April 30 CSSC vs Chexx
CSSC 1 - 2 Chexx
It was introductions all around as the newer, non practice attending, members of CSSC attempted to bond instantly with their new team mates. If we were Crazy Glue people would have been asking for their money back as two very quick identical goals for Chexx proved that our new look back line had yet to gel and that Chexx had added some speed up front.
The game turned with the addition of Sean Brown to steady the back and Zach Chioua to inject some life up front. His first touch was a mazy field length dribble before squaring the ball for Greg Boese to notch his first of the season. After that, it was unfinished chances galore, almost entirely due to the fantastic shot stopping ability of the pink uniformed Chexx keeper, who made two show stopping saves diving low to rob Zach, one fantastic leap to touch a Peyton Veitch shot on to the bar, and a full stretch tip over the bar to deny Rick Penner. And Kinsalla rocked one off the bar with a full volley from 30 yards.
Man of the Match: Zach and Sean Brown turned the game around, but we might have won if they had managed to show up on time, so nothing for them but a much needed lecture on punctuality. Instead the award goes to the man in pink. The Winnipeg League hasn't seen keeping like that in a while. Or, more accurately, CSSC hasn't played against keeping like that in a while, since Aiken regularly puts in performances of that quality.
It was introductions all around as the newer, non practice attending, members of CSSC attempted to bond instantly with their new team mates. If we were Crazy Glue people would have been asking for their money back as two very quick identical goals for Chexx proved that our new look back line had yet to gel and that Chexx had added some speed up front.
The game turned with the addition of Sean Brown to steady the back and Zach Chioua to inject some life up front. His first touch was a mazy field length dribble before squaring the ball for Greg Boese to notch his first of the season. After that, it was unfinished chances galore, almost entirely due to the fantastic shot stopping ability of the pink uniformed Chexx keeper, who made two show stopping saves diving low to rob Zach, one fantastic leap to touch a Peyton Veitch shot on to the bar, and a full stretch tip over the bar to deny Rick Penner. And Kinsalla rocked one off the bar with a full volley from 30 yards.
Man of the Match: Zach and Sean Brown turned the game around, but we might have won if they had managed to show up on time, so nothing for them but a much needed lecture on punctuality. Instead the award goes to the man in pink. The Winnipeg League hasn't seen keeping like that in a while. Or, more accurately, CSSC hasn't played against keeping like that in a while, since Aiken regularly puts in performances of that quality.
May 8 Elmwood vs CSSC
Elmwood 0 - 1 CSSC
Residents of hell were breaking out the parkas because Nic Zifarelli was actually the first to arrive at a game. Having succeeded in his long time goal of "droppings a few lbs", Zifarelli looked all business in his first game back and his stretching regimen was clearly intimidating an anxious looking Elmwood side.
CSSC took advantage of the psychological momentum with an early goal on its first real attack when Kinsella cooly slotted home a rebound after the keeper could only parry a low drive from Charaf. After the that the game basically degenerated into a midfield miasma despite the absolutely perfect playing conditions. Elmwood threatened on its usual diet of Rory Delap style long throw ins. CSSC managed to carve open a few opportunities to keep the two fans entertained. Their keeper saved bravely when Nabil was clean through and Ed clipped the top of the bar after Zach and Nabil had done the spade work up front. The play of the game easily belonged to Andrew Woolford, who managed a spectacular sliding goal line clearance while under extreme pressure after the Elmwood strikers finally managed to get the ball past the otherwise rock solid Chris Aiken. The win wasn't pretty, but in the words of Adam Wazny, "It's a good sign when you're criticizing a win."
Man of the Match: Most of the game would not have made it anywhere near the highlight reel, so the award goes to Woolford and his stellar work on the back line. He received special dispensation to conduct his own personal preseason training in Albuquerque, New Mexico and it looks like he put in some good work in between catching the local minor league baseball team "The Isotopes." Really. They named the team after a Simpson's episode.
Residents of hell were breaking out the parkas because Nic Zifarelli was actually the first to arrive at a game. Having succeeded in his long time goal of "droppings a few lbs", Zifarelli looked all business in his first game back and his stretching regimen was clearly intimidating an anxious looking Elmwood side.
CSSC took advantage of the psychological momentum with an early goal on its first real attack when Kinsella cooly slotted home a rebound after the keeper could only parry a low drive from Charaf. After the that the game basically degenerated into a midfield miasma despite the absolutely perfect playing conditions. Elmwood threatened on its usual diet of Rory Delap style long throw ins. CSSC managed to carve open a few opportunities to keep the two fans entertained. Their keeper saved bravely when Nabil was clean through and Ed clipped the top of the bar after Zach and Nabil had done the spade work up front. The play of the game easily belonged to Andrew Woolford, who managed a spectacular sliding goal line clearance while under extreme pressure after the Elmwood strikers finally managed to get the ball past the otherwise rock solid Chris Aiken. The win wasn't pretty, but in the words of Adam Wazny, "It's a good sign when you're criticizing a win."
Man of the Match: Most of the game would not have made it anywhere near the highlight reel, so the award goes to Woolford and his stellar work on the back line. He received special dispensation to conduct his own personal preseason training in Albuquerque, New Mexico and it looks like he put in some good work in between catching the local minor league baseball team "The Isotopes." Really. They named the team after a Simpson's episode.
May 15 CSSC vs InterMilan
CSSC 0 - 5 InterMilan
The worst second half in CSSC history resulted in a 5 goal deluge. Enough said. Andrew "the wolf" Woolford blamed a rich ravioli he had for lunch, which seems as good an excluse as any.
Man of the Match: Former CSSC goal getter David Fernandes drove all the way out to Transcona to witness this debacle and stayed for the whole thing. If David was still running up front we would have managed more than one anemic shot toward the InterMilan net.
The worst second half in CSSC history resulted in a 5 goal deluge. Enough said. Andrew "the wolf" Woolford blamed a rich ravioli he had for lunch, which seems as good an excluse as any.
Man of the Match: Former CSSC goal getter David Fernandes drove all the way out to Transcona to witness this debacle and stayed for the whole thing. If David was still running up front we would have managed more than one anemic shot toward the InterMilan net.
May 22 CSSC vs Grunthal
CSSC 0 - 3 Grunthal
It was fans a plenty as all our injured and suspended players turned up to watch CSSC take on league newcomers Grunthal on a windy Tuesday night. There was little for them to cheer as CSSC offered little going forward. They could muster up some righteous indignation, however, as the referee seemed determined to hand the game to Grunthal with two highly dubious penalties. The first hit the post, but the second was slotted home with 15 minutes left in the game. Two late goals on the break as CSSC desperately and ineffectively pushed forward sealed the deal.
Man of the Match: Sean Brown played a fantastic game at the back and Mark Hudson deserves an honourable mention for being the hardest working player on CSSC despite just getting off the plane after a 20 hour flight from Hawaii. But the award goes to new look Nic Zifarelli (and his Marco Tardelli shorts) who was the only player on the squad who managed to hold up the ball and play a few intelligent passes around.
It was fans a plenty as all our injured and suspended players turned up to watch CSSC take on league newcomers Grunthal on a windy Tuesday night. There was little for them to cheer as CSSC offered little going forward. They could muster up some righteous indignation, however, as the referee seemed determined to hand the game to Grunthal with two highly dubious penalties. The first hit the post, but the second was slotted home with 15 minutes left in the game. Two late goals on the break as CSSC desperately and ineffectively pushed forward sealed the deal.
Man of the Match: Sean Brown played a fantastic game at the back and Mark Hudson deserves an honourable mention for being the hardest working player on CSSC despite just getting off the plane after a 20 hour flight from Hawaii. But the award goes to new look Nic Zifarelli (and his Marco Tardelli shorts) who was the only player on the squad who managed to hold up the ball and play a few intelligent passes around.
June 4 CSSC vs Wolves
CSSC 3 - 4 Wolves
CSSC has struggled a little early in the season and things didn't get any easier with a game against last season's runaway table toppers Wolves. On the plus side, CSSC continues to get back some of its long lost talent as family men Paul Simpson and Chris Teasdale put in their first appearance of the season.
Defensive purists were hiding their heads in their hands after this all action match. It ended 4-3, but it could have also been about 8-8. Chris Aiken made a couple of show stopper saves, including a tremendous reaction stop when he got a strong hand to a point blank header off of a corner, to keep the Wolves tally down to a modest 4. CSSC had some very good chances go begging when Ed lifted one over the bar when faced with an empty net and Nic shaved the post with a low drive (he later blamed a gopher created problem bounce for it going just wide). Wolves are very dangerous going forward but they leave space at the back and CSSC's forward line sprung to life after their early season struggles. Zach hammered home an excellent low drive after being sent clear by a Greg Boese through ball. Ed showed that he can finish when the keeper is in the net by sliding home another Boese through ball. Peyton Veitch put in an early contender for goal of the season when he finished off a field spanning five pass CSSC move by shifting the ball onto his right foot and bending an unstoppable drive into the top right corner from 25 yards. Just like Matt Le Tissier would have done it.
CSSC showed some signs of promise in a tough loss, coming back to level the scores after going down 3-1 only to lose to a late goal. Moral victories anyone?
