Workdaze couldn't count their chickens too early...

The season opener for 2016 had Workdaze FC face off against those sweaty Sweat Hogs!   Coming off a nasty loss in the last finals to Red Devils, having conceded their last two games against those sweaty hogs, and properly lubed up with a ton of eggnog (and whatever else) from the holidays, the Workdaze FC men were ready to rock!

The team started strong by taking an early 2-0  lead thanks to two brilliant goals from Kevin Murray! A goal from Aidan Mitchell and another one from Eoin Parker, and one conceded goal had Workdaze ahead 4-1 at the half.

Our inside man shared the following with us from Kevin Murray at the halftime, "That was a good half lads, we controlled the ball, moved it very well and created a bunch of chances.  Had Joe (Edgar) been here, he'd have had a hat-trick by now!"

The second half was somewhat of a different story.

It started out OK, as Dominic Viola assisted Aidan Mitchell to put Workdaze ahead 5-1.  Two consecutive goals from Sweat Hogs, however, had them right back in the game.

Perhaps the eggnog took over, but Workdaze FC found themselves chasing the ball, and unable to find the back of the net.

Sweats kept the pressure on Workdaze FC and at one point Aidan Mitchell went up for a challenge and took a hard kick to the toe.  Aidan had to sit out the rest of the game (post game interview with Aidan indicates that his injury is not that severe, well at least nothing's broken).

With the loss of Aidan from defense, Sweats had a few additional lucky goals and tied the game up at 5-5.   With about a minute and some change left in the game, Kevin Murray carried the ball half the field and beat the keeper to put Workdaze up 6-5.  The luck wasn't there for Workdaze, however, as Sweats tied the game, with only a few seconds left.

Such goes football!

Click here for a photo journal of the game courtesy of our 12th (7th) man, Scottie!

Here are the stats after the first game!

Game #3: 7-5 victory over Longshots

No game report other than I heard this was the score and that Armin was back in town!

Game #2: 5-8 loss to Clockwork (formerly Munchenbox/Survey)

Comments from team manager David E:

Game #2: 5-8 loss to Clockwork.

We were up briefly 1-0 before defending champs Clockwork (they wore new orange jerseys) started to click, feeding the ball up to their cherry picker who sometimes shot but more often fed to overlapping midfielders, overlapping on both sides. I think we were down 5-1 at half and at one point early in the second half we were down 7-1.

The mercy rule might have slowed them down a bit, but last session they beat the Turbans 16-5 (that's a min of 6 goals in mercy rule), and they beat Vanderbilt 15-2 (at least 8 mercy rule goals). So, a 7-1 lead doesn't mean they slow down.

Without our first or second goalies (Lael resting his knee), Robert played solid first half goalie and Geoff played solid second half goalie, making many excellent saves after they went up 7-1. It also helped that they missed a couple of open goals.

Having said all that, the story of the night was our comeback during the final 15 minutes. We started getting goals off rebounds left and right, closing the gap to 8-5. I overheard the next team getting ready to play saying that, "this blue team has been playing great, they were down 7-1".

Can't say enough about a team fighting back from 7-1 to making it close with a few minutes left. It would have been amazing to come back to one goal down with a minute left, and we had some good chances to cut it to 8-6. Regardless of the final score, that second half showed a team with incredible fight and determination. I'm looking forward to another chance at those guys in the playoffs with a full team including Kevin, Frank, PV and Lael.

Session 65 Game #1 - Revenge! tapped back in (3-1 over TapouT)

Comments from team manager David E:

Game #1: 3-1 win over TapouT.

This breaks our 2 game losing streak (both 2-1 losses to TapouT).

We had 5 subs tonight, with help from guest player Ralf, and TapouT showed with just 1 sub.

We were up 1-0 for most of the first half. Tied 1-1 at half, even though we were clearly out playing them and out hustling them.

We went up 2-1 early in the 2nd half, and killed a 2 player 2 min penalty (3 players against their 5 on the field), then went up 3-1 and continued to outplay them for 3-1 final.

Lots of near misses, including a mid field rocket from Seamus, shot over the head of the goalie and dipped just enough to hit the top crossbar, bounced down against the goalie’s back and almost rolled in.

Playoffs: déjà vu: tapped out again

Different day, same team, same results, 2-1 loss to TapouT.

If I am recalling this correctly, same half-time score, down 2-0. There were of course many things that were not the same:
-with 10 min left, Geoff gave a beautiful ball to Robert down the left wing (Robert is left footed), and they pushed Robert down before he got a shot off, resulting in a 2 min penalty. We unfortunately did not convert this 2 min penalty and were still down 2-0 with 8 min left
-we shut them down almost completely the 2nd half, as they tried to protect a 2-0 and 2-1 lead
-Lael was in goal and he pushed up a lot during the final 10 min, taking a few shots from mid-field (the ½ line), helped create plenty of opportunities, in exchange for one huge give-me for the other team that they did not convert. Actually, after the game we were trying to count how many shots they had in the 2nd half … maybe 5 total shots/opportunities for them, compared to 20 or more for us (if you count passes off the wall that their goalie had to come out and block)

I had one very good opportunity with my back to their goalie and no defenders around, but I didn’t know their goalie was on my back until after the game when somebody told me, and I don’t think I even got a shot off. I had a couple of other good chances, and I am guessing just about every player had at least one good opportunity for a shot.

I’ll let our loan goal scorer or assister describe how we cut it to 2-1. I don’t remember how many minutes were left, but I do recall that at this point it felt like we were surely going to tie it and then win.

What I can describe is their 2nd goal, which I was on the field for. It was a dot kick for them, with the basic play of a feed to the right for a right footer shot. I was at first a 1-man wall, and they took this shot while we were trying to add a 2nd player to the wall. The shot was a right footer from their best player, to the upper right corner. It was a perfect shot, not likely blockable unless we block it with the wall or other defenders.

I don’t recall exactly why they got the dot kick, but I think it was one of the 2 or 3 times I tried clearing the ball from the defensive 1/3 and ended up passing to their team instead of clearing the ball. Not sure exactly that their dot kick was related to one of the times I did not clear the ball, but I know I cleared the ball at least twice with a kick on the ground instead of up and out, and down the middle instead of down the wall. So, I am noting this as an item I need to work on in the off season, clearing that ball up and out and to the wall instead of down the middle.

We seriously might get an “off season”, as I was told that the next game is probably March 19th (not the 12th). That’s a nice long break, with plenty of time to consider things we could do differently.

If I am invited back as manager for next session, one thing I’ll do differently is shorter game summaries. I get lots of advice from players during the game, which is good, but it is better for all if you’ll make comments to all (not just to me) over email after the game. Also, it would be great to hear about the goals from those who scored or made the assists.

Final sentence from me is that it was a fantastic session for this team in transition, adding a few new players, kicking butt up until these final 2 games against TapouT, and I look forward to us improving our offense output as we further gel next session.

David
Session 64 Workdaze Team Manager

Game #8: 2-1 loss to TapouT

Comments from team manager David E.:

Down 2-0 at half, and finally got a goal with something like 3 min left in the game … but, couldn’t get a goal in the end to tie it.

We started with 4 subs, and they had just 1 sub, a 2nd sub arrived for them after half time. With just 1 sub, they started out be spreading out and passing the ball around, trying to not spend their energy. Surprisingly, it worked well against us. We had some chances, but not nearly as many as they had. They outplayed us in the first half. If it wasn’t for Kevin’s saves and some overall good defense by Seamus, PV, Chuao and Lael, they could easily have been up 3-0 at half. They had a couple of 3v2 going against us that Kevin or a defender stopped.

