-- 10 a.m. game v. Reston ... The Lasers Find Their Mojo!
When they lost their regular season finale last weekend and fell down to 7th place in the SFL 1st Division league standings it appeared the young but talented Burke Lasers may have plateaued. They had been listless for their last couple matches and headed into the playoffs as an enigma.
It didn't take them long to snap out of their funk in a match against 3rd ranked Reston. These guys were good and came out smokin! They forced the play into the Laser defensive zone but the defense repelled each attack. After making one of his many good saves in goal Laser keeper Boris "Gunner" Gonzales showed why he has his nickname by blasting the ball past midfield to striker Oscar "El Lobo" Elinan. Oscar's quickly created some space before depositing the ball into the corner of the net for a fast 1-0 lead.
The Lasers knew that Reston was going to come at them hard to try and knot the score but the defense was back to their nasty & intimidating selves most of the day. They got the ball up to midfielder Sebastien "Rastaman" Thomas, who showed off some of his skills by blowing by a couple defenders before dishing off to left wing Danny "Cruise Missile" Crowley. Crowley danced by a defender and then buried the ball into the net for a 2-0 lead. The Lasers were hot & wanted more. Laser defender Andy "Hitman" Houghton, back from a 2-game suspension for fighting, sent a nice lead ball up to the "Rastaman" who shielded the ball, spun around one defender and sliced the ball into the net for a commanding 3-0 lead.
The Reston team was stunned by the offensive power unleashed upon them by the Lasers. They tried to stay in the game and did manage to get off a shot that found its mark to cut the lead to 3-1 before the halftime break. The Lasers showed confidence in their eyes during the break and came out in the 2nd half with the intention of totally shutting down Reston. The wily Laser coach took Boris Gonzales out of the nets and wanting to have his fresh legs on the field. He also inserted long-time Laser goalie Danny "Spiderman" Marske into the nets. Both moves proved to be smart as both players soon made big plays to keep the Laser lead intact.
The Laser defense bent but did not break with each surge by the Reston attackers. Marske made a couple saves on point-blank shots to thwart the opposition and help break their will. The Lasers continued to push the attack and had 2 hard shots bang off the crossbar, one by "Gunner" Gonzales and one by Ossamah "Flash" Farhi. Though their shots did not end up in the net they kept the ball in the Reston goal area for most of the half. Final score 3-1.
3:00 game vs Springfield ... Lasers Move into Championship Match!
The Burke Lasers continued their amazing playoff hot streak by tying arch rival Springfield in a hotly contested afternoon match. This is the same Springfield team that initiated a fight in a match earlier this season that eventually cost the Lasers a forfeit and 4 game points. The Springfield team has now forfeited 3 matches this season due to poor sportsmanship. Do you think any of the players needed extra motivation for this match? Bring it on!
The Lasers were foaming at the mouth to get this game started and they came out of the chute swinging. Midfielder Christo "Dagger" Drake did a magnificent job of trying to control the defensive midfield area with running mates Nick "The Warden" Wiseman and Mike "Sumo" DiLuccio. Christo snagged a loose ball and maneuvered upfield before sending a lead ball to Daniel "Ace" Wainless for an early score. Soon after, however, a Laser defender failed to properly clear a deep ball out of the zone resulting in a far too easy shot on goal that found home. Both teams fought hard for the remainder of the half but could not finish off their chances, leaving the score tied at 1-1.
The Lasers knew that they were going to have a fight on their hands in the 2nd half and wanted to be the team to score the next goal. They came out a bit flat to start the 2nd half and were caught off guard by a tricky move on a corner kick that resulted in a goal. The opposition sideline erupted in cheers and the momentum swung in their favor...for now.
The Springfield coach packed in his defense and dared the Lasers to try to score. He got his wish! The Lasers had to dig deep to find the courage to rise to this challenge. They played with heart and kept attacking the Springfield defense until midfielder Eric "The Plumber" Colton finally found a weakness. He deeked out a defender as he moved to the edge of the box and then found all-star left wing Danny "Cruise Missile" Crowley streaking in from the left flank. Colton fed the ball to Crowley and he slammed it home to tie the game at 2-2. The momentum now swung to the Lasers and they went for the win. They shifted into full attack mode by sending everybody but their goalie up front but time ran out.
The result felt like a win and propelled the Lasers into the championship match on Sunday afternoon. They will be paired up against DC powerhouse Soccer on the Hill, who has yet to lose a game all season! Can the upstart Lasers pull off another miracle finish this season?
GO LASERS!!
The Burke Lasers learned earlier this week that they have been assessed a forfeit for their alleged disruptive behavior and actions during a game on 9-22-07 against Springfield 3. The game was halted in the middle of the 2nd half after the referee failed to assume control of the game. His failure led to the pushing and shoving that prompted his decision to halt the match. Though the Lasers were in the lead with a commanding 3-1 score and were initially awarded the win, the SFL Commissioner later decided to simply take the easy way out by assessing a forfeit to both teams. His poor decision was based solely upon the referee's report, even though the Laser coach offered a copy of the game DVD to the SFL to review but they declined his offer.
This forfeit moved the Lasers from 4th place down to 6th place in the 1st Division standings. It will likely move them from a place in the 1st playoff bracket down to the 2nd group of clubs, therefore eliminating any chance they had of competing for 1st place in the league.
The manner in which the SFL treated the Lasers was arbitrary and unilateral by them only considering the referee report as evidence. The officiating was so poor during the game that one can only wonder what his report may have revealed. As disappointing as this is, the team is moving on with the rest of their season. The Lasers have a chance to finish strong against some tough competition, with upcoming games against Reston 1 and Northern VA 2. The following weekend the team has playoff games scheduled on November 10th & maybe 11th.
The team needs to pull together and focus on what is still possible to achieve this season. The SFL might have the power to assess an improper forfeit against the lads, but they do not have the power to stop the Lasers from proving that they still deserve to be considered one of the top teams in the league. It's all up to them now.
GO LASERS!!