Man of the Match: Sean Brown had another great game, but he turned up late so no award for him. Ed scored a nice goal but the empty net miss is tough to forgive. The award goes to Greg Boese's three assist performance. And he submitted his MA thesis today, so it's celebrations all around for the UofM's rising star in psychology. Psychology, it's so much more than running rats through a maze.
CSSC has struggled a little early in the season and things didn't get any easier with a game against last season's runaway table toppers Wolves. On the plus side, CSSC continues to get back some of its long lost talent as family men Paul Simpson and Chris Teasdale put in their first appearance of the season.
Defensive purists were hiding their heads in their hands after this all action match. It ended 4-3, but it could have also been about 8-8. Chris Aiken made a couple of show stopper saves, including a tremendous reaction stop when he got a strong hand to a point blank header off of a corner, to keep the Wolves tally down to a modest 4. CSSC had some very good chances go begging when Ed lifted one over the bar when faced with an empty net and Nic shaved the post with a low drive (he later blamed a gopher created problem bounce for it going just wide). Wolves are very dangerous going forward but they leave space at the back and CSSC's forward line sprung to life after their early season struggles. Zach hammered home an excellent low drive after being sent clear by a Greg Boese through ball. Ed showed that he can finish when the keeper is in the net by sliding home another Boese through ball. Peyton Veitch put in an early contender for goal of the season when he finished off a field spanning five pass CSSC move by shifting the ball onto his right foot and bending an unstoppable drive into the top right corner from 25 yards. Just like Matt Le Tissier would have done it.
CSSC showed some signs of promise in a tough loss, coming back to level the scores after going down 3-1 only to lose to a late goal. Moral victories anyone?
Man of the Match: Sean Brown had another great game, but he turned up late so no award for him. Ed scored a nice goal but the empty net miss is tough to forgive. The award goes to Greg Boese's three assist performance. And he submitted his MA thesis today, so it's celebrations all around for the UofM's rising star in psychology. Psychology, it's so much more than running rats through a maze.
June 12 CSSC vs Windsor United
CSSC 4 - 1 Winsdor
The club's momentum is definitely picking up, as CSSC built on a solid performance against Wolves last week. The return of Matt Loxley from his globe-spanning travels to Europe, Tunisia, and South Africa, and of Ian Hudson, recently recovered from multiple undisclosed surgeries, lent an extra element of vigour to the resurgent Crescentwood. Showing no trepidation coming in with a 1-4 record to date and taking on the league leaders Windsor, Ed Gonzalez opened the scoring for Saturday by converting strongly from a through ball played invitingly on by Mark Hudson, after some quality one- and two-touch play starting from Bruce Sewart at the back. Ian Hudson, coming on 20 minutes into the half, very nearly scored with his first touch on the ball, as a long range left-footed shot curled just over the bar at the far post. Despite CSSC's marauding front line and solid play across the back, Windsor equalized one minute before the half-time whistle after a speculative cross took an unexpected deflection, catching the Crescentwood back line out and landing perfectly for the Windsor front-man, who notched it away. The second-half opened promisingly for Crescentwood. 10 minutes in, Wazoo, playing bravely through a foot, or possibly ankle, injury he incurred while playing tennis when, in fact, he should have been at a regularly-scheduled CSSC scrimmage, hit a lovely curler that hooked deceptively in at the near post, putting CSSC up 2-1. Windsor threw themselves forward, and only the heroics of Chris Aiken cutting out crosses, and the stalwart CSSC back-four, managed to keep them at bay. The tide turned decisively in CSSC's favour in the 75th minute, when Peyton's low, driving corner kick found Matt Loxley's devastating right boot in the penalty area, and a sweetly-hit one-time volley saw the Windsor net bulging for the third time. Crescentwood finished off the flagging Windsor side a few minutes from time, when Ed, motivated by an earlier penalty miss which shall otherwise go unmentioned, rounded two orange-shirted defenders on the left side and poked in a fourth goal from short range just before time. A great performance overall by the CSSC side, and hopefully a sign of things to come.
Man of the Match: While precedent should dictate that missing a penalty shot (OK, it will be mentioned again, but just the once) rules you out of contention for man of the match, Edgar's hard-won 2-goal performance has convinced the committee to turn over a new leaf. Contention for the honours was stiff this week, as Peyton V. and Colin Kinsella shredded Windsor's left side during the second half, Zach looked threatening all game, and Matt Loxley dominated the central midfield. Congratulations, Ed. This week's winner receives some free, but priceless, advice from the internet and the consolation that it could have been worse.
The club's momentum is definitely picking up, as CSSC built on a solid performance against Wolves last week. The return of Matt Loxley from his globe-spanning travels to Europe, Tunisia, and South Africa, and of Ian Hudson, recently recovered from multiple undisclosed surgeries, lent an extra element of vigour to the resurgent Crescentwood. Showing no trepidation coming in with a 1-4 record to date and taking on the league leaders Windsor, Ed Gonzalez opened the scoring for Saturday by converting strongly from a through ball played invitingly on by Mark Hudson, after some quality one- and two-touch play starting from Bruce Sewart at the back. Ian Hudson, coming on 20 minutes into the half, very nearly scored with his first touch on the ball, as a long range left-footed shot curled just over the bar at the far post. Despite CSSC's marauding front line and solid play across the back, Windsor equalized one minute before the half-time whistle after a speculative cross took an unexpected deflection, catching the Crescentwood back line out and landing perfectly for the Windsor front-man, who notched it away. The second-half opened promisingly for Crescentwood. 10 minutes in, Wazoo, playing bravely through a foot, or possibly ankle, injury he incurred while playing tennis when, in fact, he should have been at a regularly-scheduled CSSC scrimmage, hit a lovely curler that hooked deceptively in at the near post, putting CSSC up 2-1. Windsor threw themselves forward, and only the heroics of Chris Aiken cutting out crosses, and the stalwart CSSC back-four, managed to keep them at bay. The tide turned decisively in CSSC's favour in the 75th minute, when Peyton's low, driving corner kick found Matt Loxley's devastating right boot in the penalty area, and a sweetly-hit one-time volley saw the Windsor net bulging for the third time. Crescentwood finished off the flagging Windsor side a few minutes from time, when Ed, motivated by an earlier penalty miss which shall otherwise go unmentioned, rounded two orange-shirted defenders on the left side and poked in a fourth goal from short range just before time. A great performance overall by the CSSC side, and hopefully a sign of things to come.
Man of the Match: While precedent should dictate that missing a penalty shot (OK, it will be mentioned again, but just the once) rules you out of contention for man of the match, Edgar's hard-won 2-goal performance has convinced the committee to turn over a new leaf. Contention for the honours was stiff this week, as Peyton V. and Colin Kinsella shredded Windsor's left side during the second half, Zach looked threatening all game, and Matt Loxley dominated the central midfield. Congratulations, Ed. This week's winner receives some free, but priceless, advice from the internet and the consolation that it could have been worse.
June 17 CSSC vs Polonia
CSSC 6 - 0 Polonia
After two much improved matches CSSC's solidifying line up was taking on league new comers Polonia full of confidence. The feel good factor at the CSSC bench was improved with the arrival of CSSC speedster Bobbie MacDonald from his African adventures in Ethiopia where he has apparently solved all of their development issues, so that is encouraging. To top it all off, many of our long term injured (Eli Robinson and Matt Dryburgh) turned up to cheer on the healthy. The only concern for our savvy managerial duo of Ali Chioua and John Loxley was who to start in goal after Chris Aiken was ruled out with a shoulder injury, although kudos to Chris for being the only person to ever watch a CSSC game in shirt and tie. Stylish.
In the end the game went very smoothly. Polonia can knock the ball around nicely and play a tidy possession game with a lot of yelling about creating triangles, which suggests a solid knowledge of both football tactics and geometry. However, they couldn't penetrate the final third of the field thanks to a CSSC defense admirably marshalled by Sean Brown and Mark Hudson. At the other end CSSC has suddenly turned into an attaking force. Ed Gonzales has been banging them in since his move from mid field and he continued his fine run of form with the opening goal when he bent in a sweet right footed curler from the corner of the box. Mark Hudson lashed in an unstoppable close range volley in a goal line scramble and some route one football started with a long goal kick and ended with Zach rounding the keeper and slotting in the empty net. A comfortable 3-0 at the half.
It was more the same in the second, but with Sean Brown taking over from Ian Hudson in the goals. Zach cooly slotted home another breakaway, Then returning duo of Bobbie MacDonald and Ian Hudson combined to place a long range shot past a diving Polonia keeper. Ed finished off the night with a narrow angle tap in after Peyton Veitch had either layed on a lovely low cross or finally listened to his coaches' advice to shoot for the far post.
Man of the Match: Ed and Zach are looking like the real deal up front, but Sean Brown has been the man of the match nearly man for too long. His commanding presence at the back guided CSSC through a sketchy early half hour of the match and he even contributed a nice save to palm away a shot destined for the top corner when he went in goal. See Sean at Impact Fitness for all your workout needs. Looking good Sean, but I'm dying to know "What do you do during TV commercial breaks?". I change the channel to a station that doesn't have a commercial.
