Any other plays worth remembering?

This week's poll recounts some great plays from the spring season. There were others not included that are also worth remembering. How about...

• Adrian's free kick against the Diplomats. Straight shot from 30 yards out.

• De's near post block of Taz Devils low corner kick from the Quarters. She was manning the post, Taz hit a very dangerous ball low and inside. She wrapped her leg around the post and heel-slapped the ball quickly out of bounds.

• Nate's drive for the goal against Taz Devils. Even a professional foul at the 5' to try to stop the shot wasn't enough. We didn't need the PK. Nate finished the job.

Any other plays that you can think of?

Answer to poll: cost per game often in excess of $400

Last week's poll asked, 'What's the cost to the league of the average game on a premium field?' The choices were $600, $150, $225, and $425.

The answer is $425.

That's a good rule of thumb, but it's not the whole truth.

For the turf fields we use, our higher-end fees are $150/hr. We pay ref crews $55 for the center and $40 each for the ARs. Thus, if you calculate a 2-hour rental ($300) plus refs ($135), you actually get $435.

There are more factors. Some fields are cheaper. We have a discount price of $40/hr at DC's Ridge field right now, so we've booked it as much as possible through the summer before the District gets wise and raises the price. Some fields are even free, such as the Mall or the Marina. Wilson HS in the District costs $150/hr. The other turf fields average between $90-125/hr. Some prices are more than $150/hr, and don't forget, all prices will inevitably go up.

Of course, a soccer game is only 90 minutes plus a 5-10 minute half. So a clever scheduler can fit in a range of games throughout the day so that each game doesn't take up the full 2-hour allocation.

Still more factors. Reffing costs may have gone up - I was using costs from last year. And none of the calculations include the fixed, indirect, and in-kind costs such as the cost of nets/flags, the $1500 fee we pay the ref assignor each season, and the time contributed by volunteers.

So that's why you pay $80 per season. For eight games on premium fields, with insurance and a three-person certified reffing crew, it's a good value.

Sweet 16

A poll this week asked how many players tallied points on the season. The answer is a new team record: 16. Our active roster is only 25 players, but the more realistic number is 27 since Jackie and Percy played quite a bit. No matter what roster number you use, that is a large numbers to have on the sheet. Compare our stats to DC United this year, which utilized 23 players over the season and got points out of 12 of them.

As you look at the beautiful spread below, consider these thoughts:

• It shows we are very well balanced and have many, many players who can contribute on offense. This is critical depth to have week-to-week to avoid the prospect of losing just because a few players are out of town. Some players on offense were so team-oriented, they didn't even show up on the stat sheet. I'm thinking of Griz, Adrian, and Caro.


• It shows we have a more dynamic defense as well, which is a welcome change. Five (5) goals were scored from a defenseive position - Pete's, Mike's, and Ally's. There were a few assists in there as well, which is really what we're striving for in the flat 4 defense. Way to go defense!


• It shows our women kick ass. We didn't match the record set in Spring 2008 in which we had 8 women on the score sheet. But we have more women with a greater number of points. I'm guessing it's the highest points total among the women (19 of the 52 total points). No one has matched Jess' 9 points in 2004, however. That record stands. For now.


• It shows, to some extent, that we don't have a trusty scoring strategy that we are able to come back to again and again. Sadly, such strategies are effective at the rec level - just look at Armory, Celtic, or DC Thunder, who rely largely upon one striker. As long as we can produce just a few more goals or give up just a few less, our strategy of spreading the ball around will work. And it's more fun. We're good.

Ermy - 3 goals, 1 assist - 7 points

Mike - 3 goals - 6 points

Suzie - 2 goals, 1 assist - 5 points

Tracy - 2 goals, 1 assist - 5 points

Elyse - 1 goal, 2 assists - 4 points

Jon a.ka. "Bubbles - 4 assists - 4 points

Percy - 2 goals - 4 points

Pete - 1 goal, 1 assist - 3 points

Chris D. - 3 assists - 3 points

Chris a.k.a. El Nino - 1 goal - 2 points

Ally - 1 goal - 2 points

Ashley - 1 goal - 2 points

Nate a.k.a. El Loco - 1 goal - 2 points

Alec - 1 goal - 2 points

Chip - 1 goal - 2 points

Cat - 1 assist - 1 point

Touchdown!

Last week's poll asked what Cooper's first words were. They were, in fact, "touchdown." According to his father, Cooper has always been inclined to raise his arms up. When he does it, his parents say "touchdown." And so it happened that his first words were "touchdown."

