Cucuy FC – Randolph AFB FC 5:0 (10:0)
What can you expect when a team is not as skilled as the other, and then only fields 9 players? Well, a score of 10-0 isn’t out of the question. It might have been a close game if we all put on blind folds, but I’d still give us a 2 goal line.
Story of the game: It was cold. We scored a lot of goals. They didn’t.
Notable events: Schluny maintains his record of producing a goal each time he plays forward, Nick does not. Cary was very cold. Karol almost receives a card for heading the ball, refs reason “come on now, you guys are winning 10-0”.
-Hintz
Goals: Hintz (4), Karol, Scott, Patrick, Schluny, Huczek, Cary
MVP: Hintz
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Thursday, December 12, 2013
Crocketteers Edge out Cucuy
Cucuy – Crocketteers Raiders 1:0 (1:2)
This was probably the best match up we had of the D1 season so far. It could have been a close game, but I recall we were missing 4 or 5 regular starters, which never makes things easy. Crocketteers are a younger team, with a coach, and they warm up as a squad prior to the game…. Yea, one of those teams… So regardless of our missing players, we knew we were in for a real game before it even started.
We managed to hold our ground against Crocketteers despite their patience on the ball and coordinated possession style of play. I don’t remember which team dominated the scoring opportunities through the first half, but we were the ones to come out with the only goal, which was scored by Josh. This was a special one. A highly improbable angle from a equally improbable distance that somehow found the lower left corner of the net. A great shot, and a memorable first goal for Josh with Cucuy.
In the second half Crocketteers played with an obvious increased sense of urgency, as they made more creative plays in their offensive half of the field. I don’t remember how their two goals developed, but the better team won that day. We should look forward to playing them again when we have some subs!
-Hintz
Goal: Josh
MVP: Josh
This was probably the best match up we had of the D1 season so far. It could have been a close game, but I recall we were missing 4 or 5 regular starters, which never makes things easy. Crocketteers are a younger team, with a coach, and they warm up as a squad prior to the game…. Yea, one of those teams… So regardless of our missing players, we knew we were in for a real game before it even started.
We managed to hold our ground against Crocketteers despite their patience on the ball and coordinated possession style of play. I don’t remember which team dominated the scoring opportunities through the first half, but we were the ones to come out with the only goal, which was scored by Josh. This was a special one. A highly improbable angle from a equally improbable distance that somehow found the lower left corner of the net. A great shot, and a memorable first goal for Josh with Cucuy.
In the second half Crocketteers played with an obvious increased sense of urgency, as they made more creative plays in their offensive half of the field. I don’t remember how their two goals developed, but the better team won that day. We should look forward to playing them again when we have some subs!
-Hintz
Goal: Josh
MVP: Josh
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Cucuy Shows Good (Drinking) Form Against FC Lonestars
FC Lonestars – Cucuy FC 1:4 (1:1)
We should have been the clear favorites as we were playing a team from a division below us. However, Schluny did all in his power to neutralize as many Cucuy players as possible by throwing a party the night before. As a result, our token Hawaiian was M.I.A that morning, and at least 3 other people were not in top form, and also did not arrive to the game on time. With all that we started the game down a couple players.
We fended Lonestars off for the first five minutes of game while playing down, but when we finally fielded a full team the game played in our favor despite the help that we offered to our opponents. Regardless of the momentum of the game, Lonestars found the net first. A play down the right side that wound up in a one touch shot being saved by Nate. Our defense seemed to stand and watch as Nate saved a couple rebound shots as we all believed the subsequent shots were blantantly offsides, however no call came and we left Nate high and dry. Nate made two point blank saves, and got his hands on a third that unfortunately slipped through for Lonestars only goal of the game. The play was somewhat reminiscent of the Shawnee Mission-South High school goal keeper spectacle, but just not as glorious. Props to Nate for not giving up on the play.
We didn’t let the unfortunate goal phase us and we took control of the rest of the game. Our first came just a few minutes after theirs. Andrew took a thrown in from the offensive corner of the field to Hintz, who found Brent back at the center of the field. Brent found Karol straight up the middle, who relayed it onto Cole at the top of the box, and Cole gave a nice one touch square pass to Javier. Javier controlled it into the box and found the back of the net via the keeper’s 5-hole. It was a really nice play progression that should make us all wonder why we don’t play easy balls on the ground more often.
The next goal came in the second half when Steve played a perfectly lobbed ball through the defense for Cole running onto it. Just out of reach of the charging keeper so Cole could poke it past him and roll the ball into an open net. Great pass, great finish.
We continued to increase our lead with a nice play that developed through the right side midfield involving Juan, Cole, Jason, and back to Juan who played a perfect ball into the center for Andrew, who had no trouble putting it past the keeper to the far post. A solid finish and another great build up through the midfield.
The last goal came from Victor who cleaned up the scraps from a one touch shot from Steve. Lonestars couldn’t control the rebound and Victor managed to find it around penalty spot height where he capped off the scoring for the game. Overall a solid performance from our team. Let’s keep this momentum into next week.
-Hintz
Goals: Javier, Cole, Andrew, Victor
MVP: Jason
We should have been the clear favorites as we were playing a team from a division below us. However, Schluny did all in his power to neutralize as many Cucuy players as possible by throwing a party the night before. As a result, our token Hawaiian was M.I.A that morning, and at least 3 other people were not in top form, and also did not arrive to the game on time. With all that we started the game down a couple players.
We fended Lonestars off for the first five minutes of game while playing down, but when we finally fielded a full team the game played in our favor despite the help that we offered to our opponents. Regardless of the momentum of the game, Lonestars found the net first. A play down the right side that wound up in a one touch shot being saved by Nate. Our defense seemed to stand and watch as Nate saved a couple rebound shots as we all believed the subsequent shots were blantantly offsides, however no call came and we left Nate high and dry. Nate made two point blank saves, and got his hands on a third that unfortunately slipped through for Lonestars only goal of the game. The play was somewhat reminiscent of the Shawnee Mission-South High school goal keeper spectacle, but just not as glorious. Props to Nate for not giving up on the play.
We didn’t let the unfortunate goal phase us and we took control of the rest of the game. Our first came just a few minutes after theirs. Andrew took a thrown in from the offensive corner of the field to Hintz, who found Brent back at the center of the field. Brent found Karol straight up the middle, who relayed it onto Cole at the top of the box, and Cole gave a nice one touch square pass to Javier. Javier controlled it into the box and found the back of the net via the keeper’s 5-hole. It was a really nice play progression that should make us all wonder why we don’t play easy balls on the ground more often.
The next goal came in the second half when Steve played a perfectly lobbed ball through the defense for Cole running onto it. Just out of reach of the charging keeper so Cole could poke it past him and roll the ball into an open net. Great pass, great finish.
We continued to increase our lead with a nice play that developed through the right side midfield involving Juan, Cole, Jason, and back to Juan who played a perfect ball into the center for Andrew, who had no trouble putting it past the keeper to the far post. A solid finish and another great build up through the midfield.
The last goal came from Victor who cleaned up the scraps from a one touch shot from Steve. Lonestars couldn’t control the rebound and Victor managed to find it around penalty spot height where he capped off the scoring for the game. Overall a solid performance from our team. Let’s keep this momentum into next week.
-Hintz
Goals: Javier, Cole, Andrew, Victor
MVP: Jason
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Cucuy Fights United for a Win
Cucuy FC – SA United 4:3 (2:1)
This was an odd game that seemed to have it all. Great scoring opportunities, great saves, dirty fouls, a close score, and of course a fight. United was short a player at the start of the game, and we had our full line up of midfielders and forwards. The combination of these two things showed as we relentlessly generated shot after shot. Continuing the trend of last week’s game, we struggled to find the back of the net. Scott broke the trend twice with nice plays down the right side of the field. On one he beat his defender down the line, made his way into the box, and slid it past the keeper for our first goal. Next, he tried to other direction and beat his defender to the middle, found himself at the top center of the 18, and struck the ball to the side netting from there. Clearly his defender had no idea what to do with him.
Unfortunately we thought we were through the woods, but United made the most of the few opportunities they were given. Their strong forward was able to control the ball after a long corner kick and take an outside of the foot shot from the 18 to the near post to surprise everyone and bring the score to 2-1. The next goal came in the second half on a surprising shot from an off angle that slipped right through Kyle’s hands. A rare moment for Kyle. He’s allowed one of those a season, so we’re good from here on out. Later in the second half, a ball was crossed by United into our box and an unfortunate bounce off our defense gave the ball on a silver platter to a United forward right on the doorstep and all of a sudden we were down 3-2.
