Early weather report

The weather is looking pretty good for our finale on Sunday.  Early indications are showing lows in the 50s and partly cloudy.  

We're playing at George Mason High School in Falls Church.

Scouting Report on Our Kicks Don't Lie

You may have heard.  We have a big game this weekend.  We play Our Kicks Don't Lie, who we don't know all that well but have every reason to respect.  We have only played them once, and it was this season.  It was a strange game, if you recall.  We gave up an early goal, and throughout the match gave up three more.  But we played an open game and were rewarded with a number of goals.  At times, the Our Kicks defense didn't have any shape.  We won't see that again in the final - they've come too far and they have seen some of what we have to offer.  They'll be much improved and gunning for a big win.  And they can get it unless we play at the highest level.

Above all, I remember their ability to find that young, fast striker, who is deceptively fast and has great timing.  He knows when to shoot and he can pretty much pick his spot.  He scored three against us, he probably scored 3 or 4 last weekend (maybe more), and overall, my guess is he's among the top scorers in the whole league.  And there may be others with skills as well.  I have heard their goalie is pretty good, so we can't expect the same quality of opportunities this weekend that we had in the regular season.  It will take higher quality build ups and goals to get it done.  All in all, we need to be ready.

Take a look at the season had by Our Kicks:

Third Division: Our Kicks Dont Lie

GAMEs Date Time Location Opponent W/L/T GF GA   Sun 10/30/2011  3:00p  Washington   FC Arlington  L  1  3    Sun 10/23/2011  11:30a  Washington Trinity  DC Divided  L  0  6    Sun 10/16/2011  9:45a  Washington Trinity  Goleros  L  4  9    Sun 10/09/2011  5:00p  Falls Church  Two Left Feet  T  2  2    Sun 10/02/2011  11:00a  Washington   Funky Town  T  2  2    Sun 09/25/2011  10:00a  Washington   Unathletic DC  W  3  1    Sun 09/18/2011  11:00a  Washington   Red Devils  W  3  2    Sun 09/11/2011  9:45a  Washington   Far Post  L  0  2     2 wins, 4 losses and 2 ties 15  27

And they have been on a tear in the playoffs.  12 goals in two games!  That's amazing actually.

Third Division: Our Kicks Dont Lie

GAMEs Date Time Location Opponent W/L/T GF GA   Sun 11/13/2011  5:00p  Falls Church  FC Arlington  W  7  1    Sun 11/06/2011  2:00p  Washington Trinity  Far Post  W  5  4     2 wins, 0 loss and 0 tie 12  5

It should be a highly competitive match.

It's Alumni Week

That's trouble

I'm sure you saw Ally's inspirational post earlier this week.  We DID visualize the game, and guess what, we did quite well.

Ally's post reminded me to get in touch with some other people in the Goleros family to see what's up.  If you're inspired yourself, reach out to an alumni of the Orange and White, and let us know what our people are doing.





From Suzie, current teammate on the IR:

Hey Peter!
I miss you guys! And I miss playing soccer! My foot is ok, I am still on crutches but I go to the doctorThursday and I'm hoping he'll let me get into a walking boot! Baby steps, I guess.
Unfortunately I am unable to come to the game, but good luck and I hope you kick ass!I'm so proud of how well you guys are doing!
Suzie

From Jackie Y, who I believe you may possibly remember if you think really hard about it.  Let's see, she was that girl from Jersey who had a sense of humor as I recall.

Hey Peter!!!
long time no talkie.. How are the kiddies? and the rest of the family?Things are going well here in the dirty Jerse... it seems like AGES ago that I lived down in DC and played with the Goleros.... I read this article and think, "HOLY crap CUA has infiltrated Goleros!!!" which is not a bad thing... but that's soo great that the girls have joined the team :) makes me sooo very happy :)
I am hard at work at school... tons of classes and I am almost done.. almost.. May 2013 I will have my BS/MS in Foods and Nutrition with a Sports and Wellness Certificate! :) Then I  apply to an internship and go off to that for a year and then sit for the RD exam and HOPEFULLY become a Dietitian! 
I play on a bunch of teams up here.. I play On sundays with a women's league in Randolph, NJ.. then Sunday nights I play on a Co-ed team run by my boyfriend and we play in morristown and our team name is Ramrod (but we will be changing that next season! hahaha) and Finally I play on a women's Indoor league on monday nights in a dome in Montclair and I think our name is Orange Crush! hahahahahahah
NONE of these teams have the soul or spirit like the Goleros did... They come MIGHTY close.. but none of them shine a light on what I miss down there :(
I love that article and picture... thanks so much for posting it! PLEASE tell everyone that I love them and miss them!love,Jackie

From Ashley, who is living in Miami now:

 PETER!!!Good!! How are you? I miss soccer so much. There isn't any teams that I have found down here :( I love Miami though! So warm and we live right on the beach!!! Lifestyle is pretty chill. I am working at a Physical therapy office and working on my PTA (physical therapy assistant). So exciting! How is the family and the new baby? Hows the team? Hows work? 
Talk to you soon, send the team my love! :)

-- Ashley

It's great to hear from our friends!

