Memorial Day Tournament Part 2 – Welcome to The Gun Show and an Inter Club Showdown (updated)

Xtreme 98 Red arrived at the VSA Haymarket Complex ready for Day 2 of the Bull Run Tournament with so many mathematical outs for all the teams that it was anybody's tournament. The Black Stallions were 2-0, Freedom was 1-1, 98 Red and White Stallions were both 0-1-1, and Stafford Revolution Gold was 0-2.

Red took the pitch against Stafford first, an ODSL Division 1 team, and immediately welcomed them to the show. Just five minutes in, Big Foot took the ball from a charging Revolution player and sent Happy Feet streaking down the left side. She expertly crossed the ball to the Taxman who, as she does, made the Revolution pay. It was her team-leading 6^th goal of the season and second of the tournament, and for the second time in three games, Xtreme was out to an early lead.

Having scouted the Revolution through their earlier games, the Red defense, led, brilliantly and as usual, by Hollywood, was able to completely shut down their attack, which relied on two key players. Sharky would only be asked to make one save in the first half. Which she did.

Red's precision pin-point passing terrorized the Stafford defense and keeper – they knew the shot was coming, but they weren't sure from where. Late in the first half it was Space Ghost and the Sledgehammer knocking on the door. Space Ghost charged into the box as the keeper came out; SG got the shot away, colliding with the keeper as she made an impressive save. But she couldn't hold on to the rebound, and the quick thinking Sledgehammer, who had brilliantly followed the play into the box was waiting to easily tap the ball across the goal line. But wait – there was that waving flag sound. The linesmen determined the keeper had been fouled – no goal. And Space Ghost limped off the field as the half ended.

The second half looked much like the first – Red controlling the ball and shooting on the keeper at will. For the first time all season every single Red player recorded at least one shot on goal – even keeper Sharky whose punts are like rocket propelled grenades.

Just two minutes into the second half the Taxman would return Maria's generousity from the day before, feeding her a ball that the young impact player would bury deep in the back of the net.

Feeling more comfortable with a 2-0 lead against a team that was having trouble getting their offense started, Red would begin to get creative. Corner kicks were played long and short, attacks were begun and pulled back, and Red simply dominated the Stafford team. Another Red goal would be pulled back for an offsides call, and Sharky would be asked to make four saves in the half.

Late in the game, Space Ghost told Coach Lance she thought she could go back in. And she went in hard – receiving a pass from the Sledgehammer in our zone and charging the length of the field to ice the cake with a goal at 58 minutes.

It was an impressive Red performance from start to finish: the girls tallied 10 corners and surrendered one, suffered and committed five fouls, notched 126 passes, and logged 45 shots – 30 of them on target.

Earlier in the day, Freedom had beaten the White Stallions 3-1 to secure 6 points in the standings to Red's 4. The Black Stallions had also won their earlier game, so they were a lock for first place. But second place remained open. A Freedom win would guarantee them second place. A Freedom-Red tie and White win against Black – however unlikely – would put Freedom and White in a goal differential race. However, a Red win against Freedom would give them seven points and put them in second place all by themselves.

The interclub rivals took to the pitch for the final and decisive game of the tournament – just two weeks after two Red players guested with Freedom in a WAGS Annandale win.

The two teams play very different styles – and they clashed early. Red's slow possession game came up against Freedom's hard-charging aggressive game and it was intense. Red had the upper hand on scoring chances in the first half – asking the Freedom keeper to make several exciting saves – which she did. Sharky turned away the three quality chances from Freedom – one of which had resulted in an apparent Freedom goal and left her on the ground – the wind knocked soundly out of her. But the linesman determined Sharky had possession of the ball and the Freedom player had kicked it out of her hands – no goal.

Freedom players were called for four fouls in the first half, but Red was unable to convert them, and we went into the halftime tied at nil.

The battle continued in the second half, but Red would strike first. A Taxman throw-in (erroneously credited to Big Foot at first) found Maria in the box all alone – she'd bury it for her second goal of the tournament and fourth point.

Red began to feel confident, moving the ball well and making Freedom chase – but chase they did. And Freedom began to get frustrated and the fouling increased. Freedom received 9 fouls in the second half and one player was shown a yellow card – not for a foul, but for "Dissent." Red, too, became more physical in this half, earning The Hammer a stern verbal warning from the referee as he awarded Freedom their first of two direct kicks from inside the Red half. Red built a wall as the Freedom specialist, Elizabeth, trotted up to take the kick. Red was anxious, having watched her score on this exact opportunity in her previous game against the White Stallions – but Sharky saw that play and she knew where the ball was going – upper right hand corner – and she was there to make the save of the tournament on a brilliant shot from Freedom.

