Cucuy FC - The Republic 1:2 (0:1)
These guys were pretty good, and definitely had more of the game first half. The goal was a kind of crazy half-bicycle that hit the cross bar and went in. Everything else that came at our goal that half Kyle was able to defuse. Let's say Kyle was pretty warmed up at half time. Our best chance had Lamar who was in perfect position at the far post after Danny had crossed it in from the right, but barely missed.
Second half started completely different. I don't know if folks were fed up with the score, or maybe it was Dave's fiery speech at half, but we really created some chances, and the game was even at this time. Too bad Republic was able to score the second, apparently a clear offside. But we fought back and Steve finally was able to put one away for us from some distance, nice one.
We got the chance to tie the game with a penalty, but the keeper saved Scott's shot. In my view it was never a penalty to begin with since it was outside the box. If this is the same team that was the runner up of the Premier League in
Spring, I guess we can live with that loss. By the way, are we back in
Premier League, Dave?
Eddy
Goal: Steve K.
MVP: Steve K.
Monday, September 22, 2014
Friday, August 22, 2014
Toros no Match for Cucuy
Cucuy FC - Deportivo Toros 4:0 (2:0)
These guys had more possession than us, and knew how to play, but did not play well as a team. We kind of gave up on the midfield and then just let them run into our defensive wall. Nick Catenaccio Hawkins showed his opponents time after time. Schluni did a great job moving his defense around and keeping everyone marked. And once we got the ball, we showed them what to with it. A quick Justin-Hintz-Steve-then-long-to-Scott. Or Schluni-Steve-Hintz-then-long-to-Jason. Or Nate-Hintz-Cole-then-long-to-Scott. Some of these plays were really good. First goal, and best one today, came after one of these and then a cross from Scott that pretty much fell on Mike's head. Scott then took in on himself to finish the next one.
Second half Toros pushed again, but we kept scoring, first Lamar, then Josh. After that things got a bit more involved, couple of dirty plays, unnecessary fouls. Part of that was unfortunately the refs fault, who didn't really do much, and one of the linesmen, who was struggling with the offside rule. It was funny to see that guy get into an argument with the SASA head ref, who was watching him from the sideline.
Thanks to Dave for the refreshments. Justin and Hintz, we're going to miss you guys. Hals und Beinbruch!
Goals: Scott, Mike, Lamar, Josh
MVP: Scott
These guys had more possession than us, and knew how to play, but did not play well as a team. We kind of gave up on the midfield and then just let them run into our defensive wall. Nick Catenaccio Hawkins showed his opponents time after time. Schluni did a great job moving his defense around and keeping everyone marked. And once we got the ball, we showed them what to with it. A quick Justin-Hintz-Steve-then-long-to-Scott. Or Schluni-Steve-Hintz-then-long-to-Jason. Or Nate-Hintz-Cole-then-long-to-Scott. Some of these plays were really good. First goal, and best one today, came after one of these and then a cross from Scott that pretty much fell on Mike's head. Scott then took in on himself to finish the next one.
Second half Toros pushed again, but we kept scoring, first Lamar, then Josh. After that things got a bit more involved, couple of dirty plays, unnecessary fouls. Part of that was unfortunately the refs fault, who didn't really do much, and one of the linesmen, who was struggling with the offside rule. It was funny to see that guy get into an argument with the SASA head ref, who was watching him from the sideline.
Thanks to Dave for the refreshments. Justin and Hintz, we're going to miss you guys. Hals und Beinbruch!
Goals: Scott, Mike, Lamar, Josh
MVP: Scott
SK United Beats Cucuy
SK United - Cucuy FC 4:1
We were lacking Eddy, Karol, Hintz, Ben and Cary. All of them would have been really helpful for that extra offensive spark. 3 of their goals were sloppy "too far pushes" by our defense, then no one got back. We also should have had at least 2 more. Justin Anderson got in behind the defense twice. Tried to force a touch pass instead of slotting it home once. Tried to overhit the next time and put it right into the keeper's chest. Josh Anderson could have had another too. Got in behind the defense but just blasted it over the bar.
Goal: Josh
We were lacking Eddy, Karol, Hintz, Ben and Cary. All of them would have been really helpful for that extra offensive spark. 3 of their goals were sloppy "too far pushes" by our defense, then no one got back. We also should have had at least 2 more. Justin Anderson got in behind the defense twice. Tried to force a touch pass instead of slotting it home once. Tried to overhit the next time and put it right into the keeper's chest. Josh Anderson could have had another too. Got in behind the defense but just blasted it over the bar.
Goal: Josh
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
Cucuy Shuts Out Atlas
Cucuy FC - Atlas 2:0 (1:0)
With a little help from the Machine we were able to pull this one off. Atlas had a lot of skill and speed, and threw in a few dirty plays for good measure. We had the upper hand for the first few minutes, in part because Atlas started short. Once they had all men on board it was an even game. Atlas attacked but our defense around Schluni and Ben stood firm. On one counter attack Steve connected with a beautiful long pass to Scott, who just put it away for the 1:0.
Second half Atlas started like they were out to prove something. They pushed us back and got several chances, but Kyle stopped them in their tracks. When it looked like the tying goal was a matter of time, I think Scott brought in a perfect cross from the far left side. In came Huczek flying, and falling sideways, hammered it volley into the net. All that world cup studying finally paid off.
Soon later, one of the Atlas players blew a fuse and punched Mike in the face. The ref said "no es bueno" and sent the player off with a red. After that, the game was pretty much decided.
Goals: Scott, Jason
MVP: Scott
With a little help from the Machine we were able to pull this one off. Atlas had a lot of skill and speed, and threw in a few dirty plays for good measure. We had the upper hand for the first few minutes, in part because Atlas started short. Once they had all men on board it was an even game. Atlas attacked but our defense around Schluni and Ben stood firm. On one counter attack Steve connected with a beautiful long pass to Scott, who just put it away for the 1:0.
Second half Atlas started like they were out to prove something. They pushed us back and got several chances, but Kyle stopped them in their tracks. When it looked like the tying goal was a matter of time, I think Scott brought in a perfect cross from the far left side. In came Huczek flying, and falling sideways, hammered it volley into the net. All that world cup studying finally paid off.
Soon later, one of the Atlas players blew a fuse and punched Mike in the face. The ref said "no es bueno" and sent the player off with a red. After that, the game was pretty much decided.
Goals: Scott, Jason
MVP: Scott
Cucuy Breaks Losing Streak, Todd Gets Hattrick
Cucuy FC - Atletico Peru 5:0
A win, finally. And congrats to Todd on the hattrick. When's the last time that happened?
Goals: Todd (3), Cary, Steve
A win, finally. And congrats to Todd on the hattrick. When's the last time that happened?
Goals: Todd (3), Cary, Steve
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
Cucuy Uses Up Bad Luck in Second Summer Game
Cucuy FC - Anteaters 1:4 (0:1)
Not sure if these guys are in our league, but they were good. The main problem was, Kyle wasn't available, so we had to find another keeper. Jason played first half and did what he could, only let one shot past him, not bad. On our attack, Ben had two good chances, missed the goal by a tad, and hit the post on the second.
Second half the game was pretty even, with chances on both sides. Mason was in goal second half and saw a lot more action. We tried to keep the ball away from the goal but the Anteaters were able to score three more. Ben had another two really good chances, missed on by a hair and the keeper saved the other one, looks like the keeper knew what he was doing. Hintz got the goal of honor after a nice setup from Jason on the left. If Jason had played up front first half, everything would have been different...
Goal: Hintz
MVP: Karol
Not sure if these guys are in our league, but they were good. The main problem was, Kyle wasn't available, so we had to find another keeper. Jason played first half and did what he could, only let one shot past him, not bad. On our attack, Ben had two good chances, missed the goal by a tad, and hit the post on the second.
Second half the game was pretty even, with chances on both sides. Mason was in goal second half and saw a lot more action. We tried to keep the ball away from the goal but the Anteaters were able to score three more. Ben had another two really good chances, missed on by a hair and the keeper saved the other one, looks like the keeper knew what he was doing. Hintz got the goal of honor after a nice setup from Jason on the left. If Jason had played up front first half, everything would have been different...
Goal: Hintz
MVP: Karol
Summer Season Starts with a Loss
Cucuy FC - BFG United 1:4
For the season opener we played another Premier League team, BFG, which has given us trouble in the past. They started with only 9 players, which did not stop them from scoring the 1:0. Soon they added a player and another goal, but we came back with our only goal that day from Hintz. They could have added another one but luckily, Nick in goal was able to save it. Unluckily, he was not our goalie, so he was sent off with a red, a very fair move on Nick's side leveling the playing field 10 vs. 10.
Second half they were able to add two more.
Goal: Dave H.
MVP:
For the season opener we played another Premier League team, BFG, which has given us trouble in the past. They started with only 9 players, which did not stop them from scoring the 1:0. Soon they added a player and another goal, but we came back with our only goal that day from Hintz. They could have added another one but luckily, Nick in goal was able to save it. Unluckily, he was not our goalie, so he was sent off with a red, a very fair move on Nick's side leveling the playing field 10 vs. 10.
