CSSC 2 – 3 Southside
CSSC has signed more players than in any other year in its history and still it wasn’t enough. Not close to enough. Although the quality of the line up was very solid, with only two subs, CSSC’s fitness was really going to be put to the test for a late-night game on a lovely fall evening. Perhaps most glaringly, CSSC was without it’s five top keepers (that's right 5!!), forcing Kamal Chioua to start earning his captaincy by pulling on the Official Portsmouth FCtm gloves.
How Southside is down towards the sharp end of the table is a mystery. They’ve got a tidy midfield and, in #7, the most feared striker in the division. It was a wide open contest from the opening kick off, keeping the insomniacs attending the game on the edge of their bleacher seats. The first big chance fell predictably to Southside 7, who burst through the middle of the CSSC defense only to have his close range shot turned aside by a wonderful sprawling save from Chioua, who was rapidly moving up the CSSC stand in keeper pecking order. CSSC fashioned a clear cut chance of its own when the Southside keeper, who looked a little like a stand in himself, parried a shot right to the feet of JDB about 12 yards out, but with the keeper stranded he drove his shot inches by the right hand post. The warnings turned into real score sheet action when 7 again drove through the heart of the CSSC defense and hammered an unstoppable drive in off the near post. CSSC responded when its own in form goal getter Dylan Doerksen snapped up a misplayed back pass, beat the remaining defender with a slick shimmy and tucked home at the near post. It got even better late in the half when Bryce Trupp, uncovered by CSSC’s crack scouting team, sent DD racing clear with a delightful ball over the top, who finished with a low hard drive that left the keeper rooted to the spot. On the downside Devin Doerksen added to the massive and growing list of the CSSC injured when he went down late in the half with what appeared (and, in fact, tragically turned out) to be a nasty knee injury.
The second half started out with considerable promise. The centre midfield of Loxley, Boese, JDB and Penner were working some lovely short passing triangles and the remaining Doerksen was running the Southside backline ragged when he got the ball. However, failure to convert several golden opportunities would be CSSC’s downfall. CSSC went down to 0 subs when cultured midfielder Boese limped off with a recurrence of his ankle problems. Then the ref very incorrectly awarded a foul for Woolford’s impeccable sliding tackle just outside the box on the Southside right. As they lined up a right footed shooter for what is conventionally a left footed free kick, the CSSC bench temped fate with confident predictions about the unorthodox choice only to have Mr. Right Foot blast it right past the wall and into the back of the net. Southside took the lead on an identical free kick but at least this time it was an actual foul. Woolford, who had a composed game at sweeper, had no choice but to bring down rampaging #7 and Southside again smashed a low rocket into the net. Without a single sub, CSSC tired as the game went on and didn’t really look like it was going to even the contest.
Man of the Match: A game that ends at midnight on a weekday means no after game drinking and spirits were further dampened by the sight of Devin not being able to get to his car on his own steam. But in a heroic, but doomed loosing cause, Chioua pulled on his big boy pants by playing a fine game in goal, Phil gutted out the game with a dodgy ankle, and Loxley drove the entire CSSC team through his 90 minute dynamo performance at centre mid. But it’s hard to ignore two very well taken goals, so the award goes to the remaining non injured Doerksen.
CSSC has signed more players than in any other year in its history and still it wasn’t enough. Not close to enough. Although the quality of the line up was very solid, with only two subs, CSSC’s fitness was really going to be put to the test for a late-night game on a lovely fall evening. Perhaps most glaringly, CSSC was without it’s five top keepers (that's right 5!!), forcing Kamal Chioua to start earning his captaincy by pulling on the Official Portsmouth FCtm gloves.
How Southside is down towards the sharp end of the table is a mystery. They’ve got a tidy midfield and, in #7, the most feared striker in the division. It was a wide open contest from the opening kick off, keeping the insomniacs attending the game on the edge of their bleacher seats. The first big chance fell predictably to Southside 7, who burst through the middle of the CSSC defense only to have his close range shot turned aside by a wonderful sprawling save from Chioua, who was rapidly moving up the CSSC stand in keeper pecking order. CSSC fashioned a clear cut chance of its own when the Southside keeper, who looked a little like a stand in himself, parried a shot right to the feet of JDB about 12 yards out, but with the keeper stranded he drove his shot inches by the right hand post. The warnings turned into real score sheet action when 7 again drove through the heart of the CSSC defense and hammered an unstoppable drive in off the near post. CSSC responded when its own in form goal getter Dylan Doerksen snapped up a misplayed back pass, beat the remaining defender with a slick shimmy and tucked home at the near post. It got even better late in the half when Bryce Trupp, uncovered by CSSC’s crack scouting team, sent DD racing clear with a delightful ball over the top, who finished with a low hard drive that left the keeper rooted to the spot. On the downside Devin Doerksen added to the massive and growing list of the CSSC injured when he went down late in the half with what appeared (and, in fact, tragically turned out) to be a nasty knee injury.
The second half started out with considerable promise. The centre midfield of Loxley, Boese, JDB and Penner were working some lovely short passing triangles and the remaining Doerksen was running the Southside backline ragged when he got the ball. However, failure to convert several golden opportunities would be CSSC’s downfall. CSSC went down to 0 subs when cultured midfielder Boese limped off with a recurrence of his ankle problems. Then the ref very incorrectly awarded a foul for Woolford’s impeccable sliding tackle just outside the box on the Southside right. As they lined up a right footed shooter for what is conventionally a left footed free kick, the CSSC bench temped fate with confident predictions about the unorthodox choice only to have Mr. Right Foot blast it right past the wall and into the back of the net. Southside took the lead on an identical free kick but at least this time it was an actual foul. Woolford, who had a composed game at sweeper, had no choice but to bring down rampaging #7 and Southside again smashed a low rocket into the net. Without a single sub, CSSC tired as the game went on and didn’t really look like it was going to even the contest.
Man of the Match: A game that ends at midnight on a weekday means no after game drinking and spirits were further dampened by the sight of Devin not being able to get to his car on his own steam. But in a heroic, but doomed loosing cause, Chioua pulled on his big boy pants by playing a fine game in goal, Phil gutted out the game with a dodgy ankle, and Loxley drove the entire CSSC team through his 90 minute dynamo performance at centre mid. But it’s hard to ignore two very well taken goals, so the award goes to the remaining non injured Doerksen.
CSSC 1 – 0 Les Bleus
It was perfect late afternoon, early fall weather for CSSC’s first encounter with Les Bleus this year. Perfect weather for playing, that is. The massed Loxley, Hudson, Doerksen and Riley support that saw the bleachers straining under what, in these socially distanced times, must have been maximum capacity, were pulling out the blankets and mitts to keep warm.
There was little on field action to get their blood racing, so they had to make do with what were hopefully hot boozy drinks to keep warm. Les Bleus tried to get things going when their tricky 7 made ground down the right and swung over a cross that the forward lurking at the far post thought looked perfectly set up for a bicycle kick, surely not realizing that the success rate of acrobatic finishing in division 5 is about on par with getting eaten by a shark that is being struck by lightening. For it’s part, CSSC’s moment of greatest threat was when Devin Doerksen beat two players down the left and found his brother Dylan lurking by the Bleus end line. Dylan took a touch and cut it back to an unmarked M. Hudson making the Frank Lampard trademarked “late arrival in the box”, but Hudson was so concerned about hitting the net that he drove it straight at the keeper.