We played them even or outplayed them a bit the second half, but couldn’t get goals, other than the 1 shot by Atilla with a few min left.

As for who will finish in 4th place, I was wrong about D4 having more total goals than TapouT before this game. Below is the stats before today’s games. D4 has to score at least 5 goals against Vanderbilt, or else D4 will finish in 4th. Either way, we finished in 1st place and play the 4th place team. If we play TapouT in the playoffs on Monday, we did a good job tonight luring them into a false sense of security, and once our key players return from Dublin, TapouT won’t know what hit them.

Game #7: 1st place, by inches (4-3 victory over D4)

Comments from team manager David E.:

I don't recall if it was 1-1 or if we were up 2-1 at half. regardless, we were up 4-1 with something like 12 min left. and, the subject of this email of course gives it away, we beat D4! we are guaranteed first place, and are 1 game away from an undefeated season.

we were missing just a few players, and they were missing their top scorer, and i think they started the game with only a couple of subs. by the end, they seemed to have plenty of players, or at least did not noticeably slow down at all down the stretch. on our side, however, i think plenty of us were tiring out (mentioned by some at half time that we were running too much and not going to be able to keep up that same level of running and chasing them).

i'll let the goal scorers and assisters describe what happened on their goals. The goals were scored by Dan (in the first 3 min), then Robert, Robert again, and Saeed with the game winning goal.

final score 4-3. In the subject line i say just "by inches" because in the final 90 seconds we had an uncalled hand ball in front of our goal, they had a shot to the upper corner that missed by about 6 inches, another shot (or two) that Kevin saved. Their most dangerous shot hit the upper left bar and rebounded across the goal (actually, probably 1/2 an inch to the right and it would have been in the net off the rebound).

there were plenty of great plays and great players today, so i don't want to single out anybody in particular, like Roberts great shot or Kevin's great saves ?

the other predictable but interesting aspect of this game was the number of 2 min penalties. i think they had 4 total and we had only 1(?) 3 of their 4 overlapped and was late in the game after we had already scored our 4 goals (with the score 4-1 or 4-2).

to save you from doing the math, at one point we were up 4 players to their 2 players (if you count goalies, it was 5 players to 3 players). we did not score during this huge opportunity, which i am chalking up as a coaching mistake, but not worth discussing unless we end up playing D4 again in the finals ... a win is a win, and this was a huge one for us. Overall, if it wasn't for the final 3 min when they almost tied the game, I would say that we outplayed them, or at least played them even and did a good job of taking advantage of opportunities created by their uncharacteristic defensive sloppy play. Our hustle and constant pressure surely played a huge role in creating these opportunities.

btw, this snaps a 4 game losing streak to D4 dating back to July! congrats all on breaking this streak, playing a great game tonight, playing great all season, and claiming 1st place finish.

Game #6: 5-1 victory vs. Longshots

Comments from team manager David:

Not much of a game summary from me on this one. Seeing this new team for the first time, they looked totally pathetic at first. For the opening kickoff, they just kicked it up against the corner and did not even run after it. I don't think that was supposed to be a shot (kickoffs are indirect I think). Essentially, they passed it to our defense. What the?

Didn't even notice for a while, but it turns out they were down 1 man until a couple of good players showed up (I think they eventually had 1 sub), maybe a full 5 min into the game.

Actually, the clock was down to 21 min already for that opening kickoff. The clock started even though the game didn't. We had only blue and white shirts for a back-up back-up goalie (Robert), until finally finding a green shirt (Longshots wear white). Back-up goalie Lael subbed in after we scored our first goal.

We were up 4-0 at half, looking pretty good, and I was all prepared with my half-time speech about how the mercy rule will allow us to practice on taking long shots.

Well, they scored first in the second half, and we sat there at 4-1 for probably 20 minutes. I think there was under 3 min left when Dan scored, otherwise we would have gone scoreless in the 2nd half.

For those not at the game, wondering what happened, we must have had over a dozen 2-on-1 and 3-on-2 opportunities in the second half alone. Their goalie did an incredible job, always positioned well and making numerous saves. But, even with Spiderman as their goalie we should have gotten 4 or 5 goals the second half. We simply hit the wood, the Plexiglas, or their goalie instead of the net. Over and over.

To put this in perspective, we had plenty of subs and just beat this 2nd-to-last team by 4, which was their closest game (other than beating the Turbans). Munchenbox beat them by 8, D4 beat them by 5, Vanderbilt beat them by 5, and Fred's Market beat them by 8.

As for plays and players, Lael was solid in goal, the defense was solid as always, and although he did not score, it was nice to see Saeed dribble past 2 defenders (it might have been 3 actually) until losing it to their goalie from 4 ft out. Saeed had a few like this during the game, dribbling past 1 or 2 players for either a shot or a pass. One other play I recall is Chuao coming up from defense to crack a shot from behind the 1/3 line, off a rebound or something, right off the top of the goal. It came back so fast I think the rebound got by him. Come to think of it, I think Chuao did this at least 4 times, sometimes getting his own rebound.

All this is good practice for D4, which is not for 11 days from now.

That's it from me on this one. Others might have more to add, or corrections to above.

Goals (Assist):
Chuao (PV)
Dan B. (Seamus)
Mark (Dan B.)
Scott (Mark)
Scott (Dan B.)

Game #5: 4-2 victory vs. Munchenbox

Comments from team manager David:

This was a great 4-2 win over 3rd place Munchenbox. We showed up with a full squad, minus SF Doug (and tardy Seamus). They showed up with only 1 sub.

They play a cherry picker, often 4 players back, with one superstar up front who did not play practically any defense.

we were up 2-0 and half, went up 3-0 pretty quickly before our typical "make it close" approach allowed them to catch up 3-2 with approx 12 min left. lots of time left at that point, and we were not looking good after their 2 quick goals.

but, even though they could have taken momentum at that point, they might have been out of gas, while we still had plenty of fresh legs waiting to sub and sprint. Also, it was kinda weird, but it seemed that at 3-2 we started controlling the play even more than before, except for 2 minutes.

it might have been at 3-2, i don't recall what the score was (maybe 4-2), but we got a card and played down for 2 min. killed the penalty, pretty easily as i recall (easy to say this from the bench of course), with all 3 defenders (PV, Chuao, Seamus) out there and Geoff up front.

short story (if not too late for that) is that we shut down their cherry picker and wore them out. I think we surrounded their cherry picker about 1/2 the time he got ball, which was a small percentage of the time they passed to him.

Chuao did an incredible job in the first half coming from behind him and intercepting the pass, and other times either shutting him down or poking the ball away.

In the first half of the first half, when Chuao did not intercept or immediately steal the ball, the cherry picker often took only 1 or 2 touch and then shot. Kevin blocked anything that was on-goal. Part of Kevin's first half shutout, besides plenty of on-goal shots from their cherry picker, was an awesome stop of a 1-on-1 right in front of the net. I know the other team deflated a bit at that moment.

(Btw, I know we all talked confidently after the game about shutting down their superstar cherry picker, but I maintain that he is indeed a superstar. Of all those quick shots he took, do you recall any going directly to Kevin’s belly or rolling weakly up to Kevin?)

In the second half, we often had midfielders coming back from offense and surprising the cherry picker. One of my favorite plays was Geoff doing exactly that early in the second half. Geoff hustled back on defense, took the ball from him, and we headed the other direction.