Here he is - cute little guy.

Unanimous

For the first time ever, we voted unanimously in a poll.  This week's poll was about the emerging story of this weekend's game.  We unanimously agreed that it will be: "Jon trying to pee in the woods at Trinity, again."  

Let's hope we all don't have to witness this story first-hand.

Zzzzzz...

Most of us got up at 6:30 on Sunday morning to play.  It was brutal.  We conducted a poll to see what everyone did following the game to catch up on sleep.

1 person, or 9% of respondents, went back to bed.  That had to be Ally, who reportedly pulled an all-nighter Saturday.  I'm sure she was going over our game plan.  It paid off, she set up the second goal.

The rests of the respondents were split.  5 persons, or 45%, took a nap later in the day.  The other 5 persons, also 45%, wanted to sleep but didn't.  I'm guessing those are the people with kids and what-not.  No time for sleep.

Fashionistas

We conducted a fashion poll last week and the people have spoken. Ally, a.k.a. the Princess, and Bubbles, a.k.a. the Banker, tied for both having made the most impressive fashion statement at our happy hour on Oct. 7th. Ally was recognized for her pashmina and Bubbles was recognized for his ultra-conservative work sweater. We already knew Ally was stylish. Jon, on the other hand, well, we didn't know he was Mr. Brooks Brothers. I'm told he wore the sweater for Jackie, who wasn't a big fan. I'm not saying it didn't look good. He looked the kind of banker we could trust.

The votes were as follows:

Ally the Princess - 4 votes, 33%

Jackie the Coach - 2 votes, 16%

Bri the Explorer - 2 votes, 16%

Bubbles the Banker - 4 votes, 33%

Fun happy hour!

Dancing with the stars

You can't be fooled. 54% of the respondents to the poll guessed correctly that my Wednesday class is...Ballroom Dancing, and not real estate, soccer coaching skills, or spanish conversation.

Embarrassing? Yes.

Challenging? Yes.

Lame? No way. Should have learned a long time ago.

Bottom line: if you see me foxtrotting towards defenders, kick me b/c that stuff has no business on the pitch.

The winner of the poll was Sierra Nevada, which received 5 votes. That's what will fill our keg at the summer bash. It was a come-from-behind win, with Yeungling in the early lead.

Stay tuned for final details of the party

The best goal of the season is...

According to your votes, the best goal of the season was Adrian's header in the ClareAndDon's game.

Dude scored twice off his head this season

Let's go back to the goal. We found ourselves down 3-1 in the second half. From the bench, it appeared as if we would lose. No one gave up though. Jon, probably with a little pent up rage, received the ball deep in our end. He made a long run all the way down the right wing. He slowed down in the corner to draw players and then sent a perfect cross to the 8', which an unmarked Adrian finished beautifully. It was a display of power. At no time during the entire play did any defender so much as even threaten.

Bubbles runs like a Gazelle

It really motivated the team and turned the momentum in our favor. Definitely one of the most important goals of the season. My choice was the Deanna-Adrian combo in the Red Tape match, because it gave meaning to the "beautiful game." Let us not forget Chris' goal either - that was maybe the most technically difficult. The best goalies would have no chance against it.

Results of the Poll - and some reminiscing about the old days

The most dramatic match we've played in is...the Spring '07 CCSL championship match, according to your votes. Dramatic? Yes. Uplifting? No. In case you didn't know, that's the match in which we hung tough with Team X but completely unraveled at the end. Our goalie got a red card. We lost a player to injury. The ref, seeking retribution for the red card, allowed the winning free kick to be taken, without another goalie in place. But we know that we hung in there. I'd like to think we would have won in penalties.

All the other matches got votes, except for the '06 Fallfest semi-final game. If you were there, you would definitely know it as one of our great wins. We had cleared our group straight away with 3 wins. In the semi-final, we played Soccer Bums, against whom we were evenly matched. It They had tied the game late, 1-1. As time expired, Mark won the ball at midfield and sent a very long pass into the area which Jer collected on his chest for an amazing two-touch finish (once off the chest, once into the net). The other team's bench went silent; it was incredible.

I voted for the '06 Coed Classic final game. You don't often go to FIFA-style penalties in a rec match. It's an amazing amount of pressure after you've played 5 matches over 2 days. You get to the top of the bracket, play a full game against a tough opponent, and settle everything with 5 shots a piece from the spot. Great experience (we lost unfortunately, but there weren't any hard feelings).