But Maria was having her game of the tournament as well, and when First Aid dribbled around and through the Freedom defense and fed the ball to Taxman, who drew a defender to her and scootched a perfect ball to Maria – the young guest drilled it into the back of the net with extreme prejudice. Red was up 2-0 with 12 minutes to go.

The game took on a fever pitch and tension was high on the sidelines. Red was happy to play keep away and make Freedom chase the ball – and Freedom's finesse players tried to mount an attack – but they were running out of time. Freedom was awarded another direct kick, but the blast was sent high and the game would end 2-0 for Red.

Xtreme's girls were thrilled with the win and the perfect DAY turned in by Sharky – 5 goals for and none against – and they didn't even realize their hard work had earned them hardware. But it had, and the girls and their parents climbed the hill to pick up their second tournament trophy and secure more positive press for the club.

Over the four games Xtreme scored 8 goals and gave up 7, Xtreme keepers made 44 saves on 51 shots (86%) and notched two shut outs. The team took 129 shots – 84 of them on target (65%) and recorded 443 precision passes – averaging more than 100 per game.

Player milestones included Taxman with 2 goals and 4 assists for 6 points, Maria with 3 goals and 2 assists for 5 points, and Space Ghost with two goals. Taxman was the shot leader with 24 shots, 16 on target; Big Foot had 23 shots with 10 on target; First Aid had 14 shots with 10 on target; and Sunshine also had 14 shots with 9 on target. Hollywood notched 11 blocked shots and the Professor recorded six.

The girls will have a fantastic and well-deserved Memorial Day break and look forward to closing out the WAGS season with a way away game in Maryland next weekend.

Memorial Day Tournament Part 1 – An Xtreme Possession Clinic and a Breakdown

Xtreme 98 Red was excited to be back at the Bull Run Tournament this year, and although the field complex in Haymarket brought back bad memories for some, the girls were ready to play.

First up, one of two Maryland teams – MSC White Stallions.

Red very quickly took control of the game, moving the ball well and drawing blood early. Two minutes into the game guesting U11 player and Happy Feet's cousin, Maria, put on the first of many dazzling footwork displays, crossed to the Taxman who dished to Sunshine, who put the ball away for the first goal of the tournament – her second on the season.

The next nineteen minutes were 90% Red as the girls played keep away and probed the Stallion defenses. The Red defense "made like wall" and very effectively shut down the Stallions long ball fast break reliant offense – Sharky was only asked to make three saves in the half.

In the twenty second minute Happy Feet took a fantastic throw in that found Space Ghost at the far edge of the box. She dribbled in, passed two defenders and a sprawling keeper, and helped herself to her second goal of the season, first of the tournament.

But the Stallions fought back, and in the 27^th minute were rewarded for their speed. A fast break caught the Red defense high and the Stallion player took two excellent touches and was able to cut the Red lead in half. We'd be 2-1 at the half.

The second half began much the way the first one did – with Red possessing the ball and making the Stallions chase. And again, early in the half – at 33 minutes – Red struck. Maria connected with the Taxman again who put this one away herself for her fifth goal of the season.

But the Stallions responded almost immediately, playing a long ball into the mid-field and then launching a header around the Professor that caught her by surprise. She caught the Stallion player, but the girl was able to get her shot away and it beat Happy Feet on the far post.

The Stallions played hard for the rest of the game – pressing Red and taking the shots they were unable to muster in the first half. Happy Feet faced twice as many shots, and she turned most of them away with ease.

Red tried to add an insurance goal, but the Stallion defenders had gotten more aggressive as they were trying to even the score. At 55 minutes a direct kick was awarded to the Stallions from just over the half. They took their time setting up, and the Stallion made it look like she might go short. The other Stallion players sold the ruse – pulling all the Red players out. Then the Stallion specialist arced a nicely taken kick into the top corner of the goal over the head of the leaping Happy Feet – the score was tied at 3 with under five minutes to go.

Red pushed back hard, anxious to recapture the lead, and had the game been 70 minutes rather than 60, they likely would have. But it was not to be, the game ended in a tie, with each team taking a point. But that point would prove extremely important for Red.