Second half they were able to add two more.
Goal: Dave H.
MVP:
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
Odd Game Against Republic
Cucuy FC : Republic FC 4:5 (1:5)
This game just further reinforced that the divisions don’t mean anything here in SASA, because for the second week in a row, we played a premier division team. However, instead of playing a bottom of the barrel premier team, we got put up against the second place Republic FC. Thanks Gary… thanks a lot.
The first half went pretty abysmally for us. We only had one goal to show which was somewhere in the middle of 5 Republic goals. Our one goal came from Scott K. who received a ball up top outside the 18 and ripped a curling shot over the keepers head to the center of the net. A lot of Republic’s goals were just unfortunate long shots that rebounded right to one of their players for an easy finish.
However, in an unlikely turn of events we owned the second half of the game. A possible correlation to this result was Hintz stepping off of the field when Scott K. generously offered him a sub shortly into the half. With that change, we all of a sudden started scoring goals. It started with another Josh-style goal from none other than Josh himself. He found his sweet spot again at the upper right corner of the box where basically no one except him has any right to shoot from. He took a curling left footed shot which soared right over the keepers head to the far netting. Well done. Next came a run down the right side from Huczek, who managed to catch the bull and take a hard shot from a tough angle from the right side, and the ball managed to slip through the keeper’s hands. This prompted a response from a frustrated Republic midfield amongst themselves “How many crap goals are we going to let in?!”, to which Jason sarcastically replied “Well, that’s 3 now…”
Lastly, in his first game with Cucuy, John was able to score on a break through the middle resulting from some nice passing with other Cucuy offense men, which he tucked away to the far left netting on his way in. It was a good display of perseverance despite the score at halftime.
-Hintz
Goals: Scott K., Josh, Jason, John
MVP: Josh
This game just further reinforced that the divisions don’t mean anything here in SASA, because for the second week in a row, we played a premier division team. However, instead of playing a bottom of the barrel premier team, we got put up against the second place Republic FC. Thanks Gary… thanks a lot.
The first half went pretty abysmally for us. We only had one goal to show which was somewhere in the middle of 5 Republic goals. Our one goal came from Scott K. who received a ball up top outside the 18 and ripped a curling shot over the keepers head to the center of the net. A lot of Republic’s goals were just unfortunate long shots that rebounded right to one of their players for an easy finish.
However, in an unlikely turn of events we owned the second half of the game. A possible correlation to this result was Hintz stepping off of the field when Scott K. generously offered him a sub shortly into the half. With that change, we all of a sudden started scoring goals. It started with another Josh-style goal from none other than Josh himself. He found his sweet spot again at the upper right corner of the box where basically no one except him has any right to shoot from. He took a curling left footed shot which soared right over the keepers head to the far netting. Well done. Next came a run down the right side from Huczek, who managed to catch the bull and take a hard shot from a tough angle from the right side, and the ball managed to slip through the keeper’s hands. This prompted a response from a frustrated Republic midfield amongst themselves “How many crap goals are we going to let in?!”, to which Jason sarcastically replied “Well, that’s 3 now…”
Lastly, in his first game with Cucuy, John was able to score on a break through the middle resulting from some nice passing with other Cucuy offense men, which he tucked away to the far left netting on his way in. It was a good display of perseverance despite the score at halftime.
-Hintz
Goals: Scott K., Josh, Jason, John
MVP: Josh
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
Cucuy Deports Toros
Cucuy FC vs. Deportivo Toros 4:1 (2:0)
What an unbelievable game to have the privilege of writing the summary for. We had 14 confirmed players for this Sunday, but we actually started and ended the game with 9. We had 10 for half of the game while Justin was on the field, but he unfortunately hyper-extended his knee and was carried off the pitch early in the second half. Hopefully it’s not too serious and we’ll see you back on the field soon. Before the game even started, there was discussion in the midfield if we should forfeit and turn the game into an even numbered scrimmage, but we decided to at least play the first half and see how things went.
In the beginning of the game we just sustained and marked as best we could to not concede any early goals. We found chances of our own on counter attacks up the wings, but nothing materialized for us. We earned a free kick from the right side of the field, which Karol took and put it into the box on the far post. Toros defenders interfered with their keeper and the ball sailed through the defense, which somehow connected with Scott D. running through on the back side. Not expecting the ball, it went off Scott’s chest and into the net. Now we actually had something to play for. Just before the end of the first half, a lazy clearance from the Toros defense gave Hintz the ball outside the 18. He beat a defender 5-hole and was in on the keeper which he slotted far post. On the walk back to midfield the whistle blew for halftime, which was a dagger to Toros going down another goal right before the half was called.
We knew second half would be brutal. It was getting hotter outside, we expended a ton of energy in the first half, and Toros is not the type of team to give up. We continued to develop chances on counter attacks while Toros struggle to find chances of their own. On a play where their entire team pushed up way too far (everyone past half field), Hintz was able to put Steve K. in on his own 1 on 1 with their keeper. Steve was already behind their defense as the ball was played, and he wasn’t even past the half line. Steve juked the keeper to the right, just as the Toros defense caught up with him. He took a tough angle shot that Toros got a piece of, and the ball slowly trickled back into the corner of the net for an unbelievable 3 goal lead.
Just when we thought it couldn’t get any better, we earned a corner, which we elected to let Scott D. take since he’s naturally lefty. He swung the ball in where Hintz beat the Toros defense in the air Brent Becker style to give Cucuy a 4 goal lead. Now we decided it was time to turtle up and just maintain the lead. There was about 30 minutes left and we were gassed. Toros only managed to score one through the remainder of the game due to some serious effort on the defensive front.
Serious props go to the Cucuy defense for playing tight and active all game. Nick had a great stomach save on a shot that went far post where he held tight on the goal line. Kyle had one of his best games ever in regards to coming off his line collecting crosses played into the Cucuy 18, which prevented anything from developing. He also had some stud saves on long shots from the 18.
I’m sure everyone knows at this point, but Karol has started a job in Houston as of today, June 2. He will be with us for a couple more games over the next month, but sadly we’ll be losing him permanently in the near future. Dave Schluneker will be taking over management of Cucuy, so let’s show him the same level of dedication that we’ve given to Karol all these years.
Dave H.
Goals: Hintz (2), Scott D., Steve K.
MVP: All of Cucuy. Everyone individually stepped up and did our part in this game and we truly earned this win as a team.
What an unbelievable game to have the privilege of writing the summary for. We had 14 confirmed players for this Sunday, but we actually started and ended the game with 9. We had 10 for half of the game while Justin was on the field, but he unfortunately hyper-extended his knee and was carried off the pitch early in the second half. Hopefully it’s not too serious and we’ll see you back on the field soon. Before the game even started, there was discussion in the midfield if we should forfeit and turn the game into an even numbered scrimmage, but we decided to at least play the first half and see how things went.
In the beginning of the game we just sustained and marked as best we could to not concede any early goals. We found chances of our own on counter attacks up the wings, but nothing materialized for us. We earned a free kick from the right side of the field, which Karol took and put it into the box on the far post. Toros defenders interfered with their keeper and the ball sailed through the defense, which somehow connected with Scott D. running through on the back side. Not expecting the ball, it went off Scott’s chest and into the net. Now we actually had something to play for. Just before the end of the first half, a lazy clearance from the Toros defense gave Hintz the ball outside the 18. He beat a defender 5-hole and was in on the keeper which he slotted far post. On the walk back to midfield the whistle blew for halftime, which was a dagger to Toros going down another goal right before the half was called.
We knew second half would be brutal. It was getting hotter outside, we expended a ton of energy in the first half, and Toros is not the type of team to give up. We continued to develop chances on counter attacks while Toros struggle to find chances of their own. On a play where their entire team pushed up way too far (everyone past half field), Hintz was able to put Steve K. in on his own 1 on 1 with their keeper. Steve was already behind their defense as the ball was played, and he wasn’t even past the half line. Steve juked the keeper to the right, just as the Toros defense caught up with him. He took a tough angle shot that Toros got a piece of, and the ball slowly trickled back into the corner of the net for an unbelievable 3 goal lead.
Just when we thought it couldn’t get any better, we earned a corner, which we elected to let Scott D. take since he’s naturally lefty. He swung the ball in where Hintz beat the Toros defense in the air Brent Becker style to give Cucuy a 4 goal lead. Now we decided it was time to turtle up and just maintain the lead. There was about 30 minutes left and we were gassed. Toros only managed to score one through the remainder of the game due to some serious effort on the defensive front.
Serious props go to the Cucuy defense for playing tight and active all game. Nick had a great stomach save on a shot that went far post where he held tight on the goal line. Kyle had one of his best games ever in regards to coming off his line collecting crosses played into the Cucuy 18, which prevented anything from developing. He also had some stud saves on long shots from the 18.
I’m sure everyone knows at this point, but Karol has started a job in Houston as of today, June 2. He will be with us for a couple more games over the next month, but sadly we’ll be losing him permanently in the near future. Dave Schluneker will be taking over management of Cucuy, so let’s show him the same level of dedication that we’ve given to Karol all these years.
Dave H.
