STOP THAT BALL! -- Griffin goalie Joan Voss and another defender react a split-second late to Jaguar Jean Bretel's deflection of a corner kick for Cooperative' third goal. Jonatan Muñoz, InternationalCooperative wins shootout
Jaguars, Griffins end up all even at 4-4
Hey, it's time for a little talk.
Everyone, of course, wants a league in which any team can beat any other team on a given day. But do we really want a league in which every team ties every other team every time? That's about what we've got.
Both boys varsity games this week and last ended in ties. In fact, no boys varsity team has won a game since September 2. Of the nine games played so far this year, five have ended in ties.
Didn't somebody say that a tie is like getting kissed by your sister?
Winning may not be everything, but isn't it time for someone to win one?
Or should we skip the games altogether and just have shootouts?
That all having been said, the 4-4 tie between the Cooperative and International Thursday on International's field was not lacking in drama.
The Jaguars looked at first as if they would run away and hide, scoring three times in the first 13 minutes. Federico Sauto and Jean Andre Bretel scored the first two before much of the crowd was seated. Bretel added the third when he shouldered the ball into the goal on a corner kick.
International finally got on the scoreboard on a towering free kick by Juan Javier Estenssoro that zoomed past Jaguar goalie Esteban Sauto, an eighth grader, who is the fourth goalie to start for Cooperative this year. He was filling in for the third, Alfonso Roca, who is sidelined with a cracked rib.
Estenssoro scored again shortly before the end of the half to make the score 3-2 at halftime.
As the second half got underway the momentum definitely seemed to switch to International, as they kept much of the play in the Jaguar end, narrowly missing on two scoring opportunities. Goalie Sauto also made a key save on another hard shot.
Estenssoro finally broke the tie as he notched his third goal of the day -- a hat trick -- as he headed in a corner kick, making it 4-3.
International continued to dominate play, but Jaguar Federico Sauto got a free kick from about 40 meters out as the game moved into its closing minutes.
Sauto unleashed a fast-moving kick that seemed to fool International goalie Joan Voss, who moved forward on the ball, only to see it seem to suddenly pick up steam and sail over his head into the goal, tying the game at 4-4.
The shootout started badly for International when young Sauto, wearing a Superman shirt for the occasion, artfully blocked the first shot. The Griffins' third shooter missed high, while all of Cooperative's first four shooters connected, sealing a 4-2 win in the shootout for the Jaguars. This gave them sole possession of second place in the otherwise tie-plagued standings.
It may be time to suggest the possibility that there is a "Defending Champion Jinx" in SCISL boys soccer, and to add that to the accumulating lore of the League. Consider the facts:
Ever since Cooperative won in 2004 and 2005, the first two years of the League's existence, boys varsity team has won back-to-back championships. (And Cooperative has paid dearly for the early success with successive third-place finishes.)
Cambridge, the defending champion last year, was 0-3 in its first three games, even though it played well enough to win in two of them.
International, this year's defending champions, have also played well but have not won a game yet with only one to go.
Even more indicative of a bad luck jinx is the fact that in its three ties, International has lost all three shootouts. Shootouts, as everyone knows, are basically luck.
Case closed?
It's Tie City! Eagles win shootout
Cambridge, Christian Learning tie 3-3
By Trevor Reed
Christian Learning Center
The Christian Learning and Cambridge varsity soccer teams fought to a 3-3 draw Thursday in a game played at Cooperative.
Christian Learning won an unusually exciting shootout to get the bonus point, 4-3. It was decided on a goal by Eagle Richard Telchi that hit the crossbar and bounced directly down. The referee ruled that it had broken the plane of the goal.
Christian Learned looked as if it was off to the races in this game, playing with great team spirit while Cambridge appeared somewhat under-inflated. The Eagles led 2-0 on the half on the strength of two goals by Danny Canaviri.
His first goal came on a long kick from well outside the penalty box. The second came from short range on a corner kick.
A short while into the second half Junior Sanchez scored Cambridge's first goal, and a few minutes later the Knights tied the game on a penalty kick awarded when Eagle Andre Larsen reflexively put his hand up to avoid getting hit in the face by a ball, and was called for a handball in the penalty area. Knight Martin Pacor made the shot, making the score 2-2.
Christian Learning went back on top 3-2 on a pretty goal by Josh Mojica.
But then Cambridge struck back as Sanchez dribbled his way through the entire Eagle defense and scored to tie the game at 3-3, which is how it ended.
The shootout started badly for the Eagles when their first shooter, Alex Apodaca, missed. However, the score in the shootout was leveled at 2-2 when Eagle goalie Alejandro Garcia made a sensational save on Cambridge's third shooter. Both teams made their next shots, upping the count to 3-3. Cambridge's fifth shooter missed, putting the ball outside the left post, setting the stage for Telchi to win it if he could.
