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.

Xtreme Notches Win…For Now

Xtreme took on cross-county rival LMVSA Patriots on Sunday. Red's roster was a shadow of itself – down 5 of 12 players. Red decided to avail themselves of WAGS' Club Pass rule, which enables age appropriate players within the club to play for other club teams, as long as players only play one WAGS game per day.

However, the Patriot's manager noted there's fine print with that rule. Once the Spring season begins, players cannot use the Club Pass to play down a division. Or across the same division. It only works upwards. So, according to the WAGS rules, the three guests from the White squad would be a rule violation and Red would forfeit the game.

Faced with the tough decision of playing seven eligible players against a strong 11-person Patriot squad, we chose to field a full team with the ineligible players. The Patriots coach said he would play the game under protest.

The numerous phone calls and conferences meant we got under way about five minutes late, and Xtreme immediately began moving the ball and communicating well.

Happy Feet, spelled in goal for the first half by the visiting Mel, logged the first shot on goal of the game. First Aid followed suit with several SOGs of her own, but the Patriot keeper stood tall.

But Mel stood taller, turning away all 14 shots she faced in the first half. And her booming punts converted Red quickly back to offense. The half ended deadlocked at nil.

Finally, at 42 minutes, the visiting Reina would pull what can only be described as a "Big Foot goal." She intercepted a Patriot goal kick close to mid field, and lobbed a bomb in from the left side that soared over the diving keeper and under the crossbar. Red was up 1-0.

Ten minutes later, in the fifty-second minute, a Red goal kick would result in a goal. Mel would blast the kick up to a waiting First Aid who would dribble down the center through several defenders and finally shoot the ball past the challenging Patriot keeper.

Coach Lance would mix up the lines, with Hollywood playing back to assist The Professor and the guesting Mariana, and The Hammer found herself up top, where she would log three shots on goal.

Sunshine, Space Ghost, First Aid, and Mariana, moved the ball well in the offensive zone to create several good scoring opportunities in the second half.

With time winding down, the Patriots started to get frustrated, and a questionable play at 55 minutes would give them a goal to cut the Red lead in half.

One of the fastest Patriots was sprung on a fast break and she used her speed to get herself behind the Red defense. Happy Feet stepped up to challenge her and made the initial save, but the Patriot player charged into the Red keeper – the collision freeing the ball. The Patriot player got another touch on it to send it towards the goal line. Mel got her foot on the ball and pulled it off the line, but once again, an opponent's STAR waved the ball in. Xtreme witnesses behind the goal (and closer than the STAR) said the ball was on the line, but had not crossed it when Mel pulled it back. At any rate, there should have been a foul called when the girl crashed into our keeper. But the goal was awarded, and that was how the game would end, 2-1. On the score card.

The Patriot coach is expected to contest the game, and if WAGS upholds his challenge, the game will go down as a Red forfeit. Regardless of what the standings reflect, Red won the game and no doubt enjoyed a confidence boost as they go into the spring break.

All told, seven Xtreme players recorded 29 shots, 18 on target. Xtreme keepers turned away 20 of 21 shots. For the second straight game, Xtreme was forced to defend more corners (9) than they took (4). And again, as is usually the case, Xtreme committed two fouls and suffered four.

Xtreme enjoys a bye next weekend, but will follow up with a double header, hosting Stafford on Saturday, April 30, and the undefeated first place SYC Stampede on Sunday, May 1 – both critical games.

Picture of the Week - April 15, 2011

Happy Feet (right) performed, and The Hammer (left) ran tech for "Willy Wonka Junior" at their school this week. Sunshine approved of the performance that was well beyond a typical elementary school production. No word on whether or not Happy Feet is sporting the new Xtreme uniform for next year.

Xtreme Takes 3 Points from Maryland

Robbed of points in their first visit to the Maryland Soccerplex, Xtreme was determined to come home with points after their second trip to the Free State in as many weeks. They would not be disappointed.

Xtreme took to the turf against newly-formed WSC Pachuca Dragons 98 Blue, whose crisp new uniforms said that in spite of the team's new status, they were here to play.

The game began with Red taking control and moving the ball well. The first several shots belonged to Xtreme, and Happy Feet was rarely tested in goal.