Through all of this we had been putting a lot of pressure on United’s keeper (who played a great game). We were able to seal the deal though on a couple of clutch plays. Scott was put through on a break away and got the ball by the keeper, but he tripped up in the process. Fortunately Andrew was keeping up with the play and followed up to tuck the ball away to tie the game. In the last minutes of the game, just when it seemed like we were going to get screwed into another tie, Scott found a shot off a cross that went off a United player and into their net for the 4-3 lead.
Somewhere in there Karol almost got murdered by a pack of 4 United players. Got into a fight about 5 minutes later, and two red cards were handed out. Also notable was a United player, self claimed to be “half Andrew’s body weight” putting his own life in jeopardy as he took verbal shots at Andrew for the last 15 minutes of the game
-Dave
Goals: Scott (3), Andrew
MVP: Scott
This was an odd game that seemed to have it all. Great scoring opportunities, great saves, dirty fouls, a close score, and of course a fight. United was short a player at the start of the game, and we had our full line up of midfielders and forwards. The combination of these two things showed as we relentlessly generated shot after shot. Continuing the trend of last week’s game, we struggled to find the back of the net. Scott broke the trend twice with nice plays down the right side of the field. On one he beat his defender down the line, made his way into the box, and slid it past the keeper for our first goal. Next, he tried to other direction and beat his defender to the middle, found himself at the top center of the 18, and struck the ball to the side netting from there. Clearly his defender had no idea what to do with him.
Unfortunately we thought we were through the woods, but United made the most of the few opportunities they were given. Their strong forward was able to control the ball after a long corner kick and take an outside of the foot shot from the 18 to the near post to surprise everyone and bring the score to 2-1. The next goal came in the second half on a surprising shot from an off angle that slipped right through Kyle’s hands. A rare moment for Kyle. He’s allowed one of those a season, so we’re good from here on out. Later in the second half, a ball was crossed by United into our box and an unfortunate bounce off our defense gave the ball on a silver platter to a United forward right on the doorstep and all of a sudden we were down 3-2.
Through all of this we had been putting a lot of pressure on United’s keeper (who played a great game). We were able to seal the deal though on a couple of clutch plays. Scott was put through on a break away and got the ball by the keeper, but he tripped up in the process. Fortunately Andrew was keeping up with the play and followed up to tuck the ball away to tie the game. In the last minutes of the game, just when it seemed like we were going to get screwed into another tie, Scott found a shot off a cross that went off a United player and into their net for the 4-3 lead.
Somewhere in there Karol almost got murdered by a pack of 4 United players. Got into a fight about 5 minutes later, and two red cards were handed out. Also notable was a United player, self claimed to be “half Andrew’s body weight” putting his own life in jeopardy as he took verbal shots at Andrew for the last 15 minutes of the game
-Dave
Goals: Scott (3), Andrew
MVP: Scott
A Weak Start to the Fall Season
Cucuy FC – Ft. Sam Houston 1:1 (1:1)
We should all agree that this was not the best start to the fall season. Playing one of the weaker teams in D1 and walking away with a tie, I think all we can say it “At least it wasn’t a loss..”, but really we all know that was our game to win.
We dominated the field and all the scoring chances through the entire game. Hintz had probably 5 prime scoring opportunities and David K. had maybe 10, including a PK, and somehow none of these found the back of the net. The only saving grace was Steve Kilpatrick’s great shot on net midway through the first half from about 20 yards out to the far left corner to give us the 1 goal cushion. We maintained the cushion for about 5 minutes.
Shortly after Steve’s goal, Ft. Sam found just enough room at the top left side of the 18 to slip a shot by Nate at the near post. It was a good shot that even Kyle would have had trouble getting to, and Nate made a legitimate effort at it. I’m sure we’d all like to forget the rest of the game after the two goals were scored. It must have been frustrating to watch as we missed the PK, hit at least 3 posts, and had 5 or 6 shots blocked by defenders or the keeper. Ft. Sam knew they got away with one when the final whistle blew with the score tied.
-Dave
Goals – Steve
MVP - Steve
We should all agree that this was not the best start to the fall season. Playing one of the weaker teams in D1 and walking away with a tie, I think all we can say it “At least it wasn’t a loss..”, but really we all know that was our game to win.
We dominated the field and all the scoring chances through the entire game. Hintz had probably 5 prime scoring opportunities and David K. had maybe 10, including a PK, and somehow none of these found the back of the net. The only saving grace was Steve Kilpatrick’s great shot on net midway through the first half from about 20 yards out to the far left corner to give us the 1 goal cushion. We maintained the cushion for about 5 minutes.
Shortly after Steve’s goal, Ft. Sam found just enough room at the top left side of the 18 to slip a shot by Nate at the near post. It was a good shot that even Kyle would have had trouble getting to, and Nate made a legitimate effort at it. I’m sure we’d all like to forget the rest of the game after the two goals were scored. It must have been frustrating to watch as we missed the PK, hit at least 3 posts, and had 5 or 6 shots blocked by defenders or the keeper. Ft. Sam knew they got away with one when the final whistle blew with the score tied.
-Dave
Goals – Steve
MVP - Steve
Sunday, September 15, 2013
2nd Corinthians - Cucuy FC 3:2 (1:1)
Tough game, since we played a good team and started and ended the game with only 9 players. So a big thanks to all who committed and showed up. We really did not have a bunch of options, so we put David K. up front, Hintz in center mid, and everyone else on defense, trying to counter attack or put a long pass on David K. Corinthians pushed hard, but we got a few chances here and there. Our first shot came from Hintz, who did a turn on the left side after a pass from Brent I think, which flew in the long corner, hit the post and went in. Seriously, kind of unbelievable that we went up 1:0 at this point. After that Corinthians pushed us even harder, but the defense stood firm. Schluni (we should start calling him Stonewall-Schluni) frustrated the Corinthians time and time again, and if he missed one we still got Kyle in goal who saved them left and right. David K. could have increased to 2:0 after a free kick, but the Corinthians keeper did an amazing save on David's shot. With less than a minute to play, we got caught after losing the ball in a counter attack, and Corinthians tied the game with a header. Completely open, the guy could pick a corner and Kyle had a hand on this one as well but could not keep it out.
After a half-time break that seemed shorter than usual, we kept playing our keep-it-tight-in-back-and-hope-DavidK-can-do-somthing-up-front tactic, which went well for about 25 minutes. We hustled like crazy, putting a leg or foot in front of every shot, and Kyle had several super saves. But at some point people started getting a little tired, and the constant rotation on the Corinthians side started to pay off for them. We got caught on a counter attack and the guy with the Huggies did not leave a chance for Kyle. Nick was marking that guy for most of the game, and except for that shot he pretty much shut him down the whole game, which was an amazing feat. Then Corinthians got their third, after Kyle deflected a shot and a Corinthians player just ticked it in. It looked like we had run out of luck but we did not let up, and got a few chances to score. One was pretty cool after Davidko ran circles around 4 defenders and then passed it to Brent, who, amazingly, was left unmarked, but missed the target. Then Davidko got fouled right outside the box on the left side, Hintz faked a shot to the right, and I put in the upper left corner. That gave us some hope, but in the end it stayed at 3:2. Disappointing that we lost, but pretty amazing how much of a fight we gave them with 9 players.
So this finishes up our summer season, not a bad record with 8 and 2, and plus 32 goals. If you see Hintz pat him on the back since he finished the season as the top scorer, I think a first since he started playing with us.
Goals: Hintz, Eddy
MVP: Kyle
Tough game, since we played a good team and started and ended the game with only 9 players. So a big thanks to all who committed and showed up. We really did not have a bunch of options, so we put David K. up front, Hintz in center mid, and everyone else on defense, trying to counter attack or put a long pass on David K. Corinthians pushed hard, but we got a few chances here and there. Our first shot came from Hintz, who did a turn on the left side after a pass from Brent I think, which flew in the long corner, hit the post and went in. Seriously, kind of unbelievable that we went up 1:0 at this point. After that Corinthians pushed us even harder, but the defense stood firm. Schluni (we should start calling him Stonewall-Schluni) frustrated the Corinthians time and time again, and if he missed one we still got Kyle in goal who saved them left and right. David K. could have increased to 2:0 after a free kick, but the Corinthians keeper did an amazing save on David's shot. With less than a minute to play, we got caught after losing the ball in a counter attack, and Corinthians tied the game with a header. Completely open, the guy could pick a corner and Kyle had a hand on this one as well but could not keep it out.