Great solid defense by PV, Chuao and Kevin, holding them scoreless until Seamus' alarm finally went off a second time (does anybody live near Seamus and can disable the snooze button on his alarm?). But, of course, another showing of solid defense from Seamus during the final 3/4 of the game. I think he went right in and took down their cherry picker on his first play. If the cherry picker was not already pissed ("angry" that is), I think Seamus taking him down got him into a falling down habit, which luckily was rarely called as fouls. That cherry picker must have hit the turf a dozen times.

One other point is that Munchenbox will surely show up for the playoffs (see below) with more subs. Also, for those who don't recall Munchenbox (previously known as Survey), their short "red socked" midfielder (their best player, before they picked up the cherry picker last session) was not there tonight.

Well, that's half the story. As for the offense, I'll let those who scored and assisted do the descriptions.

Game #4: 9-6 victory vs. Fred's Market

Comments from team manager David:

The score doesn’t really tell the story. We were down 2-0 mid-way through the first half, and tied 2-2 at half.

Not sure what happened to them during half-time, but in the 2nd half they seemed to play no defense and we soon found ourselves up by 5. We gladly got to fight the mercy rule for a short minute or two. I think the score was 7-2 before they scored a couple of goals. Actually, I think they fought back to within 2 goals, 8-6 I think.

Worth mentioning is Attila’s play, scoring a hat trick, but creating many more opportunities. Also, Robert had 2 quick assists near the start of the 2nd half, helping us break away. Others played well, and overall a good team effort, but we’ll have to play much better to beat Munchenbox next week.

Here are the goals and what might be the assists (I don’t recall the order):
Attila assisted by Saeed
Attila assisted by Mark
Attila unassisted(?)
David assisted by Chuao (a dot play)
David assisted by Robert
Frank assisted by Robert
Robert unassisted(?)
Scott assisted by Kevin
Seamus unassisted(?)

Game 3: Workdaze defeats Vanderbilt 5:2 (2:1)

Game Report from Team Manager David Epstein:

Bye bye Vanderbilt. The nice thing about this revenge victory is that we probably returned the favor from last season, knocking them out of the playoffs as they had done to us in the final game. They are now 0-3 and still have to play Munchenbox and D4 a 2nd time.

We were up 2-1 at half, thanks to great play by new backup goalie Lael (I think at least one diving save and another leg save in the first half, probably more like ½ dozen diving saves), and I know the bench felt we were lucky to hold onto the 2-1 lead for the first 8 min or so of the 2nd half (again, lots of great saves by Lael).

Going up 3-1 might have broken them, but overall I think we simply wore them out at approx the ¾ mark. Their shots and long passes started to hit the net mid way through the 2nd half … I mean a lot of passes and shots into the net. They were tired, and down by 2 goals.

Here is what I have for the goals:

-Dan assisted by Chuao/Paul

-Scott assisted by Robert

-Scott assisted by David

-Mark assisted by the best player on the other team, who finally gave up the ball, in a great spot, right in front of the net. Actually, Mark dribbled for a while and this guy took the ball from Mark, and Mark stuck on him as this guy dribbled back towards his own goal. If you cannot tell, I really liked this goal … shows that after losing the ball, stick with it, and get it right back!

-Attila assisted by ? (again, probably the other team). This was one of those impossible angles, from the bench I have no idea how it went in (did the goalie hit it in?)

Anyway, please reply with corrections to the goals and assists, and any stories (for those over in Dublin and Germany who live for the Thur night recaps).

Goals (Assist)
Dan Beck (Chuao, Paul)
Scott (Robert)
Scott (David)
Mark (none)
Attila (none)

Game 2: Workdaze crushes the Suburban Turbans 11:3 (5:2)

Goals (Assist)
Dan Beck (Mark)
David (Frank)
Saeed (none)
Mark (Chuao)
David (Chuao)
Dan Beck (Robert)
Chuao (David)
David (Mark)
Chuao (Mark)
Kevin (Dan Beck)
Chuao (Frank)

Game 1: Workdaze defeats TapouT! 7:2 (2:1)

Session 64 Begins!

Report from team manager David Epstein:

In typical Workdaze scrappy second half dominance, we turned a 2-1 half-time lead in a close game into a 7-2 victory over TapouT. It was TapouT’s worse loss in 6 games (Happy Feet beat them 9-0 last session).

Welcome back to PV, to Ralf for this 1 game, and welcome two new players—Robert and Javier.

As for defensive points, I recall at least one “sure goal” that Kevin stopped--a 3-on-1(plus Kevin) late in the first half (we had three strikers and a midfielder all pushed forward too far). I think there were at least 2 other “good chances” that Kevin stopped in the first half, 1-on-1s (that is, 1 against Kevin) that Kevin stopped first half. Overall, it was a great team effort, but I was especially grateful for Kevin in this game.

As for offense, too many goals to remember. Please send goals and assists … and any other stories about Kevin, or feel free to kiss somebody else’s @ss, except mine (scoreless and out-of-shape cherry picker).

Goals & Assists:
Frank (Geoff)
Dan Beck (Frank)
Mark (Frank)
Robert (Ralf)
Chuao (Scott)
Mark (Scott)
Dan Beck (Seamus, Frank)

Session 63 - Final Statistics

Record: 3-5-0
Playoff: Missed

Goals

• 7 - David
• 5 - Mark
• 4 - Jon, Dan Beck, Chuao
• 2 - Frank, Saul
• 1 - Seamus, Ralf, Saeed

Assists

• 7 - Frank
• 6 - Saul
• 3 - Mark
• 2 - Jon, Dan Beck
• 1 - Kevin, Chuao, Pedro, David, Dan Ballough

Game 8: Workdaze vs. Vanderbilt 1:3 (1:1)

Tough game. We came into the game knowing we had to win by 3 to secure a playoff spot. We played tough and jumped out to the early 1-0 lead even, but quickly gave that back and ended up with a 3-1 loss. Being a team we are pretty even with it was definitely difficult to not just play for the win, but try to play from behind. It was a great session though with the team integrating new players and still finding ways to win.

Goals (Assists)
David (Mark)

Game 7: Workdaze vs. Munchenbox 2:6 (0:2)

Report from team manager Jon Ruggiero:

Another tough loss last night. We weren’t on our best game after the company meeting, but we still played pretty well. Unfortunately Survey/Munchenbox has picked up a few players and is now very good.

We were down 2-0 at halftime, and looked to be in the game. However, they outplayed us and had more players and were able to wear us down to a 6-2 deficit.

Believe it or not, we’re still not out of the playoffs. We need to win against Vanderbilt by more than two goals and we’re in. With a win we’d tie Vanderbilt in the standings, we’d be 1-1 against each other, so the second tie breaker is head to head goal differential. They beat us 5-3 in our Sunday makeup, so we need to win by more than 2 (a lot better than trying to make up our original 9-0 forfeit deficit!). If we only win by 2 we’d be out due to the next tie breaker – goals scored in the season (they have a 36-32 advantage).

Goals (Assist)
Chuao (Frank)
David (Mark)

Game 6: Workdaze vs. Happy Feet 3:4 (2:2)

The return of Ralf!

Thursday's game was highlighted by a special one game appearance by Ralf, in town for the company conference. This was a good thing too since Workdaze was up against the league leaders, Happy Feet. Workdaze got off to a great start holding Happy Feet to only 2 first half goals while netting two of their own. The 2nd half got a little chippy with a few altercations, but was also a tightly contested half. Unfortunately in the end Happy Feet scored one more goal, but I couldn't be more pleased with the effort put out by Workdaze. The team played great, putting forth one of the best efforts in recent games.