The second half was a bit more action packed. Early on, Dylan picked up a Mardrin pass with a great deal of work to do. He rode the first challenge about 30 yards out but the ball ran to the last Bleus defender. Undeterred, Dylan tackled him, beat the onrushing keeper to the loose ball and slotted it home from 12 yards. With Les Bleus pushing upfield for an equalizer, Dylan started to terrify their defense on the counter. Ten minutes later he and partner in crime Devin were sent clear on a 2 on 0 vs the keeper. Rather than risk the ref’s overly zealous offside whistle by passing to Devin, Dylan rounded the keeper only to rustle the side netting rather than finding the open net. A few minutes later Dylan skipped past two defenders and into the Bleus box only to have his close range shot blocked by the keeper’s legs. He then collected the rebound and bounced it off a defender’s butt, collected that rebound and drove it off the keeper’s shins for a second time in short order. Up the other end, speedy 25 (or 75 it’s difficult to tell sometimes with taped on numbers) found himself behind the CSSC defense for the only time all game but his dreams of a tying goal were crushed by Jake Marks’ lightening quick hand that flashed out to tip the shot over the bar. Again, CSSC could have made the waning minutes of the contest more relaxed when Dylan slid a perfect low cross to Kamal at the top of the Bleus box, who placed a curling one timer into the back of the net. But there was that offside whistle again. The well placed CSSC fans shivering in the bleachers declared it a bit of a harsh call. It was little more than what the fancy commentators call a “talking point” because CSSC’s well drilled defense kept Les Bleus pretty much at bay.
Man of the Match: The post match discussion revolved around why in the world there were two cheese sections in the store, especially when the only cheese worth eating comes in gigantic bricks, costs $5.99 on special and should be grilled between two slices of sourdough. When that debate cooled the MotM committee decided that, really, the award should go to the whole D line, which managed the virtually impossible rec league feat of allowing only one genuinely dangerous chance. But if we had to name names it would be RDB and Van Penner, who shut down dangerous 7 and the rest of the Bleus all game.
It was perfect late afternoon, early fall weather for CSSC’s first encounter with Les Bleus this year. Perfect weather for playing, that is. The massed Loxley, Hudson, Doerksen and Riley support that saw the bleachers straining under what, in these socially distanced times, must have been maximum capacity, were pulling out the blankets and mitts to keep warm.
There was little on field action to get their blood racing, so they had to make do with what were hopefully hot boozy drinks to keep warm. Les Bleus tried to get things going when their tricky 7 made ground down the right and swung over a cross that the forward lurking at the far post thought looked perfectly set up for a bicycle kick, surely not realizing that the success rate of acrobatic finishing in division 5 is about on par with getting eaten by a shark that is being struck by lightening. For it’s part, CSSC’s moment of greatest threat was when Devin Doerksen beat two players down the left and found his brother Dylan lurking by the Bleus end line. Dylan took a touch and cut it back to an unmarked M. Hudson making the Frank Lampard trademarked “late arrival in the box”, but Hudson was so concerned about hitting the net that he drove it straight at the keeper.
The second half was a bit more action packed. Early on, Dylan picked up a Mardrin pass with a great deal of work to do. He rode the first challenge about 30 yards out but the ball ran to the last Bleus defender. Undeterred, Dylan tackled him, beat the onrushing keeper to the loose ball and slotted it home from 12 yards. With Les Bleus pushing upfield for an equalizer, Dylan started to terrify their defense on the counter. Ten minutes later he and partner in crime Devin were sent clear on a 2 on 0 vs the keeper. Rather than risk the ref’s overly zealous offside whistle by passing to Devin, Dylan rounded the keeper only to rustle the side netting rather than finding the open net. A few minutes later Dylan skipped past two defenders and into the Bleus box only to have his close range shot blocked by the keeper’s legs. He then collected the rebound and bounced it off a defender’s butt, collected that rebound and drove it off the keeper’s shins for a second time in short order. Up the other end, speedy 25 (or 75 it’s difficult to tell sometimes with taped on numbers) found himself behind the CSSC defense for the only time all game but his dreams of a tying goal were crushed by Jake Marks’ lightening quick hand that flashed out to tip the shot over the bar. Again, CSSC could have made the waning minutes of the contest more relaxed when Dylan slid a perfect low cross to Kamal at the top of the Bleus box, who placed a curling one timer into the back of the net. But there was that offside whistle again. The well placed CSSC fans shivering in the bleachers declared it a bit of a harsh call. It was little more than what the fancy commentators call a “talking point” because CSSC’s well drilled defense kept Les Bleus pretty much at bay.
Man of the Match: The post match discussion revolved around why in the world there were two cheese sections in the store, especially when the only cheese worth eating comes in gigantic bricks, costs $5.99 on special and should be grilled between two slices of sourdough. When that debate cooled the MotM committee decided that, really, the award should go to the whole D line, which managed the virtually impossible rec league feat of allowing only one genuinely dangerous chance. But if we had to name names it would be RDB and Van Penner, who shut down dangerous 7 and the rest of the Bleus all game.
CSSC 3 - 2 St. James
Although CSSC is still attempting to come to grips with the loss of head honcho John Loxley, its cobbled together management team is really having to earn its corn because of the nasty spate of injuries inflicting the squad. In addition to the much welcomed return of JDB from injury reserve, the crack scouting team unearthed new signings Madrin Macgillvray and David Rucinski who slotted right into the starting line up.
Perhaps it was the much discussed "bedding in process" with the new players, but CSSC again got off to a very slow start. St. James' dangerous 26 was getting open much too close to the CSSC goal and he had already hammered a couple of well struck long range sighters at the CSSC keeper before he was picked out at the far post by a very nice cross field through ball only to be thwarted by a wonderful double save by Jake Marks who went post to post to parry the first strike and smother the second. CSSC didn't really heed that warning and when 26 again worked some space at the top of the CSSC box, he made no mistake with a shot that beat Marks just under the bar. As the half wore on CSSC started to gain more of a foothold in the game but without changing the scoresheet heading into half time, although Kevin Dick did ring the bar twice with identical free kicks.
CSSC came out guns blazing for the second half. KD's lovely dummy allowed the ball to run to Kamal about 10 yards out but his firm shot was turned away by the sprawling St James keeper. The score was even when new boy Madrin - a name that his new team mates found inexplicably difficult to remember - slotted a through ball to KD who rounded the keeper and calmly slotted home off the far post from a tight angle. CSSC took the lead not long after. Returning danger man JDB could have shot from the top of the box, but opted to slip KD in one on one vs the keeper and he made no mistake. CSSC looked the more composed side in the final 15 minutes. A lovely bit of passing down the left between Devin Doerksen and JDB teed up Dylan Doerksen on the penalty spot and he smashed a side footer that looked destined for the low right corner only for it to be clawed around the post by an excellent save from the St. James keeper. It was only a temporary reprieve as Devin Doerksen slid Kamal in behind the St. James defense down the left channel and he slotted home at the near post. As Kamal was careful to point out after the game, it turned out to be very important, when St. James got a second due to a series of unfortunate events. A St. James corner looked to be rolling out of bounds but was redirected back across a keeperless CSSC goal mouth. DeBlonde, reacting with his usual fleet footed style attempted a miraculous goal line clearance surrounded by St. James forwards but it pinged off one of the onrushing players and into the net. It turned out to be the kind of thing you can smile about after the game as the remaining two minutes or so passed without further catastrophe.
After the game the St. James bench boss called both teams together and gave a very moving impromptu tribute to Loxley. It was a perfect compliment to a game played in an excellent spirit. Classy St. James.
Man of the Match: Devin Doerksen is developing into a real offensive threat this year and the two new signings, David and Madrin, had very encouraging games out wide. However, turning a one goal deficit into a one goal lead with two clinical finishes means that KD walks away with the silverware despite fleeing the sidelines right as the final whistle blew.
Although CSSC is still attempting to come to grips with the loss of head honcho John Loxley, its cobbled together management team is really having to earn its corn because of the nasty spate of injuries inflicting the squad. In addition to the much welcomed return of JDB from injury reserve, the crack scouting team unearthed new signings Madrin Macgillvray and David Rucinski who slotted right into the starting line up.