After a half-time break that seemed shorter than usual, we kept playing our keep-it-tight-in-back-and-hope-DavidK-can-do-somthing-up-front tactic, which went well for about 25 minutes. We hustled like crazy, putting a leg or foot in front of every shot, and Kyle had several super saves. But at some point people started getting a little tired, and the constant rotation on the Corinthians side started to pay off for them. We got caught on a counter attack and the guy with the Huggies did not leave a chance for Kyle. Nick was marking that guy for most of the game, and except for that shot he pretty much shut him down the whole game, which was an amazing feat. Then Corinthians got their third, after Kyle deflected a shot and a Corinthians player just ticked it in. It looked like we had run out of luck but we did not let up, and got a few chances to score. One was pretty cool after Davidko ran circles around 4 defenders and then passed it to Brent, who, amazingly, was left unmarked, but missed the target. Then Davidko got fouled right outside the box on the left side, Hintz faked a shot to the right, and I put in the upper left corner. That gave us some hope, but in the end it stayed at 3:2. Disappointing that we lost, but pretty amazing how much of a fight we gave them with 9 players.
So this finishes up our summer season, not a bad record with 8 and 2, and plus 32 goals. If you see Hintz pat him on the back since he finished the season as the top scorer, I think a first since he started playing with us.
Goals: Hintz, Eddy
MVP: Kyle
Monday, September 9, 2013
Blades Give Cucuy a Close Shave
Cucuy FC: Blades FC 3:2 (1:2)
Maybe
our previous win against Vanguard had us feeling a little too confident
about our game on the pitch. Before the game even started we knew we
should beat Blades. Their
average player age is probably 15-20 years more than Vanguard.
However, this was not the story of the first half.
The
experience of Blades was shown in patience with the ball and movement
through the mid field. Both teams were producing opportunities from the
start of the game, but ours
were more counter-attack style, and theirs were more possession based.
About 15 minutes into the first half one of their offensive pushes
resulted in a slow trickling ball a couple yards outside of the 18 and
one of their players gave it a quality strike.
No spin, knuckling in all directions, and it found its way just under
the cross bar. Definitely a tough one from Kyle to anticipate and get
his hands on.
The
goal didn’t seem to phase us as we all still knew we should win the
game, and we clearly believed it too. We kicked it up a gear and
started producing more opportunities
up top. David K. got sent in on 3 or 4 break-aways but every time
their keeper cut the angle down nicely and David couldn’t find either of
the corners for the tying goal. The play was still pretty even through
the first half, until Blades made a nice progression
down the left side of the field and managed to connect a few passes
together inside the box and trickled another one in for a 2-0 lead. I
think that one stunned us quite a bit as we did not expect to find
ourselves down 2-0 before tying the game. Regardless,
we continued to play as though we weren’t going to lose the game.
Finally
before the end of the first half, one of plays down the right side of
the field materialized into a goal. Scott got sent in (basically alone
again) on a nice through
ball from [Justin?], but once again the keeper managed to cut the angle
down and make the stop. However, fortunately for us this time the ball
bounced in the direction of David K. and he put it away with
authority. The half ended 2-1, and I think we were
happy to just be back within 1 goal before taking a rest.
The
game completely changed in the second half. This is where the age of
Blades probably became a factor. We had all the momentum. It felt like
we spent the first 30 minutes
of the half on their side relentlessly attacking the net. The tying
goal came on a play from Karol down the right side. He beat the
defender to the base line and played the 45 degree pass back to Hintzki
about penalty spot height. Hintzki found the bottom
right corner of the net on a one timer.
We
knew the job wasn’t done and pushed until we took the lead. The go
ahead goal finally came on a great header from Patrick off of a corner
kick from Karol. A big weight
was taken off our shoulders after that 3rd goal fell and we held out the remaining time for the 3-2 win.
-Hintzki
Goals: David K., Dave H., Patrick
MVP: Scott
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Big Win Against Vanguard
Cucuy FC - Vanguard FC 6:4 (3:2)
What a game! Haven't seen Cucuy play like this in a while. I guess it was just one of those days. So, where to start. Vanguard hit the ground running and gave us little time to think. Before we knew it we were down a goal. But we started pushing back, and Andrew scored our first, turning around the defender and then finishing clean and low past the keeper. Vanguard scored a second, but we didn't let up either. So Scott put away a beautiful header after a equally great cross from Karol. We kept knocking on Vanguard's door then the ball came to Steve K. who let one fly low above the ground, I'd say a good 30 yards out. Keeper went flying but no chance. Too bad nobody took a picture of that one. Kyle saved our 3:2 at half, with at least two monster saves.
About one minute into second half Vanguard scored the tying goal after a series of quick passes on our left and a slide-in, catching us off guard once more. Vanguard was trying to get the momentum now, and things got a little heated when Vanguard's Rumpelstiltskin started to act up. But Schluni and Brent settled the defense, and Steve and Karol started organizing the offense. We got several chances set up by Dave H. and Scott. Then Hintzki got half an open shot, and the keeper let it go in. Vanguard pushed back, but Kyle in goal kept everything out that was in any way saveable. And then he set up the 5:3 with a long goal kick that bounced in front of David K., who got his act together, went around the defender, and scored. It might have helped that the guy was starting to get worn out after having been abused by Andrew for a good 60 minutes. Then David K. got another chance and put that away as well. Vanguard had the last word with a late goal for the 6:4. They could have even scored the 6:5 with an open run on our goal, but Kyle denied that one as well.
Goals: Andrew, Scott, Steve, Dave H., David K (2)
MVP: Kyle
What a game! Haven't seen Cucuy play like this in a while. I guess it was just one of those days. So, where to start. Vanguard hit the ground running and gave us little time to think. Before we knew it we were down a goal. But we started pushing back, and Andrew scored our first, turning around the defender and then finishing clean and low past the keeper. Vanguard scored a second, but we didn't let up either. So Scott put away a beautiful header after a equally great cross from Karol. We kept knocking on Vanguard's door then the ball came to Steve K. who let one fly low above the ground, I'd say a good 30 yards out. Keeper went flying but no chance. Too bad nobody took a picture of that one. Kyle saved our 3:2 at half, with at least two monster saves.
About one minute into second half Vanguard scored the tying goal after a series of quick passes on our left and a slide-in, catching us off guard once more. Vanguard was trying to get the momentum now, and things got a little heated when Vanguard's Rumpelstiltskin started to act up. But Schluni and Brent settled the defense, and Steve and Karol started organizing the offense. We got several chances set up by Dave H. and Scott. Then Hintzki got half an open shot, and the keeper let it go in. Vanguard pushed back, but Kyle in goal kept everything out that was in any way saveable. And then he set up the 5:3 with a long goal kick that bounced in front of David K., who got his act together, went around the defender, and scored. It might have helped that the guy was starting to get worn out after having been abused by Andrew for a good 60 minutes. Then David K. got another chance and put that away as well. Vanguard had the last word with a late goal for the 6:4. They could have even scored the 6:5 with an open run on our goal, but Kyle denied that one as well.
Goals: Andrew, Scott, Steve, Dave H., David K (2)
MVP: Kyle
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Cucuy Beats BFG
BFG United vs. Cucuy FC 2:4 (0:1)
If this summary is kind of short it's not for lack of time but for lack of memory. We played at 11, and I'm not sure how hot it was, just that it was too hot for me. Way too hot. In this kind of heat 50% of my brain focuses on temperature regulation, but bear with me. In any case, I faintly remember that Hintz scored the first, and we went to break. Then blurred lines for a while. Then Pat got whacked in the box, Karol took up the penalty and buried it 2:0. More blurred lines. Then Victor scored a header, after Scott I think took a shot that was deflected and dropped right in front of Victor. Hintz scored our last, a long-distance shot that was deflected off the back of a BFG defender. Somewhere in between BFG scored two on us, one was actually a pretty cool header after a corner. I also remember that BFG did not let up for one second, and played to the last minute like the game was tied. After that, more blurred lines, and finally thanks to Jason: Miller time!
Goals: Hintz (2), Karol, Victor
MVP: Hintz
If this summary is kind of short it's not for lack of time but for lack of memory. We played at 11, and I'm not sure how hot it was, just that it was too hot for me. Way too hot. In this kind of heat 50% of my brain focuses on temperature regulation, but bear with me. In any case, I faintly remember that Hintz scored the first, and we went to break. Then blurred lines for a while. Then Pat got whacked in the box, Karol took up the penalty and buried it 2:0. More blurred lines. Then Victor scored a header, after Scott I think took a shot that was deflected and dropped right in front of Victor. Hintz scored our last, a long-distance shot that was deflected off the back of a BFG defender. Somewhere in between BFG scored two on us, one was actually a pretty cool header after a corner. I also remember that BFG did not let up for one second, and played to the last minute like the game was tied. After that, more blurred lines, and finally thanks to Jason: Miller time!