Workdaze current stands in 5th place, but appears to be in a tight battle with Vanderbilt for the final playoff spot.

Goals (Assists)
Saeed (Frank)
Ralf (Frank)
Saul (Frank)

Game 5: Workdaze vs. TapouT 7:4 (5:2)

Report from team manager Jon Ruggiero:
Great effort tonight all around. Thanks again for Stafford for stepping up and playing goalie.
There were a few times where TapouT had the opportunity to close the gap, but I felt like we had this one pretty well in hand for most of it. Great stepping up by Chuao and Mark to help out on defense.

5-2 halftime lead, 7-4 win.

Next week is a big game [the return of Ralf!]. We've got our optimal roster in town, so let's kick some Happy Feet butt!

Goals & Assists:
Jon (??)
Chuao (none)
Dan Beck (Saul)
Dan Beck (Saul)
Saul (Dan Beck)
David (none)
David (Dan Ballough)

Game 4: Workdaze @ Fred's Market 7:5 (2:2)

Report from team manager Jon Ruggiero:

Big win for us tonight. Great effort all around.

It was a different look for us roster-wise, but we pulled it off. Stafford stepped up in goal and was tested early making some nice saves. The other keeper meanwhile handled 3 balls that seemed outside his box, and finally got a handball call. Chuao scored the first goal, I scored the second and it looked like we may be off to an easy night. However, Fred’s came back and by halftime we were tied 2-2.

The second half was back and forth, and it was 4-4 with 10 minutes to play. Then Frank took the offense into his own hands and got us going with some great hustle plays. We went up 7-4 on goals (I think by me, Dan Beck, and Mark’s head getting out of the way from my shot). Fred’s added a meaningless goal to make it a 7-5 final.

Great hustle all around!

Goals & Assists:
Chuao (Dan)
Jon
Frank
Dan
Jon (Frank)
Mark (Jon)
Dan Beck (Frank)

I think we’ll still be in 5th place, so the next two games are key for us. We have 6:35 starts, so plan for that. Tapout is next, then the big matchup with Happy Feet. Frank & hopefully Ralf?? Will be in town for that game! We need our best roster healthy and ready for that game. Ralf I made sure you’re on the roster, so we’re hoping you bring your jersey.

Game 3: Workdaze v. Vanderbilt 1:3 (3:5)

The makeup game that almost never happened...

Sunday morning started with an email from team captain Jon out to the team stating that the scheduled makeup game with Vanderbilt was off. This was later followed by Kevin receiving a phone call one hour before gametime from facility manager, Rick, that what Jon heard in the morning was incorrect. The game was on and Vanderbilt planned to show up! This led to frantic phone calls from Kevin to whoever he could get a hold of. This included luring Dan Ballough out of retirement! By gametime we had managed to assemble a makeshift team, that while it was a man short, we were allowed to play. The team consisted of Jon, Kevin, Frank, Mark J (with kids in tow), and Dan.

The first 10 minutes of the game were played a man down which led to a 0-2 deficit before Saul arrived(leaving his beer, lunch & wife behind at Pyramid Brewing Company where they were having a little celebration ... now that's a team player!) David and Saeed followed shortly after giving us a couple subs for the remainder of the game. We played well the remainder of the game, but could never seem to overcome the early two goal hole. The final score was 3-5. Overall, we played a great game and really showed the team spirit in assembling a squad only one hour before gametime.

Goals - Frank, David, Mark
Assists - Saul (2)

Game 2: Workdaze v. D4 3:4 (3:1)

Another hard fought battle against Wordaze's nemesis D4. We started the game strong holding off the initial push from D4 and building a 3-1 halftime lead. Just before halftime we lost Pedro to a pretty bad achilles injury. It was a tough loss of one of our defensive stalwarts!

The 2nd half focus was on holding the lead, but D4 was able to slowly chip away and take the lead. Down 3-4 with minutes to play there was a final push with some good opportunities, but we just couldn't get the ball in the net.

Overall, it was a great team effort and we played a very solid game.

Goals - David(2), Mark
Assists - Saul(2), Frank

Game 1: Workdaze @ Suburban Turbans 7:1 (3:1)

Session 63 marked Workdaze's 12th session as a team. Game 1 was a forfeit to Vanderbilt, but it appears this might be rescheduled to a future Sunday so we're calling this game 1.

Our first game on the field was against the Suburban Turbans. Usually an easy win, but playing any team at 10pm is always trouble. As usual there was a very slow start to the game, but we managed to head to half with a 3-1 lead. The second half saw the Turbans cut the lead to 3-2 before Workdaze pulled away for a 7-2 victory really pouring it on late in the 2nd half.

As coach Jon said:

We even got a first game goal from our newest member Chuao!

Great game!

Goals (in no particular order)
Dan (assisted by Mark)
Dan (assisted by Chuao)
Seamus (no assist)
Jon (assisted by Kevin)
Chuao (assisted by Pedro)
Mark (assisted by Jon)
Mark (assisted by David)

Semi-final @ D4 2:3 (2:2)

Jon's Recap:

Unfortunately, we came up a bit short. Everyone played an incredible game. We had a number of opportunities but in the end it didn't work out. I'm really proud of the way we all came together these last 3 games after an up and down session.

The recap for those who weren't there. D4 was tough as usual. They got off to the early 1:0 lead. But we came back on a free kick into the zone and off the wall that Frank handled beauty for the header 1:1. D4 went up 2:1, but Frank had another on a close-in move around our old friend Kenny "roids" D4 keeper to tie it 2:2 right before the half. Everyone was dead tired at the half.

The second half was close. Rick called the game since it was Monday, and he called it very tight and fair. We had a number of direct kicks in the D4 zone that we couldn't connect on. We also had a number of shots that were nearly there, or hit the post. We got a bad bounce on a hand ball call right outside our box that D4 put in to go up 3:2 with about 10 minutes to play. The rest of the half we tried to equalize, but couldn't get it done. We nearly had a last second goal to force another playoff overtime with D4. Dave and Saul were on the break, and Dave got the ball to Saul with the D4 keeper completely out of the goal. The ball was just a bit behind Saul who needed only to get enough on the ball to roll it a few feet, but couldn't get enough of his foot on it. The D4 keeper recovered and saved it. With only a minute or so remaining we couldn't get another opportunity.

Again, great effort. We proved we can still play with anyone in the league!

-jon

David's Viewpoint:

For those who did not see the game, you should know that this was the first time I saw us obviously outplay D4. It helped to have a ref who called them for using their arms, but we got to that point because we hustled and outplayed them.

If it wasn’t for a 2 min span of playing 4 v 4 (each team with a one man off 2 min penalty) in which D4 had control, I would say that we owned 80% of the 2nd half. Unfortunately, owning it and scoring are not the same, as we did not score in the 2nd half. Come to think of it, we scored only 1 goal in the 2nd half against the Turbins … that was a Mercy Rule issue, but nonetheless I would say that losing many players including our top scorer(s) turned this session into a transition session. We need to score, and recently against weak goalies we are scoring more than twice.

As for Saúl’s apology, none needed. Every game we get chances that we do not put away. In this game alone, I was right in front of the goal and hit the top post in the first half, MarkJ also hit the post, and I recall countless other good opportunities (like a nice off-the-corner wall pass (by Dan? during the first half) to Geoff, which we had seen Geoff nail during warmup the previous game). If we scored 1 of 4 chances, we would have had 4 or 5 goals.