After two much improved matches CSSC's solidifying line up was taking on league new comers Polonia full of confidence. The feel good factor at the CSSC bench was improved with the arrival of CSSC speedster Bobbie MacDonald from his African adventures in Ethiopia where he has apparently solved all of their development issues, so that is encouraging. To top it all off, many of our long term injured (Eli Robinson and Matt Dryburgh) turned up to cheer on the healthy. The only concern for our savvy managerial duo of Ali Chioua and John Loxley was who to start in goal after Chris Aiken was ruled out with a shoulder injury, although kudos to Chris for being the only person to ever watch a CSSC game in shirt and tie. Stylish.
In the end the game went very smoothly. Polonia can knock the ball around nicely and play a tidy possession game with a lot of yelling about creating triangles, which suggests a solid knowledge of both football tactics and geometry. However, they couldn't penetrate the final third of the field thanks to a CSSC defense admirably marshalled by Sean Brown and Mark Hudson. At the other end CSSC has suddenly turned into an attaking force. Ed Gonzales has been banging them in since his move from mid field and he continued his fine run of form with the opening goal when he bent in a sweet right footed curler from the corner of the box. Mark Hudson lashed in an unstoppable close range volley in a goal line scramble and some route one football started with a long goal kick and ended with Zach rounding the keeper and slotting in the empty net. A comfortable 3-0 at the half.
It was more the same in the second, but with Sean Brown taking over from Ian Hudson in the goals. Zach cooly slotted home another breakaway, Then returning duo of Bobbie MacDonald and Ian Hudson combined to place a long range shot past a diving Polonia keeper. Ed finished off the night with a narrow angle tap in after Peyton Veitch had either layed on a lovely low cross or finally listened to his coaches' advice to shoot for the far post.
Man of the Match: Ed and Zach are looking like the real deal up front, but Sean Brown has been the man of the match nearly man for too long. His commanding presence at the back guided CSSC through a sketchy early half hour of the match and he even contributed a nice save to palm away a shot destined for the top corner when he went in goal. See Sean at Impact Fitness for all your workout needs. Looking good Sean, but I'm dying to know "What do you do during TV commercial breaks?". I change the channel to a station that doesn't have a commercial.
June 25 CSSC vs Syl FC
CSSC 5 - 3 Syl FC
Uncertainty reigned in the warm up to a Monday evening game on a toasty warm June evening, despite the calming presence of our new signing, veteran keeper Phil Samyn, in to replace Aiken while his shoulder rehabs. At 7:25 there was still no sign of an opposing team and CSSC was taking a predictably casual attitude to its warm up, and so were caught off guard when Syl (or at least 9 of them, a couple of fans, and a coach) all showed up en masse, and almost in time for kick off.
CSSC's rocky history against under strength sides almost reared its ugly head. Syl certainly look like they've got a bit of speed and skill in the side, but that was no reason for the self destruction that CSSC almost managed to inflict on itself. Things were going relatively smoothly in the first half, Greg Boese had cooly slotted home on a breakaway and chances were being created with relative ease when Chris Teasdale thought that he would inject some drama into the game by firing a 40 yard backpass at a spot perfectly picked out over Samyn's head but under the crossbar. The inevitable indirect free kick for handling a back pass was dispatched by Syl but again, CSSC did itself few favours as we only managed to line up 8 of a possible 11 people on the goal line to block the kick. However, normal service appeared to resume when Wazoo slid Ed in for another close range goal. 2-1 at the half and no cause for alarm.
Until we started conceding penalties. Two were conceded in very short order. The first was dispatched, but the second, which would have put Syl in the lead, flew high and wide much to the delight of an aggrieved Sean Brown who conceded both penalties and was in the process of losing his nut (Not withough some justification. They were pretty marginal). Up to this point in the second half CSSC looked about as adventurous as England at the Euro, but, unlike England they went all attack in a 10 minute span, scoring three goals to put the game away. Wazoo (not a big goal scorer, but he scores big goals) converted a deft chip over the back line from Woolford. Matt Loxley slotted home another lob over the top of a tiring Syl defense. Charaf tapped in an empty net sitter from a lovely far post header back across the goal from Greg Boese. Just to round off a very odd evening Chris Teasedale gave one of their forwards a good clogging for their third penalty of the evening, this one calmly dispatched.
Man of the Match: Those who retired to the Jolly Friar for post match beers and popcorn after the game were unanimous in selecting the mighty Matt Loxley. Not only did he notch what ended up being the game winning goal, but he put in a full 90 minutes of box to box action at center mid where he worked manfully to shut down Syl and start CSSC attacks with some intelligent passing. He's like Roy Keane without the crazy streak. He managed all this while wearing a fetching neon green headband.
Uncertainty reigned in the warm up to a Monday evening game on a toasty warm June evening, despite the calming presence of our new signing, veteran keeper Phil Samyn, in to replace Aiken while his shoulder rehabs. At 7:25 there was still no sign of an opposing team and CSSC was taking a predictably casual attitude to its warm up, and so were caught off guard when Syl (or at least 9 of them, a couple of fans, and a coach) all showed up en masse, and almost in time for kick off.
CSSC's rocky history against under strength sides almost reared its ugly head. Syl certainly look like they've got a bit of speed and skill in the side, but that was no reason for the self destruction that CSSC almost managed to inflict on itself. Things were going relatively smoothly in the first half, Greg Boese had cooly slotted home on a breakaway and chances were being created with relative ease when Chris Teasdale thought that he would inject some drama into the game by firing a 40 yard backpass at a spot perfectly picked out over Samyn's head but under the crossbar. The inevitable indirect free kick for handling a back pass was dispatched by Syl but again, CSSC did itself few favours as we only managed to line up 8 of a possible 11 people on the goal line to block the kick. However, normal service appeared to resume when Wazoo slid Ed in for another close range goal. 2-1 at the half and no cause for alarm.
Until we started conceding penalties. Two were conceded in very short order. The first was dispatched, but the second, which would have put Syl in the lead, flew high and wide much to the delight of an aggrieved Sean Brown who conceded both penalties and was in the process of losing his nut (Not withough some justification. They were pretty marginal). Up to this point in the second half CSSC looked about as adventurous as England at the Euro, but, unlike England they went all attack in a 10 minute span, scoring three goals to put the game away. Wazoo (not a big goal scorer, but he scores big goals) converted a deft chip over the back line from Woolford. Matt Loxley slotted home another lob over the top of a tiring Syl defense. Charaf tapped in an empty net sitter from a lovely far post header back across the goal from Greg Boese. Just to round off a very odd evening Chris Teasedale gave one of their forwards a good clogging for their third penalty of the evening, this one calmly dispatched.
Man of the Match: Those who retired to the Jolly Friar for post match beers and popcorn after the game were unanimous in selecting the mighty Matt Loxley. Not only did he notch what ended up being the game winning goal, but he put in a full 90 minutes of box to box action at center mid where he worked manfully to shut down Syl and start CSSC attacks with some intelligent passing. He's like Roy Keane without the crazy streak. He managed all this while wearing a fetching neon green headband.
July 3 Chexx vs CSSC
Chexx 2 - 3 CSSC
CSSC was looking to extend its three game winning streak on a steamy hot prairie evening. Chexx showed up with large numbers of substitutes, making their hockey style frequent changes a likely strategy to beat the heat. On the plus side for CSSC, the Chexx keeper appeared to be wearing a flourescent orange construction bib, a sure sign of a stand in keeper in rec soccer.
As was the case in the first game against Chexx, CSSC had trouble with the early quick break, going down 1-0 when a Chexx counter resulted in a clear cut breakaway being slotted home. CSSC equalized when Nabil's shot from just outside the box took a wicked deflection to wrong foot the Chexx keeper. We were undone again midway through the half when the Chexx right side worked a nice overlapping move to send a winger clear. He pinged it off the post, but as the ball rolled along the goal line it was slammed home by a Chexx poacher despite the best efforts to Bobbie Mac on the goal line. CSSC had numerous chances to level the contest. Zach had a long range curler well saved, Mark Hudson couldn't quite get the direction right on a free, close range header and Wazoo couldn't keep a near post volley down.
The second half saw much more midfield action, and fewer scoring chances, but Nabil converted two opportunities to tilt the contest for CSSC. Critics would say that the keeper might have done better than let the first squirm out of his grasp and into the net, but the second was pure class, with Nabil holding off a defender to latch onto a tasty through ball and calmly slot home.
Man of the Match: Despite the fact that he left the game a few minutes early, assumedly due to his confidence that his CSSC teammates would hold the lead, it has to go to hat trick hero Nabil. Will this season see the emergence of Nabil into one of the league's premier strikers, regularly entertaining fans with goals of supreme quality? This game suggested it might. The only real competitor for the award was Mark Hudson, who worked selflesslessly in defense and midfield all night, engaging in an escalating battle with one of the Chexx forwards as the game went on.
CSSC was looking to extend its three game winning streak on a steamy hot prairie evening. Chexx showed up with large numbers of substitutes, making their hockey style frequent changes a likely strategy to beat the heat. On the plus side for CSSC, the Chexx keeper appeared to be wearing a flourescent orange construction bib, a sure sign of a stand in keeper in rec soccer.