Goals: Hintz (2), Karol, Victor
MVP: Hintz
Monday, August 5, 2013
Cucuy Beats Medina United
Cucuy FC - Medina United FC 8:2 (3:1)
At kick-off we had 10 guys, so I asked the Medina captain if he wanted to do water breaks. He declined, given that they had 2 or 3 subs. Turns out we did fine without them.
We had the better chances from the start. Pat and I both had open shots but missed. I think Scott had another good one, but Detonators scored on their first shot on goal, a laser-beam shot that didn't give Cory in goal time to react. But we kept pressing with 10, and once Jason showed up to complete the team we slowly got the upper hand. After a cross from Hintz I tied the game, sticking my my leg between two defenders, kind of an ugly goal. Soon after, Pat scored the 2:1, his first shot the keeper blocked, the second went against the post and the third finally went in. Scott had the third after getting into position and chasing down a pass through the middle. Keeper had a hand on that one as well but couldn't keep it out.
Second half, Detonator's scored a quick one and suddenly we had a game. Then Detonator's sweeper figured an offside-trap was the way to play us. So whenever we had the ball in midfield, he would scream "HOOLD, HOOOOOOOLD!" at the top of his lungs, kind of annoying. So Scott got the ball again in midfield, and when 3 of us got ready to get his pass, he just passed it past the sweeper, picked it up at the other side, and scored the 4:2. That took cared of the "HOOOOOOLD" for the rest of the game. Congrats to Pat for the hattrick!
Goals: Eddy, Pat (3), Scott (2), Hintz (2)
MVP: Scott
At kick-off we had 10 guys, so I asked the Medina captain if he wanted to do water breaks. He declined, given that they had 2 or 3 subs. Turns out we did fine without them.
We had the better chances from the start. Pat and I both had open shots but missed. I think Scott had another good one, but Detonators scored on their first shot on goal, a laser-beam shot that didn't give Cory in goal time to react. But we kept pressing with 10, and once Jason showed up to complete the team we slowly got the upper hand. After a cross from Hintz I tied the game, sticking my my leg between two defenders, kind of an ugly goal. Soon after, Pat scored the 2:1, his first shot the keeper blocked, the second went against the post and the third finally went in. Scott had the third after getting into position and chasing down a pass through the middle. Keeper had a hand on that one as well but couldn't keep it out.
Second half, Detonator's scored a quick one and suddenly we had a game. Then Detonator's sweeper figured an offside-trap was the way to play us. So whenever we had the ball in midfield, he would scream "HOOLD, HOOOOOOOLD!" at the top of his lungs, kind of annoying. So Scott got the ball again in midfield, and when 3 of us got ready to get his pass, he just passed it past the sweeper, picked it up at the other side, and scored the 4:2. That took cared of the "HOOOOOOLD" for the rest of the game. Congrats to Pat for the hattrick!
Goals: Eddy, Pat (3), Scott (2), Hintz (2)
MVP: Scott
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
The Machine Beats Cucuy
Cucuy FC - The Machine 2:3 (2:1)
It was a 3-2 loss overall.
First half was a back and forth game, but I think we generated more offense and won more balls in the midfield than they did. Altogether they played a better possession game than us, but we were able to counter it pretty nicely in the first half. Early in the game we had good offensive pushes and one led to a goal by Huczek. We were assaulting the net and a ball was either crossed or shot, but rebounded or deflected out about penalty spot height wide of the net, where Huczek took it first time and nailed the upper ninety far side. Absolutely sick shot.
Things evened out a bit after that. Eventually machine found Dino up top with some space around him. He dribbled around 4 people and tucked it away in typical Dino fashion for 1:1.
A short bit later Hintzki shook a guy at the top corner of the 18, came across the top of the box, and took a shot which the keeper couldn’t control. Cary was flying in with some great timing to tuck away the rebound for 2:1 lead. That was the scoring for the first half.
They wound up tying it up on a PK which was called against Jesse. One of their weaker forwards was put in on a breakaway. Jesse made a hell on an effort to get back and caught up to him. He crossed in front of the guy between the man and the ball. He didn’t seem to get a piece of the ball, but also didn’t get a piece of the guy. Kind of flew through making no apparent contact, but then the guy (now behind Jesse) tripped over the back of Jesse’s heels and screamed as he went down because of the obvious severe pain he was experiencing. The ref didn’t hesitate to call it a PK. Dino scored his second against us here.
The second half they controlled the midfield better than we did, we seemed to gas ourselves in the first half. It’s not to say we didn’t find out chances up top. We had an open net for the tie that managed to only find the right post, and a couple of rips on net that the keeper got his hands too. The go ahead goal and eventual game winner came on an unfortunate bouncing ball over the top to none other than Dino. The ball was a little bit wider than the 6 and was almost to the base line. Kyle couldn’t make a decision whether to come out on it or hold his ground and made the decision to come out just as Dino was able to get a foot to it and flick it over the top from an odd angle to complete his hatrick.
Considering we were missing Karol, Scott K., Cary (out b/c he tweaked his knee in the first half), Eddie, Javier, and Nick, we played a pretty damn good game against them.
Dave H.
Goals: Huczek, Cary.
MVP: Schluni
It was a 3-2 loss overall.
First half was a back and forth game, but I think we generated more offense and won more balls in the midfield than they did. Altogether they played a better possession game than us, but we were able to counter it pretty nicely in the first half. Early in the game we had good offensive pushes and one led to a goal by Huczek. We were assaulting the net and a ball was either crossed or shot, but rebounded or deflected out about penalty spot height wide of the net, where Huczek took it first time and nailed the upper ninety far side. Absolutely sick shot.
Things evened out a bit after that. Eventually machine found Dino up top with some space around him. He dribbled around 4 people and tucked it away in typical Dino fashion for 1:1.
A short bit later Hintzki shook a guy at the top corner of the 18, came across the top of the box, and took a shot which the keeper couldn’t control. Cary was flying in with some great timing to tuck away the rebound for 2:1 lead. That was the scoring for the first half.
They wound up tying it up on a PK which was called against Jesse. One of their weaker forwards was put in on a breakaway. Jesse made a hell on an effort to get back and caught up to him. He crossed in front of the guy between the man and the ball. He didn’t seem to get a piece of the ball, but also didn’t get a piece of the guy. Kind of flew through making no apparent contact, but then the guy (now behind Jesse) tripped over the back of Jesse’s heels and screamed as he went down because of the obvious severe pain he was experiencing. The ref didn’t hesitate to call it a PK. Dino scored his second against us here.
The second half they controlled the midfield better than we did, we seemed to gas ourselves in the first half. It’s not to say we didn’t find out chances up top. We had an open net for the tie that managed to only find the right post, and a couple of rips on net that the keeper got his hands too. The go ahead goal and eventual game winner came on an unfortunate bouncing ball over the top to none other than Dino. The ball was a little bit wider than the 6 and was almost to the base line. Kyle couldn’t make a decision whether to come out on it or hold his ground and made the decision to come out just as Dino was able to get a foot to it and flick it over the top from an odd angle to complete his hatrick.
Considering we were missing Karol, Scott K., Cary (out b/c he tweaked his knee in the first half), Eddie, Javier, and Nick, we played a pretty damn good game against them.
Dave H.
Goals: Huczek, Cary.
MVP: Schluni
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Cucuy Beats Vuvuzela
Cucuy FC - Vuvuzela 6:2 (2:1)
At the start, it didn’t even look like Vuvuzela was going to have a team, so it was a relief once they finally got enough players to start. Even being up a player or two at the start of the game we failed to take advantage of it. We were disorganized through the middle and let them counter attack. They had some speed up top but Cary (yes, Cary) did a good job playing a sweeper-keeper and coming out to win the long ball. Finally, we struck. After a good build-up from the back and cross into the center the ball knocked around came to Karol’s feet near the 18. A strong strike later and the ball was in the back of the net. This goal helped settle us. Shortly after some tricky pass work up the left side allowed Scott to put in our second goal with an easy touch to the near post. The rest of the half was back and forth. Each team had a few more chances, but neither could get anything to fall.