We played a great game and I know I’m hungry now for next session, eager for rematches against D-4 and Happy Feet, and continued dominance of the others.

David

Game 7 vs. Fred's Market

A report from between the posts (aka Kevin's Viewpoint of the game):

Heading into this game Workdaze was 3-3, tied with Fred's Market for 4th place. The winner of this game would hold the tiebreaker making it a must win game for both parties. Of course, going into the game we received the following email from our captain Jon:

Here's the roster status. Not looking good...

Saul: Out (cold)
Seamus: Doubtful (cold)
Jon: Probable (cold)
Dave: Doubtful (calf)
Geoff: In
Kevin: Likely (also cold - gee you'd think we all worked at the same place or something?!?)
Dan: In
Scott L: In
PV: In
Pedro: In
Everyone Else:Out (Various lame excuses)

-jon

Prior to the game Seamus was literally sleeping on a bench while Jon gave the pregame speech (he's got a bad bad cold), and Jon only came b/c I text messaged him to give me a ride to the game (he went home sick at 3 today with the same bad cold, his wife even said he was crazy for even trying to go). I take full credit for dragging him out of bed with my text message :) Of course, I do feel partially responsible since I came down with this nasty cold last week and am only now getting over it so I might be the one who infected both of them!

On top of that, David has a calf injury and couldn't run full speed, so he was our designated "cherry picker" and did a GREAT job of it since he ignited a lot of the 2nd half offense (I think we have a new strategy in our playbook). This included a brilliant goal in the first half catching the goalie out of the net and looping one over his head. Pedro is recovering from a rib injury and concussion but managed to play a brilliant game a sweeper. So that left PV, Dan Beck, Scott, and Geoff as our only healthy players and by the end of the game we were definitely counting on them to run run run since all of us sickos were out of energy by then! And they did netting the majority of our goals amongst the 4 of them. Including a breakout offensive performance by PV. First he takes a indirect kick from midfield and loops it in glancing off the goalie. Then, he takes a corner kick (direct kick) and puts it right in the goal untouched by anyone.

It was truly a heroic effort by the entire team! Everyone definitely showed the Workdaze spirit and I'm glad that the team is carrying on in the tradition of all of our former "fallen soldiers" (Ralf, Thomas, Joe, the Phantom, etc.)

Next up Tapout, and hopefully the playoffs after that!

Goals: PV (2), Geoff, David, Dan
Assists: Scott L.

UPDATE: Jon's official game report since it's been pointed out that I didn't include the final score in the blog:

Up 1-0 at half, it looked to be very close. Then when "yellow socks" from the other team scored right off the opening kick, I thought we were in trouble. But everyone contributed in a big way and we won 5-1. Huge team effort!

Thanks for everyone fighting through injuries & illness. Kevin came up huge in goal. PV scored on two monster kicks. Seamus played his heart out on D. Dan & Scott were both Mr hustle, Geoff put in a key goal, Dave "the hanger" scored one, and Pedro anchored us at sweeper.

TapouT is next. I think we're firmly in 4th place now as we hold the tiebreaker over the other two teams that could tie us. But let's beat up on TapouT and tune up for the playoffs!


-jon

Game 3 vs D4 (08/24/08)

The champs were finally taken down. Workdaze finally tasted defeat at the hands of its nemesis D4. The game was tough and very competitive. D4 played with a purpose and despite several of the Workdaze players appearing fatigued from a weekend at Lake Tahoe, the game was close. D4 was up 2-0 at the half and it appeared that Workdaze was controlling the tempo in the second with a goal by Mark Jaynes. D4 responded with a goal and the rest of the game was a stale mate. The true mettle of a champion is measured not when he falls but how he gets up and rises above adversity. Will Workdaze rise to the challenge?

Goals: Mark

Game 2 vs Munchenbox (08/21/08)

Workdaze started off game 2 in the worst possible way. The team looked sluggish and the normal solid defense looked porous. Down 3-0, newcomer Dan Beck made his presence felt with a hustle goal. At the half, Workday was down 4-2. Will the team be able to mount one of its legendary comebacks? The answer was a resounding yes. The defense clamped down not allowing a single goal in the 2^nd half. The offense also started pouring it on led by Frank Law’s 2 goals and numerous plays that led to good scoring opportunities. At the end of the game, Workdaze was once again triumphant. Final score 7-4

Goals: Frank (2), pv, Attila, Ralf, Seamus

Assists: Frank (who else?)

Workdaze Session #62 - Game 1 vs Tapout (08/14/08)

Questions and doubts surrounded the Workdaze team with the new season. Is the Dynasty about to end? The departure of Thomas Schwarz and Armin Taghinia from the team leaves a huge hole in Workdaze offense. Will the rest of the team be able to fill the void? GM/Coach Jon Ruggiero addressed the issue by recruiting two new players, Scott Lengefeld and Scott Corder. Though both were unable to score this game, their hustle and speed created opportunities for the rest of the team. Jon also employed the services of Team Doctor Saeed Talachian who immediately went to work when Pedro Chiang went down from a rough push from behind from the other team.

Workdaze was first to strike with Ralf Schroeder scoring a goal on a beautiful assist from David Epstein. Tapout responded with physical play led a player rumored to have the nickname “The butcher”. The tenacious Workdaze defense was doing an incredible job despite the absence of Seamus “The Stopper” Donohue but Tapout was able to even the score before the end of the half. The team played well and had several opportunities but was unable to capitalize. Workdaze typically plays a stronger second half anyway so things looked good.

In the second half, Tapout came out fired up and scrappy play in front of the goal that created a pinball like atmosphere led to a goal despite some quick saves by Kevin Jarvis. Doubts started to sneak in about whether or not Workdaze would be able to respond without their scorers. All the doubts were immediately put to rest when Mark Jaynes, newly promoted to bench coach to fill the yelling void left by Armin, scored on a nifty turn-around from outside the penalty box. Later on, Frank Law fooled the defense and the goalkeeper my masquerading a shot at goal as a pass. The ball found the bank of the net and once again, Workdaze was in familiar territory, in the lead towards the end of the game. With Jon R. and Frank anchoring the defense, Workdaze held on to win their first game of the season. A hard fought 3-2 win over a very physical and greatly improved Tapout team.

This season will be a challenging one for the Workdaze team. New team but same results so far, a win. Will they be able to keep this up? That remains to be seen but so far, it looks like the Dynasty lives on.

Goals -3 (Ralf, Mark, Frank)

Assists -2 ( David, Kevin)

2 years of Workdaze history

Today, on Aug 6th, it's been exactly 2 years since we had our first game as the Workdaze soccer team. Sounds like a good day to say goodbye and is there any better way than a top ten list? So, here are my top ten games of 2 years Workdaze history (in chronological order):

Aug 6th, 2006: Workdaze - Survey FC 2-2
Our first game. You always remember the first time, right? We scored only 2 goals, because they had an awesome goali that night. But we also allowed only 2 goals, which is was very impressive for our 1st indoor game and it was an indicator of what we are up to: the best defense.

Feb 6th, 2007: Workdaze - Clayton FC 8-4
Clayton was the best team at that time and the odds were clearly against us. But we had a plan: hold on to our defensive line and score on counter attacks. And we executed perfectly on it, in my opinion, our best game from a strategy point of view.
It still makes me smile thinking of the Clayton players getting so frustrated that they started to argue with each other at the end of the game.

