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