Goals: Hintz (2), Scott D., Steve K.
MVP: All of Cucuy. Everyone individually stepped up and did our part in this game and we truly earned this win as a team.
Corinthians Show up Short
Cucuy FC - 2nd Corinthians FC 5:3 (0:0)
2nd Corinthians is that young team that you always dread playing because you know they’re going to run for the full 90 minutes. They play a mature style of soccer for their age and the main edge we have on them is body size, which allows us to control the game from a physical angle. However, we didn’t have to do so as much this Sunday because Corinthians started the game with 8 players on the field.
Despite playing several players down, Corinthians made good use of what they had. We weren’t playing urgently and as a result we didn’t score any goals in the first half even though we were up several men. The flood gates opened in the second half though. Corinthians defense started getting tired as you would expect and we started finding Cucuy players open in their 18. Scott Dollar scored two in the second half; another great header reminiscent of his Cinco goal, and an tight angle shot where he beat the keeper near post. Huczek had two for himself that came from hard, Huczek style shots where he was left unmarked in the box. He nearly completed his hat trick a couple of times. Cary had one of his own similar to Scott Dollar’s off angle goal, except Cary went far post.
Just as we went up 3 or 4 to nothing, Corinthians kept it interesting and scored a couple of their own. They had players trickle in one after another, and by the end of the game they were playing down only one man. They gave us a little scare and I think at one point it was 4-2. We gave ourselves a buffer again with 5-2, and then Corinthians relentlessly made it 5-3. We shut it down for a last couple of minutes to seal the win.
Dave H.
Goals: Scott D. (2), Huczek (2), Cary
MVP: Scott D.
2nd Corinthians is that young team that you always dread playing because you know they’re going to run for the full 90 minutes. They play a mature style of soccer for their age and the main edge we have on them is body size, which allows us to control the game from a physical angle. However, we didn’t have to do so as much this Sunday because Corinthians started the game with 8 players on the field.
Despite playing several players down, Corinthians made good use of what they had. We weren’t playing urgently and as a result we didn’t score any goals in the first half even though we were up several men. The flood gates opened in the second half though. Corinthians defense started getting tired as you would expect and we started finding Cucuy players open in their 18. Scott Dollar scored two in the second half; another great header reminiscent of his Cinco goal, and an tight angle shot where he beat the keeper near post. Huczek had two for himself that came from hard, Huczek style shots where he was left unmarked in the box. He nearly completed his hat trick a couple of times. Cary had one of his own similar to Scott Dollar’s off angle goal, except Cary went far post.
Just as we went up 3 or 4 to nothing, Corinthians kept it interesting and scored a couple of their own. They had players trickle in one after another, and by the end of the game they were playing down only one man. They gave us a little scare and I think at one point it was 4-2. We gave ourselves a buffer again with 5-2, and then Corinthians relentlessly made it 5-3. We shut it down for a last couple of minutes to seal the win.
Dave H.
Goals: Scott D. (2), Huczek (2), Cary
MVP: Scott D.
Cinco Gets the Best of Cucuy in 2014
Apologies to the Cucuy for taking a month to get these write
ups done.
Cinco didn’t yield the best results for us this year. We won 1 of our 3 games, which meant we
didn’t get to continue onto Sunday.
Unlike years past, the teams that we played in the 2014 tournament were
all teams we could have beaten.
Contributing factors to our loses included not playing together a game
as a team in several weeks leading up to the tournament and the fields at STAR
have degenerated to complete crap.
Regardless of our poor outcome, here’s a quick recap of each game.
Cucuy FC vs. Southpaw
United 0:2 (0:2)
Southpaw came out of the gates with a lot more steam than we
did, pressuring us from the get go.
There was an early goal scored on a scrappy cross into the box that
caught off guard us before we really got a flow going. Southpaw played fast and aggressive all game,
nothing we couldn’t have combated on a normal day, but maybe a game starting at
7:30 AM was just a little too early for us.
Another goal was scored later in the game that slips my memory.
Cucuy FC vs. Moya FC
0:1 (0:0)
Moya was the strongest team that we played in the
tournament, but it was also the strongest game we played in the
tournament. They had some serious speed
scattered throughout their lineup, making them tough to beat up top and tough
to defend against in back. The first
half ended in a tie, presenting no clear advantage to either team through the
first 45 minutes. Moya eventually wound
up scoring one in the second half, which was the only goal of the game.
Cucuy FC vs.
Islanders 5:3 (0:0)
It was unfortunate that Islanders were our last game of the
tourney. They were by far the weakest
team in our group, and had we played them and earned a win earlier in the day,
we might have had some added motivation to step up against either of the teams
from our first two games. By this point
of the day, we were physically tired and sluggish from the beers consumed
between games 2 and 3. Islanders were a
weak team and played like they had nothing to win (which they didn’t). Scott Dollar made his Cucuy scoring debut
with a hattrick. The most notable of his
three goals was a rocket header that was well placed off of a hard cross. Eddy and Cary had the other goals.
Dave H.
Tournament Goals: Scott D. (3), Cary, Eddy
Dave H.
Tournament Goals: Scott D. (3), Cary, Eddy
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Cucuy Looks for a Mulligan
Cucuy FC : Mulligan’s FC 0:6 (0:3)
The only mulligan that Cucuy is looking for after this game is the type that gives us a do-over. You have to show up ready to play a hard fought game when you’re facing Mulligan’s, and we definitely did not show up in proper fashion to play a worthy game. Sunday was a cold, muggy morning with weather that was just begging to start raining at any time, and it probably didn’t help our spirits.
It was a one sided bashing from the get go. The only thing we might have won all day was the coin toss. Mulligan’s scored within the first ten minutes on a head high cross that awkwardly made it through the Cucuy defense and was picked up by a Mulligan’s striker on the far side of the net. It wasn’t a very authoritative finish, but it was enough to get it to the back of the net. Only five minutes later Mulligan’s scored again with a textbook passing play through the middle, which only allowed the Cucuy defense to try to contain positionally, but Mulligan’s executed perfectly and the goal couldn’t be stopped. After that second goal, only being 15 minutes into the game and not generating anything positive in our favor, I think everyone knew we were in for a beating.
We found sparse opportunities throughout the game, mostly on long shots that were well taken but either missed the net by a couple feet, got blocked by traffic, or got smothered by the enormous Mulligan’s keeper. We failed all game to generate any significant offense that really penetrated the Mulligan defense. The goals for Mulligan’s just seemed to trickle in one after another and I think we were all glad to hear the final whistle so we could go home and nurse our asses.
We don’t often lose by such a large margin, so let’s forget it and move on. MVP goes to Paris for hustling and tracking with his man all game despite the score.
Goals: None
MVP: Paris
The only mulligan that Cucuy is looking for after this game is the type that gives us a do-over. You have to show up ready to play a hard fought game when you’re facing Mulligan’s, and we definitely did not show up in proper fashion to play a worthy game. Sunday was a cold, muggy morning with weather that was just begging to start raining at any time, and it probably didn’t help our spirits.
It was a one sided bashing from the get go. The only thing we might have won all day was the coin toss. Mulligan’s scored within the first ten minutes on a head high cross that awkwardly made it through the Cucuy defense and was picked up by a Mulligan’s striker on the far side of the net. It wasn’t a very authoritative finish, but it was enough to get it to the back of the net. Only five minutes later Mulligan’s scored again with a textbook passing play through the middle, which only allowed the Cucuy defense to try to contain positionally, but Mulligan’s executed perfectly and the goal couldn’t be stopped. After that second goal, only being 15 minutes into the game and not generating anything positive in our favor, I think everyone knew we were in for a beating.
We found sparse opportunities throughout the game, mostly on long shots that were well taken but either missed the net by a couple feet, got blocked by traffic, or got smothered by the enormous Mulligan’s keeper. We failed all game to generate any significant offense that really penetrated the Mulligan defense. The goals for Mulligan’s just seemed to trickle in one after another and I think we were all glad to hear the final whistle so we could go home and nurse our asses.
We don’t often lose by such a large margin, so let’s forget it and move on. MVP goes to Paris for hustling and tracking with his man all game despite the score.
Goals: None
MVP: Paris
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Shootout at the O.K. Corral
Cucuy FC : Athletico Toros 5:5 (1:2)
There was no shortage or scoring in this game, as the score shows. I’m not sure I’ve ever played a game in my life that resulted in a 5-5 tie. Toros didn’t appear to be too much of a threat at first glance with some older players playing in the back and a heavy set striker (Gordo) up top.
We pounded on Toros’ doorstep for the first 20 minutes of the game. We shredded their defense with nice through balls but regardless of the almost 10 legitimate chances we had on net, we didn’t convert. Finally about 25 min into the first half, a perfectly played head height ball from Steve sent Huczek in behind the Toros defense. With the sweeper breathing down his neck, Huczek took his shot early with the outside of his right foot and curled it around the charging Toros keeper from well outside the 18.