Mar 8th, 2007, final: Workdaze - Survey FC 4-4 (4-1 in penalties)
Definitely my number one game. It had everything in it. We had a real chance to win our first championship and therefore we were pretty nervous. Survey took advantage of that and led by 4-1 in the second half. But we managed to get our strength back and equalized before the end of the game. Then, it went into overtime with no more goals. Then, it went to penalties. I tried to play goalie, but fortunately there was a rule that wouldn't let me do it. Goalie Kevin got the gloves back and became the rightful hero with 3 saved penalties. At the end, there were great celebrations and a lot of hugs from Dave.

May 24th, 2007, final: Workdaze - Survey FC 4-1
Our second championship. The game was pure dominance. The win was never in question, 3-0 at halftime. The dynasty was born. And I remember a large crowd of Workday employees watching the win. Celebrations went late and ended in a local bar with Aneel.

June 28th, 2007: Workdaze - Citicars 8-4
The games against Citicars were always full of emotions. Citicars was a team of Southamericans, friends of the referee. We didn't win against them as often as we wanted to. But this was a sweet win. We did not have a full squad, missing several key players. But we pulled it together and surprised ourselves.

Jan 10 - Mar 6, 2008, Session 59: 10 wins
No specific game here. The whole session was great. After struggling for several sessions, we were back. 10 straight wins, what else can you ask for, especially during the regular season we dominated each team. We averaged 7.5 goals per game and allowed only 3.0 goals per game. The dynasty was back!

Mar 6th, 2008 - semi-final: Workdaze - D4 4-3
Comeback wins are always the most fun. In this one, it did not look good for us with 30 seconds left on the clock. Then, Ralf scored from an impossible corner position to save us into overtime. With a second wind from that, we managed to score in overtime and hold on to the lead.

Mar 6th, 2008 - final: Workdaze - Fred's Market 5-4
This was probably the toughest game ever. We already had to play a semi-final plus overtime just one hour earlier (see above). We managed to lead early, but as the game went on 5 players went down with cramps. We had to change the goalie 2 times, from Kevn to Ralf to Thomas. Somehow we held on to the lead, one last save, and the third championship was ours.

June 26th, 2008: Workdaze - Vanderbilt 5-4
Another great comeback win. We were down 3-4 with one minute left. We didn't really play well all night. But suddenly the 4-4 came with less then a minute to go. Then, somehow we got the ball again and somehow we scored again only 35 seconds later. Amazing, probably the latest comeback win ever played at San Ramon Sports.

July 31st, 2008 - final : Workdaze - Vanderbilt 3-1
The last championship is always the sweetest. Once again, our defense won the game in this final. We survived 8 minutes of penalties without a goal, allowed only 1 goal in the whole game to secure our 4th championship.

So, that was it. After 2 years, we look back to 10 sessions played, where we have been 10x in the semi-final, 6x in the final, and 4x champions. Looks pretty damn good to me. It's been an honor to play with you guys. I will sure miss the Thursday night games and beers and jokes after the game. Auf Wiedersehen.

Workdaze @ TapouT 9:1 (5:0)

Players: Armin, Attila, Dave, Kevin, Mark, PV, Ralf, Seamus, Steve, Thomas

Goals: Attila (2), Mark (1), Ralf (2), Steve (1), Thomas (3)

Assists: Armin (2), Attila (2), Dave (2), Ralf, Thomas

Penalties: none

Mercy Rule Violations: Mark, there was another one but the violator is not convicted yet - private investigations are underway

Record: 1-0-0 (3 points)

Recap:

The Workdaze team had to play without half of its defense (Jon) and without the whole creative department (Frank & Saul) in the first game of this new session. But PV and others filled in on defense and it turned out that we were able to manage the game without the creative department.

It took the Workdaze team almost 10 minutes to wake up on this Sunday afternoon and get on the scoreboard by a goal from Mark. But once the Workdaze goal machine got rolling, the win was never in danger. Workdaze led 5-0 at half time with more goals from Ralf (2), Attila, and Thomas.

Same picture in the second half, Tapout tried, got tired, and Workdaze scored more with goals from Steve, Attila, and Thomas (2).

Other highlights:

Kevin showed great saves in goal. You can tell he watched a lot of Detroit pro-teams in the playoffs recently, since there was everything from a hockey-goalie-type save with both knees down to a basketball rebound and dribbling. Tapout got on the scoreboard only with a lucky shot that bounced of the wall against Kevin's arm and then fumbled into the goal.

Attila came in late, but very efficient with 2 goals and 2 assists.

Dave, the only new player this session, showed his talent and gave 2 beautiful assists in his first appearance.

It's always a joy to watch Seamus dance around the strikers. It look like the Tapout offense did not gain one inch against him.

Overall, it was a good start into the new session and a good practive for the next, much tougher game against D4.

Session 61 Schedule

Sun 6/1 5:00 PM at TapouT
Thu 6/12 9:15 PM D4
Thu 6/19 6:35 PM Fred's Market
Thu 6/26 8:20 PM Vanderbilt
Thu 7/3 10:05 PM at Survey FC
Thu 7/10 6:35 PM at TapouT
Thu 7/17 8:20 PM at D4
Thu 7/24 7:30 PM Fred's Market

Session 60 Statistics


          Games   Goals   Assists Points Mercy   Penalty
Armin           8       7       3       10      0       2
Attila          8       4       0       4       1       0
Dave            2       1       0       1       0       0
Frank           6       1       3       4       0       2
Geoff           6       1       0       1       0       0
Jon             10      4       2       6       0       4
Kevin           9       0       1       1       1       0
Mark            9       6       3       9       0       0
Paul            6       1       2       3       0       4
Ralf            9       3       4       7       0       6
Sameer          7       4       0       4       1       0
Saul            9       9       8       17      0       4
Seamus          9       2       1       3       0       2
Steve           9       1       5       6       0       0
Thomas          10      18      7       25      1       0
----------------------------------------------------------------
Grand Total 117     62      39      101     4       24

Final Standings
Team          W T L Pts GF GA GD PCT GP 
FC Workdaze   8 1 1 25 65 30 37 0.944 9 
D4            7 1 2 22 63 32 29 0.722 9 
Survey FC     6 2 1 20 57 32 25 0.778 9 
TapouT        1 1 7 4 30 55 -25 0.167 9 
Fred's Market 1 1 6 4 25 63 -38 0.188 8 
Vanderbilt    0 2 6 2 24 52 -28 0.125 8 

Schedule
W 7-1 TapouT
W 13-4 Fred's Market
W 8-6 at Vanderbilt
T 6-6 at Survey FC
W 5-3 at D4
W 5-3 TapouT
W 5-4 Fred's Market
W 9-0 at Vanderbilt
W 6-0 TapouT (semi-final)
L 1-3 D4 (final)


Final: D4 @ Workdaze 3:1 (2:0)

Result: D4 @ Workdaze 3:1 (2:0)
Players: Attila, Frank, Geoff, Jon, Kevin, Mark, Paul, Ralf, Sameer, Saul, Seamus, Steve, Thomas
Goals: Mark
Assists:
Penalties: PV (4 min), Ralf (2 min)
Record: 8-1-1 (25 points)
Recap:
Workdaze's streak came to an end tonight with a tough loss to D4 in the session 60 finals. The game started off well with both teams trying to gain control of the game early. D4 scored first off a weak shot that deflected off a Workdaze defender and in.

