QUICKNESS AND CONFIDENCE PUT KICKER CREW ON TOP

March 17, 2013

Chatham, NJ

     Several of the U7 towns joined Short Sided Soccer for its final U8 tournament later that day.  Croatia took an early lead, yet, again, with older and stronger players.  While they seemed to dominate their division, the Kicker Crew played a friendly against Sayreville, a warm-up that would give them confidence to later sweep their division.  Croatia tried to keep it together in the game against the Kicker Crew, but the boys in yellow destroyed the tie score with the game-winning goal, leading them to the championship game.

     Sayreville, Clark 3, and Morris Plains Destroyers fought to earn first place within their division in very close matches.  Sayreville held on in their first 3v3 tournament ever, playing experienced and highly talented teams.  Morris Plains Destroyers pushed through with nine points, giving them the seat in the final game against Kicker Crew.  This final was full of fancy footwork and precise passing by both teams.  Kicker Crew, however, stunned everyone with continuous megging, roll-overs, and other advanced moves.  This confidence and skill led them to victory in Short Sided Soccer's final Boys U8 3v3 futsal tournament of the season.

Thanks to all teams for participating in both U7 and U8 tournaments.  Best of luck in the spring season!

CLARK CONQUERS WITH CROATIA CLOSE BEHIND

March 17, 2013

Chatham, NJ

     Six teams took the court in Short Sided Soccer's final Boys U7 3v3 futsal tournament of the winter.  The host teams, Kicker Crew 1 and 2, seemed like the teams to beat with early victories against Clark 2 and Sayreville.  However, Clark 1 took command of the white division while Croatia swept the blue.  In a tight encounter, the boys rallied in the final, giving the audience a reason to be entertained.  The game ended 5-4, giving Clark 1 the U7 title.

DEMPSEY DIGS DEEP

March 3, 2013
Morris Plains, NJ


     The second U9 Boys 3v3 tournament of the day consisted of eight competitive teams, all battling for the final U9 Boys turf title of the season.  Tewksbury earned three points from their first game against Team Croatia, where only one goal was scored.  This highly defensive match was followed by a 12-goal game between Liverpool and Celtic SC.  Liverpool took points from their first two games, and met NJ Dempsey in the division qualifying game.  The two quick and experienced teams fought for first place in their division to move into the finals against Tewksbury.  Liverpool could not get around Dempsey, giving Dempsey the chance to beat Tewksbury.  Although Tewksbury came to play, NJ Dempsey walked away as reigning U9 champions.


Our next 3v3 tournament:  March 17th, Futsal, Chatham Day School

FIRST TIME PA WINS SHORT SIDED SOCCER TOURNAMENT

March 3, 2013
Morris Plains, NJ


     The morning U9 Boys 3v3 turf tournament started off with a shutout by Kicker Crew against Parsippany Milan.  This early boost of confidence helped the Kickers maintain close scores in their next two games.  Fairview SAF returned to Parisi with assurance, and dominated the field with tricky plays and massive pressure.  Celtic SC, however, showed the teams how to claim a tournament.  With a rocky start, Celtic SC got a feel for Short Sided Soccer's tournament, then ended up winning it, making their long, four-hour trek from State College, PA worth it.

SKELETONS UNITED FINISH ITS “BONE VOYAGE” WITH CONQUEST

February 24, 2013
Morris Plains, NJ

     The reigning U8 3v3 futsal champs, the Skeletons United, returned to fight for Short Sided Soccer’s 3v3 turf title.  Starting the tournament off strong, Skeletons United claimed a win against Millburn Fury, a solid competitor in past tournaments.  Westfield proved that the Skeletons weren’t the only team with a strong offense, finishing the tournament with six points.  In the blue division, the six-year-old Lady Kickers brought a monumental passion to their first game, playing an incredible game of offense against the Falcon Fury.  The audience was entertained by the young girls’ fight, and the players were awed.  Falcon Fury, however, scored the winning goal in the last couple of minutes to defeat the little ladies, 6-5.  The Lady Kickers’ hot start to the tournament gave the players confidence, but their following competitors vanquished them with experience and size.  Falcon Fury met Skeletons United in the final game.  United played the field almost mechanically, making precise passes around defenders.  Their simple game play and keen vision led them to victory.

 

     Congratulations to all teams for playing in Short Sided Soccer’s last U8G 3v3 tournament of the winter.

