Hello Minutemen FC, goodbye Sudbury FC

In a change that had been discussed for a while, in an effort to appeal to a larger base of players and hopefully establish more of a club identity, the club will be renamed Minutemen FC for the Spring 2011 season and beyond.

For those interested in learning more about roster opportunities, please contact the club managers.

Fall 2010 Finale - DS Old Boys - 2 - Sudbury FC - 0

In the final match of what has been a difficult and head scratching fall season, Sudbury FC played its final match under its old banner in the chilly wind at Fessenden Field. At stake for the hosts was first place in Division 4 South and promotion.

Sudbury hung tough and played the hosts tight throughout the match but as was the case all season long, small mistakes, lack of offensive continuity and being just one step behind resulted in the hosts taking a 2 goal lead and never relinquishing control.

Sudbury finishes the year with a single tie, despite every game being close and fairly evenly played. On to the Spring, with a new club name and hopefully better fortune.

On to the Second Half of the Season

What has been a frustrating struggle for Sudbury in the first half of the season came to a close on Sunday with a 3-2 loss to Dover-Sherborn Old Boys. Some tough breaks and not enough sustained rhythm did the boys in yellow in once again.

Sudbury finishes its first trip through the division with an 0-4-1 mark to start the year, but have vowed to move on and take control of the second half of the season with heightened determination and homefield advantage for 3 of the rematches.

The results promise to be different as the season winds down.

Summer Workout Schedule

Sudbury FC will hold preseason workouts/tryouts each Sunday morning from July 18th through August 22nd at Cutting Field in Sudbury.

Workouts begin at 9 am.

Expect a friendly match or two to be scheduled as the summer winds down in anticipation of the Fall season opener on August 29th.

Spring '10 Semifinals - 6/20/10 v. Harvard

Sudbury earned a home game against a tough Harvard team from the North division, a team Sudbury had seen in the preseason for a friendly the past two seasons.

The visitors capitalized on a few breakdowns to create scoring chances, but Pat held firm in the Sudbury end. The Sudbury forwards and midfielders appeared rundown and a bit lethargic coming off the high of the previous week and could not sustain any significant pressure on the Harvard defenders or keeper.

Harvard finally broke through around 10 minutes into the second half to take a 1-0 lead on a great run and feed from a pair of speedy forwards. Sudbury attempted to mount an attack over the remainder of the half, but Harvard's talented defense and midfielders created a shell and held their advantage with timely clearing passes and staunch tackling.

Final score - Harvard - 1, Sudbury - 0

It was of small consolation that Harvard went on to win the championship by defeating Peru Sport, who won their semifinal game against the other North division playoff club.

Game 10 v. Peru Sport - 6/13/10

Sudbury took to the pitch at Haskell Field for the final regular season game of the Spring. A win, and Sudbury would gain promotion back to Division 4 for the Fall, and host a playoff game. A loss, and Sudbury would finish in 3rd place, miss the playoffs and remain in Division 5 for the Fall.

The hosts took their mission seriously as the crew came to play with determination. Anthony got the scoring started off a nice feed from Danny. Leo then took a long ball from Steve, beat a defender and walked in alone on the keeper for a 2-0 Sudbury lead.

The defense held tough against a skilled Peru Sport club and Pat held firm in goal as well, making several key saves. Leo later added his second goal of the match and the score held for a 3-0 victory, promotion and a home playoff game the following week.

Games 6-9 Updates

Game 6 v. Whaling Port FC

Sudbury began the second half of the schedule looking for revenge for an opening week loss to the club from New Bedford.

Sudbury took control of the game early and carried the play, eventually taking a 2-0 lead on goals by Erik D. and Leo. The visitors came back however, scoring twice on corner kicks in the final 10 minutes to leave Haskell Field with a tie. It was a difficult collapse for Sudbury and 2 points lost that could end up costing them at season's end.

Game 7 v. Rovers FC

Fresh off a disappointing draw against Whaling Port, Sudbury hoped to shake off the result and bring it for their game against the visiting Rovers. The game was tight throughout, as the 0-0 score at halftime was the result of up and down play on both ends. Pat C. made a terrific save on a Rovers penalty kick to keep Sudbury knotted with the visitors.

The second half proved difficult for the hosts however as Sudbury could not capitalize on a variety of chances in the offensive zone and Rovers were able to find the back of the net on a few defensive lapses by Sudbury's midfielders and forwards. Sudbury continued to apply pressure, creating additional holes for the Rovers quick forwards to exploit and the final score ended at 3-0 for the visitors.

