikers. We immediately switch from the flat midfield to a diamond which resulted in our first goal (nice individual move by Kenji on the left side followed by a perfect cross converted by me). Soon after, STUN increased their lead to two goals again on a very soft goal. A determined Race Street team came back with a brilliant goal by Q (an astounding volley from 25 yards). From that point on, STUN were pinned down in their own half of the field and were relieved when the referee finally signaled the end of the game. They escaped with a very uncomfortable win!"

The next meeting between these two is November 1, at Palumbo. With a vindictive Race St side, and a "lonely at the top" Stun side, no one can afford to miss this action!

El Fuego wins but Abacus finds its Mojo!

2005-10-18T22:10:00.000-05:00

90 minutes is a long time. Eleven goals were scored. Both Abacus and el Fuego played with great intensity. Tonight was a story of the persistency of el Fuego vs. the awakening of Abacus.

With Nachmi in the game playing a center forward position, Abacus have now unleashed their weapon. His incredible ball skills were eye-opening, and el Fuego reacted by putting 2 players on him. Within minutes of the game beginning, Nachmi combined with the towering Vincenzo to score the first goal, and from then, you knew that Abacus had a new offense. Over the next 30 minutes, El Fuego collected themselves, and created midfield pressure that eventually broke down the Abacus defense. Goals poured in. The first was a blistering shot from 26 yards by Kevin, the burrito stopper. This inspired further attack that led to a second for el Fuego from Bula, whose shot was generously assisted by Jeff into his own goal. The half ended 2-1 with the momentum with El Fuego, which carried over to the next half. As the second half began, the burritos scored quickly with a throwin that Aleks headed past Charlie. Nachmi was silent but not forgotten, and his skills outwitted the el Fuego defence to pull one back and add his name to the scoring roster in his playing debut. But the burritos extended their lead to 4-2 with a first time half volley by a reborn right winger Chakib, a quality shot that passed Charlie despite the goalie's fantastic effort. Minutes later, a controversial cross that Abacus claims was out, crossed right in front of the face of their goal and was shot in by Kevin V. The score was now 5-2 with 20 minutes to play.

The awakening of Abacus
Down 5-2, Abacus pulled up their socks, and applied what they spoke of in Mel's half time huddle. Team play, crisp passing, excellent ball skills and lethal shooting, aspects unthinkable with Abacus, began to emerge. El Fuego's relaxing defence and slowing midfield had some part to play with what ensued. Nachmi's excellent passing to Chris allowed the latter to take a crisp shot that beat John, the Fuego goalie. The ball was immediately stolen as Fuego kicked off from the center, and this time Vincenzo's deft move in the right dangerzone opened up Roland who took a shot from the top of penalty area which ended up in the back of the net. With 2 quick goals, Abacus were not done. Nachmi put the icing on this "comeback" cake by controlling an excellent cross on one knee, taking the ball past one defender, cutting to his right past a second defender, and fired a rocket with his right foot into the top of the net. Yes, Nachmi is back! And one would hope that with this unbelievable comeback, so is Abacus. They scored 3 goals in 5 minutes to tie it at 5-5.

While the momentum was with Abacus, El Fuego's resilience showed. Excellent one-two passing broke the Abacus defence and Chakib's header was saved by Charlie's quality dive. With only seconds to go in the match, Aleks in the midfield slipped one, ironically, past Nachmi to Chakib, whose speed took him up the right field, and although Charlie made a valiant effort to close down the angle, Chakib's accurate shot led to a 6-5 win for the Burritos. This game did see Abacus playing their best yet, and with better leadership and organization, they will pick up wins in the near term. Fuego moves to 2-1-1 in the table.

A word about Sportsmanship
Appreciation & Respect! Referees do their best, and players must obey them, and their decisions, and petition cases with respect. There can be no aggression towards players as we are friends first, and competitors by choice. Mistakes happen, but understanding and resolutions make us a dignified group.

