US98 Soccer Rag - Fall 2008 Champions League Season

[DCFinSCB]

After two weekends of end to end action here are some Match Reports from the Managers themselves. From Opening Matchday:

1. Joe Ribaudo, Manager - Fat Daddy's UNITED 8&9; Fat Daddy’s United 8-9 goes down in season opener but not easily and showed that they will be a team to reckon with all season long. The final score was not indicative of the play. Both teams played very well and Coach Joe Ribaudo stated after the game that “losing this game does not concern us. We played Good Soccer, we played our positions and kept our shape for the most part and tried to work the ball. I was very pleased with what I saw and quite proud of all of my players. There is still room for improvement and that will come but we will only get better as the season goes on. We congratulate Zenit and look forward to meeting them again down the road.
2. David Smith, Manager - ZENIT St. Joe 8&9;
   Zenit, St. Joe started the season out on the right foot with a 5-0 win over Fat Daddy’s United. The game was closer than the score showed with both teams working hard on their spacing and passing. The scoring started with Helene Masone, who shortly after her goal rolled her foot and may be out for the season. It’s painful to lose your most competitive player in the first game of the season, stated coach David Smith. Jacob Eaves caught on fire and scored four well placed goals for Zenit. We are looking forward to improving our game each week and our players are eager to learn the game.
3. Doug Bock, Manager - OLYMPIQUE SouthWalton 6&7;
   Final score 4-3 Galaxy. Great, close game, with Olympique taking an early lead and Galaxy tenaciously fighting back to snatch victory from the Lyon's jaws in the final quarter. Olympique was led by the savage slashing attack of Zak Mignot, with 2 goals (and multiple near-miss ricochets of the posts and top crossbar!) and the stalwart defensive play of Emma Gibson and Patrick Hughes, who both stopped goals inches from the line. Galaxy's assigned defenders were exceptional, thwarting many Olympique runs on goal. Both teams were still learning the ropes on positions and rules, and will only get better as the season progresses. Great effort and sportsmanship all around!

From Matchday II:

1. Doug Bock, Manager - OLYMPIQUE SouthWalton 6&7; Dynamo 4, Olympique 3 Another narrow loss for Olympique, but only on paper as we played by far our best soccer yet. I'm extremely proud of all the kids, who really stuck to the game plan and played smart. Defense was our rock-solid foundation again, anchored by Emma Gibson and Patrick Hughes who showed tremendous endurance and tenacity, as well as contributing on offense with great passing and a world-shattering coast-to-coast goal by Emma G.! The other 2 goals were split between the buzz-saw attack of Chase Chandeysson and Zak Mignot, who are constant threats to the opponent and indeed force tactical changes in their lineups. Solid play by Emma B. in the middle, Dylan, Nadia, and Avery kept the pressure on throughout the game. After a 2-2 deadlock at the halftime break, Dynamo (sporting no less than 3 of my former star players!) continued to play tough and relentless soccer, retaking the lead never quite letting slip back into our hands with a balanced scoring attack leading to a hard-earned and well-deserved victory. We look forward to our next meeting with them.
2. Stephen Nagle, Manager - ZENIT St. Joe 6&7; Jose Charron #7 lead our team to victory with at least 6-8 goals assisted by our forwards Cidney McClendon #2 and Tristen Toups #8 our defense consisting of Will #10 and Sikes #9 Wilson along with Carly Nagle #6 and Lauren Snodgrass #5 and finally Brecken McClendon #4 were strong and held Real Alys Beach to 0 goals but not for a lack of effort.
   We have had major improvements on our team since the 1st game and the team is really showing team work along with great athleticism.
3. David Smith, Manager - ZENIT St. Joe 8&9; Zenit, St. Joe remained hot at the beginning of this season with a 6-1 win over Real, Alys Beach. Zeint’s defense surrendered their first goal of the season on a hard fought goal by Real. Zenit prides itself in having a very tough defense with Sterling Smith playing tough in the back and Peter Masone attending the goal with confidence. The scoring this week was provided by Jacob Eaves, Will Hobbs and Sam Rich. Elaina Davies had several assists and helped Zenit control the ball on offense. “Our players are improving each week and that’s all we can ask for”, stated coach David Smith. Zenit, St. Joe is looking forward to their next match against A.C. Jambone.
4. Coleen Franek, Trainer - CELTIC 4&5; CELTIC shifted into another gear this past Saturday, as the return of #7, Jack Franek prompted a flurry of goals to start the match. #10, Alex Channing continues to evolve into a formidable weapon and leader, as he scored the first and second goals, with Jack adding a 3rd goal before the second shift of CELTIC players came in to give it a go. GALAXY was not to be intimidated, as they fought back against a Christian Rainier assisted 4th goal for CELTIC provided from Jack to make it 4-2 at the half. In the 3rd quarter, GALAXY and CELTIC traded goals, with Tyler Beauchamp adding his name to the list of goal scorers for CELTIC. And while Jack scored a final 6th goal for CELTIC, GALAXY never gave up and tied the score for a final 6-6 score line. Great effort by EVERYONE!
   