Game 8 v. Norfolk FC

Sudbury took the field at Haskell for a third straight home game and were in dire need of a strong performance to stay near the top of the table. The hosts delivered that performance and then some with a strong game against the struggling club from Norfolk.

Anthony C. scored twice upping his team leading total to 4 goals. Erik D. scored his 3rd of the season. Jeff notched his 2nd. Steve C. found the back of the net twice and Kai rounded out the scoring on a nice finish of a Pat C. feed, who was taking a few minutes out of the goal to play the field.

Terrific ball movement and setups on most of the goals as six different players (Hori twice, Leo, Anthony C., Danny, Kai and Pat) notched assists on the scoresheet as well.

Game 9 @ Boston Gunners

Sudbury traveled to Cambridge to face the Gunners on the turf at Danehy Field and looked to continue their strong season. The hosts were unable to field a squad however as only 5 players in green showed up for the schedule 8 am start and Sudbury was awarded a forfeit victory.

Next up: v. Peru Sport - Sudbury (6-2-1) hosts first place Peru Sport (7-1-1) in a battle for first place and promotion. If Sudbury wins, they host a playoff game and are promoted to Division 4 for the Fall. If Sudbury loses or ties, Peru wins the division and are promoted and Sudbury needs a Whaling Port loss or tie in order to make the playoffs.

Game 5 - 5/9/10 @ Peru Sport

Sudbury was looking forward to a match with their fellow leaders atop the Division 5 South table but the hosts could not secure their home field in enough time to schedule the match. The resulting forfeit gave Sudbury a 2-0 victory as the team got to enjoy Mother's Day with their families.

Next up: v. Whaling Port FC.

Sudbury seeks revenge for the week one loss as the struggle for positioning at the top of the standings increases in importance each week.

Game 4 - 5/2/10 v. Boston Gunners

Coming off two straight victories, Sudbury was geared up for the 2010 Spring home opener against another new opponent to the OTHSL, the Boston Gunners.

The hosts controlled much of the play in the first half but could not manage anything on the scoreboard as the Gunners defenders were able to stave off any consistent pressure.

In the second half however, Sudbury came out with purpose and started creating more chances. Five minutes into the half, Ryan took a beautiful ball down into the corner, made a defender miss and sent a perfect cross to the middle where Andrew came streaking from his stopper spot and buried the goal for a 1-0 lead. It was particularly sweet for Andrew as he had a scary moment in the first half where he collided heads with a Gunner player on a contested head ball and had to leave the game for a spell with a bit of a gash. Taped up and ready to go in the second half, he gave Sudbury a lead they wouldn't surrender.

A few minutes later, Sudbury continued the pressure and Afe was able to flick the ball ahead to Anthony who beat the keeper for his second goal of the season.

Sudbury's defense of Erik, Andrew, Ivan, Steve and Peter were strong all morning as the Gunners barely had any chances against Pat, who only had to make a few saves for the shutout.

About thirty minutes into the half, Sudbury completed the scoring. From his left midfield spot, Leo saw his counterpart on the right side, Ryan, streaking down past the defenders. Ryan took the ball and fired on the Gunners keeper who made the save but Erik, trailing the play from his spot in the middle, potted the rebound into the open goal for the final score of 3-0.

Man of the Match: Andrew

Next up: @ Peru Sport

Game 3 - 4/25/10 @ Norfolk FC

Sudbury was feeling good after a well played game against Rovers FC and took to the fine grass pitch in Norfolk against yet another unfamiliar foe in this new division alignment.

With last week's man of the match Peter nursing an on-again, off-again ankle injury, Sudbury welcomed back the return of a few key players in Mark and Chris, along with the cast of regulars.

Sudbury started strong with Mark, Dan F., Hori and Anthony providing a lot of pressure up front with support from Kai, Ryan, Nabil and Chris from the wing midfielder spots. A few early chances didn't drop but the pressure resulted in a near miss from Andrew running up from his stopper position. Andrew's challenge to the keeper resulted in a juicy rebound to Hori who took his time to loft it over the keeper's head for an early 1-0 lead for the visitors. Minutes later Ryan sent a beautiful ball into the center where Eugene rocketed a head ball that went just over the crossbar.

Sudbury let the hosts back into the game however with some strong play by the Norfolk FC forwards and midfielders and a perfect setup leaving their quick striker all alone with Eric. The Sudbury keeper was strong all day and aggressive on the ball, but had no chance as the hosts tied the game about midway through the half.