Finally, at 10 minutes, the Dragons would strike on a long ball that freed one of their fastest players. Happy Feet made the initial save, but the spinning ball would squirt out of her hands. A heads-up play from the aggressive Dragon striker enabled her to capitalize on the loose ball and nudge the ball across the goal line.

Having dominated the play to that point and finding themselves in a one goal hole, Red was put back on their heels temporarily. They are, however, Xtreme 98 Red, and if they aren't fighting an uphill battle, what are they doing? They rallied and at 18 minutes would equalize.

The Professor stood a Dragon midfielder up at the half mark and sent a nice ball down the side to a waiting Sledgehammer. Sister Sledge would play a through ball to the Taxman who danced through two defenders and blasted the ball into the back of the net.

Back to even, the teams would trade possessions for several minutes, until Red would go on a relentless streak, scoring three goals in a five minute span as the half wound down.

First, at 27 minutes, the Sledgehammer would notch her second assist of the day when she found First Aid in the box who would beat the Dragon keeper, short side.

Four minutes later, Sunshine would really use her head when she took on a taller defender in the box. She leapt up and sent a header over the defender towards the center where a waiting Taxman would pound her second of the season past the keeper.

Just a minute later, the Hammer would take on two Dragon defenders and come away with the ball. She found Space Ghost, tearing down the left side who would beat her coverage and then beat the shell-shocked Dragon keeper.

We went to half time up 4-1 – a first for Red.

But the Dragons made several adjustments, and despite warnings to the Red players from fans and their teammates not to get complacent, the Dragons did make the game interesting – tripling their shots on goal in the half. Sharkey would turn away all four shots she faced and then come out of goal for the final minutes, replaced by First Aid.

Two unfortunate Red hand balls as time was running out would keep the Dragon hopes alive, and on one of them, at 68 minutes, they would cut the Red lead to two. The ball got past the Red wall where a secondary defender would try to clear it. Unfortunately, the angles weren't kind to Red and we recorded an own goal for the Dragons' second of the game.

That would, however, round out the scoring and it goes into the books as a 4-2 win. The girls were treated to Kona shaved ice for their efforts, and all the players contributed in the win.

Big Foot logged a season-high 11 booming shots and had the girls covering her diving to the ground in an attempt to keep up with her deadly reverses. Grace, who still needs a nickname, and came to the game on legs that had just played a lacrosse game came close to notching her first assist more than once, as her line of Sledgehammer and Sunshine knocked on the Dragons' door more than once.

Red moves ahead of three teams in the division and now looks forward to another road game next week when they take on the third place LMVSA Patriots on Sunday in Alexandria.

Xtreme Can’t Get Offense Started Against SYC

The looming long weekend, the Super Moon, playing nine games in 16 days, whatever the cause, Xtreme had a hard time getting the offense and their signature passing game started in their home opener against SYC Xplosion, and the results were bad – on the field and on paper.

Xtreme has never been held without a corner kick, but they were this day, while surrendering nine. (The SYC corners were expertly taken, but defended well by Xtreme.) Xtreme was fouled seven times and was awarded one penalty kick, which they unfortunately could not convert. On the flip side, Xtreme only committed two fouls, but one resulted in a penalty kick which got past the Red keeper – though she guessed right and dove to the right way.

Happy Feet made an impressive 15 saves on 17 shots, and her play was likely the highlight of the game – especially two sprawling saves that sent SYC rockets over the crossbar – to the delight of the home crowd, and the chagrin of the visitors.

The entire squad played hard at times, but down two players they had a hard time getting synchronized.

Xtreme logged only 12 shots, 4 of them on goal, including the penalty kick at the 45 minute mark. SYC took 27 shots on goal, five of which made it past the keepers.

Xtreme will regroup and bounce back, as they always do. They'll be at practice this week, working hard to prepare for their next road game against WSC Pachuca at the Soccerplex on April 10.

 

Xtreme Takes on Magic, Mother Nature, and a Ref in Season Opener

Xtreme took the beautifully manicured fields at the Maryland Soccerplex to open the Spring 2011 season, taking on new opponent, SSA Magic. Storm clouds loomed in the horizon, and would be an omen of things to come.