After reading these, we hope to get more submissions of Match Reports. Not only do they get published on our website, but Brian Maas, co-host of US98 SportsTalk, will review them on his 30-A Radiow Show on 107.1 FM between 5:15-5:45 on Tuesday evenings. Have the kids listen in to hear their names on air!!

Updated League Tables and Scores can be seen here: http://us98soccer.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=34&Itemi d=1

This weekend starts the beginning of three straight matches played at US98 Soccer Fields East - Wind Garden Park at WaterSound. The fields look great, and it will be a great venue for our events. Restroom facilities and snacks are located at the Club House by the pool, just west/northwest of the fields. Find out more about where US98 Soccer Fields East is here: http://www.joe.com/web/TownsAndHomes/WaterSound/Map.html

Hats off to all of our Referees, Marco Tibaquira, Jason Thompson, Marco Perona, Joe Ribaudo, Kathleen Logue, and Brian Maas. And not only are these people Refereeing, they also are Managers of individual Clubs. And Marcio Carmago gives his time to be a goalkeepers coach and Trainer for many individual Clubs. Please, if you have not already expressed your gratitude in these people devoting their time to the Youth of Our Community, do so the next chance you get. They are all leaders in South Walton and of its Youth!

In Soccer of the World, the United States Men's National Team plays in Washington D.C. this upcoming Saturday evening at 6:00PM Central. More info here: http://www.ussoccer.com/. And if you are interested in following the Champions League that we have carefully crafted our own after, check out the upcoming schedule of matches and many familiar Club names here: http://www.uefa.com/competitions/ucl/index.html

That is it for now. Cheers & See You Out On The Pitch!

~ Christian

[DCFinSCB]

It's that time again. That's right, time for our second edition of US98 Soccer Rag for the Fall 2008 Champions League Season! Wow, are the kids really starting to show the fruits of their labor, fun, and passion!!After two more weekends of end to end and side to side action, on the very picturesque east end of South Walton at Wind Garden Park at WaterSound, here are the Match Reports from the Managers themselves.



From Matchday III:

1. Joe Ribaudo, Manager - Fat Daddy's UNITED 8&9; Fat Daddy’s United gets a well deserved victory against a tough Real Alys Beach team. This was our best TEAM effort yet this season. I couldn’t be prouder of the way the team is starting to understand their positions and the importance of working together and the effort that EVERYONE gave. We have strong goaltending and a defense that is very good and getting better each week which allows our midfielders to get up in the attack more and work with the forwards. There is an old soccer adage that states…If you control midfield, you control the game and that is very true. We controlled midfield and we had 5 different goal scorers this week which is a testament to the team concept and what we can accomplish when we work together. We still have some things to work on but everyone is having fun, learning the game and wants to be on the field which is all I can ask.
   
