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.