Toros responded almost immediately after we put up the first point. An unassuming foul around midfield turned into a goal for Toros after a quick start on the free kick to one of their strikers, who took his space and put a perfect shot from around 20-25 out leaving Kyle with no chance on the play. What seemed like only a few minutes later, a ball was played in from the right midfield into our 18. Gordo pushed off one of the Cucuy defensemen and deflected the ball into the net on a falling (not diving) header. Simply unfortunate that the scoring opportunities in the first half was about 10-2 in favor of Cucuy, but the score was 2-1 Toros.
More of the same story in the second half. Cucuy had a ton of chances on net and Toros seemed to respond quickly to every point we put on the board. We tied the game off a lucky corner kick that wasn’t taken too well by Hintz. Low and hard into the box, and fortunately a Toros defender tried to clear it hard, but only redirected it back into his own net. Not too long after we took the lead on a cross into the box from Huczek that was received by Hintz. A Toros defender got left with his pants down after Hintz turned on him and went 5-hole on the keeper for 3-2 Cucuy. Going with the story of the game, the lead didn’t last long. Toros scored only a minute or two later after their left midfielder was left unmarked, and received the ball walking in 1 on 1 on Kyle. He tucked it away far side.
A little later, a penetrating ball through the Toros defense came to Steve, who ensured no more shots went right at the Toros keeper, and instead just passed it easily to the side netting. 4-3 Cucuy. Once again, Toros tied the game briefly after us taking the lead. A ball that should have just been cleared early was stripped from our defense, leaving a Toros striker with an easy opportunity to score. With about 10 minutes left, Steve took matters into his own hands and on a scrappy play in the Toros 18, he wound up beating what seemed like every player on the Toros defensive line, and earned himself a clear shot at the far netting, which he successfully converted. 5-4 Cucuy, unbelievable. Sadly, the win just wasn’t meant to be ours on that day. A poorly cleared ball gave the ball back to the Toros left striker, who one more time tied the score at 5-5, which was where it remained until the final whistle.
Goals: Steve (2), Hintz (2), Huczek
MVP: Steve
There was no shortage or scoring in this game, as the score shows. I’m not sure I’ve ever played a game in my life that resulted in a 5-5 tie. Toros didn’t appear to be too much of a threat at first glance with some older players playing in the back and a heavy set striker (Gordo) up top.
We pounded on Toros’ doorstep for the first 20 minutes of the game. We shredded their defense with nice through balls but regardless of the almost 10 legitimate chances we had on net, we didn’t convert. Finally about 25 min into the first half, a perfectly played head height ball from Steve sent Huczek in behind the Toros defense. With the sweeper breathing down his neck, Huczek took his shot early with the outside of his right foot and curled it around the charging Toros keeper from well outside the 18.
Toros responded almost immediately after we put up the first point. An unassuming foul around midfield turned into a goal for Toros after a quick start on the free kick to one of their strikers, who took his space and put a perfect shot from around 20-25 out leaving Kyle with no chance on the play. What seemed like only a few minutes later, a ball was played in from the right midfield into our 18. Gordo pushed off one of the Cucuy defensemen and deflected the ball into the net on a falling (not diving) header. Simply unfortunate that the scoring opportunities in the first half was about 10-2 in favor of Cucuy, but the score was 2-1 Toros.
More of the same story in the second half. Cucuy had a ton of chances on net and Toros seemed to respond quickly to every point we put on the board. We tied the game off a lucky corner kick that wasn’t taken too well by Hintz. Low and hard into the box, and fortunately a Toros defender tried to clear it hard, but only redirected it back into his own net. Not too long after we took the lead on a cross into the box from Huczek that was received by Hintz. A Toros defender got left with his pants down after Hintz turned on him and went 5-hole on the keeper for 3-2 Cucuy. Going with the story of the game, the lead didn’t last long. Toros scored only a minute or two later after their left midfielder was left unmarked, and received the ball walking in 1 on 1 on Kyle. He tucked it away far side.
A little later, a penetrating ball through the Toros defense came to Steve, who ensured no more shots went right at the Toros keeper, and instead just passed it easily to the side netting. 4-3 Cucuy. Once again, Toros tied the game briefly after us taking the lead. A ball that should have just been cleared early was stripped from our defense, leaving a Toros striker with an easy opportunity to score. With about 10 minutes left, Steve took matters into his own hands and on a scrappy play in the Toros 18, he wound up beating what seemed like every player on the Toros defensive line, and earned himself a clear shot at the far netting, which he successfully converted. 5-4 Cucuy, unbelievable. Sadly, the win just wasn’t meant to be ours on that day. A poorly cleared ball gave the ball back to the Toros left striker, who one more time tied the score at 5-5, which was where it remained until the final whistle.
Goals: Steve (2), Hintz (2), Huczek
MVP: Steve
Monday, March 24, 2014
Cucuy Over Atletico Otra Vez
Cucuy FC : Atletico Peru 2:0 (0:0)
You always know you’re in for a good game when you’re scheduled to play Atletico Peru and this Sunday did not disappoint. There was a constant 25 mph wind in one direction all game, which we took the first half after winning the coin toss.
Things were not going our way in the first 15 minutes. We couldn’t seem to connect passes or take a decent first touch in our offensive half of the field, and on top of that Atletico had significant possession in and around our penalty box. Diligent defending prevented the score from slipping to 1 or 2 in favor of Peru early in the game. The Cucuy defense did a great job of making sure everyone was covering a man on these plays and the result was Peru not being able to find a look at net despite stringing several passes together in our box. Kyle came up huge on one particular save where Orange Feet had a complete open shot from the left side, but Kyle cut down the angle and reacted quickly enough to make the save. The pressure alleviated about 20 minutes into the game and the play was no longer only in our half. From that point on we had some promising opportunities on Atletico’s net, but couldn’t convert. The first half ended scoreless.
There was a little concern starting the second half with the strong wind now in our faces, but it actually seemed to help our game. We moved the ball around on the ground, and our midfield/forwards found that first touch that we were lacking in the first half. We spent the first 10 minutes of the half in Peru’s box, forcing their defense to make passes under pressure and winning 50-50 balls in the midfield. Regardless of the consistent pressure, we still didn’t have a goal to show for it. Finally, about 20 minutes into the second half, Scott K. received a ball down the right and beat two defenders around the outside. Approaching the baseline, he was able to find Hintz who was running square to him with a quick ground pass and one touch into the near side of the net. We had a lot more opportunities in the second half, but we couldn’t get the shots off early enough, and most of them were blocked. Approaching the end of the game, Peru was playing with increased urgency. Things were getting chippy, harder fouls were being committed, and the ref was not calling anything in our favor. In the final 5 minutes, Todd played a high cross in from the right that should have been collected by the Peru keeper. However, it slipped through his hands and dropped right to Steve’s feet, who was a few feet away from the net, and he tapped it in easily to crush any hope that Peru had at tying the game.
-Hintz
Goals: Hintz, Steve
MVP: Schluny
You always know you’re in for a good game when you’re scheduled to play Atletico Peru and this Sunday did not disappoint. There was a constant 25 mph wind in one direction all game, which we took the first half after winning the coin toss.
Things were not going our way in the first 15 minutes. We couldn’t seem to connect passes or take a decent first touch in our offensive half of the field, and on top of that Atletico had significant possession in and around our penalty box. Diligent defending prevented the score from slipping to 1 or 2 in favor of Peru early in the game. The Cucuy defense did a great job of making sure everyone was covering a man on these plays and the result was Peru not being able to find a look at net despite stringing several passes together in our box. Kyle came up huge on one particular save where Orange Feet had a complete open shot from the left side, but Kyle cut down the angle and reacted quickly enough to make the save. The pressure alleviated about 20 minutes into the game and the play was no longer only in our half. From that point on we had some promising opportunities on Atletico’s net, but couldn’t convert. The first half ended scoreless.
There was a little concern starting the second half with the strong wind now in our faces, but it actually seemed to help our game. We moved the ball around on the ground, and our midfield/forwards found that first touch that we were lacking in the first half. We spent the first 10 minutes of the half in Peru’s box, forcing their defense to make passes under pressure and winning 50-50 balls in the midfield. Regardless of the consistent pressure, we still didn’t have a goal to show for it. Finally, about 20 minutes into the second half, Scott K. received a ball down the right and beat two defenders around the outside. Approaching the baseline, he was able to find Hintz who was running square to him with a quick ground pass and one touch into the near side of the net. We had a lot more opportunities in the second half, but we couldn’t get the shots off early enough, and most of them were blocked. Approaching the end of the game, Peru was playing with increased urgency. Things were getting chippy, harder fouls were being committed, and the ref was not calling anything in our favor. In the final 5 minutes, Todd played a high cross in from the right that should have been collected by the Peru keeper. However, it slipped through his hands and dropped right to Steve’s feet, who was a few feet away from the net, and he tapped it in easily to crush any hope that Peru had at tying the game.
-Hintz
Goals: Hintz, Steve
MVP: Schluny
Monday, March 17, 2014
Hazed and Confused
Cucuy FC : Haze FC 9:0 (3:0)
The score pretty much tells the story of this game. A total blow out as it should have been. Haze is two divisions below us, and apparently contacted Gary saying they wanted to play a division up their division for a challenge (or something like that). So Gary gave them a game with us, and we promptly shat on them.