THE STARS COME OUT AND SHINE

February 24, 2013
Morris Plains, NJ

     The girls in red brought the heat to Sunday’s U8 girls 3v3 turf tournament.  These Hoboken All Stars broke off into two teams to battle four other clubs for the final U8G Short Sided Soccer title of the winter.  Hoboken took an early lead against Clark with a 5-3 win, followed by Hoboken 2’s similar victory of 6-3 over Millburn Fever B.  Despite Hoboken’s wins, Millburn Fever A, B, and Clark came to play, giving the Hoboken teams a run for their money.

    Just as Hoboken claimed another 3 points, The Unit showed up with size and force, surprising the competition.  The Unit took control of the blue division defeating Millburn Fever B and Hoboken All Stars 2.  The Unit leaped into the finals against Hoboken 1, and played a commendable game of defense.  Although The Unit’s size, strength, and skill led them to the top of its division, Hoboken showed no signs of intimidation, and stole the show, 3-1.  The Hoboken girls, once again, are winners of the U8 girls 3v3 turf tournament.

     Thanks to all U8 girls teams for participating in Short Sided Soccer’s tournaments throughout the winter.  Best of luck in the spring, and we hope to see you at another one of our future tournaments.

MONTVILLE MAKES MERITORIOUS MARK

 

 

 

February 17, 2013

Morris Plains, NJ

 

     The Clark Crushers arrived hoping to do just that at Short Sided Soccer’s U8 Boys 3v3 turf tournament on Sunday.  Crushers 1 met Crushers 3 in the first match- a close one- resulting in only a 2-goal triumph for Crushers 3.  The next game consisted of much more offense between Clark Crushers 2 and Morris United Red Bulls 2.  Scoring eight goals each, the crowd was pleased with a mass-action game.  Montville started off their winning streak with eight goals and eventually swept their division.   

     On the blue side, the Kicker Crew held up a strong defense against its competitors, maintaining a high goal differential.  Kicker Crew carried their nine points to the final against the mighty Montville.  A real nail-biter, the championship game served as pure entertainment for its spectators.  Tied 5-5, Montville came back from being down in the first part of the game to win the title of Short Sided Soccer’s final U8 3v3 turf tournament for the winter.

 

Our next U8 Boys 3v3 futsal tournament: March 17th

THEY GOT THE BEAT

February 10, 2013
Morris Plains, NJ


The U10 girls 3v3 turf tournament consisted of eight powerful teams from all parts of New Jersey.  The white division's Kinnelon and returning champs, Caldwell Crush, went 2-0 up until their game against each other, which would determine who would be worthy of the championship game.  Caldwell narrowly edged Kinnelon to make it to the finals.  The U10 Power ended their first 3v3 tournament with an impressive 2-1 record.  Beat, however, danced into the finals with ease, meeting Crush.

The showdown between the two undefeated teams was an intense match.  The bigger and stronger Caldwell Crush faced a challenge against the organized and highly-skilled Scotch Plains Beat.  Caldwell reduced the deficit to 4-3 off of exciting set plays.  Beat was able to hold off the pressure, scoring three more goals, to win the game 7-3.

Congratulations to all the girls for playing in this competitive tournament.

QUAD UPPER 90 RISES TO TOP

February 10, 2013
Chatham, NJ 

     Short Sided Soccer’s U13/U14 Boys 3v3 futsal tournament consisted of four U13 teams in one division and four U14 teams in another.  Teams battled for their age group title over twelve competitive and fast-moving games.  Quad Upper 90 took an early lead in the U14 division over Morris Plains FC White, setting the stage for the rest of the talent.  East Hanover United played a more defensive game, only allowing four goals by Morris Plains FC Red and six by Morris Plains FC White.  The determining game of the division would be East Hanover United versus Quad Upper 90.  Ending in 10-6, Quad Upper 90 lept into the finals, waiting to learn who their rival would be.

     The U13 division was even more competitive with Union Warriors picking up three points right away over Summit United.  Summit retaliated with two wins, giving them six points, which would place them in a three-way tie for first place.  Morris Hotspur took a win over Millburn Braves, the newer crew to 3v3 futsal.  Their first time playing futsal was incrementally developmental game by game.  Scoring only one goal in the first game did not intimidate the Braves, but gave them motivation to score five more in their next game against Union Warriors.  This would only be momentum for their last game against Summit, the best offensive performance of the day.  With nine goals scored, the Braves walked away proud for learning the game and not holding back.  The three-way tie for first place among Summit United, Union Warriors, and Morris Hotspur was undone when Morris Hotspur defeated Union Warriors in the qualifier.  The five goal differential put them in the lead to battle the U14 Quad Upper 90 boys.  The impressive play by the U13 boys did not make it easy for the more experienced Upper Quad 90.  Pass after pass, both teams proved their positions in the final game with beautiful footwork and simple game play.  Age triumphed, however, and Upper Quad 90 won, 11-7. 