As was the case in the first game against Chexx, CSSC had trouble with the early quick break, going down 1-0 when a Chexx counter resulted in a clear cut breakaway being slotted home. CSSC equalized when Nabil's shot from just outside the box took a wicked deflection to wrong foot the Chexx keeper. We were undone again midway through the half when the Chexx right side worked a nice overlapping move to send a winger clear. He pinged it off the post, but as the ball rolled along the goal line it was slammed home by a Chexx poacher despite the best efforts to Bobbie Mac on the goal line. CSSC had numerous chances to level the contest. Zach had a long range curler well saved, Mark Hudson couldn't quite get the direction right on a free, close range header and Wazoo couldn't keep a near post volley down.
The second half saw much more midfield action, and fewer scoring chances, but Nabil converted two opportunities to tilt the contest for CSSC. Critics would say that the keeper might have done better than let the first squirm out of his grasp and into the net, but the second was pure class, with Nabil holding off a defender to latch onto a tasty through ball and calmly slot home.
Man of the Match: Despite the fact that he left the game a few minutes early, assumedly due to his confidence that his CSSC teammates would hold the lead, it has to go to hat trick hero Nabil. Will this season see the emergence of Nabil into one of the league's premier strikers, regularly entertaining fans with goals of supreme quality? This game suggested it might. The only real competitor for the award was Mark Hudson, who worked selflesslessly in defense and midfield all night, engaging in an escalating battle with one of the Chexx forwards as the game went on.
July 10 CSSC vs Elmwood
CSSC 3 - 2 Elmwood
Despite the fact that CSSC had to do without bench boss and tactical genius John Loxley organizing things on the sidelines, it was optimism all around in the pregame warm up due to our early arriving numbers and a four game win streak that has pushed the club back into mid table respectability. Filling John's managerial shoes was Eli Robinson, who, despite being out for the season after knee surgery, has made it to more games than a couple of our actual active players (who shall remain nameless, but should feel some shame).
The fans who foolshly stopped off at the Buhler canteen for some cold beverages and missed the kickoff would have also missed a great deal of excitement. Mark Hudson got things going with a swashbuckling run down the right side and a pin point cross which target man Ed Gonzales placed just wide of the far post. Then things collapsed faster than a shopping mall roof in Elliot Lake. A triple play of CSSC defensive blunders resulted in the perfect set up for Big Bill Burfoot who lashed a volley into the roof of the net. About a minute later a mystery call of "keeper's ball" that did not come from our goalie caused mass confusion in the back line during an Elmwood free kick, permitting the simplist of tap ins, CSSC looked about as organized as these poor fellows. The only good thing you can say about being down 2-0 after seven minutes is that there is lots of time to come back.
Which is exactly what CSSC did. The danger signs were there for Elmwood after Ed had a breakaway well saved after Nic played him through with a clever ricochet off his left testicle and Kinsella had a beautiful long range curler hit the post. But CSSC got its reward for some nice passing football when Zach notched a natural hat trick. He took advantage of a defensive slip up to round the keeper for the first, slotted home a loose ball in the box for the second and finished off a delightful bit of passing for the third (think Spain in the Euros but at one quarter speed). Two different hat trick heros in two different games. You could sort of say we were spreading the scoring around.
Man of the Match: Bruce Sewart put in a wonderful game in the stopper position, constantly breaking up Elmood attacks before they could get started and distributing tidy little passes to get CSSC going. I am fairly certain that one of them was even made with his left foot. Think Beckenbauer in his later years. But the award has to go to second generation CSSC man Zach Chioua and his game winning hat trick. Did his dad ever notch three goals in one game?
Despite the fact that CSSC had to do without bench boss and tactical genius John Loxley organizing things on the sidelines, it was optimism all around in the pregame warm up due to our early arriving numbers and a four game win streak that has pushed the club back into mid table respectability. Filling John's managerial shoes was Eli Robinson, who, despite being out for the season after knee surgery, has made it to more games than a couple of our actual active players (who shall remain nameless, but should feel some shame).
The fans who foolshly stopped off at the Buhler canteen for some cold beverages and missed the kickoff would have also missed a great deal of excitement. Mark Hudson got things going with a swashbuckling run down the right side and a pin point cross which target man Ed Gonzales placed just wide of the far post. Then things collapsed faster than a shopping mall roof in Elliot Lake. A triple play of CSSC defensive blunders resulted in the perfect set up for Big Bill Burfoot who lashed a volley into the roof of the net. About a minute later a mystery call of "keeper's ball" that did not come from our goalie caused mass confusion in the back line during an Elmwood free kick, permitting the simplist of tap ins, CSSC looked about as organized as these poor fellows. The only good thing you can say about being down 2-0 after seven minutes is that there is lots of time to come back.
Which is exactly what CSSC did. The danger signs were there for Elmwood after Ed had a breakaway well saved after Nic played him through with a clever ricochet off his left testicle and Kinsella had a beautiful long range curler hit the post. But CSSC got its reward for some nice passing football when Zach notched a natural hat trick. He took advantage of a defensive slip up to round the keeper for the first, slotted home a loose ball in the box for the second and finished off a delightful bit of passing for the third (think Spain in the Euros but at one quarter speed). Two different hat trick heros in two different games. You could sort of say we were spreading the scoring around.
Man of the Match: Bruce Sewart put in a wonderful game in the stopper position, constantly breaking up Elmood attacks before they could get started and distributing tidy little passes to get CSSC going. I am fairly certain that one of them was even made with his left foot. Think Beckenbauer in his later years. But the award has to go to second generation CSSC man Zach Chioua and his game winning hat trick. Did his dad ever notch three goals in one game?
July 17 InterMilan vs CSSC
InterMilan 2- 4 CSSC
Due to CSSC's new "I'll do it" attitude two match reports were filed for this thrilling encounter, one by stalwart defender Andrew Woolford, the other from bench boss John Loxley. See if you can guess which is which.
1) After a shaky start in which we gifted Inter Milan 2 easy goals in the first ten minutes, the opposition must have been thinking that another rout was in the making. And especially so when they saw that we were missing the Hudson brothers, Colin, Bobbie, Greg, Marc, Rick, etc. But the supporters on the bench, Eli, Ali, John Loxley and the much beloved and missed Ivan Sabeski, never doubted for a moment that we couldn’t make a comeback. And what a game it was. Nabil came on after 25 minutes and having beaten at least three of the opposition in less than a square foot of space, scored a great goal. It stayed at 1-2 until half time. After that, the whole team played outstanding soccer anchored from behind by the redoubtable and no less voluble Sean Brown. The defence was solid, the mid-field dominated and the transitions from defence to attack, in which all our forwards were on form, was mightily impressive. We scored three excellent goals from Zach, Nick and once again, Nabil (after Zach had made a great run followed by a very unselfish pass). Even then, Inter Milan do have some skills and the outcome of the match might have been different had Chris Aiken not made an unbelievable save from an unbelievable shot when the score was 3-2 and had Inter Milan not spent more time berating the referee than building passes. So, the unbeaten streak continues; a solid victory against a talented team. Just goes to show our depth!!
2) Missing most of our midfield (Colin, Mark, and Ian), forwards Bobby and Greg, and the surprise and motivation that comes with a last minute cancellation from Curt, our ragtag bunch took the field to face a fast-running Inter Milan squad. The first 10 minutes followed the recent CSSC script – the early surrender of two bizarre goals. In each instance, the goal was conveniently gifted to Inter Milan players, leaving the team to wonder whether we were in for a long night.
But, following the story arc of only the finest sports movies, the team banded together to overcome adversity and compensate for our missing teammates. CSSC pulled within one when Nabil danced along the line, evading two or three checkers before placing a shot off the post and into the net. From here on out, Sean Brown snapped the defense into order, and Inter Milan found it much more difficult to score when they actually had to create chances for themselves.
A second half scramble in front of the Inter Milan net ended with Nic smashing home the even-up goal. The tie was then preserved by an amazing save by keeper Chris Aiken on a long-but-deadly strike by the massive Inter Milan midfielder known only as ‘Perry’. Next up, CSSC took its first lead of the match when Zach was sprung free to beat the Inter Milan keeper on a lovely low shot. The 4-2 goal that sealed the game for CSSC was the product some excellent passing, beginning with a long ball from Kevin Power to Zach, who forced his way past the Inter Milan defender before delivering the ball for Nabil to finish.
Man of the Match: The hippies at the Jolly Friar suggested that the “team” be named the man of the match, and this fits our feel-good sports movie vibe. But for those more interested in individual over collective accomplishment any of Nabil, Zach, Matt Loxley, Nic, Sean Brown, or Chris Aiken would be worthy contenders.
Due to CSSC's new "I'll do it" attitude two match reports were filed for this thrilling encounter, one by stalwart defender Andrew Woolford, the other from bench boss John Loxley. See if you can guess which is which.
