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Athens Drive vs. Garner - Sept. 1 |
Posted:
9/2/2010 2:18 PM |
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Final score: Athens 3 Garner 0
Results to date: 0-1-0 (Conference matches); 4-1-1 (All matches)
The Jags took to the pitch to play the Garner Trojans in the fifth
non-conference match of the season. This is the match that should have
been played August 25, but was postponed due to the pitch being
waterlogged after heavy rainfall. As expected, the Jags dominated and
had the lion's share of possession. However, possession and scoring
opportunities didn't translate into a flood of goals and, somewhat
surprisingly, the first half ended with the Jags being up by only two
goals. After a string of shots by Lange (#7), Lester (#4), two "t's"
Matthews (#16) and Vandermaas-Peeler (#10), the first goal came in the
16th minute when Liptak (#21), within the goal area and directly in
front of the goal, put the ball in the back of the net. Then, Lester
(#4), who had shot directly to the Trojans' goalie a couple of minutes
earlier, received a great long, cross-field pass at the left-hand side
comer of the box from Barber (#15), took the ball into the box, and
drilled it into the goal. This was in the 37th minute. In the next
minute, no doubt on an adrenaline rush, Lester (#4), within the box and
in front of the goal, blasted another shot at the Trojans' goal. This
time the goalie made the save by pushing it over the cross-bar for a
corner.
Score at halftime 2-0 to the Jags.
The Jags continued to dominate in the second half, although the Trojans
had a few scoring opportunities which were nullified by the Jags' goalie
and defenders. The Jags' third goal came in the 10th minute of the
second half when Lange (#7) shot from about 10 yards outside the box,
directly in front of the goal. Being up by three, Coach Seese seized on
the opportunity to play the full roster. There were several scoring
opportunities, one of which delivered a goal by Garcia (#22) that was
disallowed for being off-side. The second half closed with a long range
shot from Brogan (#11) that went over the cross-bar. Draovitch (#13),
Lange (#7), two "t's" Matthews (#16) and Vandermaas-Peeler (#10) all had
shots in the second half.
Final score at the end of overtime: Jags 3 Falcons 0.
Goals:
Liptak (#21) - 16th minute
Lester (#4) assisted by Barber (#15) - 37th minute
Lange (#7) - 50th minute
The Stats say it all:: For the Jags, Shots - 20, Shots on goal (shots
that would have gone in had the goalie not stopped them) -10, Goals - 3.
For the Trojans, Shots 1.
See you at Athens Drive on Tuesday, September 7 at 6:30 PM for the
second conference match against Middle Creek. Don't forget to support
the concessions!
Submitted by P. Barlow
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| Posted By:
D. Madia |
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Athens Drive vs. Green Hope - Aug. 30 |
Posted:
9/1/2010 10:49 AM |
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Final score at the end of overtime: Athens 2 Green Hope 3 (Score at the end of regulation play: 2-2)
Results to date: 0-1-0 (Conference matches); 3-1-1 (All matches)
The Jags took to the pitch to play the Green Hope Falcons in the first conference match of the season. We knew the Falcons would be tough opposition and they lived up to that expectation. Right from the kickoff, the match was like a couple of buffaloes butting heads. Both teams were strong on defensive and aggressive on offense, which all made for a nail-biting and exciting match. The Jags got on the scoreboard in the 8th minute of the first half, when Barlow (#18), positioned parallel to the left goal-post within the box, sent a low, straight shot into the left side of the goal. Lester (#4) made the cross to Barlow from the center-right of the box. Score 1-0 to the Jags. Only two minutes later, the Falcons hit back but Barbour (#0) made the save - it was to be one of many. 19 minutes into the half, the Falcons nearly scored off a "short" corner (right-hand side). The Falcon's left-back, the guy with the awesome throw, standing unmarked about 30 yards out on the right wing, received the corner and blasted a shot at the Jags' goal. Fortunately, it hit the right goal-post and spun out for the goal kick. Big sighs of relief from the Jags' supporters. Unfortunately, the next time the same play happened (short corner in the 32nd minute), Mr "I can throw the ball like a corner kick" scored when his shot hit the left-post and went into the goal to level the score at 1-1. The Jags rallied and, in the closing minutes of the first half, scored their second goal. Two "t's" Matthews (#16), upon receiving a nice through-ball from Vandermaas-Peeler (#10) blasted a shot from the right-hand side of the goal area, passed the Falcon's goalie and into the top left corner of the net. Beautiful goal. Other notable scoring opportunities during the first half:
23rd minute - Brogan (#11), upon receiving a nice through-ball from the midfield (sorry, I didn't see who made the pass), beat a defender and went one-on-one with the Falcons' goalie. But his shot was saved by the goalie.