Xtreme quickly set the tone of the game, taking the first several shots on goal and dominating ball possession. Magic responded as do many opponents when confronted with Xtreme's finesse possession game. They got physical.

Magic players took to the two-handed shove to push Xtreme players off the ball while the ref watched, clearly amused.

But pushing Big Foot is a bit like spitting into the wind, and so at the 10 minute mark a Red corner kick bounced around the box, a Magic player cleared it…sort of. The ball ended up at Big Foot's big foot, who shrugged off a Magic push, and blasted the ball into the back of the net.

It was a shot of confidence for Red, but a wake-up call for Magic, who laid on pressure.

Red had problems clearing the ball out of their zone, giving the Magic too many opportunities in front. Sharkey and the Professor blocked their share of shots, and Happy Feet in goal turned two quality Magic chances away, but the crowd felt trouble was on the horizon. And they were correct.

Big Foot chased a loose ball into the Red corner where a Magic player had built up enough steam to actually move her off the ball with a two handed push. The ref smiled and let play continue. The Magic player dribbled down the goal line, releasing a shot from that weird angle. Happy Feet made the initial save, but the ball was spinning wildly and danced along the goal line. Happy Feet pulled the ball back before it completely crossed the line, but the ref, egged on by the very vocal Assistant Referee from Magic awarded the home team the goal at the 28 minute mark.

Red was seeing red and determined to pull back ahead and they continued to pressure the Magic keeper. But two minutes later, at the 30 minute mark, a loose ball squirted up over the defense and Magic's fastest and most dangerous player took a nice touch and outran the Red D. Happy Feet challenged, but the Magic player lifted the ball nicely into the top of the net. They were up 2-1.

The second half got under way with a Red adjustment. If the ref wasn't going to call anything, Red was going to start to use elbows to break the Magic players holding onto the Red jerseys. The Taxman and First Aid, frequently double and triple teamed, consistently broke free of the Magic midfield to go on the attack.

At 42 minutes, after a nice give-and-go from them, Hollywood found herself free in the box. She lined up the shot, and was pulled down from the side. Clearly a penalty kick, no? No. The ref was chatting with the Magic linesman about the looming weather, and instead of calling the PK, he called a corner.

But Red wouldn't take it immediately. Thanks to the Soccerplex's state-of-the-art lightning early warning system, the game was temporarily halted. The Red squad used the break to get even angrier that they were on the short end of the score sheet, and after a 30 minute delay, the game resumed. For 90 seconds. Again, players, coaches, and fans were sent off the field for lightning warnings.

This shorter break only got the squad more fired up, and when play resumed 15 minutes later, Red was ready to take the game back.

The Hammer, Professor, and Big Foot built a wall to keep Red on the attack, and everyone felt the tying goal was imminent.

Sensing the onslaught, the Magic made an adjustment, dropping four and five players to defend to hold onto their lead.

Xtreme put the Magic keepers to the test.

Xtreme moved the ball well, with Happy Feet, First Aid, and Hollywood attacking, probing the overloaded Magic D for weaknesses, and then taking shots, or regrouping, sending the ball back to a waiting Big Foot who would rock a team high 10 shots during the game. The Magic keeper, changed out at one point, made several monstrous saves, including a wet low rocket from First Aid that the crowd was sure would squirt free and into the goal – but the keeper held on.

Under enormous pressure, Magic ceded 8 corner kicks to Xtreme – the most they've been given in a game. The most exciting one came near full time when Sunshine had a series of three in a row. The last one was beautifully lofted into the center of the box to a waiting Hollywood.

Hollywood took the shot, the keeper stopped it but gave up the rebound, and as Hollywood was getting ready to unload, she was pulled down by three swarming Magic players. It was not the first time they had done that to her, but it would be the last. The referee blew the whistle for full time, even though unofficial sideline clocks showed at least 2 minutes remaining.

A disappointing conclusion, but Red looked very solid throughout. Eight players recorded 32 shots. Seventeen Red shots were on target, compared with nine from Magic. Full stats are available on the team's Team Snap site.

Xtreme takes the pitch again on Sunday for their home opener against SYC Xplosion.