I’ll keep the goal write ups brief otherwise this post will run on forever.
We scored in what felt like the first two minutes of the game on a nice 45 pass back from Todd to Hintz, who put it away far side netting first touch. No scoring for a while until Cary got played up on the left side. He had a shot blocked, and collected his own rebound for an easy put away. Todd scored the third before halftime on a centering lead pass from Cole. Todd just barely reached the ball with his toe to poke it past the keeper into the side netting.
The flood gates opened in the second half. Another nice 45 pass back to Hintz, this time from Paris, gave him an easy shot from around the PK spot leaving the keeper without a chance. Karol controlled a ball chest high through the defense and was chopped down from behind for a well deserved PK. He put the PK away no problem. The order of the goals gets fuzzy from this point on. Karol collected a ball on a broken down play inside the Haze penalty box for an easy second goal to his name. Paris finished a 1 on 1 with the keeper after the Haze defense had gotten lazy and let a dangerous penetrating ball get played in. Justin had probably the nicest goal of the game on a blazing run down the right side. Cary hit him with the perfect lead pass. Justin was maybe a half step ahead of his defender, who trailed him the whole way and didn’t give him the easy scoring opportunity. Justin fought him off the whole way down to the baseline and scored on the tough angle. Hintz capped it off right before the final whistle with a turn that beat two defenders at once. He beat the keeper one last time with a hard shot for 9–0 Cucuy. Lol, we’re kind of relentless.
The Cucuy defense didn’t have to work too hard this game, but did a great job with what challenges were presented. The distribution out of the back this game was especially good, which was a catalyst for the development of the numerous goals.
-Hintz
Goals: Hintz (3), Karol (2), Cary, Todd, Paris, Justin
MVP: Hintz
The score pretty much tells the story of this game. A total blow out as it should have been. Haze is two divisions below us, and apparently contacted Gary saying they wanted to play a division up their division for a challenge (or something like that). So Gary gave them a game with us, and we promptly shat on them.
I’ll keep the goal write ups brief otherwise this post will run on forever.
We scored in what felt like the first two minutes of the game on a nice 45 pass back from Todd to Hintz, who put it away far side netting first touch. No scoring for a while until Cary got played up on the left side. He had a shot blocked, and collected his own rebound for an easy put away. Todd scored the third before halftime on a centering lead pass from Cole. Todd just barely reached the ball with his toe to poke it past the keeper into the side netting.
The flood gates opened in the second half. Another nice 45 pass back to Hintz, this time from Paris, gave him an easy shot from around the PK spot leaving the keeper without a chance. Karol controlled a ball chest high through the defense and was chopped down from behind for a well deserved PK. He put the PK away no problem. The order of the goals gets fuzzy from this point on. Karol collected a ball on a broken down play inside the Haze penalty box for an easy second goal to his name. Paris finished a 1 on 1 with the keeper after the Haze defense had gotten lazy and let a dangerous penetrating ball get played in. Justin had probably the nicest goal of the game on a blazing run down the right side. Cary hit him with the perfect lead pass. Justin was maybe a half step ahead of his defender, who trailed him the whole way and didn’t give him the easy scoring opportunity. Justin fought him off the whole way down to the baseline and scored on the tough angle. Hintz capped it off right before the final whistle with a turn that beat two defenders at once. He beat the keeper one last time with a hard shot for 9–0 Cucuy. Lol, we’re kind of relentless.
The Cucuy defense didn’t have to work too hard this game, but did a great job with what challenges were presented. The distribution out of the back this game was especially good, which was a catalyst for the development of the numerous goals.
-Hintz
Goals: Hintz (3), Karol (2), Cary, Todd, Paris, Justin
MVP: Hintz
Cucuy Slides by Crocketteers Raiders
Cucuy FC : Crocketteer Raiders 1:0 (1:0)
We got away with a lucky one against Crocketteers Raiders this weekend. Not that anyone on Cucuy is complaining, but the better team did not win on this day. Raiders are playing up a division from us in premier, so there’s no shame in admitting that they are a stronger team.
We had some offensive pressure in the first half despite the fact that Raiders were the stronger team. However, all of these offensive threats were quickly and aggressively smothered by the Raiders sweeper. He must have had 30 lbs on any of the Cucuy offense men that were playing that day. However, the sweeper got a little too aggressive on a breakaway that was played to Justin. The sweeper blatantly swept Justin’s feet from behind and the referee didn’t hesitate to show him a justified red card. It was a pretty rare occurrence as it was the sweeper’s first committed foul, and it was also the first half of the game. Regardless, the referee was correct in his call, which was only further enforced when the Raider’s coach agreed with card and told the player to stop bitching when he reached his sideline.
Only a minute after the red card was handed out, Cucuy scored off a corner kick. The ball was played in to the near post where Brent was waiting for it. Brent got a piece of it but it didn’t immediately go into the net. There was some panic and confusion amongst Raiders defenders and it looked like they were the last ones to touch it before it crossed the goal line. Either way, credit goes to Brent for the goal.
Even though we were a man up for the last 60 minutes of the game, the obvious skill and team play of Raiders made it seem as though we were the ones playing down a man. We managed to stave off the numerous Raiders attacks, largely thanks to Karol who played aggressive man on man defense with Raiders extremely fast, skilled striker. We walked away with a fairly lucky win on this one.
-Hintz
Goals: Brent
MVP: Brent
We got away with a lucky one against Crocketteers Raiders this weekend. Not that anyone on Cucuy is complaining, but the better team did not win on this day. Raiders are playing up a division from us in premier, so there’s no shame in admitting that they are a stronger team.
We had some offensive pressure in the first half despite the fact that Raiders were the stronger team. However, all of these offensive threats were quickly and aggressively smothered by the Raiders sweeper. He must have had 30 lbs on any of the Cucuy offense men that were playing that day. However, the sweeper got a little too aggressive on a breakaway that was played to Justin. The sweeper blatantly swept Justin’s feet from behind and the referee didn’t hesitate to show him a justified red card. It was a pretty rare occurrence as it was the sweeper’s first committed foul, and it was also the first half of the game. Regardless, the referee was correct in his call, which was only further enforced when the Raider’s coach agreed with card and told the player to stop bitching when he reached his sideline.
Only a minute after the red card was handed out, Cucuy scored off a corner kick. The ball was played in to the near post where Brent was waiting for it. Brent got a piece of it but it didn’t immediately go into the net. There was some panic and confusion amongst Raiders defenders and it looked like they were the last ones to touch it before it crossed the goal line. Either way, credit goes to Brent for the goal.
Even though we were a man up for the last 60 minutes of the game, the obvious skill and team play of Raiders made it seem as though we were the ones playing down a man. We managed to stave off the numerous Raiders attacks, largely thanks to Karol who played aggressive man on man defense with Raiders extremely fast, skilled striker. We walked away with a fairly lucky win on this one.
-Hintz
Goals: Brent
MVP: Brent
Monday, February 24, 2014
Cucuy Defeats Old Friends, Queretaro
Cucuy FC - Queretaro 3:0 (1:0)
Nothing speaks to a clean game and good sportsmanship like facing off against the team that you got in a brawl with 5 years prior. Playing Queretaro will always bring back fond memories of Nate charging the field and hitting the referee, Karol folding a guy in half with his right foot, and Jesse getting chased down by a Mexican hit mob. Fortunately (or unfortunately?) over the years Queretaro has basically changed their entire roster and the past few times we’ve played them things have stayed relatively clean. This past Sunday followed suit.
The game wasn’t too one sided from the start, but we definitely had more chances and certainly had the stronger defense. Despite a few close opportunities for Cucuy the first point wasn’t scored until about 30 minutes into the first half. Paris made his Cucuy debut with a stunning goal. He took a shot first touch with the outside of his left foot from what must have been 30 yards out from the far right side of the field almost to the side line. From the get go it looked like it could go in, but it was such an improbable angle that I don’t think anyone expected it would actually drop. Sure enough the keeper jumped but only got finger tips to it as it bounced in off the inside of the left post and back into the netting. Unbelievable goal, welcome to the team.
The scales only tipped further in our favor in the second half, as the ball didn’t spend much time on our half of the field. The second goal came from a penetrating through the Queretaro defense intended for Patrick. A defender got to it first as he put his body in between Pat and the ball. However, the defender was unsure of what to do as he ran it back toward his keeper. Pat didn’t give up on the play and wound up getting possession back with no one in between him and the net. He passed it in for the 2-0 lead.
Last goal of the game came from Justin, who after a nice string of passes through the Cucuy midfield, received the ball deep in Queretaro territory almost at the baseline. He played a ball toward the center that no one knew if it was a shot or a cross. The keeper, coming off his line in expectation of a cross had to dive backwards to try to control the ball. It ricocheted off of the keeper and into the net as Justin said “Hey, I’ll take it”.
A salute to the Cucuy defense, who shut down everything Queretaro threw our way, limiting them to only long shots all game. Although it was Kyle who truly earned the clean sheet for the team by keeping a few challenging shots out of the net, especially one direct kick from the center of the field a few yards outside the 18.