27th minute - Barber (15), running from the center of the half to the right field, weaved his way through two or three defenders and blasted a shot from the right-hand side of the box. The Falcons' goalie made a great save by pushing the ball over the cross-bar for a corner kick.
Score at halftime 2-1 to the Jags.
Six minutes into the second half, the Falcons equalized when a forward, in the goal area, made a great header of a cross from deep within the right-hand side of Jags' box. The remainder of the second half was a story of attack and counter-attack with neither team gaining any ground (no more goals), testimony to the great defensive work by both sides. The best scoring opportunity for the Jags was in the 11th minute of the second half, when two "t's" Matthews (#16) collected the ball from a header off a free-kick taken by Vandermaas-Peeler (#10) and blasted it at the Falcons' goal. The Falcons goalie made a great save and deflected the ball for a corner.
At the end of regulation time, the score was 2-2.
In the first ten minutes of overtime, the Jags nearly scored when Agiovlassitis (#3) took a long-range shot from perhaps 40 yards out. Unfortunately, the Falcons' goalie had time to read the flight of the ball and position himself to make a great save, jumping high and to his right to push the ball over the cross-bar for a corner. Oh, so close! Keep 'em coming Mr A. Then, Joyce (#20), after receiving a corner from Vandermaas-Peeler (#10), saw his shot go wide of the right-post. Score at half-time of overtime: 2-2.
The heartbreak came in the second half of overtime, when Mr "I can throw the ball like a corner kick" for the Falcons took a free-kick from the left wing (perhaps 20 yards into the Jags' half) and sent the ball to the other side of field where not one but two Falcons forwards were waiting for the ball - unmarked. One received the ball, took it into the box, worked his way toward the right-post and and pushed a shot passed the Jags' goalie into the front left-hand side of the net (close to the left goal post). Agiovlassitis (#3) fired the last shot for the Jags in the penultimate minute of the match but it went wide of the left post.
Final score at the end of overtime: Jags 2 Falcons 3.
A difficult pill to swallow, especially because the Jags played hard and made very few defensive errors. The following stats show that the two teams were evenly matched. The Jags had some 13 shots on the Falcons goal (including headers) of which 7 were on target (two goals), whereas the Falcons had 11 hots on the Jags goal (including headers) of which 6 were on target (three goals). The Jags did concede a few more corners than the Falcons (8 as opposed to 4), and the Falcons score from a short corner.
Goals:
Barlow (#18) assisted by Lester (#4)
Matthews (#16) assisted by Vandermaas-Peeler (#10)
See you at Athens Drive on Wednesday, September 1 at 6:30 PM for a non-conference match against Garner. This is the game that was postponed. Don't forget to support the concessions!