Race St Triumphant while Burritos - Vesuvio Draw

2005-10-16T17:23:00.000-05:00

Race St. clinches win over Patriots 3-2
After a week of rains, Sunday brought much excitement as both games were very well fought. Race St continues on their winning run by outgunning the Patriots 3-2 in a fiesty match that was battled in the midfield. Race St. led by Conrad in the midfield, have dominated the midfield against most of their opponents and opened the game in a similar fashion. Excellent wing play by Q and Eddy provided for good distribution and forward momentum. In the first half, Race St. began their dominance by scoring 3 goals. As expected, Kenji was a strong contributor for Race St scoring 2 of the 3 goals, while Julian put in the other. The second half brought the overconfident Racers back to earth, as the Patriots began to launch quite a comeback. Zack, borrowed from el Fuego, provided a solid midfield to disrupt the Racers and add consistency to Patriot passing. Chris and Heri teamed in the Patriot offence to score two critical goals to make it an exciting game. Race St., looking quite mortal, now were hanging on to a one goal lead. Conrad complimented his defence for the first half but was quite disappointed with his second half: "The second half was a different story! We became overconfident an strayed from our patented passing and movement game. We missed several open chances. Consequently, the Patriots gained in confidence and with the addition of Zach in their midfield they became more settled; they started to get more possession and with Chris and Heri working really hard they took the game to us." Conrad believes that, "The Gold team is beginning to look like a runaway train! Watch out!" which is ironical since this was the reason for the subpar performance in the second half. They now stand at the top of the table with the much anticipated Race St v. Stun makeup game coming soon to a field near you. One lesson that the others can take, Race St are good but not invincible.

el Fuego and Vesuvio Draw 2-2
The burritos and Vesuvio had their defence get most of the credit for strong performances. Both goalies, Tracey and John, were easily the players of the game. Frankly, the midfields seemed non-existent as balls were launched from goal to goal, and pass play was seldom. Vesuvio's Louis, Frank and Ben held the fort for much of the first half by repelling any of el Fuegos penetrating lobs, while Leah, JP, Mike and Kevin provided an intimidating back wall for the burritos. The first goal came when Ricky John, not to be confused with the other Johns on the Trinidad national squad, carried the ball up the left flank and swung a cross toward the el Fuego dangerzone. Aided by the strong gusts, the ball carried into the top corner of the net in what turned out to be a perfect shot. After some incredible saves by John, el Fuego's goalie, Lil' Jimmy finally put another into the back of the net just before the end of the first half giving Vesuvio a 2-0 lead. El Fuego began to take more control in the second half until inconsistent passing led to disharmoney between its players. Tracey, Vesuvio's star goalie, made some excellent one-on-one saves, but was unable to keep the ball out when Aleks added to his scoring roster for the burritos. The Vesuvio goalie was a critical component to their defence. With 15 minutes left to go, a soft foul by Doud on Chakib unfortunately resulted in a penalty. Zack took the penalty, which Stacey saved, but his followup drew the game at 2-2. All in all, the game was quite even, and Vesuvio have yet to win one in the BVFC league. Frank, Vesuvio's co-captain commented: "Towards the end of the game, el fuego turned up the heat and its fire grew hotter. The unforgiving lava flow of Vesuvio’s defense pushed el fuego towards near self destruction with intra-squad conflict." Frank was obviously disappointed with how the game ended and added, "a controversial call late in the 2nd half initiated a PK on behalf of el Fuego. The blistering shot off the foot of injured powerhouse el Fuego mid fielder Zack was intially stopped by the Vesuvio keeper Tracey and the ball was only netted off the rebound, In the end, Tracey played a great game." Bula, the burrito captain remarked: "Vesuvio are tough. We are playing well below our ability, and are lucky to come away with a draw. Fuego has room for improvement in the midfield and that is our only good news."

(will update pics when Christina and Paul upload the latest)

Race St, Stun & el Fuego Win on Football Sunday

2005-10-09T21:57:00.000-05:00

Race St. thumps Vesuvio 6-2
Vesuvio did not wake up this Sunday morning. If they did, they witnessed Race St unleashing Mr K, their latest weapon. Who is Mr. K? Kenji Roberts, the former Rutgers varsity soccer player, is playing a solid center forward for a very talented Race St. team. Kenji, who scored an incredible 4 goals, left Walter thinking, "Wow! They have a guy that can score at will." Walter continued his disappointment in Vesuvio by saying: "Our team's lack of ball control in mid-field was our down fall... come back efforts in the second half lacked continuity.." Andy Hollman and Pete O'Donnell were Vesuvio's only scorers. Had it not been for Doud's stepping up to check Mr. K, things could have looked much uglier for Vesuvio. Conrad, the Race St captain, remarked: "our defence was solid... Jason and Michel Gibbons in front of Max were unbelievably strong and committed, they never let anything go past them." Conrad has engineered a well coordinated side to challenge Stun as both undefeated teams go at it this Tuesday at Palumbo. With K upfront, Conrad in the Midfield, and a strong defence, Race St can put up a fair challenge against Stun in a match that may be the league decider.