Perhaps it was the much discussed "bedding in process" with the new players, but CSSC again got off to a very slow start. St. James' dangerous 26 was getting open much too close to the CSSC goal and he had already hammered a couple of well struck long range sighters at the CSSC keeper before he was picked out at the far post by a very nice cross field through ball only to be thwarted by a wonderful double save by Jake Marks who went post to post to parry the first strike and smother the second. CSSC didn't really heed that warning and when 26 again worked some space at the top of the CSSC box, he made no mistake with a shot that beat Marks just under the bar. As the half wore on CSSC started to gain more of a foothold in the game but without changing the scoresheet heading into half time, although Kevin Dick did ring the bar twice with identical free kicks.
CSSC came out guns blazing for the second half. KD's lovely dummy allowed the ball to run to Kamal about 10 yards out but his firm shot was turned away by the sprawling St James keeper. The score was even when new boy Madrin - a name that his new team mates found inexplicably difficult to remember - slotted a through ball to KD who rounded the keeper and calmly slotted home off the far post from a tight angle. CSSC took the lead not long after. Returning danger man JDB could have shot from the top of the box, but opted to slip KD in one on one vs the keeper and he made no mistake. CSSC looked the more composed side in the final 15 minutes. A lovely bit of passing down the left between Devin Doerksen and JDB teed up Dylan Doerksen on the penalty spot and he smashed a side footer that looked destined for the low right corner only for it to be clawed around the post by an excellent save from the St. James keeper. It was only a temporary reprieve as Devin Doerksen slid Kamal in behind the St. James defense down the left channel and he slotted home at the near post. As Kamal was careful to point out after the game, it turned out to be very important, when St. James got a second due to a series of unfortunate events. A St. James corner looked to be rolling out of bounds but was redirected back across a keeperless CSSC goal mouth. DeBlonde, reacting with his usual fleet footed style attempted a miraculous goal line clearance surrounded by St. James forwards but it pinged off one of the onrushing players and into the net. It turned out to be the kind of thing you can smile about after the game as the remaining two minutes or so passed without further catastrophe.
After the game the St. James bench boss called both teams together and gave a very moving impromptu tribute to Loxley. It was a perfect compliment to a game played in an excellent spirit. Classy St. James.
Man of the Match: Devin Doerksen is developing into a real offensive threat this year and the two new signings, David and Madrin, had very encouraging games out wide. However, turning a one goal deficit into a one goal lead with two clinical finishes means that KD walks away with the silverware despite fleeing the sidelines right as the final whistle blew.
CSSC 2 – 2 Stonewall
The injury bug has hammered CSSC: Robinson, out of the season, knee; Mac, week to week, ankle; Woolford, day to day, back and haircut; Charaoui, day to day, calf; JDB, day to day, ankle. That’s a healthy chunk of the lineup unable to take to the lush, but perhaps slightly long, turf at Buhler field. On the plus side, Salim Loxley rousted some of CSSC's most famous alumni into attending, keeping our COVID monitor on full alert tracking the unusually large fan support.
The fans would have been disappointed by the one way traffic headed toward the CSSC goal in the opening minutes of the first half. No real chances were given up thanks to Sean Brown’s wonderful play at center back, but if CSSC crossed the half way line twice it would be a surprise. But then, like Spiderman, the Doerksen’s showed up just in time to save the day. All of a sudden the field was tilted the other way. Dylan created two breakaways for himself with his sweet dribbling, but both times he was thwarted by the inside thighs of the keeper. Kevin Dick showed him how to use the corners when he finished off his own breakaway with a well placed low shot across the keeper for a 1-0 lead. It was 2-0 when Devin stormed down the left touchline and cut the ball back to Van Penner, whose pin point cross was glanced home at the near post by Dylan. Things were looking good at the half.
They say a two goal lead is the most dangerous, but a three goal lead is pretty much a sure win - a lead CSSC should have had when KD shifted the ball onto his favoured left foot and smacked a low drive from the top of the box that the keeper could only parry into the path of I. Hudson who slotted home the rebound, only to see the ref signaling for an offside call so incorrect even Stonewall didn’t seem willing to accept it. That was the turning point. Given a new lease on life, Stonewall took full advantage, pouring forward with a four man attack. They reduced the arrears when a long range effort pinged off the CSSC crossbar and the Stonewall forward was all hustle in getting to the rebound and nodding the ball into the net during a collision that left CSSC keeper Walden a bit woozy. The equalizer came when a very nice through ball sent their right winger in alone on Walden and he finished hard and low at the near post. There should have been more for both teams. Walden had to make two acrobatic saves in the CSSC net and Kamal clanked an agonizingly slow roller off the Stonewall post. But, truth be told, it was the visitors from out of town who finished on top.
Man of the Match: Walden made a couple of big saves in the closing minutes to preserve the tie. Sean Brown kept the back line together under some serious pressure and cleared one off the line in the first half. But the stand out performer had to be Dylan Doerksen, who scored one, should have had a couple more, and terrified the Stonewall defense all night.
The injury bug has hammered CSSC: Robinson, out of the season, knee; Mac, week to week, ankle; Woolford, day to day, back and haircut; Charaoui, day to day, calf; JDB, day to day, ankle. That’s a healthy chunk of the lineup unable to take to the lush, but perhaps slightly long, turf at Buhler field. On the plus side, Salim Loxley rousted some of CSSC's most famous alumni into attending, keeping our COVID monitor on full alert tracking the unusually large fan support.
The fans would have been disappointed by the one way traffic headed toward the CSSC goal in the opening minutes of the first half. No real chances were given up thanks to Sean Brown’s wonderful play at center back, but if CSSC crossed the half way line twice it would be a surprise. But then, like Spiderman, the Doerksen’s showed up just in time to save the day. All of a sudden the field was tilted the other way. Dylan created two breakaways for himself with his sweet dribbling, but both times he was thwarted by the inside thighs of the keeper. Kevin Dick showed him how to use the corners when he finished off his own breakaway with a well placed low shot across the keeper for a 1-0 lead. It was 2-0 when Devin stormed down the left touchline and cut the ball back to Van Penner, whose pin point cross was glanced home at the near post by Dylan. Things were looking good at the half.
They say a two goal lead is the most dangerous, but a three goal lead is pretty much a sure win - a lead CSSC should have had when KD shifted the ball onto his favoured left foot and smacked a low drive from the top of the box that the keeper could only parry into the path of I. Hudson who slotted home the rebound, only to see the ref signaling for an offside call so incorrect even Stonewall didn’t seem willing to accept it. That was the turning point. Given a new lease on life, Stonewall took full advantage, pouring forward with a four man attack. They reduced the arrears when a long range effort pinged off the CSSC crossbar and the Stonewall forward was all hustle in getting to the rebound and nodding the ball into the net during a collision that left CSSC keeper Walden a bit woozy. The equalizer came when a very nice through ball sent their right winger in alone on Walden and he finished hard and low at the near post. There should have been more for both teams. Walden had to make two acrobatic saves in the CSSC net and Kamal clanked an agonizingly slow roller off the Stonewall post. But, truth be told, it was the visitors from out of town who finished on top.
Man of the Match: Walden made a couple of big saves in the closing minutes to preserve the tie. Sean Brown kept the back line together under some serious pressure and cleared one off the line in the first half. But the stand out performer had to be Dylan Doerksen, who scored one, should have had a couple more, and terrified the Stonewall defense all night.
VVV 4 - 1 CSSC
An acephalous (look it up, it's educational) CSSC managed to gather 14 players at Buhler on time, despite the early start. Perhaps the newfound punctuality signaled a readier squad, who broke past the VVV defense multiple times. The pressure produced a Kevin Dick goal when he surged free on a break and placed his shot neatly past the keeper. VVV evened the score before the first half was done when a fellow wearing pink socks and goggles somehow slipped past several D and fed a pass across the box for a tap in.