Final game set: we play at 9:00 p.m. this Sunday!

Ladies and gentlemen, our last game of the season has been scheduled, and in fact, it will be the last game played this fall in the whole league.

We play Our Kicks Don't Lie at 9:00 p.m. this Sunday Nov. 20th at George Mason High School in Falls Church.

Stay tuned for emails!


Check out this beautiful bracket:

Tournament Brackets

New Game    Printable Version   

>Third Division>
	Goleros (4)
	#3: 11/13/2011 10:30a	Goleros
	Washington , Galludet
Unathletic DC (1)
#1: 11/06/2011 10:00a
Washington, Trinity	DC Divided (1)
DC Divided (3)
		#5: 11/20/2011 9:00p
		George Mason HS	Champion
	FC Arlington (1)
	#4: 11/13/2011 5:00p
	George Mason HS	Our Kicks Dont Lie
Our Kicks Dont Lie (5)
#2: 11/06/2011 2:00p
Washington, Trinity	Our Kicks Dont Lie (7)
Far Post (4)

Report: Our Kicks Don't Lie Upsets FC Arlington

Nothing is posted on the website yet.  However, Adrian has a friend on FC Arlington and reports that FC Arlington lost its match up versus Our Kicks Don't Lie.  It's not what you would expect on paper, but it's not that surprising actually.  FC Arlington didn't have much to play for, and Our Kicks has been going gangbusters, scoring a lot of goals.

This means that we will have a must win this coming Sunday.  And it will be against the team that played us incredibly well and scored 4 goals against us.

Stay tuned for more info.

Sunday schedule TBA

I have requested a late start time for the game.  Kickoffs are at 3:00, 5:00, 7:00, and 9:00 p.m.  Look for us to get the 7:00 or 9:00 slot, but we'll see.  No word on the field, but I'm guessing George Mason in Falls Church.

Goleros advance to Division Championship with a Memorable Defensive Effort

Your captain and a leader on defense

Today's 4-1 result versus DC Divided was emblematic of the season overall.  We came together as a team and played as a cohesive unit from front to back.  In recent weeks, our positive results have been largely due to a resurgent defense that is making tackles at the point of attack, taking away space, and getting the ball upfield, where we have sufficient numbers to create opportunities.

Our defense today integrated new people and made some key tactical adjustments - each and every person made great plays. Scratch that.  We made some spectacular plays, both this week and last week as well.  Here are but three examples: Jon's incredible goal-line clearance over the cross bar (from my perspective upfield, the geometry just didn't work on that one) and De's creative spin to play the ball to safety in the second half.  And going back to last week, let us not forget when Adrian went to ground in the box to seal the tie.  These are memorable moments and they make my Sunday.

In both games, DC Divided was solid.  They play a competitive game, and their tall players can cover a lot of ground quickly.  Each time I cover one of those guys, I am surprised by how I fall behind a half-step every few yards.  The loss today wasn't a just result due to the success they've had and the product they put forward.  If memory serves, I believe DCD has 1 loss in just the past two season (to FC Arlington).  Compare that to our 1 loss this season and 5 last season.

It's all about your form

It was hard to prepare for the rematch this week.  In our last game, both teams battled to a 1-1 tie.  In this game, we needed some new pieces and a new set if we wanted to improve.  Thankfully we had both.  We had some players they hadn't seen and we moved some of the players around who they were familiar with.  For example, we were pretty sure they would have their eye on Adrian, based on his defensive effort last week, so we unleashed him upfield instead.  As it turned out, I think his skillful dribbling before the pass was a major factor in wearing down their defense and midfield.  Chris N.'s play had a similar effect.

Credit DCD for putting in the first goal, like last week.  Even though it was a fluke play, it was consistent with the run of play up to that point.  We were slowly yielding to pressure.  After the goal, the defense made a tactical adjustment to create depth and fill space.  It paid off quickly and featured our more possession-oriented midfielders.   Chris D, Cat, Elyse, Carolyn and others went to work, applied pressure, and won what seemed like every 50-50 ball.  Up top, Pam was a constant threat, which kept their defense honest.  Ermy was very good on this day, and brought us back to even keel in the 35' with a strong shot that deflected in the goal.  Nate, Chris D., and Chris N. followed with more goals.