el Fuego edges past the Patriots in a Nailbiter!
After over a scoreless hour in a game evenly fought in the midfield, el Fuego opened the scoring with Aleks' farpost header from a Bula cross. But with a game this tight, the Patriots responded from a Jim long throw which Heri Ali craftily lobbed over the approaching burrito goalie, a fadeaway header that would make Michael Jordan proud. The game tied at 1-1, Zack unleashed a shot from 12 yards to make it 2-1 burritos. A lapse in defence 10 minutes before the end allowed Jim to bypass the el Fuego goalkeeper to tie the game again. Then, with 3 minutes to go, el Fuego's defender Shaine delivered a freekick from the half way line into the goal area where Aleks rose with the goalie and won the ball in the air, but the goalie deflected the ball onto Juan, whose NFL instincts saw him catch the ball securely with both hands. The problem is that Juan is not a goalie, which resulted in a penalty that Zack whacked in to decide the game. After the game, Juan commented, "the Patriiots squared off against los burritos and dropped their first game. Despite heroic effort, and glimpses of good futbol, the burritos carried the day on a late game penalty kick caused by my 'fumble recovery' catch right in front of my own goal. A fun game, none the less." Bula commented: "Our efforts in building an organized team resulted in our first win, although we do need to reenforce the defence and midfield more." The Burritos won 3-2 in a well contested match.

Stun destroys Abacus 7-1
Abacus held up Stun for the first 15 minutes. After that, it seemed like a hailstorm, and Abacus were without an umbrella, and no shelter to climb under. Crisp passing and quick break aways allowed the greens to continue their strong run versus the BVFC teams. Even with a number of borrowed talents like Conrad and Jim Reggiani, Abacus were not able to muster up the teamwork necessary to be competitive. In the second half, Abacus began to coordinate a string of encouraging passes, and did come away with a goal by Paco, but this recovery was short lived. Minutes later Stun scored, and kept scoring every 10 minutes till the game ended. The greens are the team to beat in this league, having scored 14, and let in a mere 4. Ryan and a Stun player were nose to nose in a "hold me back" and "le'me at him" tussle after a couple of trip-ups, providing for some exciting sideline entertainment, which the eloquent Conrad quelled with an authorative whip. If only Abacus could harness this pent up energy and direct it towards their opponent's goal, they may have a chance to regain some pride. Abacus may need leadership to bring their team together.

Abacus v. Race St. ... No Shows due to a Drizzle!

2005-10-08T10:35:00.000-05:00

For some reason, both Abacus and Race St seem to think that this is 7-a-side soccer, at least last night they did! When team members don't show up, whether the reason is a drizzle, not knowing the schedule, not having leadership, not knowing your team, or simply not caring, the result is embarassing for one's teammates, the club and our sponsors. No shows are simply shameful.

Now the good news, the game did go on! With both teams last night having a to play with only half their players on a large pitch, the goals were many, 9-7. Race St won with Paco scoring a hefty share. Remarks varied from those that were there: "With such few players, the game was not real, it was a joke" remarked one player, and another said: "even though we had a few players, we got some exercise and it was quite fun." But all seemed to agree that their teammates not showing up was a real disappointment.

Stun leaves el Fuego in the Dust with 7-3 Victory

2005-10-06T09:47:00.000-05:00

FC Stun came organized and ready to play. El Fuego did not. The game began on an equal footing, with Geronimo missing two 1-on-1 chances with the Stun goalie, but this trend reversed 16 minutes into the game, when a header by Stun Midfielder from a corner found the back of the net. From then, goals began to come, but moreso because of el Fuego's disharmony. The second goal was a spectacular header into the top corner of his own goal by Shane, the EF defender, who was trying to deflect the ball out of danger. Stun up 2-0, enter John, El Fuego's goalkeeper, who in error sent a low goalkick to Stun's strikers foot who shot it in from 13 yards. After the score became 4-0, el Fuego showed its first signs of cohesiveness. Rare passing play by EF led to a freekick by Zack that screamed into the net. El Fuego kept the pressure on and scored another goal from a long assist by goalie John. 4-2, and a comeback in the making, Stun shut the momentum by scoring 3 consecutive breakaways a collapse of the el Fuego midfield and defence. A final consolation goal in the last minute for el Fuego made the score 7-3.