The many voices offering coaching advice at half time did little to focus the squad. Though, in truth, a good effort was undone by a poor penalty call when a player fell over near Devon Doerksen. Despite the roar of a pro-CSSC paramotorist, who revved his motorized paraglider just before the shot was taken, number 13 finished the penalty with all the patience one would expect from VVV’s best player.
This misfortune led to a bit of a sputter from the squad, who were also dropping to tweaks and tiredness, even after Tyler’s half time arrival from Brandon (where he swears he never left his car). But it was nothing like the previous week’s collapse -- only two rather than five more goals were surrendered. And Kevin Dick potted another on a Dylan Doerksen set up, which was incorrectly called back as offside.
MOTM: Kevin Dick with his two goals would normally be a top contender, but his theories on how Andrew injured his back left some of the young players with a mental image they may never erase. Matt Loxley was strong in the midfield, sending balls through to the forwards and covering up to 4 VVV players at a time. His order of two pitchers at the pub was also delivered with enough force to lead the bartender to ignore all of the other players saying “just one.” But the award goes to Greg Boese who, while playing with an injured ankle, managed the Colin Kinsella hat trick of great positioning, sweet passes, and calling one of the players of the otherwise friendly opposing team out for using homophobic language.
An acephalous (look it up, it's educational) CSSC managed to gather 14 players at Buhler on time, despite the early start. Perhaps the newfound punctuality signaled a readier squad, who broke past the VVV defense multiple times. The pressure produced a Kevin Dick goal when he surged free on a break and placed his shot neatly past the keeper. VVV evened the score before the first half was done when a fellow wearing pink socks and goggles somehow slipped past several D and fed a pass across the box for a tap in.
The many voices offering coaching advice at half time did little to focus the squad. Though, in truth, a good effort was undone by a poor penalty call when a player fell over near Devon Doerksen. Despite the roar of a pro-CSSC paramotorist, who revved his motorized paraglider just before the shot was taken, number 13 finished the penalty with all the patience one would expect from VVV’s best player.
This misfortune led to a bit of a sputter from the squad, who were also dropping to tweaks and tiredness, even after Tyler’s half time arrival from Brandon (where he swears he never left his car). But it was nothing like the previous week’s collapse -- only two rather than five more goals were surrendered. And Kevin Dick potted another on a Dylan Doerksen set up, which was incorrectly called back as offside.
MOTM: Kevin Dick with his two goals would normally be a top contender, but his theories on how Andrew injured his back left some of the young players with a mental image they may never erase. Matt Loxley was strong in the midfield, sending balls through to the forwards and covering up to 4 VVV players at a time. His order of two pitchers at the pub was also delivered with enough force to lead the bartender to ignore all of the other players saying “just one.” But the award goes to Greg Boese who, while playing with an injured ankle, managed the Colin Kinsella hat trick of great positioning, sweet passes, and calling one of the players of the otherwise friendly opposing team out for using homophobic language.
Landmark 1 – 3 CSSC
The Landmark flu was in full effect for game four of PJL. A combination of COVID precautions (see that MMSL, we’re taking things seriously here at CSSC), bad knees, rolled ankles, and –best of all – a nasty reaction to a red ant bite, left a paper thin squad, most worryingly in goal where the 4th string keeper I. Hudson was pulling on the gloves.
The first half offered little entertainment for the lawn chair sitting fans who turned out to see a Landmark side struggling for points this season. However, what little action there was went in Landmark’s favour. CSSC could barely string a pass together and failed to muster a single shot worth remembering. Landmark, on the other hand created four excellent chances. Three of them came when speedy forwards managed to get in behind the CSSC defense but were thwarted from very close range by I. Hudson’s efforts to bring the NHL goal equipment controversy to the 5th division of the MMSL with the purchase of a gigantic pair of shin pads. The final effort was a forceful dribble across the top of the CSSC box, followed by a rocket of a shot that clanked off the outside of the angle between post and crossbar. 0-0 but the field had been tilted in Landmark’s favour all half.
That desperate trend continued after the break. Early in the half a nice bit of work up the Landmark left resulted in a quick break into the CSSC box, where the striker unloaded a close range daisy cutter that looked labeled for the far corner until Hudson threw himself to the left and clawed the ball around the post. Hudson undid all his good work by letting the resulting corner bounce right through the six yard box to be glanced in off the onrushing forward's left nipple. “That’s got to be the keeper’s ball” as the analysts say. Readers of the last match report vs. VVV will recall the reporter’s dismay at CSSC’s efforts in the last 30 minutes of the game but CSSC showed all its fighting grit after falling behind. What would have been termed the TSN turning point, if CSSC were on a bigger televised stage, came courtesy of Devin Doerksen who took the ball out wide on the left calmly strolled by two defenders on the base line and, when the keeper anticipated the cut back, slid it home at the near post. All of a sudden, CSSC was pinging the ball around despite being down to one sub after Meuwese and Brown went down, and bossing possession. CSSC took the lead when Matt Loxley, a midfield terrier all game, intercepted a Landmark breakout and slid Chioua through in a one on one footrace with the Landmark sweeper, who had no choice but to bring down the CSSC striker after being turned by a delightful chop. The penalty was awarded and calmly slotted home by Dylan Doerksen. Shortly after, Van Penner looped a header against the post and somehow failed to force the ball over the line in the ensuing scramble. CSSC salted the game away when JDB floated over a delightful corner that Chioua powered home with a textbook header into the bottom corner.
CSSC coasted over the last 10 or so minutes with such a sense of calm reassurance that when Landmark drove in a close range shot in the final seconds that Hudson managed to flop on before it crossed the line, not a single worried frown could be seen from the injured subs lying around the sidelines.
Man of the Match: Chioua converted a tie into a win by drawing the penalty for the winner and notching the insurance marker. Devin turned the game with a moment of individual brilliance. However, the collective opinion of those gathered for a post match beer back in Nicolino’s extended patio was that if your 4th string keeper manages to put one in the W column, he gets MOTM despite the fact that he’s a bit of a vampire – scared of crosses.
The Landmark flu was in full effect for game four of PJL. A combination of COVID precautions (see that MMSL, we’re taking things seriously here at CSSC), bad knees, rolled ankles, and –best of all – a nasty reaction to a red ant bite, left a paper thin squad, most worryingly in goal where the 4th string keeper I. Hudson was pulling on the gloves.
The first half offered little entertainment for the lawn chair sitting fans who turned out to see a Landmark side struggling for points this season. However, what little action there was went in Landmark’s favour. CSSC could barely string a pass together and failed to muster a single shot worth remembering. Landmark, on the other hand created four excellent chances. Three of them came when speedy forwards managed to get in behind the CSSC defense but were thwarted from very close range by I. Hudson’s efforts to bring the NHL goal equipment controversy to the 5th division of the MMSL with the purchase of a gigantic pair of shin pads. The final effort was a forceful dribble across the top of the CSSC box, followed by a rocket of a shot that clanked off the outside of the angle between post and crossbar. 0-0 but the field had been tilted in Landmark’s favour all half.
That desperate trend continued after the break. Early in the half a nice bit of work up the Landmark left resulted in a quick break into the CSSC box, where the striker unloaded a close range daisy cutter that looked labeled for the far corner until Hudson threw himself to the left and clawed the ball around the post. Hudson undid all his good work by letting the resulting corner bounce right through the six yard box to be glanced in off the onrushing forward's left nipple. “That’s got to be the keeper’s ball” as the analysts say. Readers of the last match report vs. VVV will recall the reporter’s dismay at CSSC’s efforts in the last 30 minutes of the game but CSSC showed all its fighting grit after falling behind. What would have been termed the TSN turning point, if CSSC were on a bigger televised stage, came courtesy of Devin Doerksen who took the ball out wide on the left calmly strolled by two defenders on the base line and, when the keeper anticipated the cut back, slid it home at the near post. All of a sudden, CSSC was pinging the ball around despite being down to one sub after Meuwese and Brown went down, and bossing possession. CSSC took the lead when Matt Loxley, a midfield terrier all game, intercepted a Landmark breakout and slid Chioua through in a one on one footrace with the Landmark sweeper, who had no choice but to bring down the CSSC striker after being turned by a delightful chop. The penalty was awarded and calmly slotted home by Dylan Doerksen. Shortly after, Van Penner looped a header against the post and somehow failed to force the ball over the line in the ensuing scramble. CSSC salted the game away when JDB floated over a delightful corner that Chioua powered home with a textbook header into the bottom corner.
