Monday, February 25, 2013

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.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

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

Friday, February 15, 2013

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.

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

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.

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

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

Monday, February 4, 2013

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.