Submitted by P. Barlow
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| Posted By:
D. Madia |
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Athens Drive vs. Green Hope - Aug. 30 |
Posted:
9/1/2010 10:49 AM |
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Final score at the end of overtime: Athens 2 Green Hope 3 (Score at the end of regulation play: 2-2)
Results to date: 0-1-0 (Conference matches); 3-1-1 (All matches)
The Jags took to the pitch to play the Green Hope Falcons in the first conference match of the season. We knew the Falcons would be tough opposition and they lived up to that expectation. Right from the kickoff, the match was like a couple of buffaloes butting heads. Both teams were strong on defensive and aggressive on offense, which all made for a nail-biting and exciting match. The Jags got on the scoreboard in the 8th minute of the first half, when Barlow (#18), positioned parallel to the left goal-post within the box, sent a low, straight shot into the left side of the goal. Lester (#4) made the cross to Barlow from the center-right of the box. Score 1-0 to the Jags. Only two minutes later, the Falcons hit back but Barbour (#0) made the save - it was to be one of many. 19 minutes into the half, the Falcons nearly scored off a "short" corner (right-hand side). The Falcon's left-back, the guy with the awesome throw, standing unmarked about 30 yards out on the right wing, received the corner and blasted a shot at the Jags' goal. Fortunately, it hit the right goal-post and spun out for the goal kick. Big sighs of relief from the Jags' supporters. Unfortunately, the next time the same play happened (short corner in the 32nd minute), Mr "I can throw the ball like a corner kick" scored when his shot hit the left-post and went into the goal to level the score at 1-1. The Jags rallied and, in the closing minutes of the first half, scored their second goal. Two "t's" Matthews (#16), upon receiving a nice through-ball from Vandermaas-Peeler (#10) blasted a shot from the right-hand side of the goal area, passed the Falcon's goalie and into the top left corner of the net. Beautiful goal. Other notable scoring opportunities during the first half:
23rd minute - Brogan (#11), upon receiving a nice through-ball from the midfield (sorry, I didn't see who made the pass), beat a defender and went one-on-one with the Falcons' goalie. But his shot was saved by the goalie.
27th minute - Barber (15), running from the center of the half to the right field, weaved his way through two or three defenders and blasted a shot from the right-hand side of the box. The Falcons' goalie made a great save by pushing the ball over the cross-bar for a corner kick.
Score at halftime 2-1 to the Jags.
Six minutes into the second half, the Falcons equalized when a forward, in the goal area, made a great header of a cross from deep within the right-hand side of Jags' box. The remainder of the second half was a story of attack and counter-attack with neither team gaining any ground (no more goals), testimony to the great defensive work by both sides. The best scoring opportunity for the Jags was in the 11th minute of the second half, when two "t's" Matthews (#16) collected the ball from a header off a free-kick taken by Vandermaas-Peeler (#10) and blasted it at the Falcons' goal. The Falcons goalie made a great save and deflected the ball for a corner.
At the end of regulation time, the score was 2-2.
In the first ten minutes of overtime, the Jags nearly scored when Agiovlassitis (#3) took a long-range shot from perhaps 40 yards out. Unfortunately, the Falcons' goalie had time to read the flight of the ball and position himself to make a great save, jumping high and to his right to push the ball over the cross-bar for a corner. Oh, so close! Keep 'em coming Mr A. Then, Joyce (#20), after receiving a corner from Vandermaas-Peeler (#10), saw his shot go wide of the right-post. Score at half-time of overtime: 2-2.
The heartbreak came in the second half of overtime, when Mr "I can throw the ball like a corner kick" for the Falcons took a free-kick from the left wing (perhaps 20 yards into the Jags' half) and sent the ball to the other side of field where not one but two Falcons forwards were waiting for the ball - unmarked. One received the ball, took it into the box, worked his way toward the right-post and and pushed a shot passed the Jags' goalie into the front left-hand side of the net (close to the left goal post). Agiovlassitis (#3) fired the last shot for the Jags in the penultimate minute of the match but it went wide of the left post.
Final score at the end of overtime: Jags 2 Falcons 3.