During the long break between games a Stallion parent approached us to compliment Red on their passing and possession game. "We don't see a lot of Virginia teams, and what you guys were doing out there was really intimidating." He also told us that our next opponent, MSC Black Stallions, was the better of the two club teams – but that they were down four of their players who had just guested with the White team.

Indeed, the Black Stallions were a different beast entirely, and an old, hot, tired referee didn't help matters. During the Stallions first possession of the game they pressured and one of their players and the Professor went down together in the box. The lineswoman in the far corner waved her flag; the fans and other linesman thought it was offsides on the Stallions or a possible foul called on the Stallions. The referee lumbered over to the corner to consult with the lineswoman – it was as far from the center as he would get for the entire game. After a quick consultation, the referee decided to award a Penalty Kick to the Stallions for a handball he did not see.

Sharky set up on the line and did her best to distract the Stallion player and read her eyes. Sharky did correctly read the player and dove right, but the ball was just out of reach. Red now had a hole to climb out of.

But the combination of the late game, the heat, a more skilled opponent, and lackluster officiating all worked against Red, putting them off their game and making the hole deeper. Sharky would make 11 saves in the half, but the Stallions would add two more goals, at 12 minutes and 27 minutes to go into the half up 3-0.

Red was not able to get any real momentum started – they surrendered 13 more shots on goal in the second half – Sharky would turn all but one away. Red was awarded no corner kicks but gave up four; they were awarded no fouls but were charged with three. Red only mustered 80 passes and 9 shots on goal in the game, as opposed to the previous game where they notched 139 passes and 22 shots. Blocked shots was about the only stat that improved in the second Stallion game; Red players blocked three shots in the game against White, 12 in the game against Black.

Day One of the tournament ended on a bit of a down note – a sure win had slipped away to a tie and Red was dealt a bruising 4-0 loss in the second game. But Red doesn't ever quit – Day Two would be just that – another day.

Xtreme Posts Second Shut Out in Fourth Win

A rested and hungry Red squad took to the pitch on Sunday ready to take on Maryland Rush in their final home game of the season. The home team fans wanted a definitive win after a disappointing game the week before. Right at the outset, Red took control of the game, moving the ball well and making Rush – down to only one sub – chase them.

With Red's two leading scorers, First Aid and Taxman, tied in goals (3) and battling for the season team title, the Rush keeper was going to have her hands full. And the Red offense got to work quickly, generating quality scoring chances inside five minutes and even producing a fourth and go-ahead goal for the Taxman. But wait – there was the unmistakable sound of nylon whipping in the wind – she was offsides.

The home crowd groaned, but the Center Referee and both coaches agreed: #28 was off and the internal team race remained tied.

Rush countered quickly and generated more than a few good scoring chances with their long ball game. Rush defenders used their powerful legs to send a long ball to their fast striker. She got behind the Red defense a few times, forcing Sharky to turn her shots away or come out to challenge, which she did expertly. The Red defenders also quickly adjusted. Big Foot, Hollywood, and the Professor "made like wall" and shut the Rush attack down – covering for each other and out-positioning the visitors. The Red defense blocked four shots and only allowed 6 shots in the first half, all of which Sharky handled easily.

New addition, Grace, coming off an injury that had her sidelined recently, recorded her first genuine shot on goal and scoring opportunity when she received a pass from Sunshine in the middle and charged towards the net with just one player to beat. The Rush defender planted her feet and took the full brunt of #33, going down in a heap. No foul was called and after the injured Rush player left the field the referee called for Grace to turn the ball back over to the visitors, which she did.

Red continued to move the ball well, notching 65 passes in the first half. One series, at 22 minutes, began in the back with Big Foot stealing the ball from a Rush mid-fielder, sending the ball up the line to Sunshine who bobbed and weaved past a defender and sent the ball into the middle to the waiting First Aid. She deked past the central defender and launched the ball past the Rush keeper. Xtreme was up 1-0 and First Aid pulled ahead of Taxman on the stat board.

But as her name implies, the Taxman is going to make you pay. And just one minute into the second half she pounced on an opportunity. Sledgehammer was pulled down in the Rush box, still managing to get her shot off, which the keeper deflected. The ball came right back to Sister Sledge, who, still reeling from the foul, gave a little side pass to the Taxman who fired a missile into the far corner to beat the Rush keeper. Xtreme was up 2-0 and the leaderboard in the clubhouse was tied again.