The second goal was also a deflection off a Workdaze defender or off of Kevin and in. Both goals were unlucky breaks for Workdaze, and they found themselves down 2-0. They would need another comeback if they were to win their second straight championship.

Unfortunately the comeback never materialized. At halftime the team was positive and thought they could come back. The second half started well, and the game turned a bit rougher. Workdaze finally broke through on a strange play where it looked like the D4 defender caught the ball in the penalty box. The ball dropped to the ground and after a lot of scuffling, Mark finally put it in.

The game continued to get rougher, and PV was called for a 4 minute penalty. Workdaze was unable to hold them off and went down 3-1. Workdaze tried to break through the D4 defense, but they had determined to drop back 3 defenders and kill the clock by dumping the ball.

Workdaze finally caught the break they needed when D4 was called for a 4 minute penalty with 3:40 to play. That meant that Workdaze would have a man advantage for the duration of the game even if they scored. D4 committed another penalty with just over 2 minutes to play, and Workdaze now had a 5 on 3 advantage.

Despite the advantage, Workdaze couldn't put another goal on the board. Their run with no losses came to an end at 19 games. Over that time Workdaze was 18-1-1 with a championship. They outscored their opponents 140-60 over that time.

Semifinal: TapouT @ Workdaze 0:6 (0:3)

Result: TapouT @ Workdaze 0:6 (0:3)
Players: Armin, Attila, Doug, Frank, Geoff, Jon, Kevin, Mark, Paul, Ralf, Sameer, Saul, Seamus, Steve, Thomas
Goals: Thomas(3), Armin, Geoff, Paul
Assists: Frank
Penalties: None
Record: 8-0-1 (25 points)
Recap:
Workdaze advanced to the finals with a convincing 5-0 shutout against TapouT. Workdaze came out determined to control the game. The first two shifts did just that with Thomas picking the ball off a TapouT defender and scoring the first goal. The game would stay 1-0 well into the first half.

Workdaze kept the pressure on with a very fast pace that looked almost frantic at times. Thomas added another goal on an assist from Ralf off the wall. Then Paul got into the action with a blast from Armin to put Workdaze up 3-0 before the half.

In the second half Workdaze would extend the lead to 4-0 on another Thomas goal, this time from Frank. Geoff from Armin got the lead to 5-0. There was some confusion as the team thought the mercy rule was in effect, but it did not apply for a playoff game. Armin would add one more goal on a pass from Steve to finish off a 6-0 shutout.

Workdaze played a great game from start to finish. The team was motivated, agressive and played well in all aspects. Kevin was not challenged much, but when he was he came up with a few very nice saves preventing sure goals. The whole team earned this shutout which was only the second in team history, and first in the playoffs.

Workdaze faces D4 Thursday at 8:15pm in the final after they bashed Survey 7-2 in the earlier semifinal match.

Vanderbilt @ Workdaze 0:9

Result: Vanderbilt @ Workdaze 0:9 (Forfeit)
Players: Armin, Attila, Jon, Mark, Paul, Ralf, Saul, Seamus, Steve, Thomas
Goals: Attila(3), Thomas(2), Jon, Mark
Assists: Paul, Thomas, Saul
Penalties: None
Record: 7-0-1 (22 points)
Recap:
Workdaze secured first place with a forfeit win and a Survey tie tonight. Vanderbilt only had 5 players available. They tried to play with a man down, but given it was 100 degrees on the field, and Workdaze was determined to come out strong they never had a chance.

Workdaze quickly went up 5-0. We played great for the rest of the half avoiding any mercy rule violations. The score was 7-0 at halftime.

At halftime we weren’t sure exactly how many goals we needed to secure first against Survey and we wanted to continue. However, Vanderbilt was clearly done. We negotiated a peaceful surrender and ended up with a 9-0 forfeit win. Turns out we only needed the win because Survey and D4 tied last night. They face each other again on Monday.

Playoffs start Monday against TapouT.

Fred's Market @ Workdaze 4:5 (2:1)

Result: Fred's Market @ Workdaze 4:5 (2:1)
Players: Armin, Attila, Geoff, Jon, Kevin, Mark, Paul, Ralf, Seamus, Steve, Thomas
Goals: Jon(2), Thomas(2), Armin
Assists: Thomas
Penalties: Seamus(2min)
Record: 6-0-1 (19 points)
Recap:
Workdaze showed again they are the comeback kings with a 5:4 comeback win against Fred's Market.

For whatever the reason, Workdaze has been starting slow of late, and this game was no different. Fred's Market scored early in the first half, then again to put Workdaze down 2-0. Workdaze got on the board when Jon took a white dot kick from Thomas and put it in the upper corner for the 2-1.

Workdaze played a bit better later in the first half, but couldn't tie the game. Just before the half, tempers flared as Jon made a fair challenge in the Workdaze box that resulted in a Fred's player twisting his ankle (or pride). Armin got in to it with the guy, and the tone was set for the second half.

Workdaze came out flat in the second half, and Fred's immediately scored from a pass off the back wall to go up 3-1. At that point the Workdaze players were upset with eachother and the unbeaten streak looked in serious doubt.

The next goal came when Jon carried the ball on a two on 1 break, missed his initial shot, but followed the rebound off the wall. He was able to get enough of his left foot on the ball to lift it over the reach of the Fred's keeper for the 3-2.

Workdaze kept the pressure on, and they got in to more of a rhythm with each other. Kevin made some great saves on some frantic plays in front of the Workdaze goal. Armin scored the tying goal on a tight angle shot up against the back wall that somehow made it in.

Seamus was then called for a weak 2 minute out and Workdaze was down a man. Everyone focused on solid defense with Ralf helping back. Thomas then went on to score a short-handed goal to put Workdaze in the lead. He also put the finishing touch on another tight angle shot.

The game looked to be in control, but Fred's game back on a defensive let down to score the 5-4. Luckily for Workdaze, Fred's was out of gas at that point and Workdaze was able to wind the clock and preserve the victory.

Another comeback win and a great team effort! Vanderbilt is next.

TapouT @ Workdaze 3:5 (3:2)

Result: TapouT @ Workdaze 3:5 (3:2)
Players: Armin, Attila, Doug, Frank, Geoff, Jon, Kevin, Mark, Ralf, Sameer, Saul, Seamus, Steve, Thomas
Goals: Thomas(2), Doug, Ralf, Sameer
Assists: Jon, Mark, Saul, Thomas
Penalties: Frank(2min)
Record: 5-0-1 (16 points)
Recap:
Workdaze's unbeaten streak was in serious jeopardy early on tonight. It took a great team comeback to hold off TapouT 5-3.

Six minutes in to the game, Workdaze found themselves down 3-0. From that point on, Workdaze wouldn't allow another goal, but it would take most of the game to get back in it. After the 3:0, Doug quickly snuck one past the keeper for the 3:1.

Late in the half Workdaze would score another when Sameer took a free kick pass from Thomas and put it away. Workdaze tried to get another to tie before the half, but could not and trailed 3:2 at the half.

Kevin made an inspired halftime speech, and Workdaze again came out strong in the second half. Ralf scored the 3:3 on a pass from Mark. Workdaze finally took the lead with 7 minutes to play. Thomas capped the comeback with the 5:3. Kevin and the defense kept the team in it the entire time. In the end, Workdaze just wore down TapouT and outlasted them.

Workdaze has not lost in 16 games. Next up Fred's Market.