Vuvuzela came out at full strength, looking for redemption in the second half. Hintz advised us to not give them an easy goal early. Shortly into the half we conceded a corner. The cross came in and an unmarked man put a head to the ball and directed it into the back of the net. Not 5 minutes later, three Vuvuzela players worked down the center of the field finding on outlet on the right side. The ball came back into the middle to an unmarked man, who thumped the ball just inside the post, equalizing. So much for Hintz’s advice…
With an equal score line, Cucuy got back down to business. Vuvuleza was starting to show fatigue as we were given more and more space up top. Vuvuzela began spending more time complaining to the officials about offside calls than guarding our forwards. It became much less of a game at this point and we were able to put away four more goals before the game ended without any other serious threats from their offense. Andrew buried two and Cary tagged the post once, but made up for it by putting two more.
Schluni
Goals: Andrew (2), Cary (2), Scott, Karol,
MVP: Schluni
At the start, it didn’t even look like Vuvuzela was going to have a team, so it was a relief once they finally got enough players to start. Even being up a player or two at the start of the game we failed to take advantage of it. We were disorganized through the middle and let them counter attack. They had some speed up top but Cary (yes, Cary) did a good job playing a sweeper-keeper and coming out to win the long ball. Finally, we struck. After a good build-up from the back and cross into the center the ball knocked around came to Karol’s feet near the 18. A strong strike later and the ball was in the back of the net. This goal helped settle us. Shortly after some tricky pass work up the left side allowed Scott to put in our second goal with an easy touch to the near post. The rest of the half was back and forth. Each team had a few more chances, but neither could get anything to fall.
Vuvuzela came out at full strength, looking for redemption in the second half. Hintz advised us to not give them an easy goal early. Shortly into the half we conceded a corner. The cross came in and an unmarked man put a head to the ball and directed it into the back of the net. Not 5 minutes later, three Vuvuzela players worked down the center of the field finding on outlet on the right side. The ball came back into the middle to an unmarked man, who thumped the ball just inside the post, equalizing. So much for Hintz’s advice…
With an equal score line, Cucuy got back down to business. Vuvuleza was starting to show fatigue as we were given more and more space up top. Vuvuzela began spending more time complaining to the officials about offside calls than guarding our forwards. It became much less of a game at this point and we were able to put away four more goals before the game ended without any other serious threats from their offense. Andrew buried two and Cary tagged the post once, but made up for it by putting two more.
Schluni
Goals: Andrew (2), Cary (2), Scott, Karol,
MVP: Schluni
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Atlas Beats Cucuy in Penalty Shoot-Out
Atlas FC - Cucuy FC 6:5 (1:2)
What a game. Too bad we lost in the end. But let's start at the beginning. With chances on both sides, I think we scored first: A foul right outside the box. Scott sets it up, but Javier, who was kind of lingering on the side, runs up and scores. Nicely done. Then Atlas tied the game with just a few minutes to half. But we come back with a sweet setup from Hintzki on Scott, who chases down the ball and puts us ahead 2:1 at half.
Second half Atlas really started pushing, figuratively and literally. Our defense started working really hard, and kept the 2:1 for a pretty long time. Then Schluni went for the ball inside the box and the Atlas player went down way to easy. The ref called it, but luckily put it outside the box. I guess one bad call deserves another. Just minutes later, the same player went down WAY to easy again, this time definitely outside the box, but the ref called a penalty. Cinquo de Mayo all over again. Atlas's keeper scored and tied the game. This gave Atlas the momentum, and things turned a bit ugly. One guy tried to pick a fight with Andrew, who didn't mind that all for breakfast, and being about a head and a half taller. Just seconds later one of us got taken down pretty rough, and the guy saw his second yellow. From then on it was all defense and time wasting on the side of Atlas. They got one more attack, which they unfortunately used to score the 3:2. We pushed and pushed, and finally, with maybe a minute left, after some scrambling in the box and a setup from CNate, Hintzki scored the tying goal. Totally awesome. We could have even scored the winner a minute later, but Javier tried a difficult shot instead of passing to the completely open Andrew, who almost took a bite out of the lawn after that.
Penalties. Brent and Cary scored, and thanks to Kyle, Atlas missed 3. But we also missed 3, so we went to sudden death. Atlas scored, then Hintzki missed, bummer.
Goals: Javier, Scott K., Dave H., Brent, Cary
MVP: Dave H.
What a game. Too bad we lost in the end. But let's start at the beginning. With chances on both sides, I think we scored first: A foul right outside the box. Scott sets it up, but Javier, who was kind of lingering on the side, runs up and scores. Nicely done. Then Atlas tied the game with just a few minutes to half. But we come back with a sweet setup from Hintzki on Scott, who chases down the ball and puts us ahead 2:1 at half.
Second half Atlas really started pushing, figuratively and literally. Our defense started working really hard, and kept the 2:1 for a pretty long time. Then Schluni went for the ball inside the box and the Atlas player went down way to easy. The ref called it, but luckily put it outside the box. I guess one bad call deserves another. Just minutes later, the same player went down WAY to easy again, this time definitely outside the box, but the ref called a penalty. Cinquo de Mayo all over again. Atlas's keeper scored and tied the game. This gave Atlas the momentum, and things turned a bit ugly. One guy tried to pick a fight with Andrew, who didn't mind that all for breakfast, and being about a head and a half taller. Just seconds later one of us got taken down pretty rough, and the guy saw his second yellow. From then on it was all defense and time wasting on the side of Atlas. They got one more attack, which they unfortunately used to score the 3:2. We pushed and pushed, and finally, with maybe a minute left, after some scrambling in the box and a setup from CNate, Hintzki scored the tying goal. Totally awesome. We could have even scored the winner a minute later, but Javier tried a difficult shot instead of passing to the completely open Andrew, who almost took a bite out of the lawn after that.
Penalties. Brent and Cary scored, and thanks to Kyle, Atlas missed 3. But we also missed 3, so we went to sudden death. Atlas scored, then Hintzki missed, bummer.
Goals: Javier, Scott K., Dave H., Brent, Cary
MVP: Dave H.
Monday, June 24, 2013
Cucuy Out in Semi-Finals
Cucuy FC - BFG United 3:5 (1:1)
We're three games into the new season, so it was about time for last season's playoff. Nobody can say we did not give them a run for their money, and at no point in the game I felt we gave up. But we did get pounded pretty bad first half, and only luck and dedication prevented worse. Kyle had a fantastic day, saving two runs on his goal. Stan scraped a ball off the line, and Victor had the most amazing of all saves first half: After a scramble in the box, the ball landed in the lap of an unmarked BFG player, who took the time to set up for his shot in the upper right, only to be denied by Victor, who came flying in from the right and deflected it with his head over the crossbar. That's how we roll. We did have a few good chances of our own, and Scott could have scored after getting it past the keeper, only to see it saved off the line by a defender. Then he scored his first, a nice chip shot from the left side into the far right corner. In the end, I could live very well with a 1:1 at half.
Second half we started strong, and Hintz could have put us ahead but only hit the post. In the counterattack, BFG scored their second. BFG kept scoring, but Scott scored two more, every time closing the gap to one goal. With BFG leading 4:3 and maybe 10 minutes left, BFG got a free kick outside the box and put it in the top right corner, post-and-in, no chance for Kyle. That one kind of hurt, but we still pressed on to get it back. A free-kick we got in good position went nowhere, and David K. was denied a penalty, so in the end it stayed at 5:3.
Goals: Scott (3)
MVP: Scott
We're three games into the new season, so it was about time for last season's playoff. Nobody can say we did not give them a run for their money, and at no point in the game I felt we gave up. But we did get pounded pretty bad first half, and only luck and dedication prevented worse. Kyle had a fantastic day, saving two runs on his goal. Stan scraped a ball off the line, and Victor had the most amazing of all saves first half: After a scramble in the box, the ball landed in the lap of an unmarked BFG player, who took the time to set up for his shot in the upper right, only to be denied by Victor, who came flying in from the right and deflected it with his head over the crossbar. That's how we roll. We did have a few good chances of our own, and Scott could have scored after getting it past the keeper, only to see it saved off the line by a defender. Then he scored his first, a nice chip shot from the left side into the far right corner. In the end, I could live very well with a 1:1 at half.
Second half we started strong, and Hintz could have put us ahead but only hit the post. In the counterattack, BFG scored their second. BFG kept scoring, but Scott scored two more, every time closing the gap to one goal. With BFG leading 4:3 and maybe 10 minutes left, BFG got a free kick outside the box and put it in the top right corner, post-and-in, no chance for Kyle. That one kind of hurt, but we still pressed on to get it back. A free-kick we got in good position went nowhere, and David K. was denied a penalty, so in the end it stayed at 5:3.