CSSC coasted over the last 10 or so minutes with such a sense of calm reassurance that when Landmark drove in a close range shot in the final seconds that Hudson managed to flop on before it crossed the line, not a single worried frown could be seen from the injured subs lying around the sidelines.
Man of the Match: Chioua converted a tie into a win by drawing the penalty for the winner and notching the insurance marker. Devin turned the game with a moment of individual brilliance. However, the collective opinion of those gathered for a post match beer back in Nicolino’s extended patio was that if your 4th string keeper manages to put one in the W column, he gets MOTM despite the fact that he’s a bit of a vampire – scared of crosses.
VVV 6 – 1 CSSC
Game 3 in the PJL era saw a solid crew of CSSC substitutes pile out to Buhler, cheered on by Salim Loxley, fresh out of his extended period of quarantine based house arrest. The only concern leading up to the match was the late arrival of defensive superstar Van Penner, who got lost in the suburbs of Southeast Winnipeg on the way to the game from an unapproved, pre match afternoon picnic date.
CSSC was on the back foot straightaway, with VVVs quick strikers getting in behind the CSSC back line twice only to be thwarted by the fearless keeping of Mac Andries who, as they say, made himself big to block the close range shots. Tragically, on the second attempt, Mac managed to catch his right foot in the very thick grass of Buhler 2 and turn his ankle, forcing Walden between the sticks yet again. Goals were going in with such shocking regularity that the match reporter’s furious laptop typing couldn’t keep up with the deficit, so we’re not too sure how they went in, only that they did. It may have been three nil at the half.
There was a brief glimmer of hope at the start of the second when Dylan danced along the base line and blasted home from close range to reduce the arrears, but, like the rapidly setting prairie sun, it faded fast. CSSC folded in a manner that hard man and Johnny Tryhard Mark Hudson found appropriately enraging, conceding three more goals, some of which smacked of such a level of comic ineptitude that the match reporter couldn’t bear to recount their precise nature.
Man of the Match: Matt Loxley and M. Hudson gutted out impressively action packed performances in the center of midfield. Riley DeBlonde was CSSC’s only real island of calm and class while everyone else was floundering and he attempted to rally the troops repeatedly in an effort to keep the match from slipping away. However, in a 6-1 loss it’s tough to give a positive award to any CSSC player, so let’s give it to Mr Frosted Tips from VVV, who is quite a player, it has to be said.
Game 3 in the PJL era saw a solid crew of CSSC substitutes pile out to Buhler, cheered on by Salim Loxley, fresh out of his extended period of quarantine based house arrest. The only concern leading up to the match was the late arrival of defensive superstar Van Penner, who got lost in the suburbs of Southeast Winnipeg on the way to the game from an unapproved, pre match afternoon picnic date.
CSSC was on the back foot straightaway, with VVVs quick strikers getting in behind the CSSC back line twice only to be thwarted by the fearless keeping of Mac Andries who, as they say, made himself big to block the close range shots. Tragically, on the second attempt, Mac managed to catch his right foot in the very thick grass of Buhler 2 and turn his ankle, forcing Walden between the sticks yet again. Goals were going in with such shocking regularity that the match reporter’s furious laptop typing couldn’t keep up with the deficit, so we’re not too sure how they went in, only that they did. It may have been three nil at the half.
There was a brief glimmer of hope at the start of the second when Dylan danced along the base line and blasted home from close range to reduce the arrears, but, like the rapidly setting prairie sun, it faded fast. CSSC folded in a manner that hard man and Johnny Tryhard Mark Hudson found appropriately enraging, conceding three more goals, some of which smacked of such a level of comic ineptitude that the match reporter couldn’t bear to recount their precise nature.
Man of the Match: Matt Loxley and M. Hudson gutted out impressively action packed performances in the center of midfield. Riley DeBlonde was CSSC’s only real island of calm and class while everyone else was floundering and he attempted to rally the troops repeatedly in an effort to keep the match from slipping away. However, in a 6-1 loss it’s tough to give a positive award to any CSSC player, so let’s give it to Mr Frosted Tips from VVV, who is quite a player, it has to be said.
CSSC 2 - 1 Southside
It was a late night match number 2 in the much diminished post John Loxley (PJL) world of CSSC. Loxley friends and well wishers, including R. Penner, J. Peters, Ali Chioua, and M. Dryburgh, again bolstered the CSSC away attendance to an unprecedented 10 souls stretching the amenity capacity of the UofM soccer field. On the field, the CSSC numbers looked good, with number 1 keeper Mac Andries making back to back appearances for the first time all year.
CSSC got off to a flying start – flashing the ball around the field. CSSC players were showing better than a dog at the Mayflower Kennel Club show, making for easy passing options and steady progress down the field. Southside got an early warning when a slick passing move down the CSSC left featuring Johnson and JDB led to an I. Hudson cross whipped in to brother M. Hudson steaming in at the back post, only for his one time effort to rocket just the wrong side of the post. CSSC were ahead soon after. A Southside half clearance fell to Penner 25 yards out and, with the entire CSSC bench screaming at him to shoot, Penner drew the defense to him and slid a no look slide rule pass to a wide open K. Dick, who steered an unstoppable side footer into the corner. It was two soon after. Dick looked to find Charaoui behind the Southside backline with a quick ball over the top and the ball ended up in the back of the net. Video replays are inconclusive about whether the ball bobbled in off the big strikers thigh or whether his imposing physical presence simply caused an unsettled defender to deflect the ball into his own net. Either way, the goal wouldn’t have gone in without Charaoui causing mayhem up front.
About two thirds of the way through the half the game began to turn. CSSC’s coaching staff couldn’t quite pin down whether it was CSSC playing worse or Southside stepping up its game, but they pulled one back when their physically imposing number 4 bullied the much smaller CSSC defenders to smash home a close range header off a corner. Had the CSSC staff noticed the obvious size difference between CSSC and Southside it probably would have attempted to concede fewer corners, but in the PJL world the CSSC bench is pretty tactically at sea.
The second half was a bit of a “what we have we hold” effort from CSSC, which showed resolute defending and occasional danger on the counter, but the flowing, attacking football of the first 20 minutes of the game was like a rapidly fading, barely remembered dream. A strong defensive effort, however, kept Southside at bay from open play. Corners were another matter. Off of one, chaos ensued in the CSSC box resulting in an off balance Woolford, who had a wonderful game filling in at sweeper after a strained calf cut Brown’s night short, shinning the ball into his own net. However the ref blew for a foul on Andries in the CSSC net, despite Woolford’s overly honest insistence that there was not foul and that it was a goal. Off a second, another bullet header cannoned off the post and to safety. You didn’t need a moneyball system of advanced metrics to figure out where the danger was coming from. CSSC’s best chance down the other end came on the break, when Charaoui, who was a bull all night, forced his way through a defender's challenge and went for a 25 yard chipped outside of the boot bender that the tall, and quite agile, Southend keeper scrambled to pluck out of the prairie night.
After the somewhat negative appraisal of CSCCS’s opponents in the previous game, it is probably worth mentioning that Southside were an absolutely delight to play against. The game was clean and free of nasty sniping. The only verbal barbs being lobbed CSSC’s way by Southside were perfectly reasonable questions about the wisdom of I. Hudson’s sketchy mustache.