2. David Smith, Manager - ZENIT St. Joe 8&9;
   ZENIT St. Joe remained undefeated this season with a 6-2 win over Jambone. ZENIT was behind for the first time this season when Jambone got off to a quick start with a goal. Zenit quickly answered with a goal of their own when Jacob Eaves kept his scoring streak alive with a hard driven goal. Zenit really started getting their game together in the second quarter and scored two more goals, one by Jacob Eaves and one by Elaina Davies (her first goal of the year) to take a 3-1 half time lead. The second half provided more scoring for Zenit with Jacob Eaves getting his third goal of the game and Elaina Davies getting her second goal of the game. Sterling Smith played a few minutes of offense late in the fourth quarter and scored a goal for Zenit to put them up 6-1. Peter Masone came out of the goalie position for the fourth quarter to play a little offense. Will Hobbs jumped in the goal and made several saves before Jambone squeaked a goal in on the last play of the game. Zenit’s record is now 3-0 and they are looking tough. Every team is improving each week. Being undefeated puts the pressure on us because everyone wants to give us our first loss, stated coach David Smith.
   
3. Doug Bock, Manager - OLYMPIQUE SouthWalton 6&7;
   6&7 year-olds Matchday 3 (10.11.08) Celtic 4, Olympique 2. Victory eludes the talons of the Olympique eagle once again by the cruel vaguaries of fate (and the goalposts, which were 6" too narrow)!. After a quick breakaway score by Olympique's Dylan "Wildman" Sturdivant that left him sprawled on the field in triumph, Celtic came back against a slightly winded Olympique with several impressive goals by Liam Bryan, Coach Doug's star wing from last season (lost to the salary cap this fall). Rallying their strength in the fourth quarter, Olympique dominated the end of the game with great passing and multiple rushes on goal, including another heroic strike by Zak "Attak" Mignot (who has scored in every game so far), but in the end it proved not enough to even the tally. Score aside, Coaches Mike and Doug are very proud of all their players, who are coming together as a team and playing incredible soccer. Play on! (Photos here: http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLandingSignin.jsp?Uc=s0lvvkr.3a742j8z&Uy=qoax 31&Upost_signin=Slideshow.jsp%3Fmode%3Dfromshare&U x=0&UV=443638235282_194701935603&localeid=en_US)
   

From Matchday IV:
Doug Bock, Manager - OLYMPIQUE SouthWalton 6&7; Olympique 9, Zenit 3

[cue Rocky theme]

Eglin Air Force Base denied rumors of new ordinance testing last Saturday, as windows were rattled, babies woken from naps, and dogs set a-howling all over South Walton county! Air Force officials blame instead the Olympique Lion, which woke up from its long slumber and roared last Saturday morning, rocking the Wind Garden with ground-pounding defense, orbital-laser passing, and a blistering firestorm of scoring that, despite the use of fire-suppression equipment, charred the nets 9 times against a tenacious and determined foe in Zenit.

Olympique sported an interlocking-radar defense comprised of the "iron curtain" of Patrick Hughes, Emma Boulware, and Emma Gibson through which no one could sneak unchallenged. Agile wings Dylan Sturdevant and Eris Neal swooped all over the field strafing the opposition, while Stealth-fighter Nadia Bock snuck throught the lines to seed panic and mayhem.

After trading a few goals early in the game, the sky opened up and the Olympique bombs began to rain down. Zak "Attack" Mignot softened up the target with 3 of his trademark strafing runs to the goal, while Avery "Maverick" Neal ignored the control tower and went in alone for 2 solo kills of his own. Meanwhile, fast-mover Chase "Iceman" Chandeysson dropped a quartet of smart-bomb coffin-nails right down the pipe to put all doubt to rest. One can only hope the craters can be filled before next week's game.

Hats off to coach Steve and Zenit for their great sportsmanship and play...we salute you!
Coaches Doug and Mike are extremely proud of all the Olympique kids and look forward to next week! Photos here: http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLandingSignin.jsp?Uc=s0lvvkr.5zsuajlf&Uy=wt9a lz&Upost_signin=Slideshow.jsp%3Fmode%3Dfromshare&U x=0&localeid=en_US


Stephen Nagle, Manager - ZENIT St. Joe 6&7; Olympique vs. Zenit St. Joe 6 & 7.
Although we lost to Olympique (who won their first match, to us), we are showing signs of major improvement on both offense and defense. Leading and scoring with 3 goals was this weeks Captain Will Wilson #10 with assists by Sikes Wilson #9, Tristen Toups #8, Michael Fitzgerald #3 (our 2nd most improved player this week) and Cidney McClendon #2. Our defense held the match to a close 6 to 3 loss. On defense our most improved player and not to my surprise as he was very aggressive this week with some great saves was Caelin Reeves #1. Caelin was assisted in defense by Lauren Snodgrass #5, Carly Nagle #6 and Breckin McClendon #4.
Great job Zenit St. Joe!! The hard work at practices really shows!
I would also like to thank the Manager Doug Bock of Olympique for handling a situation on the field post game as he handled a sometimes tough situation with great sportsmanship and grace!


