Bella Vista FC

Bonte v. El Fuego.  Bonte wins 3-1

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The season opener put 2 old rivalries vying for early points.  Both teams had at least 11 show, and the game was on.  The burritos are led by Serbian Aleks and Charlie.  The game began quite evenly.  Bonte snagged the first goal after 5 minutes when a cross by Matt was headed on by Chris Bull, and volleyed home by Nathan.  For most of the half, both teams stuck it out toe to toe.  Then, just before the end of the half, a slide by Chris Haines rewarded El Fuego a “dangerous play” indirect free kick in the penalty area.  Ricky John, a former waffle, took the shot that deflected off a defender.  Minutes later, a cross by Heri Ali in to the burrito penalty box was chested down by Bula to set up Chris Bull for a strike on goal.  Luis had no choice but fouled the Englishman, and a penalty was awarded.  Keith scored.

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In the second half, Robin Rovers put her mark on the game by finishing off a deft through pass from Chirs Bull.  Robin’s finish was solid.  2 subsequent ankle rolls for the burritos left them 2 players down, and Charlie decided to throw and did not organize any continuation (friendly finish) even though many el Fuego players were up for it.  Aleks fled the scene on his view of unfairness, while Charlie went for ice, rendering the burritos captainless, and the game stopped.  Thanks Conrad for volunteering to ref, and Q for running lines.

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Vesuvio powers over MegaWords 7-3

Vesuvio are stacked.  If there was any doubt on the team to beat, this game settled any misunderstandings.  MegaWords are the second favorites.  So, what happened at the clash of the titans?

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The first half, Vesuvio scored the first goal.  But MegaWords woke up, and came back with 2 of their own, one of which was typical Andy weaving by 4 defenders to score, and the other a deft distance shot by Ian.  So, for a moment, MegaWords erased their underdog status.

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But Vesuvio came back, and with authority.  “Glenn hits a 40 yard cross field pass, Jen heads the ball right into the path of vache, who hit a rocket, that just misses the top left corner. This move alone made it look like that we knew what we were doing, it would have been the greatest goal ever seen by the BVFC.”  James said, and Abdul put another in the net to make it 3-2.  Glenn put his stamp on the game and scored the 4th goal of the first half, and Vesuvio were up 4-2.

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The second half had 3 additional Vesuvio Goals and only one from MegaWords.

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Chris Reggiani remarked: “first game was a blow out.  andy and ian scored for megawords in the first half.  andy headed a cross in from ian in the second half.”  He continued:  “Megawords had a disappointing first game.  we had 11 players show up.  our defense was pounded by vesuvio’s elite midfielders and forwards.  we had one player playing  injured and two more injured during the game.  we need to re-group and come out hard for our next game.  please be careful out at the sack’s field—-at one point i pulled a fish hook out of the ball.  at the eighteen i found what looked to be a rusted tip of some kind of metal torture device.  jim regg popped his quad/hip running through a “hole” out on the field.  i’m not kidding.   it is what it is— i guess.”

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Captain Ben had some good words about his team and the game: “It was a hard-fought but well-intentioned game, with good sportsmanship all around.  Vesuvio had 3 subs until Walter had to leave at halftime, while Megawords started with 11.  Megawords then had 2 go out with injury, so then ended up with 10 on the pitch (Jim Reg went into goal after pulling something, not the hammy from last year so that at least is good).

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The game started with a goal for Vesuvio, then Megawords answered back with 2 of their own.  Vesuvio then had the better of the chances and scored several to make it 7-2.  Megawords answered back to make it 7-3, which is where it ended.  Jennifer of the Calamaris did have a goal disallowed by Ricky, which he agreed afterwards was a perfectly good goal.  Other than this minor (major if your last name is Lombardo) gaffe, a great job by Ricky, thanks for reffing.
Goals for Vesuvio were scored by Glenn (2), Abdou (2), Vatche, Vince and Neil (plus Jennifer, right Rick?).”

SEE THE TEAMS HERE

The 4th annual BVFC Draft was yesterday, and it was rough.  It seemed as though Vesuvio assembled one of the most fearsome squads ever with picks including James, Abdou, Greg, Pat, Glenn, Ben, Vince and others.  They have established themselves as the golliath contender and the team to beat this year.  This team also happens to have all the 7 foot giants, looking to dominate in the air, with the exception of little mighty Abdou mousing around the field for whatever gets there.

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Race St Cafe have a number of strong players too, and many who are more than “enthusiastic”.  Watch for headliners from Nachmi, Dave, Paco, and Q.  Let’s just say they are fast and furious, and almost Michael Jackson “Bad”.

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MegaWords makes its sponsorship debut with a fine squad of runners led by JT and Chris.  Combine them with Andy, Geller, Jimmy and Ali, this team has some of the fastest folks around, probably strong on the counter-attack.  With Jason and Frank holding the fort, Christina (inspired by recent Brazilian lessons) and Omardihno can afford the typical flare they aspire to bring and the trademark pzazz without worrying bout whether folks get by.

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Team 3 is run by rough’n tough Steph and Scott .  Captain Condie is letting go of the rudder for the first time, but will the wise former champion be able to work under new leadership?  Or will there be a mutiny?  Their secret weapon is Scottish Paulie G, back from a 2 year injury, and ready to make up for lost time.  Conrad, Max “Hoagie” Weiss, Ramon and Alex would be the ones to watch for a buildup in the midfield, and Scott Hezlep bring pace to their squad.

