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Coming off our recent MLK tournament win at The Sports Factory, we woke up early again to defend our title against some very tough teams.
The first game had us facing the team from Newark. Although we have played a number of teams from Newark in the past, this was the first time facing this team. As everyone arrived on time, we took the field for our 8:00 game. Newark seems to always field a strong and quick team, so in order to win, we wanted to score first and keep the pressure in their end of the field. Fortunately the boys were up to the task and came out strong right from the opening whistle. We gained control of the game from the start and never let Newark get into the game. We scored 3 beautiful goals by 3 different players and our defense and goal tending preserved the 3-0 shutout giving us 3 early points in the standings.
Our second game was not going to be an easy one, we were facing the tough Passaic team who we have face many times before at Turf City and have never been able to beat them before. With a win we would assure ourselves a place in the Finals, but a loss would put us in the middle of the standings and not guarantee us a spot in the Championship Game. We came out and got 2 quick goals to go up 2-0 about 7 minutes into the game.
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Our offense converted on some beautiful passes and placed the ball just out of the reach of the strong Passaic Goal tender. But Passaic came roaring right back and drilled a long shot in to cut the lead to 2-1 and then scored 2 more goals to take a 3-2 with about 5 minutes left in the game. The boys were determined not to let the game slip away and converted with about 2 minutes left to even the score at 3-3. With the score tied, the defense stepped up and cleared our zone time and time again to force the game to end in a 3-3 draw, giving us another point in the standings. Again we got 3 different goals by 3 different players, which shows the balance, clean passes and great teamwork of the boys. Through 2 games, we had only given up 3 goals, which was a credit to the strong defense and great goal tending.
As we entered our 3rd game, we would need at least a tie or a win to move us into the finals and we were facing the Wayne Mc Lean team. We have played this team a number of teams and have had good success against them in the past, so this was not the time to falter. In a short game, the momentum can shift very quickly and we definitely did not want to give our opponents to get out to an early lead. Right from the start, we came out strong and built a comfortable 5-0 on some great shots. With the game under control, the only question was, could we get another shutout. While the defense was strong and the goal tenders were sharp, we made 1 mistake and left the ball right in front of our net and Wayne- Mc Lean took advantage and drove it home to cut our lead to 5-1. But we responded quickly and scored 2 more goals to coast to an easy 7-1 victory and earning us a berth in the Championship Game vs. Passaic. Even though we came away with a decisive win, it was nice to see 5 different players score- again showing the great teamwork. One of the highlights was a nice tap-indirect kick that seemed to find its way through a wall.
Entering the Championship game, we had played exceptionally well in our first 3 games, but we now had to face Passaic again. To win the Championship and go home with a trophy, someone had to win and unfortunately someone had to lose. The game was even right from the start with both teams taking some great shots, but each time the defensive units were up to the task and turned away the tough shots. Passaic got the first break and converted on a nice play in front of our net to take the early 1-0 lead. But our team was up to the challenge and kept the pressure on. With about 5 minutes left in the game, we got our break as Passaic was unable to clear their zone and one of our defensive players stepped up and drove a great shot in the corner of the net to tie the score 1-1. So it was going to be a quick 5 minute game, who ever scored next would most likely come away as the winner. But that’s when both teams dug in and really protected their own zones, so at the end of regulation it was a 1-1 tie, forcing a shootout for the Championship.
The rules of the shootout, were each team picks 3 shooters and if it is still tied after 3 rounds, it goes sudden death 1 shooter at a time. We loss the coin toss and Passaic elected for us to shoot first. Our first shooter scored on a great top shelf shot, but Passaic came right back at the bottom of the round and tied it 1-1 going into the next round. Our 2nd shooter was also able to put his shot past Passaic, giving us a 2-1 lead going to the bottom of the second frame. Passaic took a great shot, but it hit the post giving us a chance to seal the victory if we were able to score with our 3rd shooter. With the pressure building, our 3rd shooter was able to drill one by Passaic to seal the Championship! What an exciting end to a great tournament day!
In all, we outscored our opponents 14-5 (not including the shootout) in the tournament and of the 14 goals, we had 7 different goals scorers, while only giving up 5 goals in 4 games!
It was a great team win and all the boys should be proud of the way they played as a team today, hopefully this is a sign of a good Spring Season to come.
Thanks to all our loyal parents and fans for being so supportive during all 4 games.
Thank you
Tammy and Rich
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