A difficult pill to swallow, especially because the Jags played hard and made very few defensive errors. The following stats show that the two teams were evenly matched. The Jags had some 13 shots on the Falcons goal (including headers) of which 7 were on target (two goals), whereas the Falcons had 11 hots on the Jags goal (including headers) of which 6 were on target (three goals). The Jags did concede a few more corners than the Falcons (8 as opposed to 4), and the Falcons score from a short corner.
Goals:
Barlow (#18) assisted by Lester (#4)
Matthews (#16) assisted by Vandermaas-Peeler (#10)
See you at Athens Drive on Wednesday, September 1 at 6:30 PM for a non-conference match against Garner. This is the game that was postponed. Don't forget to support the concessions!
Submitted by P. Barlow
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| Posted By:
D. Madia |
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Athens Drive vs East Wake - Aug. 26 |
Posted:
9/1/2010 10:37 AM |
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Final score: 0-0
Results to date: 3-1-0 (All non-conference matches)
Under clear skies and on a beautiful summer evening, the Jags took to the pitch to play a feisty and determined East Wake in the fourth non-conference match. The Jags' offensive performance in first half wasn't very inspiring and reminded me of pancakes - flat and stodgy. Granted, East Wake had some strong and determined defenders, but the Jags struggled to set up serious scoring opportunities and were a little disjointed. The first scoring opportunity for the Jags came in the 19th minute when two-t's Matthews (#16) dribbled the ball past an East Wake defender, well inside the box, and launched a shot which the East Wake goalie stopped as he was moving out to close the angle. Then, in the 36th minute, Vandermaas-Peeler (10#) had a power shot from the right wing, well outside the box, that went a little wide and high of the left corner of the goal - a very respectable effort which awakened the Jags' supporters. Thanks to some good defensive work by the Jags defenders, the first half ended with score level at 0-0.
Well, if the the first half was a little dull, the second half was like a 4th of July fireworks display with both sides pumping up the volume and aggressiveness (sometimes with the unfortunate consequence of committing fouls). The fun started in the 4th minute of the second half when Barlow (#18) had his feet taken from under him as he was starting a run down the left wing. The ensuing free-kick, taken by Vandermaas-Peeler (#10), was deflected by an East Wake defender in the box for a corner, which was also taken by Vandermaas-Peeler (#10). Draovitch's (#13) power header off the corner hit the cross-bar and the ball rebounded into the box and found Barlow (#18), who hit a "chip shot, not sure if it was intentional, that went high over the mass of players gathered in the goal area and looked like it was going to drop into the goal mouth, but the East Wake goalie punched it out. Amazingly, the ball found its way back to Barlow (#18), who shot again only to see it blocked by a defender. It was all action from this point forward. The Jags kept up an almost relentless attack on the East Wake goal. Highlights:
8th minute, Barber (#1) had a shot on goal that was saved by the East Wake goalie.
12th, Barlow (#18) in the box, pushed the ball back to Lange (#7) who blasted a shot that had the East Wake goalie driving to his left to make the save. The goalie deflected the path of the ball, causing it to hit the right post and then dance along the goal line inside the goal mouth. At one point, it appeared that it went over the goal line but then spun back out, whereupon the goalie, who was still on his hands and knees, grabbed it. No goal. Exciting stuff.
14th, Liptak (#21) shot wide of the goal.
17th, Vandermaas-Peeler (#10), after making a strong run down the right wing, brought the ball in to the box (beating the defender) and crossed it into the goal area. Unfortunately, the Jags forwards were in front of the cross.
18th, Vandermaas-Peeler (#10) saw his long-range header saved by the East Wake goalie.
23rd, Vandermaas-Peeler (#10) sent a shot over the cross-bar from outside the box.
27th, two-t's Matthews worked hard to force a defender to concede a corner. Unfortunately, Barlow(#18) could only get the top of his head to the Vandermaas-Peeler (#10) corner and the ball sailed out to the left field.