Man of the Match: A late start made for a very late night as CSSC enjoyed the splendor of a gigantic picnic table in Nicolino’s newly reclaimed parking lot/patio. After a keen debate surrounding how much clothing is respectable in a hot tub revealed Greg Boese’s surprisingly minimal opinions on that front, it was decided that MOTM should go to Charaoui. Whatever he’s doing in his new MMA training regimen, it’s paying off. His new, mobile playing style resulted in him causing, or perhaps scoring, a goal, and terrorizing Southside defenders all night.
It was a late night match number 2 in the much diminished post John Loxley (PJL) world of CSSC. Loxley friends and well wishers, including R. Penner, J. Peters, Ali Chioua, and M. Dryburgh, again bolstered the CSSC away attendance to an unprecedented 10 souls stretching the amenity capacity of the UofM soccer field. On the field, the CSSC numbers looked good, with number 1 keeper Mac Andries making back to back appearances for the first time all year.
CSSC got off to a flying start – flashing the ball around the field. CSSC players were showing better than a dog at the Mayflower Kennel Club show, making for easy passing options and steady progress down the field. Southside got an early warning when a slick passing move down the CSSC left featuring Johnson and JDB led to an I. Hudson cross whipped in to brother M. Hudson steaming in at the back post, only for his one time effort to rocket just the wrong side of the post. CSSC were ahead soon after. A Southside half clearance fell to Penner 25 yards out and, with the entire CSSC bench screaming at him to shoot, Penner drew the defense to him and slid a no look slide rule pass to a wide open K. Dick, who steered an unstoppable side footer into the corner. It was two soon after. Dick looked to find Charaoui behind the Southside backline with a quick ball over the top and the ball ended up in the back of the net. Video replays are inconclusive about whether the ball bobbled in off the big strikers thigh or whether his imposing physical presence simply caused an unsettled defender to deflect the ball into his own net. Either way, the goal wouldn’t have gone in without Charaoui causing mayhem up front.
About two thirds of the way through the half the game began to turn. CSSC’s coaching staff couldn’t quite pin down whether it was CSSC playing worse or Southside stepping up its game, but they pulled one back when their physically imposing number 4 bullied the much smaller CSSC defenders to smash home a close range header off a corner. Had the CSSC staff noticed the obvious size difference between CSSC and Southside it probably would have attempted to concede fewer corners, but in the PJL world the CSSC bench is pretty tactically at sea.
The second half was a bit of a “what we have we hold” effort from CSSC, which showed resolute defending and occasional danger on the counter, but the flowing, attacking football of the first 20 minutes of the game was like a rapidly fading, barely remembered dream. A strong defensive effort, however, kept Southside at bay from open play. Corners were another matter. Off of one, chaos ensued in the CSSC box resulting in an off balance Woolford, who had a wonderful game filling in at sweeper after a strained calf cut Brown’s night short, shinning the ball into his own net. However the ref blew for a foul on Andries in the CSSC net, despite Woolford’s overly honest insistence that there was not foul and that it was a goal. Off a second, another bullet header cannoned off the post and to safety. You didn’t need a moneyball system of advanced metrics to figure out where the danger was coming from. CSSC’s best chance down the other end came on the break, when Charaoui, who was a bull all night, forced his way through a defender's challenge and went for a 25 yard chipped outside of the boot bender that the tall, and quite agile, Southend keeper scrambled to pluck out of the prairie night.
After the somewhat negative appraisal of CSCCS’s opponents in the previous game, it is probably worth mentioning that Southside were an absolutely delight to play against. The game was clean and free of nasty sniping. The only verbal barbs being lobbed CSSC’s way by Southside were perfectly reasonable questions about the wisdom of I. Hudson’s sketchy mustache.
Man of the Match: A late start made for a very late night as CSSC enjoyed the splendor of a gigantic picnic table in Nicolino’s newly reclaimed parking lot/patio. After a keen debate surrounding how much clothing is respectable in a hot tub revealed Greg Boese’s surprisingly minimal opinions on that front, it was decided that MOTM should go to Charaoui. Whatever he’s doing in his new MMA training regimen, it’s paying off. His new, mobile playing style resulted in him causing, or perhaps scoring, a goal, and terrorizing Southside defenders all night.
CSSC 0 – 2 Sinjar
To say that it felt a bit strange to be playing a game two days after CSSC founder, superstar winger, and all-round coach, advisor, friend and mentor, John Loxley suddenly passed away would be a gross understatement. A more appropriate tribute to John’s 45 year relationship with CSSC is coming as soon as the CSSC writers can write a few words while choking back the tears. A massive crop of Loxley well wishers turned out in the stands, including former CSSC stalwarts CK, Waz, Harney, Sigurdson, P Hudson, R Loxley and M Reed. Sue Hudson had fashioned some black tribute armbands that CSSC players were still trying to squeeze over their mighty biceps as the game started.
John Loxley was the ultimate proponent of soccer played the right way – hard, fast, quick passes, and with a sense of sportsmanship and fair play. Tragically, pretty much from the opening kickoff Sinjar decided that the game was best played without the last of these. It was easily the most unpleasant game CSSC has played in the last five years. Sinjar play a brand of soccer dirtier than the money in Ozark. When CSSC players weren’t dodging knee high, two footed scissor kicks that Sinjar seemed to think were reasonable tackles, they were trying to stop the bleeding from cleat gauges well above the knee, pick up broken teeth, and wondering why being kicked in the head only produced a yellow card. To sum up the game, click on the link below for a video captured by Kiara of Alex Ferch getting kicked in the face. I think he’s finally got his nose to stop bleeding.
The petty violence was accompanied by non stop sniping from their coach, sporting a fetching NBA jersey, who could not let a single on field incident pass without a few expletive laden threats directed at the CSSC bench. Although he did, while disputing yet another call against his team, claim that his vision was “40/40” which showed a good grasp of fractions.
Just to add petty stupidity to their list of offenses, after a foul was called against Sinjar, and play stopped for some time, a Sinjar player casually strolled over and deliberately toe punted CSSC's newly purchased match ball over the massive fence and into the Winnipeg Reservoir, which, as all MMSL players know, means it will never be seen again. When an understandably aggrieved M Hudson on the CSSC bench asked what the F** that was all about, the NBA loving coach told him to stop being such a baby and, like a real big wheel down at the cracker factory, told him “if you want a $100, I’ll give you a $100.” But then, predictably for Mr All Talk, no $100 was ever produced.
There was a soccer game in there somewhere. Sinjar should have scored far more than their two goals, but a combination of spectacular misses and similarly spectacular saves from Mac Andries, in his first appearance of the year, meant that the game remained a contest. CSSC pressed hard for an equalizer in the second half and were denied what looked a legitimate goal when Dev Doerksen poked home a rebound from close range only for the ref to incorrectly rule that the keeper had both hands on the ball (which makes you wonder why it was rolling around on the goal line).
Really, the only moment of any positive note was when John’s son, and CSSC mid field supremo, Matt Loxley managed to escape the condolence hugs from his team mates to stride onto the field in the second half to a massive ovation from the gathered Loxley honouring CSSC support. I’m wiping a tear from my eye just thinking about it.
Man of the Match: It could only be John Loxley. From starting the club, to being a wing wizard back when CSSC played a swashbuckling flying W formation, to the social conscience, voice of reason, dating coach, matchmaker, career advisor, and best friend. The CSSC bench is never going to be the same.
To say that it felt a bit strange to be playing a game two days after CSSC founder, superstar winger, and all-round coach, advisor, friend and mentor, John Loxley suddenly passed away would be a gross understatement. A more appropriate tribute to John’s 45 year relationship with CSSC is coming as soon as the CSSC writers can write a few words while choking back the tears. A massive crop of Loxley well wishers turned out in the stands, including former CSSC stalwarts CK, Waz, Harney, Sigurdson, P Hudson, R Loxley and M Reed. Sue Hudson had fashioned some black tribute armbands that CSSC players were still trying to squeeze over their mighty biceps as the game started.
