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Regionals: Final Report - Vélez Lose in Semis

Posted by Miguel Nuila on Jul 05 2004 at 05:00PM PDT
. Vélez in Group of Death with Bethesda Roadrunners (who we've not played since we beat them at the Virginian at U10), Seacoast (who beat us at PDA down starters), and Beadling (Western PA).

. Game 1 - June 30, 2004 - Vélez 1 - Beadling 0

Hack, hack, hack, and more hack. Lost two players to late tackles. We were very flat (on our backs sides most of the time) but we prevailed 1-0.

. Game 2 - July 1, 2004 - Vélez 4 - Seacoast 0

We came with a game plan of short passes with rapid circulation. This team had beaten a shorter Vélez roster at PDA by denying our dribble and long ball. We were ready this time.

. Game 3 - July 2, 2004 - Vélez 2 - Bethesda 1

This was the game we had been waiting two years for. Luck had it that we would not see each other for two years. The game was a treat to watch. Full of emotion. An awesome experience to be part of. We won it because we wanted it a little more, but they are clearly a great team.

. Game 4 - July 3, 2004 - Vélez 1 - NASA 2

Our reward for winning the group was to play a really talented and well rested NASA team (they didn't start many regulars in their third bracket game as their competition was relatively weak). The combination of their speed, tactics, and the non-stop singing from the sidelines caught us off guard for the first 15 minutes. They scored a header goal off a corner.

15 minutes and several substitutions later, the team settled down and we began to take control. Second half was dominated mostly by our scoring chances and NASA fatigued as we got stronger. But we had been tight the whole day and missed some really easy scoring chances (one empty netter). This kept NASA in the game. With two minutes remaining, a weak foul gets whistled at the edge of the box and the next thing we know, the referee is pointing to the spot. What a travesty. We kept our composure and our decency but the referees were still carted away immediately following the game. :)

We are all very proud of the team's accomplishments this year. Luck was not on our side as clearly a referee's decision determined our fate. The kids gave it their all on the field. We regroup and begin planning for next year.

Congratulations to all Velezians.

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