| Date |
Day |
Opponent |
Location |
Time |
Result |
| 8/1 |
Wed |
Friendly
with Burk Football Club of Forchheim, Germany |
American
Legion |
10am |
Lost
7-1 |
|
West
Alabama Summer Sizzler
Tuscaloosa, Alabama |
|
8/25 |
Sat |
North
Alabama Shockers |
Field
5 |
3:00pm |
Won
3-1 |
T. J. Rees scored a hat trick with the first goal coming in the
opening minute of play. The quick goal appeared to "shock" the
Shockers. The Shockers were playing their
second game of the day while Decatur was playing their first.
The heat was a factor in Decatur's favor as the Decatur team
appeared fresh compared to the Madison team. David Moore
(who lives in Decatur) scored for the Shockers with a nice left footed
shot from the outside.
|
|
8/25 |
Sat |
Hewitt
Huskies |
Field
6 |
6:30pm |
Lost
1-2 |
A very close game in which Hewitt's taller #9 player (they had two
#9s) was the dominate player
of the match. Sage Copeland tied the game at 1-1 with a
bending shot from thirty yards out which reached the left corner
of Hewitt's net. The United team tried valiantly to tie the
game after Hewitt scored its second goal but narrowly missed
several opportunities and came up short. It was a very physical
game with Decatur receiving two yellow cards (Gamble, Schneider) to one
for Hewitt/Trussville.
|
|
8/26 |
Sun |
Semi-Finals
v. Tuscaloosa Holy Spirit Sharks |
Field
6 |
9:45am |
Won
2-2
(2-0 pk) |
The Sharks came out and ran
their offense to perfection and scored an early goal against
Decatur. Using overlaps and outnumbering our defenders
5 to 3 forced Lee Fanning to have to step up from his sweeper
position and allowed Tuscaloosa several more scoring chances and it
appeared that Tuscaloosa was getting the better of play.
Only great saves by Clayton kept the Sharks out of our goal.
The referees provided water breaks at midway of each
half due to the extreme heat. And during a water break (Josh and Mike made several coaching
adjustments at midfield and defense which clicked and the United
team settled down to business.
Soon after Justin Owensby scored
on a penalty kick when T. J. was taken down in the box to tie the
game. Tuscaloosa scored again and it was back and forth
until very late in the second half (60th minute) when several of
Decatur's attackers and Tuscaloosa's defenders met in a mass of
bodies in front of Tuscaloosa's goal. Tomoaki Matsuo collected the
loose ball at about twelve yards out and blasted it past the
keeper to tie the game. Both teams were extremely tired and
with temperatures on the field over 100 degrees neither was able
to score in the final ten minutes.
The game went to a penalty
kick shootout with each team selecting five players to begin the
shootout. Decatur United keeper Clayton Cox was truly
perfect on defense as he stopped all four of Tuscaloosa's shots (a
feat usually considered impossible as penalty kicks are usually
successful about 75% of the time).
Sage Copeland and Ben Wyker both slotted their shots low and into
the corner of the net for Decatur to cement the
victory.
The Sharks were a
terrific team but a combination of Decatur's fitness and great
defense was the difference in the match.
|
|
8/26 |
Sun |
Finals
v. Hewitt
Huskies |
Field
7 |
3:00pm |
Won
1-0 |
This was a rematch of Saturday night's game (although a little
less physical) and both teams seemed to know each other very well.
Both had opportunities but neither were able to crack the other's
defense.
At one point
Jackson was able to control and dribble up the center of the field
from behind midfield with a defender on his back the entire way.
But his shot was gobbled up by the keeper on the near
post.
Decatur's defense was
incredible, disrupting much of Hewitt's offense before it could
get started. The early services that the #3 player from Hewitt was
able to make in Saturday night's game were not available on
Sunday afternoon due to Decatur's tight defensive pressure on the
ball - a credit to good coaching. Without the balls over the
top from #3, Hewitt's #9 player had to go out near the midline in
order to get the ball. With Derek, Lyle, Julian, Sage, Lee
and Chad shadowing his every move he was unable to make the runs
he had made the night before.
The tough early season
conditioning by Coach Josh turned out to be a blessing. I heard
several players thank him for putting them in the proper physical
condition to play in the Tuscaloosa heat. The game was very evenly
played with most of the action in the midfield or along the
touchlines. Both defenses were very tough in their own defensive
thirds of the field. Julian and Lyle turned back all charges near
the touchline and Decatur waited for its chance to
strike.
It came late.
With only ten minutes to go in the game, Jackson and T. J. combined
to provide the decisive goal. Communication was the key. With T.
J. on the left side and Jackson on the ball in the middle, T. J.
yelled at Jackson "one more". Knowingly, Jackson made
one more dribble and slotted
a pass through and behind the remaining three defenders which T.