What I will remember most about this game is the tactical adjustment by the defense and the almost uninterrupted focus of the defensive players including George, from kickoff to full time.

Thanks to Jamie and Bucky for activating as reserves and making critical contributions.  Thanks also to DC Divided for yet another competitive match.

This was our fourth semi-final appearance in CCSL.  We are 4-0 thus far.  More about our next game and opponent as soon as possible.

Griz is there! (Note: Why is #11 running the wrong way?)

Notes: 4-1 playoff semi-final win versus DC Divided on 11/12/11.  Goals: Ermy (Pam), Nate (Chris N.), Chris D. (Ermy), Chris N. (Chris D.).  GK: George.

On the mend

Our depth has really been tested this season.  Just last week, we put our third player on Injured Reserve.  Like Suzie and Carlos, Anna is out until spring.  She has undergone surgery by Dr. John Klimkeiwicz of Georgetown, for all intents and purposes, the team orthopedist.  The doc repaired severely torn cartilage, which caused pain and lack of mobility for more than 2 years.

This was much-needed scheduled surgery, and wow, we owe Anna a debt of gratitude for intentionally planning it around the regular season.  She wanted to give us a boost into the playoffs and help the team.  What a teammate!  That's way beyond the call of duty.

And what a player too!  Let's get back to this torn cartilage thing.  One would think that tearing the cartilage from the bone would render a player useless on the field.  Not with this player.  She's been solid this season, scoring 5 goals and contributing one assist.  Those are pretty big numbers for an 8-game season - actually 7 games because one game was a forfeit win.  We have so much confidence in her as an outlet on the pitch.  She has a good work rate as a striker and makes the people around her better.  She's also the most successful female offensive player in club history, scoring more points than any other woman.  I would have to look it up, but I would estimate that she's contributed about 25 goals (not to mention saving about that many as keeper).  By way of comparison, Jozy Altidore has probably scored about 15 goals since moving to various clubs in Europe 3 years ago - and he has the opportunity to play up to 30 games a year versus our 16.

Anna, on behalf of your teammates, we can't wait for you to fully recuperate and come back!  Get well.

Goleros earn hard-fought point; rematch coming

For the last match of the regular season, we showed really well.  We all would have all preferred the win, but the way in which we played to a tie was quite satisfying.  We had to come from behind, we stayed composed despite some changes to the game plan on the field, and we did what was necessary to earn the result that guaranteed us a second place finish in the division.  That's the highest we've finished in years, potentially going all the way back to our first stint in Third Division.  We have been fighting for 1st or 2nd going into that final week a number of times, but often we have lost that last game and tumbled a few spots.  Not this time.  Our failure to win turned out to be insignificant anyway.  FC Arlington took care of business and won their game, so they would have topped us no matter what.

We played hard.  It was a competitive match throughout.  DCD proved to be every bit as refined and talented as we thought.  All of their men seemed like 6'4" to me.  They got the first goal at the end of the first half.  I lost my mark by ball watching and Sanjay, their captain and the league commissioner, headed the ball into the goal.  Kelly was almost able to clear it off the line though so it was close.

Same was true when we struck.  Following a great run of possession, Chris D dribbled with purpose deep into the box and took a powerful shot.  It was deflected twice by defenders, though not very cleanly, before rolling across the line.  Both goals in the match were scored by thin margins.  It was the essence of competition, a great game to be a part of on a beautiful day.

So, that's it, right?  We enjoy the result and rest on our laurels?  NO, NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.  We have to play these guys again this week.  And it's gonna get harder.  They will be bringing their two best strikers, who we did not see in the regular season game.  They are going to be hungry.  Look at it from their perspective.  They "lost" a close one, as they will surely be unhappy with the tie that sent them to third place and an extra playoff game.  They are in the groove right now and will have a chip on their shoulder.  We will need to be even better to win.


Notes: 1-1 tie vs DC Divided on 10/30/11 at Ridge.  Goal: Chris D. (Ermy).  GK: George.

Semifinal match scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Sunday

The schedule has been posted for our semi-final matchup versus DC Divided. 

We play at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday at Galludet U. 

RSVP and roster-building will start immediately.  Look for emails.

DC Divided Advances to Face Goleros

According to the CCSL website, DC Divided has beaten Unathletic DC by a score of 3-1.  That means they will face us in the semi-finals next week.  The game will be on Sunday, but the time and place are still TBD.

Playoff schedule still TBD

While the league has already established a schedule for the Quarters, it has not made any announcements about Semis or Finals.  Remember, we have a bye so we're off this week for the Quarters.

Stay tuned, we might not hear until early next week.  Keep open all of Sunday for our critical semi-final match.