The knotting goal set Sudbury's offensive gears running again and the defense of Andrew, Don, Steve S. and Ivan tightened up and didn't allow the hosts much of anything for the rest of the half. Some strong passing from Eugene and Jeff in the middle resulted in a odd man advantage for the Sudbury forwards and Hori touched a beautfiul pass to Anthony who buried the shot and helped Sudbury regain the lead. Sudbury continued the pressure with Steve C. and Ryan helping to keep the ball alive in the offensive end enough for Ryan to center another well lofted ball which landed on the waiting foot of Mark in the closing minute of the half for a 3-1 lead.

The second half was not as productive on the scoreboard, but Sudbury's forwards and midfielders were showing strong signs of getting to know each other with a number of strong runs, near misses and touch and go offsides calls as the hosts barely had the ball in the Sudbury defensive end for the final 45 minutes.

The final goal would come on a burst of speed by Danny up the right sidelines off a feed from Steve C. in the middle. Danny blasted past the defenders, forced the rotating fullback to commit and lofted a perfect pass to Hori in the middle of the eighteen who blasted it one touch past the helpless Norfolk keeper for the final goal of the match.

Overall a very strong and encouraging performance against a tough, hard working and experienced club. The Sudbury lineup shifts around again next week against another team new to the OTHSL, but we're looking for the first home match of the season to be a continuation of the team's recent strong play.

Man of the match: Hori

Next up: home v. Boston Gunners

Game 2 - 4/18/10 @ Rovers FC

The rain and cold weren't much of a factor as the hosts home turf field resisted the nasty spring weather. Sudbury had nearly a full crew show up to Weston and early on the pace of the game was markedly improved by the presence of a number of reliable old faces.

Sudbury took control of the play early, generating numerous chances with Erik, Hori, Danny F. and Anthony putting pressure on the Rovers defense from the two forward spots. Eugene, Jeff and Steve C. held control of the ball in the middle and distributed the ball effectively as much of the first half was spent in the Rovers defensive zone.

Despite the consistent ball control, Sudbury could not capitalize on the scoreboard as a number of chances were struck a bit too late and were either blocked or from difficult positions on the field. On the other end however, Nabil, Steve S., Ivan, Don, Tony and Andrew were solid in front of Eric as Rovers had limited room to maneuver and any shots were from far out and fell harmlessly out of bounds or softly into Eric's capable hands.

Sudbury continued the pressure in the second half as Peter's dogged determination led to a penalty opportunity for the boys in yellow. After Jeff sent Danny on a race towards the goal with a nice pass up the middle, the Rovers keeper made a nice save which resulted in a collision with Danny and a rebound into the oncoming traffic. Peter picked up the loose ball and made several defenders miss before being tackled rugby-style by the keeper. Eugene converted the PK opportunity for the 1-0 Sudbury lead.

His day not finished however, Peter drew another penalty opportunity after chasing down a loose ball in the corner, working through defenders into the middle before being tackled from behind well inside the penalty box. This time Jeff buried the PK and Sudbury felt some momentum with a 2-0 lead.

The hosts weren't content to go down quietly however and played their best soccer of the match in the final 10 minutes as they attempted to get on the scoreboard. A questionable call against a Sudbury defender in the defensive box resulted in a penalty opportunity for Rovers, which they converted to narrow the gap to 2-1.

Sudbury held on for the victory however with some strong defensive play by Ivan, Erik, Steve S. and Don in the back. Ryan, Kai and Leo were strong all afternoon along with Peter as the wing midfielders spots controlled much of the pace for the Sudbury offense.

Man of the Match: Peter

Next up: @ Norfolk FC

Spring 2010 Opener - 4/11/10 @ Whaling Port FC

Sudbury headed down to New Bedford for the first of three straight road games to open the Spring season. The team was missing a number of important returning players and brought 9 players making their debuts in yellow.

The lack of chemistry showed throughout the match as the hosts controlled much of the pace and play in the middle of the field. Sudbury hung tough and the crew of defenders including Don, Scott, Steve, Jeff and Tony did well to fend off many WPFC chances considering the amount of time spent in the Sudbury defensive zone.

The hosts took the lead about 15 minutes into the first half off a long throw that created a scramble in front of keeper Pat, who was taken out on the play. They upped the lead to 2-0 on a broken play that resulted in 3 straight head balls by WPFC, with the 3rd finally landing in the back of the goal.

Sudbury came back to close the gap to 2-1 with some strong passing by Steve A. and Leo to set up Anthony in a one on one race to the ball with the keeper. Anthony's tough pressure resulted in a rebound and Ryan buried the scoring chance to narrow the gap. The first half finished minutes later but Sudbury were feeling good about their performance all things considered.