Goals: Scott (3)
MVP: Scott
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Cucuy Beat Aztecas
Aztecas FC - Cucuy FC 1:5 (0:2)
Since our division play-off was postponed, Gary had us play Aztecas from division 1. These guys gave us trouble in the past, and this game was hard-fought as well. Aztecas should have gone in the lead after about 15 minutes with a hard shot towards the left post. Cory in goal, using a combination of anticipation, experience, and Red Bull somehow got a finger on it and saved the tie. Scott had our first big chance, but the Azteca goalie wasn't too bad either. Shortly after we got a free-kick outside the box on the right side. Karol chipped it in and Hinzki came in flying, heading the ball in for the 1:0. It happened so fast, Aztecas didn't knew what hit 'em, totally sweet goal. Both sides had chances, but Karol scored the 2:0 just at the half time whistle, long distance shot into the right lower corner.
Second half Aztecas came out strong, ready to turn the game around. But it was Pat, Karol, and Scotty who added icing to the cake, and Scott could have scored another but hit the crossbar. Aztecas finally got their goal of honor after a corner and scramble in the box.
Overall we played really well against a tough opponent. What I really liked was how well we moved the ball around on defense, giving the midfielders more time to set up the game. And by the way, we're now 8 goals away from the 500th Cucuy goal...
Goals: Karol (2), Scotty, Pat, Hinzki
MVP: Cary
Since our division play-off was postponed, Gary had us play Aztecas from division 1. These guys gave us trouble in the past, and this game was hard-fought as well. Aztecas should have gone in the lead after about 15 minutes with a hard shot towards the left post. Cory in goal, using a combination of anticipation, experience, and Red Bull somehow got a finger on it and saved the tie. Scott had our first big chance, but the Azteca goalie wasn't too bad either. Shortly after we got a free-kick outside the box on the right side. Karol chipped it in and Hinzki came in flying, heading the ball in for the 1:0. It happened so fast, Aztecas didn't knew what hit 'em, totally sweet goal. Both sides had chances, but Karol scored the 2:0 just at the half time whistle, long distance shot into the right lower corner.
Second half Aztecas came out strong, ready to turn the game around. But it was Pat, Karol, and Scotty who added icing to the cake, and Scott could have scored another but hit the crossbar. Aztecas finally got their goal of honor after a corner and scramble in the box.
Overall we played really well against a tough opponent. What I really liked was how well we moved the ball around on defense, giving the midfielders more time to set up the game. And by the way, we're now 8 goals away from the 500th Cucuy goal...
Goals: Karol (2), Scotty, Pat, Hinzki
MVP: Cary
Monday, June 10, 2013
Nick Scores First and Cary Best Goal Ever
Forsaken FC - Cucuy FC 0:11 (0:6)
It's been a long time since we played Forsaken, and back then it was a 1:0 win. This time around we added a few more goals. There were two many to highlight them all, but two need to be mentioned: Nick scored his first regular season goal for Cucuy - congratulations! I think it was a corner from Karol, and Nick just ran towards the short post and it bounced of his knee (I think) into the goal. The other one was quite possibly the most amazing goal EVER for Cucuy. CNate chipped in a corner from the right side to the top of the penalty box, where Cary did a sideways bicycle kick and volleyed the ball into the upper right. I was actually going for the corner from CNate but could not quite get to it, so I have a vivid image of Cary taking the shot, then I turned and saw the ball flying into the upper right. Completely. Amazing.
Goals: Pat, Karol (3), David K. (2), Jason H., Cary (2), Eddy, Nick
MVP: Karol
It's been a long time since we played Forsaken, and back then it was a 1:0 win. This time around we added a few more goals. There were two many to highlight them all, but two need to be mentioned: Nick scored his first regular season goal for Cucuy - congratulations! I think it was a corner from Karol, and Nick just ran towards the short post and it bounced of his knee (I think) into the goal. The other one was quite possibly the most amazing goal EVER for Cucuy. CNate chipped in a corner from the right side to the top of the penalty box, where Cary did a sideways bicycle kick and volleyed the ball into the upper right. I was actually going for the corner from CNate but could not quite get to it, so I have a vivid image of Cary taking the shot, then I turned and saw the ball flying into the upper right. Completely. Amazing.
Goals: Pat, Karol (3), David K. (2), Jason H., Cary (2), Eddy, Nick
MVP: Karol
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Jolly Good Start into the Season
Cucuy FC - Jolly Rogers FU 4:0 (3:0)
A couple of guys showed up late so we started short. Kyle didn't make it, so CNate "volunteered" for keeper. Within 20 minutes or so we had a full squad, but until then we had a few close calls, but CNate did a real good job and kept us out of trouble. All three goals in first half were really cool, first Patrick, who volleyed a cross half-sideways over the head of the keeper. Then Andrew got the ball in our half and just took off with it, shaking two or three defenders, and crossing it into the middle. There it fell pretty much on Javier's foot, who cracked the living fun out of it, leaving the keeper no chance to react. Second half Javier got his second, sealing the deal for us for a nice start into the season.
Goals: Javier (2), Patrick, Cary
MVP: CNate
A couple of guys showed up late so we started short. Kyle didn't make it, so CNate "volunteered" for keeper. Within 20 minutes or so we had a full squad, but until then we had a few close calls, but CNate did a real good job and kept us out of trouble. All three goals in first half were really cool, first Patrick, who volleyed a cross half-sideways over the head of the keeper. Then Andrew got the ball in our half and just took off with it, shaking two or three defenders, and crossing it into the middle. There it fell pretty much on Javier's foot, who cracked the living fun out of it, leaving the keeper no chance to react. Second half Javier got his second, sealing the deal for us for a nice start into the season.
Goals: Javier (2), Patrick, Cary
MVP: CNate
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Indios End 13 Game Unbeaten Streak
Cucuy FC - Indios FC 1:3 (0:0)
After a month of no games, it took us a while to get back into the groove. Missing a bunch of players on defenders we had to mix things up a bit, but Jesse and Victor stepped up to the plate and had both excellent games. Especially Jesse was running all over the field, making me tired just looking at it. We had our chances in first half, and Brent almost scored after a corner, but overall the Indios had more possession, and pressed us pretty hard. Kyle had a few great saves, and one that was really world-class, where he dived into the bottom left corner to save our tie at half time.
With only a few minutes into second half, CNate got his second yellow, so we had to play a man down. The Indio player definitely milked it (Chiellini, anybody?) but that second yellow was not completely undeserved either. That's when Cucuy really showed some character, because we didn't lie down but instead pushed the Indios back as good as possible. David K. even scored the 1:0 after a pretty decent run around three defenders on the right. The Indios weren't phased at all, biding their time and then scoring twice. Just before the final whistle, Kyle tried a little trick play, lost the ball, and found out that kicking a striker in the butt may lead to a penalty. Overall not a bad effort, with our best squad we would have given them a run for their money.
MVP: David K.
Goal: David K.
After a month of no games, it took us a while to get back into the groove. Missing a bunch of players on defenders we had to mix things up a bit, but Jesse and Victor stepped up to the plate and had both excellent games. Especially Jesse was running all over the field, making me tired just looking at it. We had our chances in first half, and Brent almost scored after a corner, but overall the Indios had more possession, and pressed us pretty hard. Kyle had a few great saves, and one that was really world-class, where he dived into the bottom left corner to save our tie at half time.
With only a few minutes into second half, CNate got his second yellow, so we had to play a man down. The Indio player definitely milked it (Chiellini, anybody?) but that second yellow was not completely undeserved either. That's when Cucuy really showed some character, because we didn't lie down but instead pushed the Indios back as good as possible. David K. even scored the 1:0 after a pretty decent run around three defenders on the right. The Indios weren't phased at all, biding their time and then scoring twice. Just before the final whistle, Kyle tried a little trick play, lost the ball, and found out that kicking a striker in the butt may lead to a penalty. Overall not a bad effort, with our best squad we would have given them a run for their money.
MVP: David K.
Goal: David K.
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Hintzki Has Golden Goal Against El Tri
El Tri Colores - Cucuy FC 0:1 (0:0)
Should have been an easier game for us, but with a couple of guys missing it turned out to be a pretty close one. First half we had Brent and Hintzki on holding mids, Cary center and Cole on the right. Second half we switched Cary to the right and that worked much better. El Tri played pretty defensively, hoping for counter attacks with the fast wing players, otherwise staying back with a bunch of players. Cole had the best chance first half after a cross from the left but couldn't quite get to it. Overall El Tri had more possession and better chances, but our defense kept a clean sheet.