John Loxley was the ultimate proponent of soccer played the right way – hard, fast, quick passes, and with a sense of sportsmanship and fair play. Tragically, pretty much from the opening kickoff Sinjar decided that the game was best played without the last of these. It was easily the most unpleasant game CSSC has played in the last five years. Sinjar play a brand of soccer dirtier than the money in Ozark. When CSSC players weren’t dodging knee high, two footed scissor kicks that Sinjar seemed to think were reasonable tackles, they were trying to stop the bleeding from cleat gauges well above the knee, pick up broken teeth, and wondering why being kicked in the head only produced a yellow card. To sum up the game, click on the link below for a video captured by Kiara of Alex Ferch getting kicked in the face. I think he’s finally got his nose to stop bleeding.
The petty violence was accompanied by non stop sniping from their coach, sporting a fetching NBA jersey, who could not let a single on field incident pass without a few expletive laden threats directed at the CSSC bench. Although he did, while disputing yet another call against his team, claim that his vision was “40/40” which showed a good grasp of fractions.
Just to add petty stupidity to their list of offenses, after a foul was called against Sinjar, and play stopped for some time, a Sinjar player casually strolled over and deliberately toe punted CSSC's newly purchased match ball over the massive fence and into the Winnipeg Reservoir, which, as all MMSL players know, means it will never be seen again. When an understandably aggrieved M Hudson on the CSSC bench asked what the F** that was all about, the NBA loving coach told him to stop being such a baby and, like a real big wheel down at the cracker factory, told him “if you want a $100, I’ll give you a $100.” But then, predictably for Mr All Talk, no $100 was ever produced.
There was a soccer game in there somewhere. Sinjar should have scored far more than their two goals, but a combination of spectacular misses and similarly spectacular saves from Mac Andries, in his first appearance of the year, meant that the game remained a contest. CSSC pressed hard for an equalizer in the second half and were denied what looked a legitimate goal when Dev Doerksen poked home a rebound from close range only for the ref to incorrectly rule that the keeper had both hands on the ball (which makes you wonder why it was rolling around on the goal line).
Really, the only moment of any positive note was when John’s son, and CSSC mid field supremo, Matt Loxley managed to escape the condolence hugs from his team mates to stride onto the field in the second half to a massive ovation from the gathered Loxley honouring CSSC support. I’m wiping a tear from my eye just thinking about it.
Man of the Match: It could only be John Loxley. From starting the club, to being a wing wizard back when CSSC played a swashbuckling flying W formation, to the social conscience, voice of reason, dating coach, matchmaker, career advisor, and best friend. The CSSC bench is never going to be the same.
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St James 0 - 6 CSSC
CSSC’s adventure into the heady heights of division 5 continued with a match up against old rivals St. James Spurs. The squad looked light in the leadership department, as ace timekeeper and calm voice of wisdom, John Loxley, was absent for the evening. Fortunately, Kiara, stepped into the void from the comfort of her pitch side lawn chair (which she was much better at sitting in than this fellow), providing perfectly timed substitutions and a minimum of chaos on a CSSC bench populated with a healthy five subs. Just to add to the strength of the substitute management team, CSSC legends and current club ambassadors, Wazoo and Ali, stopped by to offer the youth squad a few pointers on how to settle into the big time.
From the opening kickoff it was clear that St. James was committed to a wide open style of football. They looked comfortable on the ball and had a few players that could ping it around the field, but when CSSC took possession, there were spaces behind St James’ attack minded midfield. It didn’t take too long for Kamal to take a short pass from Penner with his back to goal about 20 yards out, use his Eli Robinson recommended Beach Body workout body to hold off the defender, turn and curl an unstoppable shot into the far corner. It was two soon after. M. Hudson’s free kick into the St. James box was hacked clear but only as far at Matt Loxley, who took touch to settle, and lobbed the slightly off the line keeper. St. James almost clawed their way back into the game when #26 stepped up and smashed a free kick off the underside of the bar so hard that it bounced out to safety. The last excitement of a first half featuring more action than Deadpool and Terminator combined resulted in Kevin Dick opening his CSSC account by poking home a rebound after the keeper managed to thwart Kamal from in close.
Fans of symmetry really enjoyed the second half. St James didn’t have a massive bench and after they pushed hard for the first 10 minutes without reducing the deficit they didn’t seem to be moving quite as much. Their spirits must have taken a real blow when their center back wanted to try out some fancy footwork in what moneyball analysts describe as the “wrong part of the field” resulting in Charaoui stealing it away and sliding the ball home from all of six yards. A patented Dylan Doerksen dribble into the box followed by an unstoppable low finish made it five. The scoring was completed when target man Robinson turned provider, laying an inch perfect cross to the back post where KD side footed a one time volley home for the brace. Walden, again standing in for Joey’s most dedicated employee, Mac Andries, managed to keep the sheet clean with a show stopping save flying to his right to turn away a free kick from that #26 after it took a wicked deflection of the unflinching melon of Robinson in the CSSC wall. A comfortable victory in the end. Really, the only downside to the whole evening was the alarming state of I. Hudson’s oozy shin, injured last game, which astute amateur doctor Jude DB declared was “not looking good.”
Man of the Match: With goals a plenty and a second clean sheet, choosing a man of the match from so many solid performances was no easy task for the awards committee enjoying a patio beer at LBJ. Matt Loxley dominated the midfield and chipped in with a goal. Kamal started the literal ball rolling with the game winner. But Devin Doerksen walks away with the award for his excellent performance patrolling the outside mid. If he can keep up his new pass and move style he’s going to prove a handful for defenders this year. There remains some controversy about whether Kamal's permanent claim on Sewart's magical former shorts, which were supposed to be the MOTM award each game, should be allowed to stand.
CSSC’s adventure into the heady heights of division 5 continued with a match up against old rivals St. James Spurs. The squad looked light in the leadership department, as ace timekeeper and calm voice of wisdom, John Loxley, was absent for the evening. Fortunately, Kiara, stepped into the void from the comfort of her pitch side lawn chair (which she was much better at sitting in than this fellow), providing perfectly timed substitutions and a minimum of chaos on a CSSC bench populated with a healthy five subs. Just to add to the strength of the substitute management team, CSSC legends and current club ambassadors, Wazoo and Ali, stopped by to offer the youth squad a few pointers on how to settle into the big time.
From the opening kickoff it was clear that St. James was committed to a wide open style of football. They looked comfortable on the ball and had a few players that could ping it around the field, but when CSSC took possession, there were spaces behind St James’ attack minded midfield. It didn’t take too long for Kamal to take a short pass from Penner with his back to goal about 20 yards out, use his Eli Robinson recommended Beach Body workout body to hold off the defender, turn and curl an unstoppable shot into the far corner. It was two soon after. M. Hudson’s free kick into the St. James box was hacked clear but only as far at Matt Loxley, who took touch to settle, and lobbed the slightly off the line keeper. St. James almost clawed their way back into the game when #26 stepped up and smashed a free kick off the underside of the bar so hard that it bounced out to safety. The last excitement of a first half featuring more action than Deadpool and Terminator combined resulted in Kevin Dick opening his CSSC account by poking home a rebound after the keeper managed to thwart Kamal from in close.
Fans of symmetry really enjoyed the second half. St James didn’t have a massive bench and after they pushed hard for the first 10 minutes without reducing the deficit they didn’t seem to be moving quite as much. Their spirits must have taken a real blow when their center back wanted to try out some fancy footwork in what moneyball analysts describe as the “wrong part of the field” resulting in Charaoui stealing it away and sliding the ball home from all of six yards. A patented Dylan Doerksen dribble into the box followed by an unstoppable low finish made it five. The scoring was completed when target man Robinson turned provider, laying an inch perfect cross to the back post where KD side footed a one time volley home for the brace. Walden, again standing in for Joey’s most dedicated employee, Mac Andries, managed to keep the sheet clean with a show stopping save flying to his right to turn away a free kick from that #26 after it took a wicked deflection of the unflinching melon of Robinson in the CSSC wall. A comfortable victory in the end. Really, the only downside to the whole evening was the alarming state of I. Hudson’s oozy shin, injured last game, which astute amateur doctor Jude DB declared was “not looking good.”