-Hintzy
Goals: Paris, Patrick, Justin
MVP: Kyle
Nothing speaks to a clean game and good sportsmanship like facing off against the team that you got in a brawl with 5 years prior. Playing Queretaro will always bring back fond memories of Nate charging the field and hitting the referee, Karol folding a guy in half with his right foot, and Jesse getting chased down by a Mexican hit mob. Fortunately (or unfortunately?) over the years Queretaro has basically changed their entire roster and the past few times we’ve played them things have stayed relatively clean. This past Sunday followed suit.
The game wasn’t too one sided from the start, but we definitely had more chances and certainly had the stronger defense. Despite a few close opportunities for Cucuy the first point wasn’t scored until about 30 minutes into the first half. Paris made his Cucuy debut with a stunning goal. He took a shot first touch with the outside of his left foot from what must have been 30 yards out from the far right side of the field almost to the side line. From the get go it looked like it could go in, but it was such an improbable angle that I don’t think anyone expected it would actually drop. Sure enough the keeper jumped but only got finger tips to it as it bounced in off the inside of the left post and back into the netting. Unbelievable goal, welcome to the team.
The scales only tipped further in our favor in the second half, as the ball didn’t spend much time on our half of the field. The second goal came from a penetrating through the Queretaro defense intended for Patrick. A defender got to it first as he put his body in between Pat and the ball. However, the defender was unsure of what to do as he ran it back toward his keeper. Pat didn’t give up on the play and wound up getting possession back with no one in between him and the net. He passed it in for the 2-0 lead.
Last goal of the game came from Justin, who after a nice string of passes through the Cucuy midfield, received the ball deep in Queretaro territory almost at the baseline. He played a ball toward the center that no one knew if it was a shot or a cross. The keeper, coming off his line in expectation of a cross had to dive backwards to try to control the ball. It ricocheted off of the keeper and into the net as Justin said “Hey, I’ll take it”.
A salute to the Cucuy defense, who shut down everything Queretaro threw our way, limiting them to only long shots all game. Although it was Kyle who truly earned the clean sheet for the team by keeping a few challenging shots out of the net, especially one direct kick from the center of the field a few yards outside the 18.
-Hintzy
Goals: Paris, Patrick, Justin
MVP: Kyle
Thursday, February 13, 2014
Atlas Beats Cucuy in Season Opener
Cucuy FC - Atlas 1:4 (1:2)
From the get-go it was clear that these guys could play. I wouldn't say we played bad, these guys just played better. Our passing just got intercepted time after time. We started with several attempts at long passes. A couple of those, especially the straight forward ones, made it to Pat and Scott, but everything played from the sides across didn't go anywhere. Slowly we started to shorten our passing game, but even then Atlas didn't give us any room for error. Pretty frustrating. Atlas had several chances, and we tried our luck mostly with distance shots. Atlas scored twice and things could have been worse if it wasn't for Carl in goal. Then Steve took a shot maybe 30 yards out and suddenly we closed the game up again. The keeper had a hand on it but couldn't keep it out, a beautiful goal.
Second half we tried hard to tie the game, but Atlas wouldn't have any of it. Brent probably had the best chance with a header after a corner, but the goalie kept it out. Then Atlas scored the 3rd after a corner, a header from a pretty short guy who was simply left unmarked. We tried to come back into the game but Atlas scored the 4th and that was the end of that.
Goal: Steve
MVP: Karol
From the get-go it was clear that these guys could play. I wouldn't say we played bad, these guys just played better. Our passing just got intercepted time after time. We started with several attempts at long passes. A couple of those, especially the straight forward ones, made it to Pat and Scott, but everything played from the sides across didn't go anywhere. Slowly we started to shorten our passing game, but even then Atlas didn't give us any room for error. Pretty frustrating. Atlas had several chances, and we tried our luck mostly with distance shots. Atlas scored twice and things could have been worse if it wasn't for Carl in goal. Then Steve took a shot maybe 30 yards out and suddenly we closed the game up again. The keeper had a hand on it but couldn't keep it out, a beautiful goal.
Second half we tried hard to tie the game, but Atlas wouldn't have any of it. Brent probably had the best chance with a header after a corner, but the goalie kept it out. Then Atlas scored the 3rd after a corner, a header from a pretty short guy who was simply left unmarked. We tried to come back into the game but Atlas scored the 4th and that was the end of that.
Goal: Steve
MVP: Karol
Monday, February 3, 2014
Cucuy Takes Revenge on Corinthians
Cucuy FC – 2nd Corinthians 3:1 (1:0)
This game was a good slump breaker after a couple of weeks of frustrating losses. 2nd Corinthians had edged us out last time we played them in a game where we were missing a lot of starting players. However, this Sunday we had a full squad and we showed up ready to play despite the almost freezing temperature, consistent wind, and intermittent freezing rain.
As usual, we played our characteristic counter attack style to Corinthian’s more possession based style. We scored the first goal about 15 minutes into the game after a nice cross from Todd from the left midfield came to Hintz in the center a few yards outside the 18. Hintz took a shot that was helped by the wet ground conditions as it skipped its way past the feet of the Corinthian’s keeper, refusing to use his hands, and into the left side of the net.
Corinthian’s played a solid first half of midfield possession, but were unable to break the Cucuy defense as we shut down every play that came into our 18, limiting them to long shots from the outside which they were unable to put on frame. Great stuff from Schluny, Brent, Nick, Jason, and Josh in back to that effect. First half ended 1:0 in favor of Cucuy.
The second goal came on a pass from the top left side of the 18, from Hintz to Cary. Cary looked for a pass but all Cucuy offense men were marked up. So instead Cary took a left foot shot from just outside the 18, and the Corinthian’s keeper still refusing to use his hands, was unable to keep that one out of the net. 2:0 Cucuy.
Things slowed down a bit after our second goal, and Corinthian’s eventually got a lucky one. A ball that was supposed to be a cross turned into a B-line for the upper right corner when it was miskicked. Carl got hands to it, but there was some miscommunication when Huczek was right there to head the ball at the same time and it wound up deflecting into the upper right side netting.
You could tell Corinthian’s thought they were back in the game after that, but a set piece kick from the left side of the field earned Cucuy the two goal buffer again. Brent delivered a great curling ball into the box and Cucuy fought for the header, which deflected the ball straight to Patrick’s feet 1 on 1 with the keeper. He calmly put the ball away for the increased lead.
Other notable events were a 4th goal being taken away from Cucuy after an offside call where we stole the ball from their defense (figure that one out), and a blatant red card was not given when Josh was clearly destroyed by a Corinthian player’s telekinetic push from the back.
-Hintz
Goals: Hintz, Cary, Patrick
MVP: Hintz
This game was a good slump breaker after a couple of weeks of frustrating losses. 2nd Corinthians had edged us out last time we played them in a game where we were missing a lot of starting players. However, this Sunday we had a full squad and we showed up ready to play despite the almost freezing temperature, consistent wind, and intermittent freezing rain.
As usual, we played our characteristic counter attack style to Corinthian’s more possession based style. We scored the first goal about 15 minutes into the game after a nice cross from Todd from the left midfield came to Hintz in the center a few yards outside the 18. Hintz took a shot that was helped by the wet ground conditions as it skipped its way past the feet of the Corinthian’s keeper, refusing to use his hands, and into the left side of the net.
Corinthian’s played a solid first half of midfield possession, but were unable to break the Cucuy defense as we shut down every play that came into our 18, limiting them to long shots from the outside which they were unable to put on frame. Great stuff from Schluny, Brent, Nick, Jason, and Josh in back to that effect. First half ended 1:0 in favor of Cucuy.
The second goal came on a pass from the top left side of the 18, from Hintz to Cary. Cary looked for a pass but all Cucuy offense men were marked up. So instead Cary took a left foot shot from just outside the 18, and the Corinthian’s keeper still refusing to use his hands, was unable to keep that one out of the net. 2:0 Cucuy.
Things slowed down a bit after our second goal, and Corinthian’s eventually got a lucky one. A ball that was supposed to be a cross turned into a B-line for the upper right corner when it was miskicked. Carl got hands to it, but there was some miscommunication when Huczek was right there to head the ball at the same time and it wound up deflecting into the upper right side netting.
You could tell Corinthian’s thought they were back in the game after that, but a set piece kick from the left side of the field earned Cucuy the two goal buffer again. Brent delivered a great curling ball into the box and Cucuy fought for the header, which deflected the ball straight to Patrick’s feet 1 on 1 with the keeper. He calmly put the ball away for the increased lead.
Other notable events were a 4th goal being taken away from Cucuy after an offside call where we stole the ball from their defense (figure that one out), and a blatant red card was not given when Josh was clearly destroyed by a Corinthian player’s telekinetic push from the back.
-Hintz
Goals: Hintz, Cary, Patrick
MVP: Hintz
Cucuy Gets the SAC
Cucuy FC – San Antonio College 1:2 (0:0)
I wasn’t there to play this one, so I’ll give this report based on my assumptions of the events that transpired.
