WEEK 4 AND 5 RECAP
MOTHER'S DAY
Our Mother's Day photos were a success! Had 15 players participate and their photos were hand delivered in week 5. Hope all of your moms liked them!
LOOK MA, LIONSBRIDGE FC
For those who may not be aware, our very own semi-pro PDL team kicked off their home game on Wednesday night at POMOCO Stadium. The Lions put on a show with a 5-1 victory and the atmosphere was electric. Next game is tomorrow night (5/19) starting at 7. Tickets are $10 at the door and it's a super family-friendly environment. I saw a good deal of WAKA MLS folks at the game with representatives from Look Ma, Kick in a Box, Moat Monsters, OTPHJ, Hangover 86 FC, and Ronaldo McDonaldo all in attendance. But I'm prettttttttty sure Look Ma won the attendance award...
WEEK 4 & 5 RESULTS
Instead of game-by-game recaps, I'm going to team-by-team and touch on some highlights for the last two weeks.
Moat Monsters - Week 4 saw a match-up many had been waiting for since the preseason. The Moat Monsters vs. Ronaldo McDonaldo. Moat came out a bit flat going down 4-0 in the first half, but came roaring back with two Galen Small scorchers. Week 5 saw them rebound with a shutout over the perpetually undermanned UTTOTPHJ.
The Moat Monsters flew past UTTOTPHJ in Week 5.
These two represent the fire in the belly of Ronaldo McDonaldo.
Hot and Messi on the attack.
OTPHJ - Coasting. That's what they're doing. Toying with opponents. Despite being undefeated all season, the last two weeks OTPHJ has really hit their stride. Chris Cooke, Chris Vette, Jared Williams, and Gary Johnson are a tough foursome to stop and at this point sit as the heavy favorites going into the playoffs.
Penalty kick off the post!
UTTOTPHJ - The injury and absence bug has been tough to overcome for UTTOTPHJ. Without captain Scott Tinsley laying in goal or arguing about the substitution cones, they've gone on a bit of a losing streak. Buck Waldrop is the heart of the team in goal. Davin Field has been working his tail off on the offensive end with Lee Craig holding down the back.
Midseason signing Laura Schmitt sends one up for UTTOTPHJ.
Stephanie Coble serving an Oozlekick up!
Hangover 86 FC - These two weeks summarize Hangover's season really well. A win over Netkicks followed by a loss to OTPHJ. A nice bit of symmetry in their season sitting at 3-3. Jordan Yingling put in a solid performance in Week 4, but with the squad being undermanned in Week 5, they had a hard time keeping up with OTPHJ. Mickey Amaro continues to play solid at defense and Andres Moreno and Maria Mossman are leading the squad in goals scored.
Jordan Yingling levitating a ball like Dr. Strange.
Netkicks and Chill - Netkicks may have gotten a little too chill as weeks 4 and 5 brought a 3 game losing streak. Daryl Kuligowski and Brendan Fajotina are a great combo in the midfield and Brendan's absence in Week 5 certainly hurt N&C. Shout out to Antwane Futrell for a great shot off the far post from a difficult angle on the Commish. They'll look to rebound against UTTOTPHJ in week 6.
Netkicks is looking to throw away this three game losing streak in Week 6.
Look Ma, No Hands - There's nothing like a +37 goal differential. Lock down defense and a plethora of goals will do that for you. Chad Martin leads the league in goals with 14 and is a favorite for the golden boot going into the final week of the regular season. Most of this squad has been playing together for a good while and you can tell they have chemistry on and off (see Lionsbridge photo above) the field. Tough duo of games in the final week with Ronaldo McDonaldo and Moat Monsters on the schedule. With what we've seen on the field thus far this season, no doubt that they can overcome those games to go undefeated.
Lopez Herick strikes a corner for Look Ma No Hands in their win over Hot and Messi.
Kick in a Box - Tough game against the seemingly unstoppable Look Ma in Week 4, but in Week 5 they rebounded in a tough loss to Oozlekicks. Nadia Aly had a great chip over Oozlekick's keeper in Week 5. Kayson Bell brings the speed and creativity to the team with Ryan O'Donnell and Corey Hirsch locking down the back. Rumor has it Corey has gone down with a finger injury so they'll be looking to find a keeper in Week 6.
Jennifer Neal brings defense and some bite to Kick in a Box.
AND HERE ARE THE STANDINGS AFTER 5 WEEKS!
TEAM OF THE WEEK - WEEK 4
Tom Weniger - Put up 5 goals in the Week 4 doubleheader for Oozlekicks.
Galen Small - Two absolute scorchers to make things interesting in the Moat Monsters/Ronaldo McDonaldo game.
Chad Martin - Continues his push for the Golden Boot with a hat trick vs. Kick in a Box.
Jordan Yingling - 2 goals and was all over the field in the win over Netkicks. Not surprising giving Hangover's questionable motivational techniques.
Julie Ratcliffe - has been a huge bright spot for Hot and Messi this season as she continued to impress with a goal against OTPHJ.
Frank Council - Talking, organizing, and playing defense is not always rewarded. In this case, Frank deserves the recognition for keeping the team calm and organized as the Moat Monsters pushed for a comeback.
Jay Coble - Leading from the back, Oozlekicks won both of their doubleheaders and Jay kept the ball out of the net like he always seems to.
TEAM OF THE WEEK - WEEK 5
Tom Weniger - how do you follow-up 5 goals in a doubleheader? 6 in one game. Yes. You read that right. And he did it in tennis shoes.
Jared Williams - was between Jared and Chris Vette for OTPHJ this week, but three goals an absolute beauty of a free kick put Jared over the top.
Brad Kirby - Played the first half in goal. Down 1-0 at the half, he came out of the goal and scored a hat trick in the second half.
Zack Martin - Zack put up a hat trick in a 14-0 shellacking of Hot and Messi. Plus his teammates love him because he passes the ball (sorry Chad!).
Nadia Aly - Scored a looping chip over the strongest keeper in the league. That's how you get on Team of the Week!
Daryl Kuligowski - Organized and served as an engine for Netkicks in the game against Ronaldo. All over the field - defense and offense.
Kim Merritt - How do you make TOTW as a keeper after losing 14-0? You make 1,000 saves to keep it from being 20-0.
THE RACE FOR THE GOLDEN BOOT
Going into the final weekend of the regular season, here are the results. Tom Weniger went from nowhere on the list to 2nd in two weeks, so I would say this race is FAR from over. Stay tuned...
PHOTO(S) OF THE WEEK (WEEK 4 AND WEEK 5)
PHOTO(S) OF THE WEEK (WEEK 4 AND WEEK 5)
Full photo albums located here and here.
Craig McDuffie keeps his eye on the ball as he pushes it past Lopez Herick
Ahhhh sunny days at Ft. Monroe. Jordan Yingling getting his rest on for Hangover 86 FC.
WEEK 4 PREVIEW
Game of the Week
Ronaldo McDonaldo takes on Look Ma No Hands in a battle to stay undefeated at 2 PM. Come out and watch the fireworks!
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