None of the spectators could tell initially if Telchi´s shot, coming down from the crossbar and then bouncing out, was good or not until the referee gave the signal that it was good.
Jaguars, Griffins end up all even at 4-4
Hey, it's time for a little talk.
Everyone, of course, wants a league in which any team can beat any other team on a given day. But do we really want a league in which every team ties every other team every time? That's about what we've got.
Both boys varsity games this week and last ended in ties. In fact, no boys varsity team has won a game since September 2. Of the nine games played so far this year, five have ended in ties.
Didn't somebody say that a tie is like getting kissed by your sister?
Winning may not be everything, but isn't it time for someone to win one?
Or should we skip the games altogether and just have shootouts?
That all having been said, the 4-4 tie between the Cooperative and International Thursday on International's field was not lacking in drama.
The Jaguars looked at first as if they would run away and hide, scoring three times in the first 13 minutes. Federico Sauto and Jean Andre Bretel scored the first two before much of the crowd was seated. Bretel added the third when he shouldered the ball into the goal on a corner kick.
International finally got on the scoreboard on a towering free kick by Juan Javier Estenssoro that zoomed past Jaguar goalie Esteban Sauto, an eighth grader, who is the fourth goalie to start for Cooperative this year. He was filling in for the third, Alfonso Roca, who is sidelined with a cracked rib.
Estenssoro scored again shortly before the end of the half to make the score 3-2 at halftime.
As the second half got underway the momentum definitely seemed to switch to International, as they kept much of the play in the Jaguar end, narrowly missing on two scoring opportunities. Goalie Sauto also made a key save on another hard shot.
Estenssoro finally broke the tie as he notched his third goal of the day -- a hat trick -- as he headed in a corner kick, making it 4-3.
International continued to dominate play, but Jaguar Federico Sauto got a free kick from about 40 meters out as the game moved into its closing minutes.
Sauto unleashed a fast-moving kick that seemed to fool International goalie Joan Voss, who moved forward on the ball, only to see it seem to suddenly pick up steam and sail over his head into the goal, tying the game at 4-4.
The shootout started badly for International when young Sauto, wearing a Superman shirt for the occasion, artfully blocked the first shot. The Griffins' third shooter missed high, while all of Cooperative's first four shooters connected, sealing a 4-2 win in the shootout for the Jaguars. This gave them sole possession of second place in the otherwise tie-plagued standings.
It may be time to suggest the possibility that there is a "Defending Champion Jinx" in SCISL boys soccer, and to add that to the accumulating lore of the League. Consider the facts:
Ever since Cooperative won in 2004 and 2005, the first two years of the League's existence, boys varsity team has won back-to-back championships. (And Cooperative has paid dearly for the early success with successive third-place finishes.)
Cambridge, the defending champion last year, was 0-3 in its first three games, even though it played well enough to win in two of them.
International, this year's defending champions, have also played well but have not won a game yet with only one to go.
Even more indicative of a bad luck jinx is the fact that in its three ties, International has lost all three shootouts. Shootouts, as everyone knows, are basically luck.
Case closed?
It's Tie City! Eagles win shootout
Cambridge, Christian Learning tie 3-3
By Trevor Reed
Christian Learning Center
The Christian Learning and Cambridge varsity soccer teams fought to a 3-3 draw Thursday in a game played at Cooperative.
Christian Learning won an unusually exciting shootout to get the bonus point, 4-3. It was decided on a goal by Eagle Richard Telchi that hit the crossbar and bounced directly down. The referee ruled that it had broken the plane of the goal.
Christian Learned looked as if it was off to the races in this game, playing with great team spirit while Cambridge appeared somewhat under-inflated. The Eagles led 2-0 on the half on the strength of two goals by Danny Canaviri.
His first goal came on a long kick from well outside the penalty box. The second came from short range on a corner kick.
A short while into the second half Junior Sanchez scored Cambridge's first goal, and a few minutes later the Knights tied the game on a penalty kick awarded when Eagle Andre Larsen reflexively put his hand up to avoid getting hit in the face by a ball, and was called for a handball in the penalty area. Knight Martin Pacor made the shot, making the score 2-2.
Christian Learning went back on top 3-2 on a pretty goal by Josh Mojica.
But then Cambridge struck back as Sanchez dribbled his way through the entire Eagle defense and scored to tie the game at 3-3, which is how it ended.
The shootout started badly for the Eagles when their first shooter, Alex Apodaca, missed. However, the score in the shootout was leveled at 2-2 when Eagle goalie Alejandro Garcia made a sensational save on Cambridge's third shooter. Both teams made their next shots, upping the count to 3-3. Cambridge's fifth shooter missed, putting the ball outside the left post, setting the stage for Telchi to win it if he could.
None of the spectators could tell initially if Telchi´s shot, coming down from the crossbar and then bouncing out, was good or not until the referee gave the signal that it was good.