Final Standings

The regular season is in the books.  All nine teams in the division have played their matches and we fared quite well.  We finished second with an impressive 19 points.  Often, that is enough points to win it all, but not this season.  One team, FC Arlington, accomplished an undefeated season.  Given the number of weeks, travel schedules, competition, etc, that's quite a feat.

We had 6 wins and a tie, same as DC Divided.  But since we scored a league-leading 31 goals, with a differential of 2.1, we earn the 2nd spot and, therefore, the 2nd seed in the playoffs.  All of that discipline during the season - the continued pressure on goal and the concentration - paid off.  Note: FC Benchwarmers in the Premier Division was the other team to score 31 goals.  They scored 2 goals in their last game, while we scored only one, so it's a tie in that category.  Their goal differential (2.4) is slightly higher, having given up 12 goals to our 14.

More on the last game, and our playoff schedule, in future posts.  I wanted to make sure to get this table posted because they clear it for the playoff bracket.

CCSL>Third Division>
Rank	Team		W	L	T	GP	PTS	GF	GA	GD	GDA
1		FC Arlington	7	0	1	8	22	29	9	20	2.5
2		Goleros	6	1	1	8	19	31	14	17	2.1
3		DC Divided	6	1	1	8	19	25	9	16	2.0
4		Far Post	4	3	1	8	13	24	20	4	0.5
5		Our Kicks Dont Lie	2	4	2	8	8	15	27	-12	-1.5
6		Unathletic DC	2	5	1	8	7	19	33	-14	-1.8
7		Funky Town	1	4	3	8	6	9	16	-7	-0.9
8		Red Devils	1	6	1	8	4	12	27	-15	-1.9
9		Two Left Feet	1	6	1	8	4	10	19	-9	-1.1

 




Let's look quickly at the other divisions too.  The standings are mostly clear.  Only two games are unreported.  In terms of promotion/relegation, some things are already clear.  FC Arlington will have the option of promotion to 2nd division, regardless of how they do in the playoffs.  The other spot is open to the winner of the playoffs, but if that's FC Arlington too, the spot would go to us as the 2nd place finisher.  Promotion is not guaranteed.  From the 2nd division, we will see DC Thunder and Prism get relegated.

Standings
Printable Version

CCSL>Premier Division>
Rank	Team		W	L	T	GP	PTS	GF	GA	GD	GDA
1		Conquistadors	6	1	1	8	19	30	12	18	2.3
2		FC Benchwarmers	5	0	3	8	18	31	12	19	2.4
3		Booters FC	6	2	0	8	18	25	17	8	1.0
4		Washington Wanderers	5	3	0	8	15	25	15	10	1.3
5		Rocklands FC	3	4	1	8	10	17	20	-3	-0.4
6		Good N Bad	2	4	2	8	8	18	22	-4	-0.5
7		The Replacements	2	5	1	8	7	17	30	-13	-1.6
8		The Ugly Mug Hooligans FC	2	5	1	8	7	14	32	-18	-2.3
9		Itchy & Scratchy	0	7	1	8	1	7	24	-17	-2.1

CCSL>First Division>
Rank	Team		W	L	T	GP	PTS	GF	GA	GD	GDA
1		Backdraft	7	0	1	8	22	30	9	21	2.6
2		Buena Vista Soccer Club	6	1	1	8	19	23	5	18	2.3
3		Flirting With Sobriety	5	2	1	8	16	28	12	16	2.0
4		Postgame FC	5	3	0	8	15	15	13	2	0.3
5		Painkillers	2	4	2	8	8	14	16	-2	-0.3
6		Taz Devils	2	5	1	8	7	9	20	-11	-1.4
7		Hoover FC	2	4	1	7	7	11	22	-11	-1.6
8		Capital Crew	2	5	0	7	6	9	14	-5	-0.7
9		Team Arnold & Porter LLP	0	7	1	8	1	7	35	-28	-3.5

CCSL>Second Division>
Rank	Team		W	L	T	GP	PTS	GF	GA	GD	GDA
1		Little Urban Achievers	6	1	1	8	19	24	11	13	1.6
2		The Diplomats	6	1	1	8	19	22	11	11	1.4
3		Geezers	4	2	2	8	14	17	11	6	0.8
4		Celtic	3	3	2	8	11	11	8	3	0.4
5		Tsunami Naranja	3	4	1	8	10	16	14	2	0.3
6		Lost Tourists	3	3	1	7	10	13	14	-1	-0.1
7		Prism	3	4	0	7	9	10	22	-12	-1.7
8		Gang Green	2	5	1	8	7	10	20	-10	-1.3
9		DC Thunder	0	7	1	8	1	9	21	-12	-1.5