The sun came out and stated to roast the players and fans. Caught unprepared for the late game sun last week, Red was determined not to make the same mistake. The girls had a canopy and water sprayer and they kept cool. Rush was not as prepared, and with only 9 players, the heat, and Xtreme's game of keep away, it all began to take its toll on the visitors. They slowed down and were affording Red a long time to move the ball and make decisions. Red was linking together 7 and 8 pass sequences on their way to an 82 pass second half.

Rush did take more shots in the second half, but most were from distance and without a lot behind them. Happy Feet easily stopped the seven shots she faced and used a combination of punts and tosses to get Red back on attack.

Red almost increased the lead to three after a corner the girls played short landed at The Hammer's foot. She expertly teed the ball up for herself and fired a cruise missile at the net that caught everyone by surprise. Unfortunately it was about a foot too high – but the defender who now sometimes appears on offense is clearly hungry for her first goal of the season. Let's hope she gets it in the season finale in two weeks.

The game ended 2-0 – it was Xtreme's second shut out in four wins this season. The squad heads into the Memorial Day break with a full schedule – four games in two days during the Bull Run Tournament. Red will use the games to continue to build on recent successes, and open the game rosters to visiting guests. They'll close the Spring season out on the road on June 5 against LUYAA Black Venom.

Xtreme Unable to Finish Against McLean

The last time McLean Sprit White faced Xtreme it was the last game of the Fall 2010 season. A win would ensure the green and White would clinch the division. Xtreme said, "no," winning that game 2-0 and knocking Spirit into fourth place. McLean came to Annandale seeking revenge.

The game started in much the same way the last one had – with Xtreme quickly establishing the pace of the game and controlling the ball. The teams probed each other's defenses looking for a weak spot – and finally, at 6 minutes, Red seemed to find one, with three players in the White box and the first quality shot on goal from Space Ghost. But the White keeper stood tall – and Red would test her several more times in the first half – from close range, from distance, and from the left and right. Taxman and First Aid terrorized the green defense and keeper, combining for 16 shots – 13 of them on target. But the keeper rose to the challenge each time, turning away all the Red shots.

At the other end of the field, Sharky also stood tall. She only faced 5 McLean shots on goal and she turned them all away, quickly sending booming punts down the field to put her team back on the attack.

Big Foot and the Professor also helped by building a wall at the half line. They'd run down loose balls and stymie McLean's attempted long ball game. When the rare ball or player got past them, Hollywood was waiting to shut down the White offense, which she did with Xtreme prejudice, blocking a season high 5 shots.

A good Red scoring opportunity came on a succession of two Red corners. Sunshine played a medium ball in to First Aid who teed it back up to her – Sunshine came in on the angle and blasted a ball – on target, but high.

Unlike recent games the girls have played, this one was fairly foul free. Only 9 were called all game, and two of those were simply hand balls. One foul Red suffered gave them a free kick from about 20 yards. First Aid lined up to take the shot and McLean built a wall. First Aid faked the shot, instead connecting with a waiting Taxman who was to the right, outside the wall. Taxman pulled the shot out of the air and everyone tasted goal – but the White keeper was there.

The half would end with the score knotted at nil, but with Red clearly controlling the game and generating more quality scoring opportunities.

But it seemed different teams came out for the second half. Red's passing game was down (47 passes in the first half, 35 in the second), and McLean's forwards and midfielders stepped up their intensity – charging through the Red defenses to create scoring chances. And they tripled their offense from the first half.

Happy Feet faced a White onslaught and she stood tall making exciting saves, effectively tracking shots that would go wide, and mounting daunting challenges to sprinting White players. But there was anxiety on the Red sideline – White was getting too many shots – Happy Feet couldn't stop them forever. And finally, in 41 minutes, that prediction came true. White would pressure from inside the box, and Red was unable to clear the ball. On the third attempt, White scored.

But Red was far from done. At 55 minutes Happy Feet would make a save – one of 15 she was forced to make – and send a directional punt to Space Ghost in the midfield. She'd bring the ball up field and connect with First Aid who would begin to cut across the field, drawing defenders to her. She'd then find an open Taxman on the right side who would beat her defender and take on the charging White keeper. Taxman beat the keeper and sent a hard shot to the near post, but it would hit the post and come back out. Taxman pounced on her own rebound and buried the ball in the back of the net to tie the score and notch her third goal of the season.