David Smith, Manager - ZENIT St. Joe 8&9; Zenit St. Joe lost their first game of the season to Fat Daddy’s United 5-2. Zenit was behind 2-0 early on and managed to pick up a goal by Jacob Eaves before the first half ended. Fat Daddy’s got two quick goals in the second half before Zenit’s Elaina Davies scored on a breakaway goal. We played hard today, but we didn’t pass the ball as well as Fat Daddy’s and that is why we lost, stated coach David Smith. We are going to keep our heads up because we are still in first place and we believe this loss will make us a stronger team. Great hussle was shown throughout the game on Zenit’s side by, Mia McAdams, Sam Rich, and Collin Reeves. Zenit’s record is now 3-1 and they are looking forward to playing Fat Daddy’s United again during the playoffs.<SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana','sans-serif'"> Zenit should have one of their star players back in a couple weeks, Helene Masone, who’s been out since the first game with a broken foot.


Coleen Franek, Trainer - CELTIC 4&5;

A short-sided Celtic 4&5 Years Old Club with only 5 Players in attendance came up against a very "game" A.C. JamBone crew this past fantastic Fall Saturday. South Walton's own version of the Williams sisters, Katelyn and Peyton, held their own for A.C. and kept it a very tight, and hard and well-played match, well worth the trip east to Celtic's home-field, Parkhead, in picturesque Wind Garden Park at WaterSound. For Celtic, Alex Channing provided end-line to end-line action, not only scoring 5 goals, but keeping the ball alive and setting up several more goals. Celtic can thank Alex for also saving several goals from going in on their defensive half, as he swooped in to deny several frustrated A.C. attackers. Jack Franek continued his assault on the 4&5 Years Old Golden Boot, fast-breaking and fancy-footing his way to a total of 9 goals and contributing multiple PASSES to the middle of the pitch for his teammates to latch onto and move up the pitch. Jack also contributed significantly on defense, as long as he could stay on his feet, with he and the Williams sisters battling and banging hard for nearly every ball, many times at the doorstep of either sides goal line. Doc Hopkins continues to advance his soccer career and has shown a tenacity in staying in the mix. Doc got a well-deserved assist before the day was out. Ella Gritzmacher as well continues to show a keen adaptation to the Beautiful Game, moving the ball up the pitch with tremendous determination and ability to see the field. Christian Rainier is as well showing his evolution into soccer star, initially overcoming a case of the nerves to get out on the pitch and show us what we all know he is capable of as a valuable member of his Club, all the while charming us with his infectious laugh and smile.

Great job EVERYONE, way to go CELTIC!!!


Also, lots of movement up and down the US98 Soccer Standings. Check out our League Table to keep up with the action: http://us98soccer.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=34&Itemi d=1

We wind down our first stint at US98 Soccer Fields-East this weekend and get ready to head back to the hopefully somewhat rested fields of Helen McCall Park, otherwise known as US98 Soccer Fields - West. Thank you all for the understanding and consideration you have shown to those on the eastern side of South Walton, who regularly travel up to 30-35 minutes to Helen McCall Park to show their committment to Youth Soccer and US98 Soccer. And thank you for the excitement you have shown for such a great, new facility! A BIG "THANK YOU" to The St. Joe Company for offering the picturesque and what really are quality, soccer-specific fields for the use of all of the soccer-playing, soccer-loving Youth of South Walton. Your willingness to purchase the largest set of goals for our 8&9 and 10-13 Years Old Clubs is deeply appreciated as well. We'll be back for the Playoff Weekend in two weeks!