The second half showed to be more of the same however as Sudbury couldn't get any sustained ball control or pressure up front and played much of the game in their own end. As the team focused its efforts on rallying to tie the game, the hosts took two breakaway goals to result in the final score of 4-1.

Though it was unfortunate that so many regulars had to miss the opener, the likelihood of missing so many key members of the club in one week again isn't too high. Sudbury expects to put many folks back into their customary positions and look for a better result this week against a new team to the OTHSL who won their opener.

Man of the Match: Don

Next up: @ Rovers FC

Friendly v. Harvard - 3/28/10

The squad took the field for the final preseason tuneup against a competitive Harvard club in a rematch of last season's preseason friendly. Sudbury struggled a bit out of the gate with familiarity as a number of new faces were working together for the first time and a strong turnout made substitutions challenging.

Pat C. got the call in goal for the first half and made some outstanding one on one saves as Sudbury suffered a number of defensive breakdowns. He had no chance on the two first half goals by the visitors as they too were in all alone and had their pick of the goal to aim for.

Newcomer Eric F. took over in goal in the second half as Sudbury is hopefully over their longstanding keeper shortage with two quality keepers sharing time this season due to scheduling conflicts and convenience. He too made a couple of terrific saves, including one with the shooter 5 yards out that kept it a 1 goal game as Sudbury battled back to eventually tie the match at 2-2 with about 10 minutes remaining in the second half on a rocket by Hori that nicked the crossbar and post and landed safely onto the foot of Andrew at the goal mouth, who gently tapped it in for the knotting tally.

Elation after the tying goal and a few substitutions on defense as Danny F. tweaked the lineup to get a good look at players in a number of positions ended up backfiring as Harvard took the kickoff straight downfield and regained the lead, ultimately holding on for a 3-2 final score.

Sudbury looks to be strong and competitive in their new division with some key returnees and additions. Season starts on April 11th in New Bedford.

Friendly v. Medfield - 3/21/10

After some significant difficulties navigating the closed roads and detours of Metrowest, Sudbury FC and the boys from Medfield (D4 South) met at Cutting Field for a preseason friendly. A host of Sudbury regulars were in attendance, in addition to a few new recruits. Medfield were aided by the attendance of a handful of the Sudbury Over 40s looking to get some preseason game action in.

The teams battled hard and played well considering this was the first full field activity for many in a number of months. Sudbury looks to have a strong core of defenders this season with the return of Hori and Andrew to the regular game rotation. With Mark out of the goal for this season, the team looks to be strong up the middle as well.

Both teams traded goals with some pretty passing by Eugene B. and Hori setting up the eventual game winner for Sudbury. The new additions look promising and the team looks healthy and ready to battle in Division 5.

Next up: Friendly vs. Harvard (D5 North) - 3/28 - Cutting Field

Spring Workouts Begin March 7th

Beginning on Sunday March 7th, Sudbury FC will be holding tryouts/workouts from 9-11 am on Cutting Field in Sudbury.

Link to the field.

Address is 451 Maynard Road, Sudbury.

Spring 2010 Season is Around the Corner

With some roster spaces to fill and a new group of opponents in Division 5, Sudbury FC is laying the foundation for what we hope to be a positive Spring season.

Most returnees are playing indoor soccer on various clubs over the winter and there are a number of talented new additions potentially coming into the fold for the Spring.

Season begins April 11th.

Games 9, 10 and Season Recap

Sudbury was undermanned heading down to Duxbury as several late cancellations and an early morning start time made securing reserves an impossible task. The squad was further depleted when an injury to Steve S. took him out of the goal and left the club with only 9 field players and no subs.

Nonetheless, those who did attend battled hard and took an early lead against the home team. Berkeley O. made some terrific saves filling in as an emergency keeper and the defense held strong for the entire match. The club was poised to walk away with a well earned draw until the hosts managed to sneak the winning goal in just seconds before the final whistle blew, to give Sudbury a 2-1 loss and make the season finale that much more important for relegation purposes.

In the finale, Sudbury battled hard against the visiting Dover-Sherborn squad and twice took leads before having DS tie the game. DS looked poised to sneak out with a win with a go-ahead goal with about 5 minutes remaining, but Sudbury managed to tie the game and end the season with a difficult 0-7-3 record. The league's tiebreaker rules resulted in Sudbury being relegated despite an even record with the boys from Medfield.

The Spring 2010 season will be one of retooling as Sudbury FC says goodbye to a number of quality members who are moving on for a variety of reasons.