1) After a shaky start in which we gifted Inter Milan 2 easy goals in the first ten minutes, the opposition must have been thinking that another rout was in the making. And especially so when they saw that we were missing the Hudson brothers, Colin, Bobbie, Greg, Marc, Rick, etc. But the supporters on the bench, Eli, Ali, John Loxley and the much beloved and missed Ivan Sabeski, never doubted for a moment that we couldn’t make a comeback. And what a game it was. Nabil came on after 25 minutes and having beaten at least three of the opposition in less than a square foot of space, scored a great goal. It stayed at 1-2 until half time. After that, the whole team played outstanding soccer anchored from behind by the redoubtable and no less voluble Sean Brown. The defence was solid, the mid-field dominated and the transitions from defence to attack, in which all our forwards were on form, was mightily impressive. We scored three excellent goals from Zach, Nick and once again, Nabil (after Zach had made a great run followed by a very unselfish pass). Even then, Inter Milan do have some skills and the outcome of the match might have been different had Chris Aiken not made an unbelievable save from an unbelievable shot when the score was 3-2 and had Inter Milan not spent more time berating the referee than building passes. So, the unbeaten streak continues; a solid victory against a talented team. Just goes to show our depth!!
2) Missing most of our midfield (Colin, Mark, and Ian), forwards Bobby and Greg, and the surprise and motivation that comes with a last minute cancellation from Curt, our ragtag bunch took the field to face a fast-running Inter Milan squad. The first 10 minutes followed the recent CSSC script – the early surrender of two bizarre goals. In each instance, the goal was conveniently gifted to Inter Milan players, leaving the team to wonder whether we were in for a long night.
But, following the story arc of only the finest sports movies, the team banded together to overcome adversity and compensate for our missing teammates. CSSC pulled within one when Nabil danced along the line, evading two or three checkers before placing a shot off the post and into the net. From here on out, Sean Brown snapped the defense into order, and Inter Milan found it much more difficult to score when they actually had to create chances for themselves.
A second half scramble in front of the Inter Milan net ended with Nic smashing home the even-up goal. The tie was then preserved by an amazing save by keeper Chris Aiken on a long-but-deadly strike by the massive Inter Milan midfielder known only as ‘Perry’. Next up, CSSC took its first lead of the match when Zach was sprung free to beat the Inter Milan keeper on a lovely low shot. The 4-2 goal that sealed the game for CSSC was the product some excellent passing, beginning with a long ball from Kevin Power to Zach, who forced his way past the Inter Milan defender before delivering the ball for Nabil to finish.
Man of the Match: The hippies at the Jolly Friar suggested that the “team” be named the man of the match, and this fits our feel-good sports movie vibe. But for those more interested in individual over collective accomplishment any of Nabil, Zach, Matt Loxley, Nic, Sean Brown, or Chris Aiken would be worthy contenders.
July 23 CSSC vs Grunthal
CSSC 1 - 3 Grunthal
After gifting the opposition two very easy goals in each of our last three games, the pre game team talk was all about not doing a Plaxico Burress in the first five minutes of the game. On the other hand, we had come back to win each of those games, so maybe it was a clever bit of tactics.
CSSC did manage a nice conservative start to the game, in which the only real action was when a well struck long range effort from one of the Grunthal forwards was nicely tipped over the bar by Phil Samyn. As they say, it was a good save, but one you would expect him to make. Grunthal is a very hardworking team, with a couple of classy midfielders with nice distribution and CSSC was having difficulty stringing passes together under their high pressure game. They were rewarded for their solid play when they converted a free header off a corner midway through the first half. It was a solid finish into the top corner, but why he was so unmolested in the CSSC danger area remains a mystery. The only good chance to fall CSSC's way came when Wazoo latched on to a scramble in the Grunthal box but the keeper made a nice save down low. It wouldn't be the keeper's only bit of heroism this day (that's some nice foreshadowing).
CSSC's second half midfield of Kinsella, Loxley and Hudson seemed to find a bit more space and were stringing some good passes together, but CSSC was again undone by letting in a goal off a corner kick. Grunthal are a side with a bit of height about them, but CSSC has to put a jump in. We pulled one back when Sean Brown's free kick over the top was touched across the box by Matt Loxley for Ian Hudson to side foot home from close range. Game on. CSSC almost drew level when Matt Trendota, back after a very lengthy rehabilitation stint taking in the spas of Eastern Europe, carved out some space down the right and fired in a nice low cross that Wazoo just missed converting. Grunthal made the game safe with a suberb long range rocket that went in off the cross bar, but team psychologist Ali Chioua will be livid about the mental errors that led to the goal. Phil Samyn then was the cause of, and solution to, CSSCs defensive problems when a sloppy roll out led to a rasping drive from the Grunthal midfield that Samyn managed to tip around the post at full stretch. Perhaps he just wanted to show off that famous shot stopping prowess. The final bit of drama came when the referee, who was making some very confusing calls all game, awarded a very soft penalty against Grunthal for allegedly tugging on Ian Hudson's shirt. Perhaps he was under the mistaken impression that Hudson's unnaturally slow running must have been impeded in some way. In the end, cosmic justice was done when the keeper made a fantastic save, diving full stretch to his right to claw Hudson's penalty out of the bottom corner. Full credit to Grunthal for the win. They play some nice soccer and seem like very well behaved young gentlemen. Well player sirs.
Man of the Match: It might have been Ian Hudson, but he did miss a penalty. A braver man would have just drove it down the middle, or chipped it in Panenka style (The original Pirlo). Paul Simpson has returned this year from a lengthy ankle injury and put in some tremendous performances, none better than this match in which he shut down whichever Grunthal forward he happened to be up against.
Management's disappointment with the last batch of photos resulted in bringing in highly regarded Danish sports photographer, Sune, at great expense. The results below suggest that sometimes you get what you pay for.
After gifting the opposition two very easy goals in each of our last three games, the pre game team talk was all about not doing a Plaxico Burress in the first five minutes of the game. On the other hand, we had come back to win each of those games, so maybe it was a clever bit of tactics.
CSSC did manage a nice conservative start to the game, in which the only real action was when a well struck long range effort from one of the Grunthal forwards was nicely tipped over the bar by Phil Samyn. As they say, it was a good save, but one you would expect him to make. Grunthal is a very hardworking team, with a couple of classy midfielders with nice distribution and CSSC was having difficulty stringing passes together under their high pressure game. They were rewarded for their solid play when they converted a free header off a corner midway through the first half. It was a solid finish into the top corner, but why he was so unmolested in the CSSC danger area remains a mystery. The only good chance to fall CSSC's way came when Wazoo latched on to a scramble in the Grunthal box but the keeper made a nice save down low. It wouldn't be the keeper's only bit of heroism this day (that's some nice foreshadowing).
CSSC's second half midfield of Kinsella, Loxley and Hudson seemed to find a bit more space and were stringing some good passes together, but CSSC was again undone by letting in a goal off a corner kick. Grunthal are a side with a bit of height about them, but CSSC has to put a jump in. We pulled one back when Sean Brown's free kick over the top was touched across the box by Matt Loxley for Ian Hudson to side foot home from close range. Game on. CSSC almost drew level when Matt Trendota, back after a very lengthy rehabilitation stint taking in the spas of Eastern Europe, carved out some space down the right and fired in a nice low cross that Wazoo just missed converting. Grunthal made the game safe with a suberb long range rocket that went in off the cross bar, but team psychologist Ali Chioua will be livid about the mental errors that led to the goal. Phil Samyn then was the cause of, and solution to, CSSCs defensive problems when a sloppy roll out led to a rasping drive from the Grunthal midfield that Samyn managed to tip around the post at full stretch. Perhaps he just wanted to show off that famous shot stopping prowess. The final bit of drama came when the referee, who was making some very confusing calls all game, awarded a very soft penalty against Grunthal for allegedly tugging on Ian Hudson's shirt. Perhaps he was under the mistaken impression that Hudson's unnaturally slow running must have been impeded in some way. In the end, cosmic justice was done when the keeper made a fantastic save, diving full stretch to his right to claw Hudson's penalty out of the bottom corner. Full credit to Grunthal for the win. They play some nice soccer and seem like very well behaved young gentlemen. Well player sirs.
Man of the Match: It might have been Ian Hudson, but he did miss a penalty. A braver man would have just drove it down the middle, or chipped it in Panenka style (The original Pirlo). Paul Simpson has returned this year from a lengthy ankle injury and put in some tremendous performances, none better than this match in which he shut down whichever Grunthal forward he happened to be up against.
Management's disappointment with the last batch of photos resulted in bringing in highly regarded Danish sports photographer, Sune, at great expense. The results below suggest that sometimes you get what you pay for.
July 31 CSSC vs Superbia
CSSC 1 - 1 Suberbia
CSSC coach of the day Ali Chioua was spoiled for choice as a remarkable 18 players turned up on another sweltering Winnipeg evening. League new boys Superbia started out the season with a string of lopsided losses, but had turned themselves into a more respectable outfit recently, despite not quite managing to make their way into the win column. Potential banana skin or just the tonic to end CSSC's one game losing streak?
Banana skin. CSSC gave itself a solid 87 minutes to recover from yet another early game defensive gift but could not quite find the finishing touch. Or to be more precise, found the finishing touch three times but two of them were disallowed. The first travesty happened after Nabil and Mark Hudson combined down the left to set up Wazoo for an empty net tap in that was perplexingly ruled out for offside despite the fact that the ball was played backwards. The second came when a crafty Suberbia defender cleared a ball that had already crossed the line. Despite the weight of injustice CSSC only had itself to blame for the scoreline. A team that gets at least 30 corner kicks, and spends so much time camped in the opposition's final third that they could have put up a tent, started a fire and roasted marshmallows should probably manage more than one goal (a lovely Ed Gonzales shot in off the near post). Every single CSSC player, with the possible exception of keeper Phil Samyn, had a laundry list of failed chances to ponder during the wee hours of what should have been a very sleepless night. Choosing only a few to highlight would surely be an injustice to all of the other gloriously missed chances that went unmentioned. If this video was from just this game it would be about right (warning: video contains horrible grammatical error).