Red was reenergized. But it wouldn't last long. Only two minutes later, a White attack would send Happy Feet sprawling to the ground to make a save. But the ball bounced between her hands, and a charging White player would pull the ball away from her and earn herself a go-ahead goal.

With time winding down Red tried to mount an attack, throwing The Hammer, the Sledgehammer, and Grace at the White team, but the Red simply didn't have enough left in the tank and White effectively used the field to run the clock down – adding an insurance goal in the 66^th minute. They would win the game 3-1 and get their revenge.

For the second time in two weeks, Red played an excellent, dominant first half, but then failed to close the game out by not playing a full second half – something the girls will work on during the week as they prepare to host Maryland Rush next week.

 

Sleepy Xtreme Falls to SAC Celtic’s Long Ball Game

It was a beautiful day for soccer up in Columbia, Maryland on Mother's Day Sunday; the sun was shining, a light breeze was blowing, and the moms in attendance looked resplendent. Both clubs looked sharp in bright red and bright blue kits as they observed a moment of silence for Mavis Derflinger, one of the pioneers of girls' soccer in our region and the nation.

But the fans would not only be mourning the passing of a soccer legend this day – they would also mourn the Xtreme precision passing game which failed to make the trek to Maryland.

Celtic got started early, peppering the Xtreme keeper with shots – she would make 13 saves in the first half. At nine minutes, a Celtic cross into the box found two well-defended Celtic players, but an alert Celtic midfielder charged forward and found herself all alone at the far post where she was able to knock the ball across the line when it squirted free to her.

Xtreme logged only 33 passes in the first half – a season low. Perhaps the referee mistakenly signaling the half at the 30 minute mark was a blessing in disguise – it would give Red a chance to regroup. (The referee indicated he would add time in the second half to make up for his error.)

And regroup they did. Red came out down 1-0, and immediately got into the game - forcing corner kicks, logging 50 passes, and generating several exciting scoring chances. But the blue keeper used the slow field and soft ball to her advantage and made many exciting saves.

The Red keeper also made many thrilling saves, punching shots out left and right and over the bar much to the chagrin of the home team fans. She made 14 saves in the half, but would not escape unscathed. In the 38^th minute Celtic took a corner, the Red keeper made the initial save, but could not control the rebound. A pile-up in front of the goal ensued, and Celtic got the lucky bounce after our keeper made another save, a defender blocked a shot, and our keeper took a boot to the ribs – they were up 2-0.

Red continued to pressure, but the Celtic keeper and defense did an effective job of keeping their team on offense. A long ball played up at 54 minutes would find a streaking Celtic keeper who may have had a step on the kick. She scored. The referee looked over at his STAR, but no offsides was signaled so the goal stood and that was how the game ended, 3-0.

Xtreme will regroup from this and hopefully find their game in time for next week's home match up against cross-county rival McLean.

Active Weekend Sends Xtreme Over .500 – to .500 – then below .500

Xtreme 98 Red hosted Stafford's Revolution White team in the first game of a home double-header on Saturday. Revolution's girls are tall and fast and they quickly set about to try to take control of the pace of the game. They tested Sharky in goal twice in the first minute, and raced around the field, taking throw-ins in a matter of seconds, and charging full speed at the Xtreme defense.

Xtreme began to take the bait, seemingly abandoning their slower paced, methodical passing game that frustrates opponents and lulls them to sleep. The teams traded more than a half a dozen shots in the first half with fast breaks going in both directions. At about the 14 minute mark, Red took better control of the game, slowed it down some, and thrilled the crowd with great precision passing sequences that ended in great saves from the visiting keeper. Both keepers kept the offenses honest, and we went into the half knotted at nil.

Red seemed energized by their newly-asserted control, and Revolution, perhaps with several Red near misses replaying in their minds, seemed slightly more tenuous. And finally, at 42 minutes, Red's patience paid off. A Red corner kick led to several close range shots from inside the box, including a blistering one from the Taxman that ricocheted off a Revolution defender and landed on First Aid's foot. She knew what to do, blasting a shot and beating the keeper to the far post.

Just three minutes later, Sharky would send a booming punt well over the half line. Big Foot would collect it and dance around two Revolution players, sending a precision pass to the waiting Sunshine. She'd take two hops into the box, and with two defenders closing in, and the keeper challenging, take a quality shot to the far post – Xtreme was up 2-0.

