Must Win Wednesday

Our Wednesday night team has found itself in a rare must-win situation. New, better teams added to our division along with poor attendance on our part has led to us being in fifth place with just two games to go, two points out of a playoff spot. Last night we played the team sitting in third place so a win would propel us past them and into a good position to make the playoffs.

The game started it out very even and both goalkeepers will playing well, keeping us deadlocked at zero for maybe seven minutes. We finally broke through when we were awarded a free kick on the left side of the field about fifteen yards from goal. At this point my shot accuracy had been pretty bad, but I took the kick anyways. A low line drive to the near post beat the keeper and we were up a goal. 

Unfortunately, the lead didn't last too long. Rich went out with an injury so we were down to just one sub. Fatigue kicked in earlier than usual tonight (maybe because the game started at 11:15pm), and we were running around pretty winded. I don't remember how they scored but they did and we were suddenly tied again. The rest of the first half was very even, going almost ten minutes without a goal. Just before halftime, with the seconds winding down, a ball was sent deep into their territory. I settled it around the top of the arc. After facing up to the goal, there were two defenders standing in front of me. Two of my teammates ran to either side of me, making the defenders think about what they wanted to do. Their hesitation was just enough, and I blasted a shot that beat the keeper and gave us a one goal lead going into halftime.

At halftime, I had my concerns for the second. Overall, they seemed to be a younger team and history shows that drop off significantly in the second half of games. Tonight was different. We came out very strong. Or maybe they came out soft. Either way, we jumped out to a two goal lead and didn't look back. 

By the time we were halfway through the second half, we had a safe lead and were able to kill the clock a bit. Our keeper, Tommy, proved to be the best keeper we have played with to date and made several key saves to preserve our large lead. The highlight goal for me would have been the shot I sent from just beyond the yellow line deep into our own half. The ball soared over the keeper, but didn't drop fast enough and hit the wall just above the goal. Instead, I will call my third goal the highlight of the game. Jason was carrying the ball just inside our half. I started to make a run at their last defender. Not knowing where Jason was going to play the ball, I saw a lot of open space to the left and ran that way, evading my defender. Just as I turn I see the ball headed in my direction towards the wall. As I get to the ball, I turn it inside away from the wall. Just as I did, the defender closed in slid for the ball. Perhaps luckily, I flicked the ball up and over the slid, against the wall and back into my path. I ran at the keeper from a tight angle and, just like my last outdoor goal, as I closed in I ran away from him to draw him out and slipped the ball past the near post. A very nice goal indeed.

We had no problem putting the game away and ended up on top 7-1, I think. I scored four goals and kept my cool all game long. A successful game.

Tonight I'm back in the dome and hoping I can rebound from my abysmal performance last week.

Thursday Night Smackdown

Every once in a while, even ringers in a ringer league can drop their game down to the level of the competition. That was the case in the game last night. I will spare you most details, as my personal conduct was embarrassing, to say the least.

The game was actually pretty evenly matched, however; about two minutes in, their best player went down with an injury which put the game in our control. They were a very physical team, and made little to no attempt at the ball when going for a tackle. That never sits well with me and I would soon be fed up.

I didn't do too much to establish myself as a game changer. I think I ended up with just 2 goals, which didn't stand out much in our 6-1 victory. The real drama came in the second half of the game.

Cinco de Mayo Soccer

Tonight was a rare Wednesday game in the dome. Though the field is smaller, there is something about the closed in facility that makes it difficult to catch your breath. After starting out the season strong, we have struggled as of late and tonight's game was a must-win for us. We're rarely in this position but some new teams were added this season so competition is  a bit tougher. Tonight's opponent was a team that we have played several times. A few seasons ago, I might have called them a rival but their roster changes so often that I can only recognize them by one or two consistent players. Their keeper was the showboating type, looking to run forward with the ball after making a save. We were definitely looking to make him pay for his constant runs deep into our half, however; he got the first laugh as he blasted a free kick past our wall and keeper for a 1-0 lead. Then your boy took over...

Sunday Afternoon Game

Yesterday was a great day for soccer. Eighty degrees and sunny. I'm starting to remember how hot it gets in Texas during the summer and not really looking forward to it. The team we were playing was a combination of young and old guys and we lost to them earlier in the season, although I was not at that game. From the opening whistle, it seemed to be a pretty evenly matched game.

The other team broke the deadlock about twenty minutes in when a ball was sent over the top to a lone forward running on. With a one-on-one against our keeper, it was an easy finish for him. The problem with our defense is their lack of speed and athleticism makes us very vulnerable to through balls and breakaways. But that's just part of what you have to deal with in NTPSA Division V soccer, I suppose.

We struck back about ten minutes later, kind of. I collected the ball over along the left sideline. And with my love for cross-field switches, I didn't hesitate to find one of our forwards at the far side of the box. I sent a long ball towards him but, just as it was about to reach him, a defender came out of nowhere to get his head on the ball. And put it into his own goal. 1-1. Credit goes to me, right?

So at the half, we were tied but we had the majority of goal scoring chances. My shooting was horrendous and no one else seemed to offer anything much better. We came out in the first half a little stiff and after just a minute, one of their midfielder took the ball in the middle of the field. With no one there to apply pressure, he sent a shot towards our goal from about thirty yards out. Our keeper never stood a chance. Not because it was a great shot. But because it was on target and he's just not very good. 2-1. 

After that goal, we controlled the ball but saw scoring chance after scoring chance go unfinished. Then we caught a break. As their defense was swinging the ball around the back, they hit a bad pass out towards the right touchline. Playing forward, I raced their right defender to the ball. He got there first, but didn't know what to do with the ball. After dribbling towards the sideline, he was running out of options. I was just staying in front of the ball, not letting him get rid of it. Finally, he made a move to dribble past me. Didn't work. I stuck my foot out and got the ball, sending it twenty yards down the line. Now it was a race between me and their last defender. Just as I was about to get to it, I sensed that he was about to slide. I was correct, and was able to knock the ball past him and jump over his slide tackle. Now I had plenty of room in front of me, but was coming in from a tight angle. I had scored many goals like this as a kid and was very comfortable. As I carried the ball along the goal line, I started out to give myself a bit of a shooting angle. And just as the keeper came off his line, I slipped the ball between him and the near post. 2-2. I was exhausted.

I subbed myself off after my tying goal, which was probably a mistake as our attack didn't produce too many chances for the fifteen minutes I was on the bench. Once I got back in, with just over ten to go, we started to attack more. We saw two breakaways go unfinished, but my best chance came with just two minutes to play. I made a diagonal run through the defense to try to collect a pass from my teammate. Just as it was about to get through, a defender got a foot on it, sending the ball straight up. As it came down, I settled the ball to a small bounce and with plenty of space, I sent a shot towards the far post, missing by just a few feet. 

That was our last real scoring chance and the game came to an end shortly thereafter. We fought back from being down twice, but still felt like we left something on the table. We definitely should have scored the go ahead, but it wasn't to be. Our team looks much better than we did at the start of the season, but it appears to be too little, too late as we would have needed a win to have a chance at playoffs. Still one game to play, but it looks to be a consolation game. Here's to hoping we finish on a winning note!