The "real" Champions League starts another set of matches this week and next, starting with the "real" ZENIT team's match in about 15 minutes (I fancy our own ZENIT's chances against them!). Matches can be watched on ESPN2 and ESPN Classic, or of course on the internet. Coach Joe Ribaudo and his 8&9 Years Old Club can attest to the benefit of having Players watch the professionals in action, after their very professional looking showing this past Saturday!

Finally, don't forget to tune into 107.1 FM, 30-A Radio, live on the radio or streaming over the internet (www.30aradio.org), this evening and every Tuesday evening between 5:30-5:45 to hear the exciting and well-documented Match Reports from that previous Saturday's Matches! Make us proud, Brian!!

Cheers & See You Out On The Pitch!
~ Christian

[DCFinSCB]

US98 Soccer Rag - Volume II, Issue 3

Footy Fanatics of Northwest Florida!!

This issue of US98 Soccer Rag ushers out the final regular season matches for the U-8 and U-6 Age Groups, and ushers in the Playoffs for our U-14 and U-10 Groups. Just a frinedly reminder, ALL of this Saturdays Matches will be held at US98 Soccer Fields-East, Wind Garden Park at WaterSound. Please be considerate of those few residents who currently live there and park in designated areas or areas that avoid blocking anyone in. WaterSound has been a great additional location, that really takes into consideration those memebers of US98 Soccer that live on the eastern-side of South Walton. We look forward to being back in Spring!

Also, a reminder that EVERY Club in EVERY age group plays on Championship Saturday on November 15th at Helen McCall Park. There will be Consolation Matches, Playoff Matches (for the top four U-8 Clubs), of course Championship Matches, and carefull seeded Finale Matches for the U-6 Clubs. On top of that, we will be having a live DJ, "DJ Boog", and a Presentation Ceremony. We are still working on food and beverage itesm, but hopefully that will come to fruition as well. It will be a truly exciting and joyful time and event!

Now down to brass tacks. Here are the Match Reports for the previous two Saturdays, as provided by the Managers themselves:

Matchday V, October 25th
Fat Daddys UNITED U-10 / Manager, Joe Ribaudo: Fat Daddy’s United moves to the top of the table with a very good Team victory against a spirited and much improving AC Jam Bone. Our commitment is to total TEAM play…Holding our shape (positions), passing and keeping the ball moving. We had 4 different goal scorers and everyone played their hearts out. We will continue to work hard and try to finish the season strong!..............

The rest can be seen and read here: http://us98soccer.com/index.php?opti...d=37&Itemid=40

Full League Table here: http://us98soccer.com/index.php?opti...id=34&Itemid=1

[DCFinSCB]

US98 Soccer Rag - Volume II, Issue 4

WHAT.......A...........SEASON!!!!
It is hard to put into words the excitement, the competition, and of course the fun that US98 Soccer participants enjoyed these final two weeks of action. But, we'll let the Managers do their best, starting with the Final Regular Season Matches for some and Play-off Matches for others, that occured on Saturday, November 8th at Wind Garden Park at WaterSound:

U-10 Playoffs

A.C. JamBone 1 - 4 ZENIT St. Joe: ZENIT St. Joe U10 played Jambone this week in the semi-finals. The game was close with the score tied at 1-1 going into the second half. It was a great defensive battle the first half with Helene Masone making several saves to keep the score tied. In the second half Zenit got the lead with a goal from Helene Masone. Soon after, Elaina Davies scored her second goal on a well struck corner kick from Sam Rich. With the game coming to a close Sam Rich made a sweet move to get open at the top of the box and hit a well struck ball that reached the back of the net to give Zenit/St. Joe the 4-1 win. Zenit’s defense played really tough the second half not allowing any shots on goal. Defensive standouts include Jake Foster, Mia McAdams, Alysa Selvey, Will Hobbs, Collin Reaves and Sterling Smith. “We are really looking forward to the finals, we played hard this past week and look forward to a great game next week”, stated coach David Smith.

REAL Alys Beach 1 - 1 Fat Daddy's UNITED (O.T. 1-0): Wow. What a match. It could not have been more exciting.

READ MORE ABOUT THE PLAYOFFS & CHAMPIONSHIP SATURDAY HERE: http://us98soccer.com/index.php?opti...d=38&Itemid=40

[Jdarg]

Way to go Christian! Congrats on a great season!