J. picked up at full speed. With the keeper coming out "near
post" to stop the shot, T. J. hit a "far post" shot
which the keeper was helpless to defend. The Decatur team and
crowd erupted. The last ten minutes were a wild, frantic affair
with Hewitt pushing up all attackers and Decatur using every
effort to defend. Both teams had given their all when the game
time expired. If it had been a fight both teams would have said
"No mas."
It was truly a great
game between two very good teams who left it all on the
field!
|
|
Decatur United U16B wins First Place!
Decatur won the championship with only two substitutes on successive
days where temperatures on the field rarely dropped below 95 to 100
degrees. This was a truly team effort.
If a most valuable player had
to be selected it could have been T. J. with his four goals and
awarding of a penalty kick or it could have been Clayton who stopped
all those shots in the games and in the shootout. Or it might have
been Ben and Sage with their "nerves of steel" shots in
the shootout. Justin was the workhorse, never stopping, working the
ball up and down and up and down the field keeping the opposition's
hands full. Jackson, Tomoaki and Matthew Orlando rotated in and out
of the midfield and forward positions to provide what little relief
they could in the heat.
My MVP selection would be the
defense: "Lee Fanning, Lyle Schneider, Derek Humphries,
Julian Pline, Chad Witherspoon, and keeper Clayton Cox who all
played most every minute of the tournament and who turned back
threat after threat.
Actually the MVP would have to
be the whole team, coach Josh, coach Mike, and the team manager,
Gladys Rees and the parents who did what they could to keep the boys
going when it looked like the heat would get the best of them. This
was indeed a total team effort and a great start to a season filled
with promise. Keep it up boys!
|
|
Sep
9 |
Sun |
U15B
Shockers |
Dublin
1 |
4:00pm |
Won
5-0 |
|
A game in which the younger U15 Shockers were overmatched from the
opening whistle by the U16 Decatur United. Decatur had a 4-0 lead
at the half and moved a lot of players around in the second half. |
|
Sep
15 |
Sat
|
Vestavia
Steamers White U16 |
American
Legion
|
10:00am
|
Won
2-1 |
|
This was a great match for the first 45 minutes. Vestavia
scored the first goal after several close shots by Decatur were
stopped by the Vestavia keeper. By the half Decatur had
rebounded to score two goals to lead 2-1. The second half
was a more physical game as both teams tired in the heat and
emotions got the best of many players. Decatur ended the
game with nine players as two were sent off for red card
offenses. |
|
Sep
18 |
Tue
|
U16B
Shockers |
Kiwanis
|
5:00pm
|
Lost
0-1 |
Decatur lost a very close game late in the 85th minute when a mis-clear
allowed a Shocker striker to poke a ball past Clayton from close
range, allowing him no reaction time to save the ball.
Due to
injuries and players sitting out due to red cards in the game
against Vestavia, Decatur United played a 90 minute game with only
ten players and no substitutes. Several injuries during the game
(Sage and Clayton) forced Decatur to play a large portion of the
game 9 v 11. Yet they held their own and had several chances
to go ahead.
T. J. and Jackson
picked up yellow cards and were forced to play tentatively in
order to avoid red cards which would have cost them a chance to
play in the TNFC tournament this coming weekend. Clayton
made several unbelievable saves which kept the game scoreless but
also played the last half injured and limping and was forced to
throw the ball instead of punting it. Julian replaced
Clayton late in the second half. Matthew was the lone striker
although TJ and Justin made several long runs from the back to
provide some pressure on the Shocker defense. The Shockers
used their extra men to advantage in the second half as they
passed to the ball well and were able to start their attacks at
midfield since Decatur could not put pressure on the ball in the
Shocker's defending third.
It was a good
lesson for Decatur to learn to play down one and two players. The
defense, Chad, Julian, Clayton and Derek played well enough to
win but lack of attackers cost Decatur a chance to
win. |
|
TNFC
Fall Classic Tournament
9/21 - 9/23
Franklin,
Tennessee |
| Sep
22 |
Sat |
Brentwood
(TN) Rage '86 |
Field
21 |
8:00am |
Lost
0-5 |
| Sep
22 |
Sat |
SRFC
'86 Rapids (Smyrna, TN) |
Field
22 |
1:15pm |
Tied
2-2 |
| Sep
23 |
Sun |
Wildcard
Game v Columbia, TN |
Field
21 |
9:15am |
Won
1-0 |
| Sep
23 |
Sun |
Playoff
Game v Brentwood (TN) Rage '86 |
Field
22 |
12:30pm |
Lost
0-5 |
|
Decatur United lost twice to the Brentwood team which won the
tournament by going undefeated and beating the Kicks '86 in the
finals. |
| Sep
29 |
Sat |
Hewitt
Huskies '85 |
Trussville |
2:30pm |
Postponed
No Refs |
| Sep
30 |
Sun |
Anniston
Storm U16 |
American
Legion |
2:00pm |
Won
3-2 |
|
Rocket
City Invitational Tournament
10/6 - 10/7 in Huntsville, Alabama |
| Oct
6 |
Sat |
NASC
Shockers U16B |
John
Hunt 2 |
8:00am |
Tied
0-0 |
| Oct
6 |
Sat |
Hewitt
Huskies '85 |
Huntsville
High East |
12:00pm |
Lost
0-2 |
Missing Justin (running cross-country) and with Ben and Lyle still
suffering the United team came out flat. The United team had
the advantage of a strong wind in the first half but the Shockers
were easily the better
team. In the second half the Shockers had the same strong
wind in their favor but Decatur was the better team in the second
half. Neither team threatened a lot as the cold and the wind
were the real winners.