32nd, nice through-ball by two-t's Matthews (#16) to Barlow (#18), at the edge of the box on the left side, who took the ball into the goal area, beat a defender, and shot. Again, the East Wake goalie managed to stop the shot, but the ball started rolling toward the goal mouth.
32nd, long-range shot by Joyce (#20) - saved
33rd, shot by Lange (#7) - saved
36th, shot by two-t's Matthews (#16) -saved
37th, another Matthews (#16)/Barlow (#18) combo on the left side of the box, with Barlow's shot going just wide of the right post.
In the last three minutes, East Wake applied intense pressure on the Jags goal. Talk about tense moments. In the 38th minute, a East Wake forward, after beating a Jags defender, went one-one-one with the Jags' goalie, Barbour (#0), but his power shot went well over the cross-bar. Great sighs of relief were heard from the Jags' supporters. The final score - 0-0 draw.
Not the result that the Jags wanted or deserved, but an exciting match. The Jags had some 17 shots on the East Wake goal (including headers) of which 10 were on target but stopped - a couple on the goal line. An improvement in level of "accuracy" (58% on target) over the match against Sanderson. Again, great defensive work by the Jags defenders who only allowed 5 shots on goal of which 2 were on target but saved by Barbour (#0). Some great slide tackles by Draovitch (#13) and Curfman (#17).
See you at Athens Drive on Monday, August 30 at 6:30 PM for the first conference match against Green Hope. Don't forget to support the concessions!
Submitted by P. Barlow
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| Posted By:
D. Madia |
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Sanderson at Athens Drive - Aug. 23 |
Posted:
8/24/2010 11:34 AM |
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The Jags took to another wet pitch to play Sanderson in the third non-conference match. Fortunately, we didn't have any interruptions for bad weather. Well, we knew Sanderson would be a tough opponent and they didn't disappoint. During the first half, even though the Jags had the upper hand on possession, which created several scoring opportunities, they weren't able to get the vuvuzelas trumpeting and the half ended with the score level at 0-0 - testimony to solid defending by both teams. Notable highlights: Lester (#4), in the 4th minute, shot from outside the box only to see the Sanderson goalie push it over the cross-bar for a corner. Then, in the 18th minute, Lester (#4) tried again from the edge of box with a nice chip shot over the goalie, but this time it was the right goal-post that got in the way and the rebound was cleared away for a corner. Late in the half, Achidi (#8) spun around at the edge of the box to hit a shot wide of the right post on a nice cross from Vandermaas-Peeler (#10) who was out on the left wing. A couple of minutes later, Draovitch (#13), who had come up for the Vandermaas-Peeler (#10) corner, headed the ball just wide of the left post. At the other end, Barbour (#0) easily mopped up whatever Sanderson threw at him, although there was a tense moment when, in the 35th minute, Barlow (#18), the birthday boy, cleared a Sanderson shot off the Jag's goal line next to the right post.
In the 26th minute, a Sanderson forward, no doubt schooled by Uruguay's infamous star striker, Luis Suarez (who stopped what would have been Ghana's winning goal by hand-balling), while running at the Jag's goal to connect with a cross, decided that it would be easier to punch the ball into the net - after all your hand can reach much further out than your head. Definitely one for the books.