Second half with the wind we turned the table and got a whole series of good chances. Scott F. had two great ones, one hitting the crossbar, Pat and Cole had close shots as well. When everything looked like a tie, Cole set up Hintzki who hammered it just outside the box into the upper right - what a shot. Just minutes later, Hintzki went down outside the box but when all expected a call, the ref let it play on. The fastest El Tri player got a perfect pass straight through the middle, catching our defense a bit out of position, running towards our goal. At the last possible moment, Schluni caught up with him and saved the win with a full-speed but clean tackle inside the box. Well done.
Goal: Hintzki
MVP: Schluni
Should have been an easier game for us, but with a couple of guys missing it turned out to be a pretty close one. First half we had Brent and Hintzki on holding mids, Cary center and Cole on the right. Second half we switched Cary to the right and that worked much better. El Tri played pretty defensively, hoping for counter attacks with the fast wing players, otherwise staying back with a bunch of players. Cole had the best chance first half after a cross from the left but couldn't quite get to it. Overall El Tri had more possession and better chances, but our defense kept a clean sheet.
Second half with the wind we turned the table and got a whole series of good chances. Scott F. had two great ones, one hitting the crossbar, Pat and Cole had close shots as well. When everything looked like a tie, Cole set up Hintzki who hammered it just outside the box into the upper right - what a shot. Just minutes later, Hintzki went down outside the box but when all expected a call, the ref let it play on. The fastest El Tri player got a perfect pass straight through the middle, catching our defense a bit out of position, running towards our goal. At the last possible moment, Schluni caught up with him and saved the win with a full-speed but clean tackle inside the box. Well done.
Goal: Hintzki
MVP: Schluni
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Cucuy Ties Mercenaries
Mercenary FC - Cucuy FC 2:2 (2:1)
The Mercenaries always put up a fight, and this one was no different. Although we had Ben, Brent, and Dave S. playing defense, Kyle was under a barrage of shots for the first 20 minutes or so. It took us a while to slow them down but by then they were up 1:0. Then David K. showed some of his skill, moving past two defenders in the left corner, cutting it back to me, and after a pass into the box, Jason finished it off for the 1:1. After that the game was a little more even, but I'd say overall the Mercenaries had the upper hand until half time and were able to pull off another one, a long distance shot that went into the upper ninety. No chance for Kyle.
Second half was a totally different story. It started out even, but as time progressed Karol's rotation strategy started to pay off. As the Mercenaries got more and more tired (I think they only had one sub) we got more and more chances. Then finally David K. tied the game after a beautifully timed pass from Cary straight through the middle. After that we had at least four big chances to win it, but the luck we had at the beginning of the game now abandoned us. First Ben and then Jason were in position in front of the keeper but did not get passed him, I could have scored off a free-kick and finally Pat had a header against the crossbar. I guess the good news is we're still unbeaten (now 12 games!) and still in the race for the championship.
Goals: Jason H., David K.
MVP: Cary
The Mercenaries always put up a fight, and this one was no different. Although we had Ben, Brent, and Dave S. playing defense, Kyle was under a barrage of shots for the first 20 minutes or so. It took us a while to slow them down but by then they were up 1:0. Then David K. showed some of his skill, moving past two defenders in the left corner, cutting it back to me, and after a pass into the box, Jason finished it off for the 1:1. After that the game was a little more even, but I'd say overall the Mercenaries had the upper hand until half time and were able to pull off another one, a long distance shot that went into the upper ninety. No chance for Kyle.
Second half was a totally different story. It started out even, but as time progressed Karol's rotation strategy started to pay off. As the Mercenaries got more and more tired (I think they only had one sub) we got more and more chances. Then finally David K. tied the game after a beautifully timed pass from Cary straight through the middle. After that we had at least four big chances to win it, but the luck we had at the beginning of the game now abandoned us. First Ben and then Jason were in position in front of the keeper but did not get passed him, I could have scored off a free-kick and finally Pat had a header against the crossbar. I guess the good news is we're still unbeaten (now 12 games!) and still in the race for the championship.
Goals: Jason H., David K.
MVP: Cary
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Queretaro No Match for Cucuy
Cucuy FC - Queretaro FC 7:1 (4:1)
Queretaro started short and played with only 10 for the whole game, so they were fighting an uphill battle all game. Hintzki put us ahead in no time, and followed up with his second a few minutes later. In between the lone striker from Queretaro temporarily tied the game, but Cole pretty much sealed the deal before the end of the half with goals three and four.
Second half we kept pushing, and Queretaro pretty much gave up. Victor scored the goal of the game, a header after a nice cross from Jason I think. There were a whole bunch of those nice crosses from Jason this game, and I think he set up at least three goals today. Just before the end of the game Jason hit a sweet free-kick from the left side, but the crossbar was in the way so we left it at seven.
Goals: Dave H. (2), Cole (2), Victor (2), Eddy
MVP: Karol
Tackle of the Day: CNate
Queretaro started short and played with only 10 for the whole game, so they were fighting an uphill battle all game. Hintzki put us ahead in no time, and followed up with his second a few minutes later. In between the lone striker from Queretaro temporarily tied the game, but Cole pretty much sealed the deal before the end of the half with goals three and four.
Second half we kept pushing, and Queretaro pretty much gave up. Victor scored the goal of the game, a header after a nice cross from Jason I think. There were a whole bunch of those nice crosses from Jason this game, and I think he set up at least three goals today. Just before the end of the game Jason hit a sweet free-kick from the left side, but the crossbar was in the way so we left it at seven.
Goals: Dave H. (2), Cole (2), Victor (2), Eddy
MVP: Karol
Tackle of the Day: CNate
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Cucuy Beats BFG: 10 Games Undefeated
BFG United - Cucuy FC 1:4 (0:1)
My first game back at Specht in years, and I have to say things aren't any better than they used to be: getting any kind of passing going was pretty tough. For example, Karol had a number of unusual give-aways. It took a few minutes to get the Slovak Connection going. What followed were a series of picture perfect passes from Karol setting up David K. After missing two of those, David K. finally put the third into the back of the net. Shortly after that he set up Jason, who got a nice shot off but barely missed. On our side, Kyle had an awesome save that looked like a sure goal from where I was standing, saving the lead at half time.
Second half Jason scored the second after a corner and scramble in the box. Butt, shoulder, back, not sure how it got in but the goal stood. David K. got another couple of chances and on one of those was taken out in the box. Karol took up the responsibility and buried the penalty in the right corner. BFG put up their last efforts and finally were able to slip one past Kyle, but in the end David K. sealed the deal for the 4:1. With a minute to go, one of the BFG guys blew a fuse and took out Patrick. The ref handed out the red, but then to the surprise of all gave a red to Patrick as well. Other than that it was a pretty good effort. And by the way, we are now unbeaten for 10 games in a row!
Goals: David K. (2), Jason H., Karol
MVP: Kyle
My first game back at Specht in years, and I have to say things aren't any better than they used to be: getting any kind of passing going was pretty tough. For example, Karol had a number of unusual give-aways. It took a few minutes to get the Slovak Connection going. What followed were a series of picture perfect passes from Karol setting up David K. After missing two of those, David K. finally put the third into the back of the net. Shortly after that he set up Jason, who got a nice shot off but barely missed. On our side, Kyle had an awesome save that looked like a sure goal from where I was standing, saving the lead at half time.
Second half Jason scored the second after a corner and scramble in the box. Butt, shoulder, back, not sure how it got in but the goal stood. David K. got another couple of chances and on one of those was taken out in the box. Karol took up the responsibility and buried the penalty in the right corner. BFG put up their last efforts and finally were able to slip one past Kyle, but in the end David K. sealed the deal for the 4:1. With a minute to go, one of the BFG guys blew a fuse and took out Patrick. The ref handed out the red, but then to the surprise of all gave a red to Patrick as well. Other than that it was a pretty good effort. And by the way, we are now unbeaten for 10 games in a row!
Goals: David K. (2), Jason H., Karol
MVP: Kyle
Monday, January 28, 2013
Cucuy Ties Against The Machine
The Machine - Cucuy FC 1:1 (1:1)
Is The Machine getting rusty? We played these guys for the 5th time in recent memory, losing to them 4 times. So this tie was not too bad. And a win would not have been undeserved. We were dominating the first half for a good amount, but The Machine was always dangerous and played well. Although we had more chances, Kyle in goal had plenty of action. On one counter attack it took three defenders to take the ball away from the tall center striker, but when the situation looked cleared he somehow got the ball back and took a shot. Kyle had a world-class save, but the ball bounced back to the guy who took the shot, who got a second chance with Kyle now out of position. Amazingly, Jesse saved that one flying in from somewhere on the left, blocking the shot in mid-air. The ball again came back to the guy who then decided to pass it to the left where an unmarked Machine player inched it over the line. We kept playing and finally David was able to score on the right after flying past 2 or 3 Machine players - two goals in the last two games, not a bad start.