In the second game the Hewitt-Trussville
Huskies avenged the earlier loss to Decatur. It was not a
great game for either team and Decatur certainly held up their end
of the bargain with a lackluster effort. |
| Oct
7 |
Sun |
Columbia
Hurricanes U16B |
Huntsville
High West |
8:00am |
Lost
0-2 |
| Oct
7 |
Sun |
Wolverines
(Estill Spring, TN) Near Tullahoma (Highland Rim Association) |
John
Hunt 3 |
12:00pm |
Won
2-0 |
As flat as Decatur was on Saturday they came roaring back strong
on Sunday against the two Tennessee teams. In the early
morning game the United team out shot and out played the Columbia
team only to have shot after shot hit crossbar. It was a tough
loss which took them out of contention. The only consoling
fact was that they came off the pitch knowing they had played well
and in soccer the better team doesn't always win.
In the second game Decatur easily outplayed and
won against the Tennessee team. In the second half the players got
to play a lot of positions they normally don't get to play.
Clayton played up front to give him a chance to score.
It was not a great tournament but ended well as the team played
very well in the last two games. |
|
Oct
14 |
Sun |
American
Legion Cookout |
American
Legion |
1-3pm |
. |
| Oct
15 |
Mon |
Mountain
Brook Los Toros |
Brookwood
Forest Elementary School |
7:00pm |
Won
3-0 |
|
The Mountain Brook team came out strong and controlled the game in
the first few minutes. Decatur came back and took control
for the remainder of the match out shooting their opponent.
Tee Jay scored on a "long" penalty kick. Derek and Tomo added goals. Decatur had lots more chances which
they narrowly failed to convert. For the second game in a row in
the second half the players got to play a lot of positions they
normally don't get to play. Justin had a short stint in
goal. |
|
Oct
20 |
Sat |
Vestavia
Steamers White U15B |
American
Legion |
12:00pm |
Won
7-1 |
|
Oct
22 |
Sat |
NASC
Shockers U16 |
American
Legion |
6:00pm |
Won
4-0 |
|
Kicks
Invitational Tournament
10/26 - 10/28
Huntsville, Alabama |
| Oct
27 |
Sat |
Anniston
Storm |
Hunt
2 |
8:00am |
Won
3-2
|
|
Anniston scored twice to lead 2-0 at halftime. Decatur came
back strong with a "Hat Trick" (three goals) by Michael Cole. |
| Oct
27 |
Sat |
ETSF
(East Tennessee Soccer Federation) Falcons '86 (Johnson City, TN) |
Hunt
1 |
1:15pm |
Tied
1-1
|
|
Decatur
scored first and Johnson City tied it up just before the half.
Decatur had the benefit of a strong wind in the second half but it
appeared both teams were tired from their morning games and the
score held even at the end of the game. Decatur finished the
first day of the tournament leading their bracket with 13 points. |
| Oct
28 |
Sun |
Redoubt
Futbol Generals (Chattanooga) |
Hunt
1 |
9:15am |
Lost
1-2
|
|
Decatur knew they would probably need a win in order to advance to
the finals although a tie could get them in. But a total of
ten yellow cards kept both teams off their normal game.
Although no red cards were issued both teams had five players who
were tentative about getting a second yellow. The Redoubt
team had great touch on the ball and were able to take a 2-1 win
into the finals against Brentwood. |
| Nov
3 |
Sat |
Mountain
Brook Los Toros U16 |
American
Legion |
10:00am |
Won 5-0 |
|
An good win for
Decatur in what was a very clean game played on a beautiful
"soccer weather" day. |
|
Governor's
Cup
November
9-11, 2001
Montgomery, Alabama |
|
Nov 10 |
Sat |
Trussville Huskies |
Field 5 |
10:00am |
. |
|
Nov 10 |
Sat |
Mobile Ruckus |
Field 10 |
2:30pm |
. |
|
Nov 11 |
Sun |
Baldwin County United |
Field 3 |
1:00pm |
. |
|
Nov 11 |
Sun |
U16 Div II Finals |
Field 10 |
4:00pm |
. |
|
. |
. |
. |
. |
. |
. |
|
Nov
17 |
Sat
|
NASC
Shockers U15 |
Madison |
12:00pm |
.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