Cucuy was clearly the superior team as going into this game as SAC was 1-6 coming in, and Cucuy was 4-2-1. We showed our dominance early as an unbelievable play was up by Huczek to Nick for maybe the best goal Cucuy has ever graced the field with. A cross came in slightly above head height that everyone thought would pass right over the 18. Not so! Nick came in from left fullback in a full sprint where he did a jumping 180 bicycle kick that was hit so hard that it actually dislodged the net from the ground, but went off the inside of the right post and still wound up in the net. Bravo Nick, Bravo!
Everyone was so stunned by this surreal display of offensive prowess that we all stood around high fiving and ass-slapping while the ref blew the whistle to resume play. We were so preoccupied by reveling in the awesomeness of Nick’s goal that we didn’t even realize SAC had dribbled straight down the field and passed it into our net. Oh well, 1:1, but well worth it.
We then scored 5 goals that were all disallowed for various reasons by the referee, some of which we’re pretty sure aren’t even actual fouls in soccer (i.e. “being Slovakian”, “not having long enough hair”, and “agreeing with the referee”).
With only a few minutes left, and the game in a dead lock tie, an unfortunate hand ball by Nate in our box gave the other team a PK. Nate wasn’t actually playing in the game, he didn’t even show up to the game, except for a brief 30 seconds where he ran onto the field, picked up the ball, and threw it at the referee. We all just kind of shrugged as none of us were really surprised, except that a PK was given, and SAC scored the winning goal. The whistle blew shortly after the PK, thus closing out the most bizarre Sunday game Cucuy has ever played.
So what really happened? Well, Cucuy showed up short (surprisingly, as we should had 4 subs based on the prior-to-game head count). We managed to pick up an extra player, as he was conveniently standing around our team while gearing up, probably selling tacos or trying to steal our stuff while we were preoccupied with the match. So, Karol pulled the safest play of the day and allowed ‘Gordo’ a chance to suit up with Cucuy. (not sure if he actually returned the jersey after the game…)
SAC possessed the ball in the midfield very well and gave our defense enough work to keep them occupied for the next two weeks. Our strategy was clear, sit back and counter attack as we knew we could not keep up with them for the whole 90 minutes. We held well, unfortunately, we could not take advantage of several good (some great) opportunities to score, as Javier’s shots hit the keeper in the chest time after time. With that, we felt somewhat short-changed at half time with 0:0, as SAC did not produce a clear goal scoring situation… yet.
In the second half, we grew more confident, but after a miscommunication on our left flank, a SAC winger presented a beautiful 45° pass to his teammate. Unmarked on the top of PK spot, he slotted it for 0:1. Javier had to leave, as he had promised us only one half, and now it felt like we were down 2 guys (Gordo was not cutting it…). We moved Steve up to striker, re-align our ranks, and remained patient. Trying to make the best of limited chances, Steve managed to pull a long pass down surrounded by two defenders, and sent a shot into the far side netting for 1:1. Slightly relieved, and feeling that we have pocketed a point from this frustrating game, we were up for a surprise. A long cross into our 18 seemed a non-threat as Kyle managed to collect those all year long, BUT Kyle slipped, and the shortest player on the field headed in the ball just over our keepers extended arm. Final 1:2.
-Hintz & Karol
Actual Goals: Steve
Actual MVP: Schluni
I wasn’t there to play this one, so I’ll give this report based on my assumptions of the events that transpired.
Cucuy was clearly the superior team as going into this game as SAC was 1-6 coming in, and Cucuy was 4-2-1. We showed our dominance early as an unbelievable play was up by Huczek to Nick for maybe the best goal Cucuy has ever graced the field with. A cross came in slightly above head height that everyone thought would pass right over the 18. Not so! Nick came in from left fullback in a full sprint where he did a jumping 180 bicycle kick that was hit so hard that it actually dislodged the net from the ground, but went off the inside of the right post and still wound up in the net. Bravo Nick, Bravo!
Everyone was so stunned by this surreal display of offensive prowess that we all stood around high fiving and ass-slapping while the ref blew the whistle to resume play. We were so preoccupied by reveling in the awesomeness of Nick’s goal that we didn’t even realize SAC had dribbled straight down the field and passed it into our net. Oh well, 1:1, but well worth it.
We then scored 5 goals that were all disallowed for various reasons by the referee, some of which we’re pretty sure aren’t even actual fouls in soccer (i.e. “being Slovakian”, “not having long enough hair”, and “agreeing with the referee”).
With only a few minutes left, and the game in a dead lock tie, an unfortunate hand ball by Nate in our box gave the other team a PK. Nate wasn’t actually playing in the game, he didn’t even show up to the game, except for a brief 30 seconds where he ran onto the field, picked up the ball, and threw it at the referee. We all just kind of shrugged as none of us were really surprised, except that a PK was given, and SAC scored the winning goal. The whistle blew shortly after the PK, thus closing out the most bizarre Sunday game Cucuy has ever played.
So what really happened? Well, Cucuy showed up short (surprisingly, as we should had 4 subs based on the prior-to-game head count). We managed to pick up an extra player, as he was conveniently standing around our team while gearing up, probably selling tacos or trying to steal our stuff while we were preoccupied with the match. So, Karol pulled the safest play of the day and allowed ‘Gordo’ a chance to suit up with Cucuy. (not sure if he actually returned the jersey after the game…)
SAC possessed the ball in the midfield very well and gave our defense enough work to keep them occupied for the next two weeks. Our strategy was clear, sit back and counter attack as we knew we could not keep up with them for the whole 90 minutes. We held well, unfortunately, we could not take advantage of several good (some great) opportunities to score, as Javier’s shots hit the keeper in the chest time after time. With that, we felt somewhat short-changed at half time with 0:0, as SAC did not produce a clear goal scoring situation… yet.
In the second half, we grew more confident, but after a miscommunication on our left flank, a SAC winger presented a beautiful 45° pass to his teammate. Unmarked on the top of PK spot, he slotted it for 0:1. Javier had to leave, as he had promised us only one half, and now it felt like we were down 2 guys (Gordo was not cutting it…). We moved Steve up to striker, re-align our ranks, and remained patient. Trying to make the best of limited chances, Steve managed to pull a long pass down surrounded by two defenders, and sent a shot into the far side netting for 1:1. Slightly relieved, and feeling that we have pocketed a point from this frustrating game, we were up for a surprise. A long cross into our 18 seemed a non-threat as Kyle managed to collect those all year long, BUT Kyle slipped, and the shortest player on the field headed in the ball just over our keepers extended arm. Final 1:2.
-Hintz & Karol
Actual Goals: Steve
Actual MVP: Schluni
SASA Pulls a Houdini on Cucuy
Cucuy FC - Mulligan's FC 1:2 (1:1)
So we were all heading to the game that Sunday morning thinking we were going to play San Antonio College who had a record of 1-6 to that point. Instead we showed up to the field and Mulligan's FC, a competitive premier team, were gearing up on the opposing sideline. We checked the schedule and Gary had changed the matchup on us at the last second. Karol texted Gary saying "wtf?" and Gary's response was "dude, they're moving down." Karol shared his response with me "Moving down on who? You?" Gotta love our Slovakian ambassador; always showing the league management the utmost respect. Despite Karol's attempts at wooing Gary, we had to play the cards we were dealt, even though this game was like trying to bluff a pot with mid pair when someone was holding the nut flush.
We managed to draw first blood even though Mulligan's was clearly the superior squad. A play developing down the right side wound up in Karol crushing a Mulligan's defender, stealing the ball, and crossing it into the middle to Steve. Steve got a shot off that was saved by the keeper, but collected a rebound and put it away for 1:0.
Mulligan’s scored an equalizer a little later in the first half with a play that developed down their right flank. A striker received a ball and pulled all of our defenders to the right side. He got a cross off to his two players who were now unmarked on the back side of the net and they didn’t have much trouble scoring the equalizer.
Early in the second half a risky double team by the Cucuy defense resulted in a Mulligan’s player making an overlapping run behind our defense running onto a nice back heel by the player being double teamed. He marched in unchallenged and took the lead for Mulligan’s. It was an uphill battle the rest of the game that we were unable to overcome. Unfortunately, the better team won that day.
-Hintz
Goals: Steve
MVP: Brent
So we were all heading to the game that Sunday morning thinking we were going to play San Antonio College who had a record of 1-6 to that point. Instead we showed up to the field and Mulligan's FC, a competitive premier team, were gearing up on the opposing sideline. We checked the schedule and Gary had changed the matchup on us at the last second. Karol texted Gary saying "wtf?" and Gary's response was "dude, they're moving down." Karol shared his response with me "Moving down on who? You?" Gotta love our Slovakian ambassador; always showing the league management the utmost respect. Despite Karol's attempts at wooing Gary, we had to play the cards we were dealt, even though this game was like trying to bluff a pot with mid pair when someone was holding the nut flush.
We managed to draw first blood even though Mulligan's was clearly the superior squad. A play developing down the right side wound up in Karol crushing a Mulligan's defender, stealing the ball, and crossing it into the middle to Steve. Steve got a shot off that was saved by the keeper, but collected a rebound and put it away for 1:0.
Mulligan’s scored an equalizer a little later in the first half with a play that developed down their right flank. A striker received a ball and pulled all of our defenders to the right side. He got a cross off to his two players who were now unmarked on the back side of the net and they didn’t have much trouble scoring the equalizer.