Man of the Match: After the game he was lamenting his own missed chances, mostly because a couple of ambitious long range efforts wound up going out for throw ins, which was probably not what was intended, but Mark Hudson was at his electric best all night - haring up and down the wing, winning every challenge, and setting up CSSCs best missed (or disallowed) chances.
CSSC coach of the day Ali Chioua was spoiled for choice as a remarkable 18 players turned up on another sweltering Winnipeg evening. League new boys Superbia started out the season with a string of lopsided losses, but had turned themselves into a more respectable outfit recently, despite not quite managing to make their way into the win column. Potential banana skin or just the tonic to end CSSC's one game losing streak?
Banana skin. CSSC gave itself a solid 87 minutes to recover from yet another early game defensive gift but could not quite find the finishing touch. Or to be more precise, found the finishing touch three times but two of them were disallowed. The first travesty happened after Nabil and Mark Hudson combined down the left to set up Wazoo for an empty net tap in that was perplexingly ruled out for offside despite the fact that the ball was played backwards. The second came when a crafty Suberbia defender cleared a ball that had already crossed the line. Despite the weight of injustice CSSC only had itself to blame for the scoreline. A team that gets at least 30 corner kicks, and spends so much time camped in the opposition's final third that they could have put up a tent, started a fire and roasted marshmallows should probably manage more than one goal (a lovely Ed Gonzales shot in off the near post). Every single CSSC player, with the possible exception of keeper Phil Samyn, had a laundry list of failed chances to ponder during the wee hours of what should have been a very sleepless night. Choosing only a few to highlight would surely be an injustice to all of the other gloriously missed chances that went unmentioned. If this video was from just this game it would be about right (warning: video contains horrible grammatical error).
Man of the Match: After the game he was lamenting his own missed chances, mostly because a couple of ambitious long range efforts wound up going out for throw ins, which was probably not what was intended, but Mark Hudson was at his electric best all night - haring up and down the wing, winning every challenge, and setting up CSSCs best missed (or disallowed) chances.
August 10 Wolves vs CSSC
Wolves 5 - 1 CSSC
A rare Friday game against offensive powerhouse Wolves meant a stern test for CSSC. In the world of the Dillon Panthers this would be the "gut check" game that turns the season around on the road to the state championship. In the world of CSSC, it was a bit of a blowout.
Wolves had already had a few dangerous chances, mostly off of corner kicks aimed at their freakishly tall forwards, when they scored off a goal mouth scramble. At this point, CSSC was looking respectable and carved out two excellent chances that Ed Gonzales just missed converting. The death blow happened just before half time when a dangerous ball over the top saw long time Wolves danger man Chris Hunter sprinting clear. Sean Brown managed to track him down and get a nice tackle in, but the ball bounced nicely up for the Wolves man to chip the keeper. The beginning of the second half started very poorly with Wolves getting two fast goals on the break before taking their foot off the gas for most of the rest of the game. Matt Trendota provided a small slice of consolation when he headed past the keeper (from outside the box no less) after Wolves couldn't quite clear a CSSC corner.
Man of the Match: It should probably be someone on Wolves, but if we had to choose anyone from CSSC it would have to be Chris Teasdale, whose performance as stand in keeper grew as the game went on. At 5-0, Teasdale declared that there would be no more, and made three spectacular saves to keep the score from becoming even less respectable.
A rare Friday game against offensive powerhouse Wolves meant a stern test for CSSC. In the world of the Dillon Panthers this would be the "gut check" game that turns the season around on the road to the state championship. In the world of CSSC, it was a bit of a blowout.
Wolves had already had a few dangerous chances, mostly off of corner kicks aimed at their freakishly tall forwards, when they scored off a goal mouth scramble. At this point, CSSC was looking respectable and carved out two excellent chances that Ed Gonzales just missed converting. The death blow happened just before half time when a dangerous ball over the top saw long time Wolves danger man Chris Hunter sprinting clear. Sean Brown managed to track him down and get a nice tackle in, but the ball bounced nicely up for the Wolves man to chip the keeper. The beginning of the second half started very poorly with Wolves getting two fast goals on the break before taking their foot off the gas for most of the rest of the game. Matt Trendota provided a small slice of consolation when he headed past the keeper (from outside the box no less) after Wolves couldn't quite clear a CSSC corner.
Man of the Match: It should probably be someone on Wolves, but if we had to choose anyone from CSSC it would have to be Chris Teasdale, whose performance as stand in keeper grew as the game went on. At 5-0, Teasdale declared that there would be no more, and made three spectacular saves to keep the score from becoming even less respectable.
August 14 Windsor vs CSSC
Windsor 2 - 2 CSSC
After rolling through a six game winning streak, CSSC was suffering through a three game winless spell. However, in a positive development starting keeper Chris Aiken was back in the lineup after an extensive absence to visit other people's children, which doesn't seem like the ideal holiday, but who are we to judge.
If you like goal mouth action, Buhler #1 was not the place to be for the first half. Despite some good midfield play, CSSC failed to manage a single real shot on the big neon clad Windsor keeper. For their part, Windsor went with a more direct approach, but even their best moments only resulted in long range efforts that Chris Aiken had little trouble with. The second half was a different matter. Windsor's very speedy number 23 converted a nice low center and then placed a long range effort firmly in the bottom corner when CSSC gave him too much space 25 yards out. Would this be two losses on the trot? Mark Hudson started the comeback when he cut in from his off wing and curled a right foot bender over a keeper who had up to this point seen so little of the ball that he was probably wondering what he was supposed to do with the round object hurtling over his head. In response to the rejuvenated CSSC, Windsor put speedy number 23 in net, presumably because of his excellent shot stopping ability, but when their other major threat, number 14, limped off CSSC dominated play. They were rewarded when Ed Gonzales headed home a lovely Andrew Woolford cross to level the scores. With bench boss John Loxley predicting victory, Matt, Zach and Nic all had reasonable efforts well held by the new Windsor keeper.
Man of the Match: Peyton Veitch had a good, disciplined first half, but he ruined his chances by leaving early for a "friend's barbeque" at half time (as though this friend were going to turn into a pumpkin and disappear if Peyton stayed for another 45 minutes of soccer) so no man of the match for him. It's highly irregular to award the man of the match to the same person 2 out of 3 games, but Mark Hudson was the consensus vote at the Jolly Friar. He not only started the comeback, but was a non stop bundle of energy all game. Mark has requested that all the usual swag that customarily goes to the man of the match be donated to the Pompey Supporters Trust in their attempt to save his beloved Portsmouth FC.
After rolling through a six game winning streak, CSSC was suffering through a three game winless spell. However, in a positive development starting keeper Chris Aiken was back in the lineup after an extensive absence to visit other people's children, which doesn't seem like the ideal holiday, but who are we to judge.
If you like goal mouth action, Buhler #1 was not the place to be for the first half. Despite some good midfield play, CSSC failed to manage a single real shot on the big neon clad Windsor keeper. For their part, Windsor went with a more direct approach, but even their best moments only resulted in long range efforts that Chris Aiken had little trouble with. The second half was a different matter. Windsor's very speedy number 23 converted a nice low center and then placed a long range effort firmly in the bottom corner when CSSC gave him too much space 25 yards out. Would this be two losses on the trot? Mark Hudson started the comeback when he cut in from his off wing and curled a right foot bender over a keeper who had up to this point seen so little of the ball that he was probably wondering what he was supposed to do with the round object hurtling over his head. In response to the rejuvenated CSSC, Windsor put speedy number 23 in net, presumably because of his excellent shot stopping ability, but when their other major threat, number 14, limped off CSSC dominated play. They were rewarded when Ed Gonzales headed home a lovely Andrew Woolford cross to level the scores. With bench boss John Loxley predicting victory, Matt, Zach and Nic all had reasonable efforts well held by the new Windsor keeper.
Man of the Match: Peyton Veitch had a good, disciplined first half, but he ruined his chances by leaving early for a "friend's barbeque" at half time (as though this friend were going to turn into a pumpkin and disappear if Peyton stayed for another 45 minutes of soccer) so no man of the match for him. It's highly irregular to award the man of the match to the same person 2 out of 3 games, but Mark Hudson was the consensus vote at the Jolly Friar. He not only started the comeback, but was a non stop bundle of energy all game. Mark has requested that all the usual swag that customarily goes to the man of the match be donated to the Pompey Supporters Trust in their attempt to save his beloved Portsmouth FC.
August 21 Polonia vs CSSC
Polonia 0 - 2 CSSC
The pregame atmosphere was all warm and fuzzy for this late season encounter with league strugglers Polonia. Not only had Pete and Sue Hudson turned up (after a prolonged restorative visit to take in the soothing waters and bucolic scenery of the Northern Whiteshell) but Dave Fernandes and Stef Fischer were also there to join stalwart John Loxley in the CSSC side line brigade.