Congratulations to all teams for participating in this combination tournament.

PARSIPPANY DETONATES AVALANCHE IN PENALTY KICKS

February 3rd, 2013
Morris Plains, NJ

     The U10 Boys 3v3 turf tournament brought in eight top-notch teams from Mahwah to Mount Olive.  The first game between the Green Bulls 1 and Mahwah Raiders was simply a foreshadowing of the placing for the championship game.  Mahwah defeated the Green Bulls, and then the Morris United Mustangs in two high-scoring, offensive matches.  The Clifton Stallions' stampede of victory followed not far behind Mahwah, making their head-to-head division qualifier a tense one to watch.  Mahwah triumphed, meeting PSC (Parsippany) Avalanche in the championship game.

     Meanwhile, in the other bracket, PSC Avalanche took an early lead with a 5-4 win over the top-ranked ICON FC.  Surprising their competition, PSC Avalanche continued their winning streak to sweep their conference.  Their competition in the final game would not leave Parisi Speed School without a fight, however.  Mahwah Raiders stayed ahead until the last 30 seconds when Parsippany shot the equalizer to Mahwah in their goal box- an automatic goal, which resulted in a penalty kick shoot-out.  After missing two shots, Mahwah left fate in PSC's feet.  PSC Avalanche took full advantage and made the shot, winning the tournament.

Congratulations to all teams for participating in Short Sided Soccer's 3v3 turf tournament.

Our Next U10 Boys tournament:  March 10th, 2013, Futsal, Chatham Day School

GIRLS UNLEASH FURY IN FIRST-RATE COMPETITION

February 3, 2013

Chatham, NJ

     STA Fury’s highly competitive red and white teams arrived early and ready to play 3v3 futsal against the aggressive Ocean Wildcats, a worthy opponent from the last U14 Girls 3v3 tournament.  Fury Red 1 dominated each of their games, netting 9 to 15 goals per game.  Although Ocean took some knocks along the way, their cool composure withstood the heat of Fury White, matching the impressive 15-goal record for a single game. Ocean held on strong in the waves of their competition, but could not defeat the intense fury of Red 1 and 2.  The Fury Red teams sparred in the final game, which led to a 3-2 victory for Fury Red 2.

KINGS OF JUNGLE AND OF FUTSAL

January 27, 2013

Chatham, NJ

     The Den of Lions started off the early-morning U12 boys 3v3 futsal tournament with intense energy and skills so suave.  After comfortable wins over some of the teams, the Den of Lions 1 boys prowled into the finals, hoping to meet their allies, Den of Lions 3.  Much to 3’s surprise, the qualifying game against Hoboken All Stars threw them for a loop with aggressive offense and equally skillful tactics.  At one point during this nail-biter, Hoboken was in the lead, creating chaos from the bleachers.  Their support was heavy, causing Den of Lions to feel uneasy.  Hoboken fell short a couple of times in the defensive zone, allowing Den of Lions to fire an equalizer.  They seized another opportunity from Hoboken, and won the division qualifier, 9-8.  Den of Lions 1 ended up beating their regular-season teammates, Den of Lions 3, in the final game, winning the tournament.

YOUNG BOYS PREPARED FOR CHALLENGE

January 20, 2013

Morris Plains, NJ

     It was a competitive day for the boys in the morning U9 3v3 turf tournament at Parisi Speed School.  The Roxbury Gunners, a flight 1 travel team, showed up with three teams, ready to bring their skill to the table.  Kaboom returned for another exciting, competitive U9 tournament against Hillsborough and the Young Boys.  All boys played tactful offense, scoring many goals, and making advanced moves all over the field.  Kaboom met the Young Boys in the finals, and although their aggressiveness and offensive play led them there, the Young Boys slipped past to win the tournament wit their exceptional passing and great footwork.  All boys did a commendable job, and they should be proud for playing in a high-level tournament.

Our Next U9 Boys tournaments: February 10th, Futsal, Chatham & March 3rd, Turf, Morris Plains