Early in the second half a risky double team by the Cucuy defense resulted in a Mulligan’s player making an overlapping run behind our defense running onto a nice back heel by the player being double teamed. He marched in unchallenged and took the lead for Mulligan’s. It was an uphill battle the rest of the game that we were unable to overcome. Unfortunately, the better team won that day.
-Hintz
Goals: Steve
MVP: Brent
Monday, January 6, 2014
Cucuy Hands Mercenaries First Loss of Season
Cucuy FC - Mercenaries FC 3:1 (2:1)
First game of the new year. Out with the old and in with the new . This adage definitely held true for an opposing striker who some of us have come to know dearly as "Diaper Boy" because of his tendency to roll up his shorts as high as humanly possible, only to barely hide his private areas while exposing the lower part of his ass. Apparently our dear Diaper Boy has moved on to greener pastures and decided to let the legs of his shorts fly freely. In light of this earth shattering change, I propose a new nickname for our friend. I propose "Sauce Boss" as he is apparently trying to grow a beard only trumped by the host of epic meal time. Voting on Diaper Boy's new name to be held in the coming weeks...
All joking aside we earned another win we should be proud of. Mercenaries FC was undefeated coming into this one, and we showed why we can be top contenders in Div 1.
The story of the game revolved around a consistently strong wind that favored one direction all game. We won the toss and took the wind advantage first half to try to draw first blood. Our decision paid off and we scored the first two goals of the game. After some long shots that barely missed the net, Mercenaries made some sloppy passes in their 18 and Scott was able to control the ball at the top of the 18 in the center. With 2 defenders in his face he calmly pushed the ball to his left and delivered a shot to the left upper 90. A great finish. A short while later, another free ball misplayed by Mercenaries came to Karol maybe 30-35 yards out. Karol noticed the keeper was way off his line and took the shot on his first touch. The power control was perfect and the ball sailed over the keepers head and landed safely in the net for a 2-0 Cucuy lead.
It had been a while since an errant penalty kick reared it's head in one of our games, but just for the sake of starting 2014 off right we pulled one out. Sauce Boss was doing what Sauce Boss does best, and that's dribbling way too much in the opponents 18. He came in from the left side along the baseline and drew a questionable penalty from Brent. Apparently running along side an opposing offense man is a foul, but only in 2014. This gave Mercenaries their only goal of the game.
We did a phenomenal job defending in the second half. We knew the pressure would be shifted to our defense with the wind now against us, but that didn't seem to change the flow of the game much. We actually owned the only goal of the second half. A beautiful ball played from Jason through the Mercenary defense with the outside of his foot put Scott through one on one with the keeper. Instead of taking the shot early Scott beat the keeper to his right and rolled the ball into the net easily.
Honorable mentions for this game include Kyle for keeping our lead several times. A lot of low bouncing shots came in the second half which Kyle managed to control and not give up any rebounds, and Kyle owned Sauce Bosses lunch near the end of the game making a great diving save which could have tied the game. Also, Steve did a great job jumping in at sweeper. Other than that, lots of hard work all around.
-Hintz
Goals: Scott (2), Karol
MVP: Steve
First game of the new year. Out with the old and in with the new . This adage definitely held true for an opposing striker who some of us have come to know dearly as "Diaper Boy" because of his tendency to roll up his shorts as high as humanly possible, only to barely hide his private areas while exposing the lower part of his ass. Apparently our dear Diaper Boy has moved on to greener pastures and decided to let the legs of his shorts fly freely. In light of this earth shattering change, I propose a new nickname for our friend. I propose "Sauce Boss" as he is apparently trying to grow a beard only trumped by the host of epic meal time. Voting on Diaper Boy's new name to be held in the coming weeks...
All joking aside we earned another win we should be proud of. Mercenaries FC was undefeated coming into this one, and we showed why we can be top contenders in Div 1.
The story of the game revolved around a consistently strong wind that favored one direction all game. We won the toss and took the wind advantage first half to try to draw first blood. Our decision paid off and we scored the first two goals of the game. After some long shots that barely missed the net, Mercenaries made some sloppy passes in their 18 and Scott was able to control the ball at the top of the 18 in the center. With 2 defenders in his face he calmly pushed the ball to his left and delivered a shot to the left upper 90. A great finish. A short while later, another free ball misplayed by Mercenaries came to Karol maybe 30-35 yards out. Karol noticed the keeper was way off his line and took the shot on his first touch. The power control was perfect and the ball sailed over the keepers head and landed safely in the net for a 2-0 Cucuy lead.
It had been a while since an errant penalty kick reared it's head in one of our games, but just for the sake of starting 2014 off right we pulled one out. Sauce Boss was doing what Sauce Boss does best, and that's dribbling way too much in the opponents 18. He came in from the left side along the baseline and drew a questionable penalty from Brent. Apparently running along side an opposing offense man is a foul, but only in 2014. This gave Mercenaries their only goal of the game.
We did a phenomenal job defending in the second half. We knew the pressure would be shifted to our defense with the wind now against us, but that didn't seem to change the flow of the game much. We actually owned the only goal of the second half. A beautiful ball played from Jason through the Mercenary defense with the outside of his foot put Scott through one on one with the keeper. Instead of taking the shot early Scott beat the keeper to his right and rolled the ball into the net easily.
Honorable mentions for this game include Kyle for keeping our lead several times. A lot of low bouncing shots came in the second half which Kyle managed to control and not give up any rebounds, and Kyle owned Sauce Bosses lunch near the end of the game making a great diving save which could have tied the game. Also, Steve did a great job jumping in at sweeper. Other than that, lots of hard work all around.
-Hintz
Goals: Scott (2), Karol
MVP: Steve
Friday, January 3, 2014
Not So Athletico Peru
Cucuy FC - Athletico Peru 3:2 (1:2)
We brought in the new year with a great effort against a solid team, and fortunately our efforts paid off.
The game was evenly played from both sides from the start of the game. I think we had some more threats on net than they did, but they controlled the ball and organized in the center of the field better than us. Having the (generally) younger legs, we were able to compensate and keep up. The first goal belonged to us and came from a semi-controversial corner kick that the Peru players did not seem to think was correctly called. The kick was tight along the goal line, but Justin got in the keepers face and made a stuff play up close to deliver the ball to the back of the net. The latter part of the first half was unfortunate as some uncharacteristically bad passes were made in our defensive half as we were trying to switch the field. These losses of possession resulted in both of Peru's goals.
Despite the frustrating causes for Peru's goals, we regrouped at halftime, made some adjustments, and played with a sense of urgency. We formulated a plan for the center midfield, marking their threats more tightly and all of a sudden their style of play became predictable and easy to defend. The tying goal started at the right side of the field, where Justin crossed a ball on the ground to just above the PK spot. A couple of dummies landed the ball on Karol's feet, where he took it one time to the lower left corner of the net. With the tying goal behind us we dominated the rest of the second half. With just a couple minutes left in the game, when it looked like we weren't going to be able to secure the winning goal, a very similar play to the tying goal resulted in the ball trickling out to Steve about 5 yards outside the 18, where it he took it one time with the outside of his right foot, leaving the keeper with no chance at a save.
Let's continue to bring it strong in 2014.
-Hintz
Goals: Justin, Karol, Steve
MVP: Justin
Cool Fact: Karol scored his 75th goal (!) for Cucuy, and Steve's goal was the 555th for Cucuy since we started keeping track. Prost to that!
We brought in the new year with a great effort against a solid team, and fortunately our efforts paid off.
The game was evenly played from both sides from the start of the game. I think we had some more threats on net than they did, but they controlled the ball and organized in the center of the field better than us. Having the (generally) younger legs, we were able to compensate and keep up. The first goal belonged to us and came from a semi-controversial corner kick that the Peru players did not seem to think was correctly called. The kick was tight along the goal line, but Justin got in the keepers face and made a stuff play up close to deliver the ball to the back of the net. The latter part of the first half was unfortunate as some uncharacteristically bad passes were made in our defensive half as we were trying to switch the field. These losses of possession resulted in both of Peru's goals.
Despite the frustrating causes for Peru's goals, we regrouped at halftime, made some adjustments, and played with a sense of urgency. We formulated a plan for the center midfield, marking their threats more tightly and all of a sudden their style of play became predictable and easy to defend. The tying goal started at the right side of the field, where Justin crossed a ball on the ground to just above the PK spot. A couple of dummies landed the ball on Karol's feet, where he took it one time to the lower left corner of the net. With the tying goal behind us we dominated the rest of the second half. With just a couple minutes left in the game, when it looked like we weren't going to be able to secure the winning goal, a very similar play to the tying goal resulted in the ball trickling out to Steve about 5 yards outside the 18, where it he took it one time with the outside of his right foot, leaving the keeper with no chance at a save.
Let's continue to bring it strong in 2014.
-Hintz
Goals: Justin, Karol, Steve
MVP: Justin
Cool Fact: Karol scored his 75th goal (!) for Cucuy, and Steve's goal was the 555th for Cucuy since we started keeping track. Prost to that!
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