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El Fuego, The Burritos, are back in their 4th year suprisingly without Zack or G.  They are run by Daddy Alex and Chuck-E-Cheese Charlie.  Ricky John IS the backbone of this team and anticipate a lot of surprises here.  Burritos have a strong goalie with John Dicriscio. 

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Bonte are the 2007 champions and kept most of their team from last year sans Ricky John who has committment issues, and is vying to collect as many sponsored jerseys as possible.  Bonte brings back 12 in their squad and are an underdog this year.  Having the 13 round pick in the draft, Bonte has had to many newbie players and hopes to be surprised. 

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This year, we have over 20 Newbies.  Welcome!  We hope to be surprised! 

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Remember, sportsmanship and friendship first, no sliding tackles and be cool.  Let the Games Begin!!

It was a shame that this game was rained out. It was virtually unplayable. With 34 minutes to go in the second half, Bonte led Race St 2-1, but knowing Race St, this game could have gone either way. The waffles scored the first with Big Kev’s shot, and smoothe passing between Conrad and Vince granted the Racer captain the equalizer. Minutes before the game was called off, Jared’s 20 yarder beat Mike in the goal. This was a very clean and competitive game. Thanks to Chris Reggiani for reffing in tough weather.

The league standings have been updated, excluding this game. Here are standings at the midpoint of the season…

• Top 4 teams are only 4 points apart. Only the top 2 teams get a first round bye, and it’s still up for grabs. Race St and Vesuvio are previous champions and are predictably atop the league. Bonte and Patriots are at their heels.
• Bottom 3 teams are only 1 point apart. With enough wins, any of these teams could easily make the playoffs. The teams are catching up to Fergies.
• El Fuego, Roosters or Via Bicycle could win the 2007 BVFC title by following the example of Vesuvio last year, who qualified for the last spot in the playoffs, but went on to win. Never count a burrito, cock or biker out …

The heat was brutal. Goals were plenty…

Bonte 7 - Fergies 4

In the highest scoring game yet, the waffles went to battle with the pinters. This game was not short of action. Highlights include Tri’s 20 yarder into the top corner, a hatrick from the waffle Adel, and Leah scoring the final goal with a terrific volley from a Ben Coy cross making her the first gal to score this year.

Race St 3 - Vesuvio 3

Playing a man down, Race St established their strength early. Conrad’s team showed why they are the league leaders for almost 80 minutes when they were up 3-1. In the last 10 minutes, Greg, Brian and Marco combined well on counter attacks to score 2 goals and end the game with a draw. Vesuvio, like Race, were also missing many of their key players. All in all, an awesome and clean game to watch.

Roosters 2 - El Fuego 0

El Fuego dominated possession, and created most of the scoring chances, but Roosters were able to finish. An arguable offside no call gave them the early lead with Aleks scoring, but a deserveth second from Abdul sealed the deal for the cocks (a ironic name for a team that has the most …. )

Details below courtesy of Mike Fish.

2-0 Aleks & Abdou scored; Bula reffed.

Looking like a team that had been up at the crack of dawn, the roosters were happy to notch their first win with a shutout. The stellar goaltending of Chau, the teamwork of midfield & strikers Omar & Abdou and the deft control & accuracy of Aleks contributed to a hotly contested 2 nil match. It’s no coincidence that the Roosters’ consecutive point tally’s coincide with Aleks’ autumn return from the Himalya’s.

The Rooster defense set up the attack quite nicely which should have scored more often, but accuracy is still an issue. That shouldn’t overshadow the valiant effort of one injured Richard Peel, the score could have been much more lopsided without his gritty diving goaltending effort.; Accuracy, or lack of it, hurt El Fuego as well, a header from zak off a corner sailed just over the top bar to keep the score 2 nil, a couple other shots sailed wide while Chau devoured the rest. The rooster defense settled in nicely but needs to find a substitution pattern that doesn’t leave them looking like their heads were just cut off.

Bouncing back from an early season slump the Happy Roosters looked rejuvenated from a few days rest and the unusual site of subs. Fresh legs were lacking for a Fuego team that played in stifling heat two days in a row.

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What an evening for soccer.  One would never know it was October.  The game began with Juan and his bikers showing a solid performance in the first half, absorbing much of the Bonte attack, and countering effectively.  This paid off in the 30th minute when Ricky (via bicycle) had an opportunity to take advantage of a rare Chris Haines error.  The skillful striker sped past the full back, turned Fabio the wrong way, and shot it across into the right side of the waffle goal.  Lauren played a strong central defender, letting nothing by.  The half ended 1-0 to Via.

In the second half, Bonte regrouped.  Effective passplay, and reshuffling of the players allowed the waffles to apply pressure to the biker back line.  The equalizer came a couple of minutes in, when Adel struck it past via’s goal.  Bula’s typically unintentional goal followed with a cross that took an awkward bounce, and ended in the back of the net.  Adel scored his second with some great ball skills in the front, and Heri sealed the day for the waffles with a shot of his own from close range from a cross.

Juan put it best for his squad: “It was a tale of two halfs.  We have the ability to challenge any team, and score.  But we must do it for 90 minutes.”  All-in-all, a clean, good game.  Very appreciative of Conrad for refereeing, and Chris on the line.

Sunday, marks the half way point in the tournament.  At the end of regular season play the top 6 teams will enter into the playoffs.  #1 and #2 will get a bye in the first round.  This provides ample opportunity for the trailing 3 teams to regroup, and fight their way upward.