The game itself was a bit of a frustrating affair. Like the big bad wolf, there was a lot of huffing and puffing against an undermanned Polonia side, but not much blowing down. Polonia opted for the Chelsea vs Barcelona tactic of playing deep and narrow in an effort to seal off the middle of the field. CSSC did a good job of working the ball wide, but were not quite as capable in delivering crosses, or converting those rare crosses that did elude the defense and keeper. Things were starting to get a tiny bit tense as chance after chance went begging. Nic had a long range save well held and Ian smacked one off the post and then hammered a follow up volley just wide of the top right corner. But then relief came in the form of Wazoo's bundled in goal from Bobbie MacDonald's low driven cross. Soon after, Mark Hudson made things safe with a goal of the season contender - a spectacular long range thunderbolt that flew in off the underside of the crossbar. The second half saw missed chances galore by CSSC. Ed cracked one off the bar and there was a highly comical scramble where no one could manage to beat the one solitary Polonia defender on the goal line. It could have been more tense when Polonia won a penalty, but their dedicated spot kick taker drove the ball into the stratosphere. A much needed win, but not a very satisfying one.
Man of the Match: Matt Loxley played his usual classy game in center mid field. If this were the Academy Awards, Loxley would walk away with the prize based on his impressive body of work over the season and the fact that this is his last game with the squad. He's off to study at McGill and enjoy the big city delights of la belle provence. But this is not the sentimental schmaltz of the Hollywood Academy so the award goes to Matthew McConaughey look alike Adam Wazny for his game winning goal and industrious running up front.
The pregame atmosphere was all warm and fuzzy for this late season encounter with league strugglers Polonia. Not only had Pete and Sue Hudson turned up (after a prolonged restorative visit to take in the soothing waters and bucolic scenery of the Northern Whiteshell) but Dave Fernandes and Stef Fischer were also there to join stalwart John Loxley in the CSSC side line brigade.
The game itself was a bit of a frustrating affair. Like the big bad wolf, there was a lot of huffing and puffing against an undermanned Polonia side, but not much blowing down. Polonia opted for the Chelsea vs Barcelona tactic of playing deep and narrow in an effort to seal off the middle of the field. CSSC did a good job of working the ball wide, but were not quite as capable in delivering crosses, or converting those rare crosses that did elude the defense and keeper. Things were starting to get a tiny bit tense as chance after chance went begging. Nic had a long range save well held and Ian smacked one off the post and then hammered a follow up volley just wide of the top right corner. But then relief came in the form of Wazoo's bundled in goal from Bobbie MacDonald's low driven cross. Soon after, Mark Hudson made things safe with a goal of the season contender - a spectacular long range thunderbolt that flew in off the underside of the crossbar. The second half saw missed chances galore by CSSC. Ed cracked one off the bar and there was a highly comical scramble where no one could manage to beat the one solitary Polonia defender on the goal line. It could have been more tense when Polonia won a penalty, but their dedicated spot kick taker drove the ball into the stratosphere. A much needed win, but not a very satisfying one.
Man of the Match: Matt Loxley played his usual classy game in center mid field. If this were the Academy Awards, Loxley would walk away with the prize based on his impressive body of work over the season and the fact that this is his last game with the squad. He's off to study at McGill and enjoy the big city delights of la belle provence. But this is not the sentimental schmaltz of the Hollywood Academy so the award goes to Matthew McConaughey look alike Adam Wazny for his game winning goal and industrious running up front.
August 28 Syl FC vs CSSC
Syl 0 - 2 CSSC
It was Greg Boese to the rescue as the CSSC stalwart returned after a trip to the far east to open the club's new Mega Store in Bangkok. Sales of the Boese jersey are apparently doing very well, so he must have been on his best, or worst, behaviour. His timely return coincided with numerous absences including Teasdale's journey to Japan to aid Manitoba's trade balance through the export of leather love seats and Bruce Sewart's adventure down the red carpet for the Winnipeg premiere of a film about his eco-car the Urbee. Damned paparrazzi.
The scoreless first half was not without goalmouth incident. Chris Aiken had to come bravely off his line to stone a Syl forward after an unnamed CSSC defender made a slightly overoptimistic pass across the top of his own box. CSSC had chances of its own. Zifarelli did well to take a cross on his chest but couldn't keep the volley down from a good position. Trendota was put clean through on the left after a delightful Gonzales back heel opened up the Syl defense but he could only bang it off the near post. In the second half CSSC had less possession but managed to capitalize on their chances. I. Hudson found Zifarelli with a chip over the top and his hard driven cross was turned in by CSSC's number one poacher Ed Gonzales. Then Boese marked his return by sliding home a lovely far post cross by Kinsella, only to see the offside flag waving, probably in error. It was 2-0 when Charaf beat two defenders and the keeper at the far post to turn in a Gonzales cross. Syl controlled the ball well and often looked dangerous, but their only real chance came when M. Hudson had to clear off the line from a corner. CSSC continued to defend well and hit on the counter but their best chance went begging when I. Hudson squandered a lovely break away pass from Zifarelli by screwing a right footed shambles well wide. The victory guaranteed post season play for CSSC, so it was off to the Jolly Friar to celebrate with the traditional Irish victory meal of a corned beef platter. "Just like mom used to make," claimed a delighted and well nourished Kinsella
Man of the Match: Such was the team performance that this was a very difficult choice, Mark and Shaun played shut down defense. Kinsella and Trendota worked tirelessly in the midfield and, as the match report suggests, Gonzales was dangerous all night. On any other night the award would have gone to Bobbie MacDonald's performance. His speed and tenacious tackling were a major factor in keeping Syl off the board. He will be sorely missed when he leaves for the grimy streets of London where we hope against all hope that his clean cut, unbelievably pleasant persona can somehow survive the chavs and toffs. But tonight the award goes to imposing target man Charaf Charaoui, not so much because he scored a goal, but the manner in which he scored it - a towering header that had CSSC legend Stef Fischer exclaiming Das Kopfball-Ungeheuer!
It was Greg Boese to the rescue as the CSSC stalwart returned after a trip to the far east to open the club's new Mega Store in Bangkok. Sales of the Boese jersey are apparently doing very well, so he must have been on his best, or worst, behaviour. His timely return coincided with numerous absences including Teasdale's journey to Japan to aid Manitoba's trade balance through the export of leather love seats and Bruce Sewart's adventure down the red carpet for the Winnipeg premiere of a film about his eco-car the Urbee. Damned paparrazzi.
The scoreless first half was not without goalmouth incident. Chris Aiken had to come bravely off his line to stone a Syl forward after an unnamed CSSC defender made a slightly overoptimistic pass across the top of his own box. CSSC had chances of its own. Zifarelli did well to take a cross on his chest but couldn't keep the volley down from a good position. Trendota was put clean through on the left after a delightful Gonzales back heel opened up the Syl defense but he could only bang it off the near post. In the second half CSSC had less possession but managed to capitalize on their chances. I. Hudson found Zifarelli with a chip over the top and his hard driven cross was turned in by CSSC's number one poacher Ed Gonzales. Then Boese marked his return by sliding home a lovely far post cross by Kinsella, only to see the offside flag waving, probably in error. It was 2-0 when Charaf beat two defenders and the keeper at the far post to turn in a Gonzales cross. Syl controlled the ball well and often looked dangerous, but their only real chance came when M. Hudson had to clear off the line from a corner. CSSC continued to defend well and hit on the counter but their best chance went begging when I. Hudson squandered a lovely break away pass from Zifarelli by screwing a right footed shambles well wide. The victory guaranteed post season play for CSSC, so it was off to the Jolly Friar to celebrate with the traditional Irish victory meal of a corned beef platter. "Just like mom used to make," claimed a delighted and well nourished Kinsella
Man of the Match: Such was the team performance that this was a very difficult choice, Mark and Shaun played shut down defense. Kinsella and Trendota worked tirelessly in the midfield and, as the match report suggests, Gonzales was dangerous all night. On any other night the award would have gone to Bobbie MacDonald's performance. His speed and tenacious tackling were a major factor in keeping Syl off the board. He will be sorely missed when he leaves for the grimy streets of London where we hope against all hope that his clean cut, unbelievably pleasant persona can somehow survive the chavs and toffs. But tonight the award goes to imposing target man Charaf Charaoui, not so much because he scored a goal, but the manner in which he scored it - a towering header that had CSSC legend Stef Fischer exclaiming Das Kopfball-Ungeheuer!
September 4 Superbia vs CSSC
Superbia 2 - 2 CSSC
Despite sitting anchored to the foot of the Winnipeg Division table, Superbia showed up en masse for this end of season encounter, hoping for a first win to go with their gigantic collection of ties. CSSC, on the other hand, secured its playoff destiny the previous week and the result of tonight's game was not going to alter the fact that they were going to face Grunthal in the first round. In short, it should have been a casual end of season encounter featuring two teams just playing out the season. Such was the relaxation at the CSSC bench that there was talk of switching the forwards and defense around from Holland right back Mark Meuwese. Although the Dutch tradition of switching things around is not always a good idea, we probably should have taken his advice.