The intensity picked up in the second half and the Jags pressured the Sanderson goal. In the 8th minute of the second half, Lester (#4) fired off a shot that went over the cross-bar. Then, just a minute later, Barlow (#18) made a long pass up the left wing to Vandermaas-Peeler (#10), who ran on to the ball, took it to the box, dribbled passed a defender, and, from just inside the left-hand side of the box, hammered the ball across the goal-mouth into the lower right corner of the net. Goal! Score 1-0 to the Jags.The Sanderson goalie looked a little bewildered - he probably thought the shot would go wide of the right post. At this point, Sanderson rallied and pressured the Jag's defense for the next five minutes, but the boys at the back kept the door closed. In the 16th minute, two-"t's" Matthews (#16) launched a shot within the box only to see a defender block it and give away the corner. Vandermaas-Peeler (#10), in the 23rd minute, pushed a lovely ball through the Sanderson defensive line for Barlow (#18) to run on to, but the goalie's hands beat Barlow's feet to the ball. The Jags had a few more shots - Barber (#15) went wide in the 23rd minute, Lester (#4) went wide in the 25th minute, and then Lester (4), Matthews (#16) and Barlow (#18) launched consecutive of shots in the 28th minute. Sanderson rallied again in the last five minutes, desperately trying to get the equalizer. Tense moments with some fierce defending by the Jags including a Herculean effort by Chewning (#20) who blocked two consecutive shots inside the right-hand side of the box and then slide-tackled a Sanderson forward on the goal-line to prevent a cross into the goal area.
A good result for the JAGS. Offense strikes - some 11 shots on the Sanderson goal (including headers) of which only 4 were on target (1 passed the goalie). About the same level of "accuracy" as the Wake Forest match (36%) which was much lower than that for the match against West Johnston (73%). Again, solid defending by the JAGS who only allowed 6 shots on goal of which 2 were on target, and protected the shut-out.
See you at Athens Drive on Wednesday, August 25 at 6:30 PM for the next match against Garner. Don't forget to support the concessions.
Submitted by P. Barlow
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| Posted By:
D. Madia |
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Wake Forest at Athens Drive - Aug. 18 |
Posted:
8/24/2010 11:28 AM |
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After about a hour delay for a thunderstorm to clear out of the area,
the Jags took to a wet pitch to play Wake Forest. It wasn't long before
the Jags got their first chance to score. About 3 minutes into the half,
Lange (#7) sent a ball just wide of the left post. Shortly thereafter,
the WF goalie saved a header from Barlow (#18) off a cross from Lange
(#7) and then a shot from Vandermaas-Peeler (#10). In the 14th minute,
Vandermaas-Peeler (#10) broke through the WF defense on the right-hand
side of the box and shot the ball across the goal mouth (and goalie)
into the left-hand side of the net. Score 1-0 to the Jags. Although the
Jags had the lion's share of possession during the rest of the half,
they weren't able to translate possession and scoring opportunities into
goals and the half ended with the Jags being up by a single goal. Of the
many shots taken after the first goal was scored, a couple were notable.
From just inside the box, Brogan (#11) chipped the ball over the WF
goalie only to see it hit the right post, rebound a couple of feet, and
be cleared by a WF defender for a corner. Agiovlassitis (#3) blasted a
shot from about 40 yds out (close to the circle) and made the WF goalie
jump high to push the ball over the cross-bar. Great shot and great
save. Perhaps the best "move" of the first half was a series of "give
and go's" (including a back-kick give) down the left wing by
Vandermaas-Peeler (#10) and Brogan (#11).
The second half had the same feel as the the first half. Again, the Jags
had the lion's share of possession and mounted numerous attacks on the
WF goal, but goals were elusive. After being taken out by the WF goalie
in the box, Vandermaas-Peeler (#10) buried a penalty shot in the lower
right-hand corner of the net to take the score to 2-0 in the14th minute
of the second half. For his efforts, the WF goalie got a red card and
exited the match.Unfortunately, the Jags weren't able to take advantage
of WF being down one man and the match ended with the score at 2-0.
Overall, a satisfactory result for the JAGS. Productive offense - some
24 shots on the WF goal (including headers) of which only 9 were on
target (2 passed the goalie). Notably, the percentage of shots on target
(37.5%) was much lower than that for the match against West Johnston
(73%). Solid defending by the JAGS who only allowed 3 shots on goal of
which 2 were on target, and protected the shut-out.
See you at Athens Drive on Monday, August 23 at 6:30 PM for the next
match against Sanderson. Don't forget to support the concessions.
Submitted by P. Barlow.
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| Posted By:
D. Madia |
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