Overall, the difference was evident. Stun were pass and play makers. El Fuego were plagued by over-dribbling, that led to gaping holes in the midfield, 5 injuries, loss of control, and fouls. For el Fuego to mount any challenge for the BVFC cup, selfless passing rather than dribbling, cohesive support to look for the open burrito, and teamwork needs to overcome ego. Since 4 stun goals were caused by el Fuego errors, the game would have been even, but unless EF plays together, these errors and resulting goals will continue in the games to come. On a positive note, the Burritos did show some promise towards the end of the game. Stun now heads the league leaderboard with 3 points, and are a team to reckon with in the League.

Big 2nd Half Comback Saves Vesuvio: 4-4 Draw

2005-10-05T09:19:00.000-05:00

Last night, the Patriots and Vesuvio went to battle at Palumbo in a game that saw 8 goals. The Patriots began strong by dominating most of the first half where they scored their 3 goals including some superb scoring by Saiid, Justin, and Marco. Down 3-0, Vesuvio mounted a second half comeback by scoring their 4 goals including Mike Parkinson on a header and Peter O'donnell on a great shot. Matt scored a second half goal for Patriots and the game ended in a 4-4 tie. Juan, the Patriot captain commented: "Great opening game! Patriots came out strong , but Team Vesuvio fought back in the second half for a 4-4 draw. Tough game." Walter, Vesuvio's Captain, remarked on the amazing collectiveness and resolve his team had: "our team was in a fog(or dust)at the beginning of the game and we were overwhelmed by the Patriots timing ball control and consequently conceded two goals in a short span of time. In the latter part of the second half, things got better amd we became more aggressive, gained the ball and controlled it and finally we were able to tie the score with only a few minutes to spare." Vesuvio prevented the Patriots from grabbing 3 points and now they both have one. This leaves an opening for the other teams to take a lead in the league standings.

Tonight, at 7.25pm, el Fuego takes on Stun at the Dust Bowl (12th & Reed). This game is bound to be well contested and if it is anything like last night's match, this will be quite a competitive season.

BVFC Launches Season with 6 Teams

2005-10-03T22:50:00.000-05:00

The BVFC elders convened under the ideal backdrop of Philadelphia Eagles players and an amateur strip night at Vesuvio's! While chompin on some really good calamari, Ricky, who was mistaken for a Dunkin Donutboy by our server, led the team development. How was this done? Well, to ensure fairness, there were over 10 elders present. The players were grouped into their specific positions - defenders, goalies, strikers and the midfielders. As names were called they were allocated to a team. Please visit the BVFC (www.bellavistafc.com) website to find out which team you are on.

We have 5 BVFC teams and 1 Stun team this year. The teams are BVFC 1, BVFC 2 (both of whom have logos inspired by Victoria's Secret), el Fuego "the flying burritos", Patriot Construction, and Vesuvio. The opening game will be held on Tuesday night between Vesuvio and Patriot at Palumbo, while on Wednesday, el Fuego takes on Stun at the Dust Bowl (12th & Reed). Tuesday's game should be a fiesty one. Can Vesuvio's JT, Louis and Ricky get by the Patriot defence of Lance and Juan?

Points! 3 for the winner, 1 for draws, and none for losers. The Sunday after the games are over, there will be a playoff at 10AM for the 3/4 position, and the finals will be at High Noon. The first annual BVFC trophy will be presented at Vesuvio's that Sunday at 6pm, when we get together for some fun, food and drinks. Alot at stake here, so don't let your team down!

Can BVFC emulate the Eagles?

2005-10-02T15:15:00.000-05:00

A strong show on Sunday after a late Saturday Oktoberfest barhop night. Players were cranky, some could not even bare the glare of the sun, and so they squinted. But for the revved up, it was a glorious day of goals. Saiid, the skilled striker, rained his goals over Charlie, putting in six. JT, had another solid day by capping off the goals with a super header, and a swerving 25 yard strike that wandered away from Charlie. For the rest of us, we seemed to be saving up our talent for the season opener.