Second half we started very strong but as the game went on we let up a bid. Whenever we started passing the ball we looked great, but as the game went on more people got impatient and started individual plays. Max had the best chance second half with a nice shot that hit the post, but that was about it for today.
Goal: David
MVP: Brent
Is The Machine getting rusty? We played these guys for the 5th time in recent memory, losing to them 4 times. So this tie was not too bad. And a win would not have been undeserved. We were dominating the first half for a good amount, but The Machine was always dangerous and played well. Although we had more chances, Kyle in goal had plenty of action. On one counter attack it took three defenders to take the ball away from the tall center striker, but when the situation looked cleared he somehow got the ball back and took a shot. Kyle had a world-class save, but the ball bounced back to the guy who took the shot, who got a second chance with Kyle now out of position. Amazingly, Jesse saved that one flying in from somewhere on the left, blocking the shot in mid-air. The ball again came back to the guy who then decided to pass it to the left where an unmarked Machine player inched it over the line. We kept playing and finally David was able to score on the right after flying past 2 or 3 Machine players - two goals in the last two games, not a bad start.
Second half we started very strong but as the game went on we let up a bid. Whenever we started passing the ball we looked great, but as the game went on more people got impatient and started individual plays. Max had the best chance second half with a nice shot that hit the post, but that was about it for today.
Goal: David
MVP: Brent
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Cucuy Beats Corinthians II
Cucuy FC - Corinthians II 7:5 (3:1)
It might look like there wasn't a whole lot of defense on either side of this one. Not so, our defense actually had to work pretty hard the whole game. Corinthians played really well, lots of quick passes and high pace, having much more possession than us. Kyle in goal had plenty of saves and was pretty warmed up at half time. We had maybe 4 chances in the first half and scored 3 times. First Ben, who ran down a great pass on the left and scored the 1:0. Then Cary, who picked up a throw from the Corinthians' keeper and sent it straight back into their goal. And finally David K., new kid on the block, who followed up a shot and headed it over the keeper. 3:1 at half time, we had no reason to complain.
Second half started with another noteworthy goal, straight from the kick-off. Javier danced around with the ball a bit, then passed it on to Andrew who somehow got a shot off. The keeper got a hand on it but it barely rolled over the line for the 4:1. Corinthians got pretty mad at this point and started throwing everything forward, scoring the 4:2 and 4:3 before we settled things down with the 5:3. Corinthians came back again and scored the 5:4 and then tied the game 5:5. They definitely had the momentum at that point to keep going, but Javier and Cary put a lid on it, and we beat them 7:5 in the end. One of the crazier games I've played in a long time.
Goals: Ben, Cary (2), David K., Andrew, Javier (2)
MVP: Cary
It might look like there wasn't a whole lot of defense on either side of this one. Not so, our defense actually had to work pretty hard the whole game. Corinthians played really well, lots of quick passes and high pace, having much more possession than us. Kyle in goal had plenty of saves and was pretty warmed up at half time. We had maybe 4 chances in the first half and scored 3 times. First Ben, who ran down a great pass on the left and scored the 1:0. Then Cary, who picked up a throw from the Corinthians' keeper and sent it straight back into their goal. And finally David K., new kid on the block, who followed up a shot and headed it over the keeper. 3:1 at half time, we had no reason to complain.
Second half started with another noteworthy goal, straight from the kick-off. Javier danced around with the ball a bit, then passed it on to Andrew who somehow got a shot off. The keeper got a hand on it but it barely rolled over the line for the 4:1. Corinthians got pretty mad at this point and started throwing everything forward, scoring the 4:2 and 4:3 before we settled things down with the 5:3. Corinthians came back again and scored the 5:4 and then tied the game 5:5. They definitely had the momentum at that point to keep going, but Javier and Cary put a lid on it, and we beat them 7:5 in the end. One of the crazier games I've played in a long time.
Goals: Ben, Cary (2), David K., Andrew, Javier (2)
MVP: Cary
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Cucuy Beats Atletico
Cucuy FC - Atletico Peru 3:1 (1:0)
Seems like we just played these guys. As it turned out, they seemed to bring a different team. Some of their better players apparently sat this game out. Which was helpful, as we were missing all of our usual guys in the center and then some. Karol and Brent were gone from the back, Eddy was out, Hintz is dead for a while, we’re already not off to a good start. On top of that, Stan had been out riding horses on the soccer field making one of the most divot filled fields we’ve played on in a steady cross wind.
We started in good control of the game. Maintaining possession and moving the ball around. We made good use of the back line and keeper passes, swinging the ball and forth and running down the wings. With Scotty back in the midfield and Jason and Stan rotating as our stopper few attacks made it very deep into our end.
The scoring opened after a Cucuy defensive stop and Nate moving the ball up. Several passes wove through the defenders and was on Javi’s foot near the 18. Javi tried to pass across the box but it was intercepted by a greedy Schlunie who was able to chase the ball down and neatly lift it over the keeper. Cucuy’s attacks continued the rest of the half. Several good outside chances, with 3 or 4 good crosses that just didn’t connect. Despite spending a lot of time in their half, Cucuy couldn’t convert the second goal. Atletico had trouble mounting much offense and had little more than outside shots.
The second half started similar to the first, attack after attack not resulting in a goal. Eventually Atletico broke forward. After a challenge from Nate and Stan, outside the box, the ref whistled for obstruction, tripping, and pushing; the call changed each time we asked him. He then gave a penalty. Atletico converted and Schlunie had to fill in for Karol by yelling at the ref until given a card.
With a new breath of life, Atletico pressed hard. In short order they had two shots off the crossbar, a few corner kicks, and a free kick from about 30 yards. After the free kick, Nick and Cary had been doing such a good job shutting down the left side, Atletico stopped passing to their guys out there. Frustrated, the player walked off the field and went home.
From here, Cucuy took over. Pressure on their goal increased and our defense pushed higher and marked tighter. After holding the ball in their end, it finally made its way out wide. An off-angle shot put the keeper out of position and let Todd hammer home the rebound to reclaim the lead. Only a few minutes later, Cary had the ball near the 18, beat 2 or 3 defenders and hammered the ball home. The keeper got a hand on it but it wasn’t enough. After that, chances continued but no more would fall.
- Dave
Goals: Schlunie, Todd, Cary
Seems like we just played these guys. As it turned out, they seemed to bring a different team. Some of their better players apparently sat this game out. Which was helpful, as we were missing all of our usual guys in the center and then some. Karol and Brent were gone from the back, Eddy was out, Hintz is dead for a while, we’re already not off to a good start. On top of that, Stan had been out riding horses on the soccer field making one of the most divot filled fields we’ve played on in a steady cross wind.
We started in good control of the game. Maintaining possession and moving the ball around. We made good use of the back line and keeper passes, swinging the ball and forth and running down the wings. With Scotty back in the midfield and Jason and Stan rotating as our stopper few attacks made it very deep into our end.
The scoring opened after a Cucuy defensive stop and Nate moving the ball up. Several passes wove through the defenders and was on Javi’s foot near the 18. Javi tried to pass across the box but it was intercepted by a greedy Schlunie who was able to chase the ball down and neatly lift it over the keeper. Cucuy’s attacks continued the rest of the half. Several good outside chances, with 3 or 4 good crosses that just didn’t connect. Despite spending a lot of time in their half, Cucuy couldn’t convert the second goal. Atletico had trouble mounting much offense and had little more than outside shots.
The second half started similar to the first, attack after attack not resulting in a goal. Eventually Atletico broke forward. After a challenge from Nate and Stan, outside the box, the ref whistled for obstruction, tripping, and pushing; the call changed each time we asked him. He then gave a penalty. Atletico converted and Schlunie had to fill in for Karol by yelling at the ref until given a card.
With a new breath of life, Atletico pressed hard. In short order they had two shots off the crossbar, a few corner kicks, and a free kick from about 30 yards. After the free kick, Nick and Cary had been doing such a good job shutting down the left side, Atletico stopped passing to their guys out there. Frustrated, the player walked off the field and went home.
From here, Cucuy took over. Pressure on their goal increased and our defense pushed higher and marked tighter. After holding the ball in their end, it finally made its way out wide. An off-angle shot put the keeper out of position and let Todd hammer home the rebound to reclaim the lead. Only a few minutes later, Cary had the ball near the 18, beat 2 or 3 defenders and hammered the ball home. The keeper got a hand on it but it wasn’t enough. After that, chances continued but no more would fall.
- Dave
Goals: Schlunie, Todd, Cary