Solid play from the entire squad, including 5 blocked shots from four players and 15 saves from Sharky, gave Xtreme their first regular season shut out and vaulted the team into sole possession of third place with a winning record of 3 wins, 2 losses, and zero ties.

But it wouldn't last.

On Sunday, Red took on the first place, undefeated SYC Stampede. Stampede had beaten Xtreme last year in the first game of the season, then surrendered a draw to Xtreme later in the year. Both teams wanted a win.

The field was slick with muddy patches from an early morning shower, and a strong wind blew in ominous clouds from the west – and the players took the field.

Xtreme went to work immediately, moving the ball well. This style of play is not something Stampede has seen this year, and it seemed to puzzle and frustrate them for a bit. The Stampede game is a long ball game that feeds off the speed of a few players to create fast break situations and then use dangerous physical play to break free of covering opponents. But Xtreme has speed in the back as well, and nothing if not toughness.

Early in the first half, Stampede won a loose ball in their own end and sent one of their fast strikers streaking down the field. Our own Hollywood caught the girl from behind and matched her stride for stride going into our box. Sharky also came out to challenge, and with the Stampede window closing, the girl's legs got tangled up with Hollywood's. The Stampede girl took the shot and gave Hollywood a shove as they all went down, and Hollywood came up holding her hamstring, and in pain. She would have to leave the field.

Finally, at 11 minutes, Stampede would break the tie. Stampede's only corner kick of the game would have the ball bouncing around the box, with Red unable to clear it. On their fourth attempted shot, Stampede found the back of the net.

But then Red would take over. For the final 14 minutes of the first half, Red controlled the ball, moving it around the field, probing the Stampede defense for a weak spot and only allowing two brief Stampede offensive runs with only one shot on goal. However, it was during one of these fast breaks that an SYC player, closing in on our goal, was caught on the angle by The Hammer. The girls collided, and the Stampede player gave The Hammer an extra push as she was going down. No call was made, but The Hammer would leave the game with a possible broken wrist and not return.

Stampede's defense is one that aims to take away shots from opponents by collapsing several defenders onto the player with the ball. Although this tactic left Red players open, the team had difficulty completing that final important pass to the open player. We would end up surrendering the ball, but then our defense quickly reclaimed it, and sent Red back on attack. Red's best scoring chance of the first half came when Sunshine would manage to get behind the defense on an outlet pass from the Professor. Sunshine was called offsides, however, as she had the ball when she beat the last defender, the call was mind-boggling.

The smothering Stampede defense saw to it the half would end 1-0, despite Red's on field dominance. Xtreme completed 71 passes in the first half on their way to a 121 all time high passing game.

The second half began the way the first half ended, with Xtreme controlling the ball and playing soccer, while the Stampede played a combination of kickball and rollerball.

The Sledgehammer, Taxman, and First Aid would create a great scoring chance for Red that would have tied the game when First Aid broke free of her double coverage in the box and fired a cannon at the goal. The shot loudly clanged off the post, but it showed everyone that Red was still fighting.

Then the rains came. Field conditions worsened and the ball became slick and hard to control. And that would work to Stampede's advantage. The starting putting multiple shots on Sharky – who turned away 11 in the second half – but finally at 56 minutes, the Stampede onslaught became too much. Sharky made a fantastic save on a low angle shot from her left, but the wet ball spun out of her hands and a waiting Stampede player knocked it the final three inches over the line. Three minutes later they would add a third goal in much the same way, and at 62 minutes a questionable non-call on an offsides player would add a fourth.

The game would end 4-0 for Stampede, but Xtreme demonstrated more skill and class than the visitors. It's a refrain many may be tired of hearing, but at the end of the day a classy loss is better for the soul than an ugly win.

The loss would put Xtreme back to 3 wins and 3 losses – a respectable .500. But then, a few hours later, we would received word from the league that they were going to force a forfeit on us for out 4/17 win over LMVSA Patriots. It was an unfortunate outcome, but it was technically correct. We did, unknowingly, use players who were ineligible – but the alternative was to forfeit the game up front or play with only 7 players against a full Patriot roster. We chose to play a proper game and hoped that the Patriot coaching staff would accept the game as merely a U12 soccer game. They didn't see it that way.

So Xtreme finds itself with a new record of 2-4 heading into the last part of the season. But we see no reason we can't climb back above .500 again – we'll take it one game at a time, beginning this Sunday, Mother's Day, against Celtic.