The Eagles had an incredible game. Easily an inspiration to us all. Down 18-0, then 24-6, to Kansas City, and then... it the magic just gushed out. Their 31 straight point comeback was legendary making McNabb even more of a hero. Never give up, no matter how bad the score may seem, whether you are injured or not! Read more here on the Chief's website: http://www.kcchiefs.com/news/2005/10/02/game_summary_eagles/

Can we bring this sort of inspiration to soccer.. or are we going to let our groins bring down our teams!

Pre-league intensity on the rise!

2005-09-27T22:49:00.000-05:00

Tuesday night football at Palumbo was not short of its intensity today. The passing was good, the shots available, and the goals came in plenty. Louis began the days scoring by putting the first into the net and Jim put one past Charlie soon thereafter. The goals just got better and better. Chris served a sweet cross to JT whose solid header left everyone watching, including the keeper. Moments later, Paul, supposedly gun shy with his groin strain, let a rocket fly from 17 yards to put his name on the scorer's board. "I feel unexpectedly better!" the Scottsman remarked after the game, and who wouldn't be after such a promising display today. Yes, this pre-league round robin had some quality midfield plays too with Conrad, Jim and Paul putting together a series of admirable passes that Chris finally put in the back of the net. If this is a clue to what we may see when the real games begin, it may be good season afterall.

This season, to keep games competitive, we will be playing a league style game in a round robin with points: 3 for a win, 1 for a draw, and zilch for a loss. Points will be totalled and scores kept. When the mini-tournament ends around Thanksgiving Day, the top two teams will play a final on the weekend after for the first ever BVFC trophy! There are 3 BVFC teams confirmed so far, and Stun has one. We may have another BVFC team as more pay up or join, but the deadline is approaching fast, so paypal it soon folks and get ready...

The Sunday before the Season..

2005-09-25T11:13:00.000-05:00

This looks to be the last pre-fall season warm up game before the real stuff begins, so get your moneys to Frank and Walter's retirement fund. Schedules have been drawn, and teams will be picked this week. We have 2 confirmed sponsors and hope to get 3 more in the next few days.

Players turned out in plenty at 10 AM easily shaking off their Saturday Hangovers! The field was dusty, but that was not about to stop a competitive day in the making. Again, we had a 3-team 15 minute rotational format: blues whites & colors. This time, the battle was mostly fought in the midfield, where it seems like you are swarmed whether you have the ball or not. The first goal was initiated by Jim's long throw (how he launches it that far is quite a feat!) into the penalty area, where a header knocked it in. Minutes later, a similar throw founds its way in the back of the net directly from the throw, but counted as it touched the keeper. Mike on the blues missed an open goal from a perfect cross, only to redeem himself by Q's cross minutes later which he headed in. Goals were few today, with the exception of the third game - between whites and colors, when 2 goals were scored in the first 2 plays by the white shirts.

The league welcomes Uncle Paul back from his native Scotland. Paul seemed unaffected by the injuries he has, and gave it a good run this Sunday.... until his calf gave in.

The rest of the day was a blur replayed by numerous shots at the crossbar and goal posts by many. All in all, it was another fantastic day in perfect early fall weather... great warm up to the upcoming season.

Note: Still gettin used to some names, and should get better as this goes on..

First Tuesday At Palumbo

2005-09-20T10:51:00.000-05:00

Perfect weather, good teams, and a great start to Tuesday night football at BVFC this Tuesday. Everyone and newbies seemed to be there. Some came with cleats, others with brown suede shoes. All in all, this was a night of tough competition between the 3 teams, although it seemed that the red vests edged to the top.

Goals were still in plenty, and Charlie stood his ground as the incredible keeper that he is. Not sure if he let in two or three for the night, but a fine effort from the young lad. Some goals to be noted were the Justins opener with a super cross from Jimmy, Mike's first time volley that passed Mike the goalie, tall blondie girl's shot, and a Moroccan header to cap off the evening. I hope to become a little more specific about these plays... soon. For right now, just testing this blog.

Till Friday at 7pm then, at the ever-menacing, pebble rich, columbus field.