Man of the Match: With goals a plenty and a second clean sheet, choosing a man of the match from so many solid performances was no easy task for the awards committee enjoying a patio beer at LBJ. Matt Loxley dominated the midfield and chipped in with a goal. Kamal started the literal ball rolling with the game winner. But Devin Doerksen walks away with the award for his excellent performance patrolling the outside mid. If he can keep up his new pass and move style he’s going to prove a handful for defenders this year. There remains some controversy about whether Kamal's permanent claim on Sewart's magical former shorts, which were supposed to be the MOTM award each game, should be allowed to stand.
Stonewall 0 - 1 CSSC
Some semblance of normality returned to the players of CSSC as they dibbled into Stonewall for a slow motion half hearted warm up prior to a much delayed first game of the new season. CSSC was going into its season opener without returning shot stopper Andries, star striker Robinson and veteran center back Sean Brown. Stonewall, on the other hand, had showed up in such astonishing numbers prior to kick off that they could have easily fielded two full sides for an intersquad game.
Despite Stonewall's impressive bench depth, it was CSSC that dominated the opening exchanges and probably should have put the game out of reach before the 20 minute mark. First, Jude DB swung an inviting cross over to an unmarked Kevin Dick at the back post but he directed his close range header just the wrong side of the post. Only a couple of minutes later a flowing field length passing move released Van Penner steaming down the right wing. His delightful cross found Charaoui along at the back post only a yard or so out but he couldn't bundle the tummy height ball over the line. Finally, KD latched on to a through ball and looked set for a tap in as he rounded the keeper only to get unceremoniously clattered to the ground. The CSSC bench was already deciding on their penalty taker when the ref inexplicably awarded the free kick the other way - setting a perplexing precedent that continued through the game. About 20 minutes into the game Jude DB popped up with a moment of class to put CSSC ahead when he gathered himself at the left corner of the Stonewall box, shifted the ball inside to his right foot and bent and unstoppable pearler into the the top corner. As is so often the case, the goal changed the game, but not in CSSC's favour. The rest of the first half was spent chasing Stonewall around the midfield and hacking the ball out of CSSC's own end. On the plus side, the new look CSSC defense, marshaled by an increasingly vocally challenged Woolford, held the home side to a few corners.
The second half continued in more or less the same vein. Stonewall absolutely dominated possession but were held largely at bay by CSSC's stalwart defense, in which new boys Ferch and Amorim were settling nicely. Stonewall's best chance of the half came thanks to more problematic reffing. After deciding that a wild studs up challenge by the beefy Stonewall center back on I. Hudson was fair play (the six inch gash halfway up Hudson's shin pictured below suggests that the center back's claim of "all ball" may not have been entirely accurate) he awarded Stonewall a free kick just outside the CSSC box for Penner's perfectly timed slide tackle that left the striker not only still standing but completely untouched. The Stonewall subs' claim that the free kick was right in the taker's "g-spot" hopefully indicated a name starting with G rather than anything else, but in any event he stepped up and rattled the CSSC bar with a wicked bending shot that was inches away from the back of the net. Despite CSSC's lack of anything resembling ball control football, they did create three excellent chances on the break but KD was thwarted by a sliding keeper half way between the box and center when in one on one, Kamal attempted a cultured one touch finish that slid just wide when Penner picked him out with a quick free kick, and Charaoui wanted a bit too much time to line up his shot when clear in on the left. The last kick of the game featured Walden, deputizing in net brilliantly, scrambling across the goal to shove a close in header around the post.
It was an odd game. Stonewall deserved better in terms of ball control and possession, but in terms of chances, CSSC should have been out of sight. Three points on opening day with a big road win thanks to the one genuine moment of class in the game.
Man of the Match: Woolford was a figurative giant - commanding the back line and stepping in to break up attack after attack with delightfully timed interventions. Jude DB was easily CSSC's most creative force and his lovely strike was the one moment that decided the game. However, when someone not only volunteers to step between the posts but keeps a clean sheet, the decision is obvious. Bob Walden walks away with the much admired white checkered shorts made famous by retiring CSSC legend Bruce Sewart for his performance.
Some semblance of normality returned to the players of CSSC as they dibbled into Stonewall for a slow motion half hearted warm up prior to a much delayed first game of the new season. CSSC was going into its season opener without returning shot stopper Andries, star striker Robinson and veteran center back Sean Brown. Stonewall, on the other hand, had showed up in such astonishing numbers prior to kick off that they could have easily fielded two full sides for an intersquad game.
Despite Stonewall's impressive bench depth, it was CSSC that dominated the opening exchanges and probably should have put the game out of reach before the 20 minute mark. First, Jude DB swung an inviting cross over to an unmarked Kevin Dick at the back post but he directed his close range header just the wrong side of the post. Only a couple of minutes later a flowing field length passing move released Van Penner steaming down the right wing. His delightful cross found Charaoui along at the back post only a yard or so out but he couldn't bundle the tummy height ball over the line. Finally, KD latched on to a through ball and looked set for a tap in as he rounded the keeper only to get unceremoniously clattered to the ground. The CSSC bench was already deciding on their penalty taker when the ref inexplicably awarded the free kick the other way - setting a perplexing precedent that continued through the game. About 20 minutes into the game Jude DB popped up with a moment of class to put CSSC ahead when he gathered himself at the left corner of the Stonewall box, shifted the ball inside to his right foot and bent and unstoppable pearler into the the top corner. As is so often the case, the goal changed the game, but not in CSSC's favour. The rest of the first half was spent chasing Stonewall around the midfield and hacking the ball out of CSSC's own end. On the plus side, the new look CSSC defense, marshaled by an increasingly vocally challenged Woolford, held the home side to a few corners.
The second half continued in more or less the same vein. Stonewall absolutely dominated possession but were held largely at bay by CSSC's stalwart defense, in which new boys Ferch and Amorim were settling nicely. Stonewall's best chance of the half came thanks to more problematic reffing. After deciding that a wild studs up challenge by the beefy Stonewall center back on I. Hudson was fair play (the six inch gash halfway up Hudson's shin pictured below suggests that the center back's claim of "all ball" may not have been entirely accurate) he awarded Stonewall a free kick just outside the CSSC box for Penner's perfectly timed slide tackle that left the striker not only still standing but completely untouched. The Stonewall subs' claim that the free kick was right in the taker's "g-spot" hopefully indicated a name starting with G rather than anything else, but in any event he stepped up and rattled the CSSC bar with a wicked bending shot that was inches away from the back of the net. Despite CSSC's lack of anything resembling ball control football, they did create three excellent chances on the break but KD was thwarted by a sliding keeper half way between the box and center when in one on one, Kamal attempted a cultured one touch finish that slid just wide when Penner picked him out with a quick free kick, and Charaoui wanted a bit too much time to line up his shot when clear in on the left. The last kick of the game featured Walden, deputizing in net brilliantly, scrambling across the goal to shove a close in header around the post.
It was an odd game. Stonewall deserved better in terms of ball control and possession, but in terms of chances, CSSC should have been out of sight. Three points on opening day with a big road win thanks to the one genuine moment of class in the game.
Man of the Match: Woolford was a figurative giant - commanding the back line and stepping in to break up attack after attack with delightfully timed interventions. Jude DB was easily CSSC's most creative force and his lovely strike was the one moment that decided the game. However, when someone not only volunteers to step between the posts but keeps a clean sheet, the decision is obvious. Bob Walden walks away with the much admired white checkered shorts made famous by retiring CSSC legend Bruce Sewart for his performance.