Workdaze @ D4 5:3 (2:1)

Result: Workdaze @ D4 5:3 (2:1)
Players: Armin, Doug, Geoff, Jon, Kevin, Mark, Ralf, Saul, Seamus, Steve, Thomas
Goals: Armin, Mark, Ralf, Seamus, Thomas
Assists: Ralf, Saul, Steve
Penalties: Jon(2min)
Record: 4-0-1 (13 points)
Recap:
Workdaze got back on the winning track with a hard fought victory over D4.

As usual D4 played Workdaze tough. It was a very defensive game where ball possession was the key. In the first half Workdaze went up 1:0 on a Mark goal with a perfect pass into the box from Saul. D4 tied it, and it remained 1:1 late into the half. Workdaze fought off a 5 on 4 advantage on the shortest penalty that Guillermo has handed out. Only 60 seconds had passed, but he let the man back in??!

Ralf got the second goal towards the end of the first half on a beautiful free kick. Ralf was taken down between the 3rd line and the D4 box. He took advantage of the D4 keeper by blasting a shot low and hard through the defense and untouched into the goal. Workdaze applied pressure and tried to get another before the end of the half, but it ended 2:1.

In the second half the game was back and forth. Kevin kept Workdaze in it with some great saves on very hard shots and deflections from D4. Guillermo finally made a good call against the fast long haired guy from D4 who had been pushing off and grabbing all game. Workdaze took immediate advantage of the man down and scored the goal. Second half goals by Seamus, Thomas, and finally a donkey kick by Armin on a strange play in the D4 box put the Workdaze up 5:3 to stay. D4 mounted several attacks at the end of the game, but were held off.

Workdaze's win helped them to keep pace with Survey who beat TapouT 7:2. Survey now leads Workdaze in the battle for first place based on identical record and an advantage in Goal differential. It looks like Workdaze will need to win out to avoid playing D4 in the first round of the playoffs.

Next game: TapouT

Workdaze @ Survey FC 6:6 (3:1)

Result: Workdaze @ Survey FC 6:6 (3:1)
Players: Attila, Dave, Doug, Frank, Geoff, Jon, Kevin, Mark, Ralf, Sameer, Saul, Seamus, Steve, Thomas
Goals: Saul(3), Dave, Mark, Ralf
Assists: Doug
Penalties: Ralf (4min), Jon(2min), Saul(2min)
Record: 3-0-1 (10 points)
Recap:

Workdaze undefeated streak is still in tact after a stunning 6-6 tie against Survey FC, but their winning streak was halted at 13 games. Although the result was a 6-6 tie Workdaze left with the feeling that they had lost, while Survey left with the feeling they had won.

Workdaze played well in the first half. Although they had roster questions coming in to the game, they fielded 14 players. Throughout the half the toughest opponent seemed to be the subbing strategy. Workdaze played solidly and got to a 3:1 halftime lead.

The game seemed like it was within reach. At halftime Workdaze discussed its subbing strategy rather than focus on the on-field attack. This was a err in judgement that would cost them the victory.

Early in the second half Saul was called for an intentional hand ball. Saul was close to the opposing keeper, who made a save and quickly turned and threw the ball out. Saul was turning to run back and the ball clanced off his hand. It seemed like incidental contact from one angle, but Guillermo saw it differently with encouragement from the Survey players. Saul was booked for 2 minutes.

Less than a minute later, Jon was carded on a play where incidental contact happened against the wall. It was certainly one of the weaker penalties that Jon has been awarded. Regardless, the Workdaze squad was down to a 5 on 3.

Then things got interesting. The Workdaze bench thought that Sauls penalty was up. At the same time Survey scored the 3:2. Thinking that it was back to 5:4 with Saul's time expiring, and the goal should cancel Jon's penalty, Workdaze fielded 5 players. Ralf was the 5 man on the field. However, Guillermo saw it differently, and even though play had not resumed after the goal, gave Ralf a 4 minute penalty for arguing.

This resulted in Workdaze being down at least 1 man for nearly 8 minutes of the second half. Survey took full advantage. They tied the game, and continued to score 3 more goals to take a 6:3 advantage.

The Workdaze team was not happy, thinking that the ref had essentially handed the game to the opponents. However, like many times before, Workdaze didn't give up. They used their bench advantage to apply full pressure to the Survey defense. Survey cracked under the press and Workdaze started to come back.

Guillermo handed out 3 cards to Survey, but it took hard fouls to get the call. Workdaze took advantage and stormed back to tie the game with less than 2 minutes to play. Workdaze continued to apply full pressure, but couldn't score the winner.

Survey was clearly happy that they held on for the tie, while Workdaze felt they could have won the game. Workdaze knows they are the better team, and would like the chance to prove it in the playoffs. The standings show that Survey and Workdaze are the top two teams, but Workdaze knows who deserves the top spot.

Next up is another challenge with D4. Workdaze is now unbeaten in 14 straight, although they really wanted this one to keep the winning streak alive.

A picture of our bench from last nights game

Game 3: Workdaze @ Vanderbilt 8:6 (4:2)

Result: Workdaze @ Vanderbilt 8:6 (4:2)
Players: Armin, Attila, Doug, Frank, Jon, Kevin, Mark, Paul, Ralf, Sameer, Saul, Seamus, Thomas
Goals: Armin(2), Saul(2), Jon, Mark, Sameer, Seamus
Assists: Saul(2), Mark, Paul, Ralf, Seamus
Penalties: Jon (Red Card @ End of game)
Record: 3-0-0 (9 points)
Recap:

Workdaze was able to hold on in a tough fought game against Vanderbilt. The game was rough physically throughout, and of course Guillermo didn't help with any calls. Despite having a huge bench, Workdaze seemed flat and tired. Perhaps they were unable to get in to a flow of the game.

Workdaze has now won 13 in a row. Next up is the clash of first place teams against Survey.

Game 2: Fred's Market @ Workdaze 4:14 (0:6)

Result: Fred's Market @ Workdaze 4:14 (0:6)
Players: Armin, Attila, Dave, Frank, Jon, Kevin, Sameer, Saul, Steve, Thomas
Goals: Thomas(6), Saul(3), Armin Attila, Frank, Sameer
Assists: Frank(2), Steve(2), Thomas(2), Armin, Jon, Kevin, Saul
Penalties: Armin, Saul (for Mercy Rule violation)
Mercy Rule Violation: Attila, Kevin, Sameer
Record: 2-0-0 (6 points)

Recap:
Workdaze cruised to an easy victory against Fred's Market. It was not the close championship rematch that was expected, as Fred's has lost 11-1 and 14-4 in their first two games this session.

The game started off with a bid advantage for Workdaze, as Fred's only had 4 field players. Workdaze took immediate advantage and cruised out to a 5-0 lead early in the half. Fred's was at 5 players at that point, but with no subs, they were clearly overmatched. Workdaze battling the Mercy Rule, managed a single goal for the rest of the half.

In the second half, Jon volunteered to take goal so Kevin could play the field. The goal was still to preserve the shutout. However that dream ended quickly when Armin was called for a penalty in the Workdaze box that resulted in a PK for Fred's. Jon had no chance as the Goatie guy put the ball past him in the lower corner. Kevin, playing out for the first time in 11 months managed an assist and a mercy violation, but we couldn't get him a goal.

Even with the Mercy Rule in full effect for the entire second half, Workdaze still managed to put 8 more goals on the board. Despite the long layoff since the last game, they played well as a team, passed the ball well, and took advantage of a weaker opponent.

Workdaze has now won 12 straight games.

Next up is Vanderbilt.