As it was, CSSC played a bit of a shocker and were fortunate to escape with a draw despite the fact that Superbia went down to 10 men in the second half after lumbering number 22 decided to throw his considerable weight around. CSSC got off to a good start for once when Ed Gonzales tight roped the touch line and then squared back to Ian Hudson whose far post shot was saved by the keeper only for Peyton Veitch to slide home the rebound. Superbia equalized thanks to a huge slice of fortune. Colin Kinsella's clearing header clonked off a forward's mellon and right into the CSSC net, much to the dismay of stranded keeper Chris Aiken. The lead was regained after some excellent pressure by the CSSC front line forced a poor clearance by the keeper that fell to Zifarelli who set up Ian Hudson for a low finish from the top of the box. The second half started out well, with chances a plenty for Mark Hudson to test out his new long range shooting boots, but they clearly need a bit of fine tuning on the accuracy vs power spectrum. Oddly, the tide turned when Superbia had a man sent off. They had two chances cleared off the line and equalized for a second time when their speedy forward ran past three defenders to score at the near post. What should have been an end of season bit of relaxation turned into a stress filled night to forget.
Man of the Match: Those CSSC fans who passed through the turnstiles at Buhler Park muttered darkly that it should be "bloody nobody," but we couldn't find anyone by that name on the team sheet so we'll give the award to Ian Hudson. With all of his yelling and waving of arms, at least he looks like he cares. He would like to encourage everyone in the entire world to spend all of their money at the Portsmouth mega store sale. What lady wouldn't enjoy the Pompey garter? $5 for a gift that keeps giving.
Despite sitting anchored to the foot of the Winnipeg Division table, Superbia showed up en masse for this end of season encounter, hoping for a first win to go with their gigantic collection of ties. CSSC, on the other hand, secured its playoff destiny the previous week and the result of tonight's game was not going to alter the fact that they were going to face Grunthal in the first round. In short, it should have been a casual end of season encounter featuring two teams just playing out the season. Such was the relaxation at the CSSC bench that there was talk of switching the forwards and defense around from Holland right back Mark Meuwese. Although the Dutch tradition of switching things around is not always a good idea, we probably should have taken his advice.
As it was, CSSC played a bit of a shocker and were fortunate to escape with a draw despite the fact that Superbia went down to 10 men in the second half after lumbering number 22 decided to throw his considerable weight around. CSSC got off to a good start for once when Ed Gonzales tight roped the touch line and then squared back to Ian Hudson whose far post shot was saved by the keeper only for Peyton Veitch to slide home the rebound. Superbia equalized thanks to a huge slice of fortune. Colin Kinsella's clearing header clonked off a forward's mellon and right into the CSSC net, much to the dismay of stranded keeper Chris Aiken. The lead was regained after some excellent pressure by the CSSC front line forced a poor clearance by the keeper that fell to Zifarelli who set up Ian Hudson for a low finish from the top of the box. The second half started out well, with chances a plenty for Mark Hudson to test out his new long range shooting boots, but they clearly need a bit of fine tuning on the accuracy vs power spectrum. Oddly, the tide turned when Superbia had a man sent off. They had two chances cleared off the line and equalized for a second time when their speedy forward ran past three defenders to score at the near post. What should have been an end of season bit of relaxation turned into a stress filled night to forget.
Man of the Match: Those CSSC fans who passed through the turnstiles at Buhler Park muttered darkly that it should be "bloody nobody," but we couldn't find anyone by that name on the team sheet so we'll give the award to Ian Hudson. With all of his yelling and waving of arms, at least he looks like he cares. He would like to encourage everyone in the entire world to spend all of their money at the Portsmouth mega store sale. What lady wouldn't enjoy the Pompey garter? $5 for a gift that keeps giving.
Playoffs September 16 CSSC vs Grunthal
CSSC 0 - 1 Grunthal
Those mentally weak individuals that were looking for ready made excuses for an early CSSC exit from the Winnipeg Division playoffs, didn't have far to search. CSSC was without the core of its dynamic youth movement after Bobbie, Greg and Matt Loxley went off to pursue egg headed university studies. On the opposite end of the responsibility spectrum Nic decided that he would rather go to a punk rock show in Chicago than spend a couple of hours in the blustery Winnipeg fall chasing rural youth around the artificial pitch of the Winnipeg Complex. Perhaps even more concerning was the lack of any guiding hand on the CSSC rudder as John Loxley, Pete Hudson and Ali Chioua had all abandoned their coaching responsibilities for Grassy Narrows, Alaska and Morocco respectively. Only one of these was work related (can you guess which one?) but the result was that all three subs would have to manage without the tactical insights of these three wily supremos.
It was a bit all hands to the pump in the early going as Grunthal's hard running, not old enough to bother shaving, team applied lots of early pressure. Chris Aiken dealt admirably with cross after cross and Sean Brown organized some a desperate rear guard action to keep Grunthal off the score sheet until a massive looping ball in from the Grunthal left fell kindly for a Grunthal forward to head into an unguarded net despite the best efforts of Mr. Brown, who had hustled himself back onto the goal line. Grunthal continued to have most of the play and rattled the crossbar with a long range rocket and forced Aiken into some respectable saves. CSSC managed a few chances against of the run of play. Their best play of the half came after Ian Hudson released Trendota with a nice ball over the top. His cross found Kinsella inside the box, but his attempt at a lovely one time finesse lob was deftly turned aside by the super tall Grunthal keeper. The best chance of the half was created by Mr. Effort, Adam Wazny, who stripped the last defender for a clear cut breakaway but blazed over the bar with the always terrifying sound of the defenders' footsteps right behind him.
The second half should have seen CSSC put the screws to an increasingly defensive Grunthal, but that was not the case. It was the team with the lead that had most of the pressure and should have doubled the advantage when they rattled the frame of the CSSC goal in a massive goal line scramble that only ended when Bruce Sewart heroically cleared off the line. Despite the lack of concerted pressure CSSC could have leveled the score when Wazoo was sent sprinting clear by Ed Gonzales only for the Grunthal keeper to come off his line, lightening quick, and smother the shot. That was as close as it came for the rest of the game, as the CSSC comeback withered away like a leaf in autumn. You can only say that there's always next year for so many years.
Man of the Match: There were some solid performances all over the field. Mark Hudson stopped attack after attack at the back. Peyton Veitch, Colin Kinsella and Matt Trendota stuck admirably to their defense responsibilities at wide half. But as a reward for shear sacrifice the award has to go to Sean Brown's daughter who not only had her birthday party rescheduled so her dad could make the game, but stuck out the entire contest on the chilly side lines. Her dad played a pretty stand up game too.
Those mentally weak individuals that were looking for ready made excuses for an early CSSC exit from the Winnipeg Division playoffs, didn't have far to search. CSSC was without the core of its dynamic youth movement after Bobbie, Greg and Matt Loxley went off to pursue egg headed university studies. On the opposite end of the responsibility spectrum Nic decided that he would rather go to a punk rock show in Chicago than spend a couple of hours in the blustery Winnipeg fall chasing rural youth around the artificial pitch of the Winnipeg Complex. Perhaps even more concerning was the lack of any guiding hand on the CSSC rudder as John Loxley, Pete Hudson and Ali Chioua had all abandoned their coaching responsibilities for Grassy Narrows, Alaska and Morocco respectively. Only one of these was work related (can you guess which one?) but the result was that all three subs would have to manage without the tactical insights of these three wily supremos.
It was a bit all hands to the pump in the early going as Grunthal's hard running, not old enough to bother shaving, team applied lots of early pressure. Chris Aiken dealt admirably with cross after cross and Sean Brown organized some a desperate rear guard action to keep Grunthal off the score sheet until a massive looping ball in from the Grunthal left fell kindly for a Grunthal forward to head into an unguarded net despite the best efforts of Mr. Brown, who had hustled himself back onto the goal line. Grunthal continued to have most of the play and rattled the crossbar with a long range rocket and forced Aiken into some respectable saves. CSSC managed a few chances against of the run of play. Their best play of the half came after Ian Hudson released Trendota with a nice ball over the top. His cross found Kinsella inside the box, but his attempt at a lovely one time finesse lob was deftly turned aside by the super tall Grunthal keeper. The best chance of the half was created by Mr. Effort, Adam Wazny, who stripped the last defender for a clear cut breakaway but blazed over the bar with the always terrifying sound of the defenders' footsteps right behind him.
The second half should have seen CSSC put the screws to an increasingly defensive Grunthal, but that was not the case. It was the team with the lead that had most of the pressure and should have doubled the advantage when they rattled the frame of the CSSC goal in a massive goal line scramble that only ended when Bruce Sewart heroically cleared off the line. Despite the lack of concerted pressure CSSC could have leveled the score when Wazoo was sent sprinting clear by Ed Gonzales only for the Grunthal keeper to come off his line, lightening quick, and smother the shot. That was as close as it came for the rest of the game, as the CSSC comeback withered away like a leaf in autumn. You can only say that there's always next year for so many years.
Man of the Match: There were some solid performances all over the field. Mark Hudson stopped attack after attack at the back. Peyton Veitch, Colin Kinsella and Matt Trendota stuck admirably to their defense responsibilities at wide half. But as a reward for shear sacrifice the award has to go to Sean Brown's daughter who not only had her birthday party rescheduled so her dad could make the game, but stuck out the entire contest on the chilly side lines. Her dad played a pretty stand up game too.