FC77 Rangers 6:3 CHA CHA CHA

FC77 Rangers 6 - 3 CHA CHA CHA

(McConnachie 25', 65'; Radigan 55', 75', 90'+3'; Gaffney 85')

The Spring 2009 GPSD O-30 Third Division Rose City season ended in glorious victory for the Yellow and Black, as the Rangers unleashed a volley of second half goals to defeat second place CHA CHA CHA and effectively end their chances of playing Green Dragons for the division championship. The resulting contest turned into an exciting goal-fest for the second 45 minutes and even got a little chippy, with CHA seeing yellow twice for late and dubious challenges on the home side. Mild temperatures, nearly invisible field markings, and Match Day One referee Saul Hernandez were all in place and 'Gers found themselves facing an orange menace eager to play in the post-season and prove that the previous 2-2 draw was a fluke on an otherwise strong season.

Yeah, it was a fluke all right. We should have beat you the first time, too! Go fluke yourselves!

Starting XI:

Ingersoll, goalkeeper

Vogel - Bauman - Seaton, fullbacks

Snyder, holding midfielder

Fahrbach - Radigan - Muralt - Sibanda, midfielders

Burden - McConnachie, strikers

Reserves:

King, Gaffney

Eager to prove that his previous foray into recreational goalkeeping was not just, well, a fluke, Ingersoll donned the keeper's gloves and purple jersey again. (Plus, it made him feel pretty.) As he warmed up in the box, Bauman assumed the captain's duty and promptly lost the coin toss. 'Gers started off defending the Powell Street End and immediately assumed control of the match. McConnachie got two early headers nearly on frame that signaled intent, ably fed from both wings by a commanding midfield that was up and back. Fahrbach was forced to come off early with a hamstring(?) injury, allowing King to slide in and sustain a very offensive-minded scheme that kept the CHA keeper on his toes and busy for the opening thirty minutes. The fullbacks made sure Ingersoll was untroubled, keeping CHA's shots to a comfortable distance and shouting clear instructions about strikes going wide. Snyder made a Ryan Giggsian FA Cup-esque run from the left side, through the center, and fired near side to the keeper's left. He was unlucky not to connect. Our passing was very solid, with a healthy mix of short, controlling pushes and probing through balls down the side. McConnachie opened the scoring around the twenty-fifth minute after collecting the ball inside the box and beating the keeper, who had little chance. Muralt and Radigan worked some good give and gos and the entire back line chased down the few stragglers who tried to equalize. At half-time it was 1-0, probably should have been 3-0, and the good guys definitely had the run of play.

CHA started the second half with renewed vigor and began to really ask questions of their own. Ingersoll made a highlight-reel save three minutes in when a low, skittering CHA strike headed for the far post and the diminutive but strikingly handsome manager stretched every inch of his frame to get fingertips on the shot and push it past the woodwork. Unfortunately, the next shot he got a lot less than fingertips on and the match was tied at ones. Radigan put 'Gers back up less than ten minutes later with a crushing blast of his own, fed from Burden (I believe). CHA repeated their straight-forward attack again and caught Ingersoll out of place, who, in all fairness, thought he was more centered between the posts than he actually was when CHA's Giuseppe Rossi lookalike shot to the right. Pissed off that he didn't come out sooner, Ingersoll punted the ball out of the net and 'Gers collectively hung their heads for about four seconds before grinding out another attacking sequence. CHA saw their first yellow for a chippy tackle on Muralt and sometime after the restart McConnachie found space in the middle, perhaps just inside their box, and looped a brilliant arcing shot over the keeper for our third. You get chippy with us, we'll chip you. Alas, more Cha attacks created more shooting chances for the Orangemen and another low strike at Ingersoll bounced up into his chest and deflected to the right, tantalizing close for the delayed runners who were mere inches from equalizing again...until Vogel swooped back like...like...like some awesome Canadian bird of prey (osprey? Do they have ospreys in Canada? They do, don't they?) and cleared the ball off the line...only to be hook slid from behind for CHA's second yellow. King, who had been tracking back nicely all match, got in on the action and gave the guilty party some choice words of his own. We Rangers do look after our own.

A third CHA run, similar to the first two, did get them their equalizer around the seventieth and despite Seanny's move off the line, he was too little to cut off all the angles and found himself collecting the ball out of the net yet again.

Which totally sucks, by the way. It makes you feel a little less awesome.

Radigan, however, still had some awesomeness left in him and got a brace around minute 75, again fed from Burden (if I'm not mistaken). [Editor's note: From one hundred yards away, a lot of the subtleties of these plays are lost, especially when I'm internally beating myself up like Chris Farley after letting in three in twenty minutes. Feel free to leave comments and embellish any of the on-pitch action. Bonus points if you reference other teammates.] Gaffney, who had been watching the second half with detached coolness, came on and immediately made sure that the good guys wouldn't go home empty-handed. His speed along the left wing--Sibanda having come off with a hamstring(?) strain that had slowed him down all match--helped shake up the CHA flank and break their shape on more than one occasion. It also allowed Seaton to come forward and engage the plays on both sides of the midline. Gaffney's fresh legs were rewarded with a goal of his own some five minutes from time and Radigan got his second hat trick of the season deep into added extra time when McConnachie obliged him with a lay-off that he rammed down the CHA keeper's gullet.

So we may not be playing in the championship this season, but we certainly did our part to influence who will be playing in it. But really, if it isn't us, Wolfhounds FC, or the Azzurri, do we care? Please phrase your answers in the form of a question.

And then there were none. No more matches to play, no more nets to put up, no more Sundays to be at the MES. Only the fall to look forward to, scantily clad faux cheerleaders (see the post entitled "Jolene the (New) Ranger Cheerleader"), some new faces on the roster, and a big bottle of Jaegermeister in my 'fridge that really needs some help being imbibed, 'cause it would be pathetic to drink it all alone. This season, although a bit of a letdown compared to 2008, still rates as our third highest point total in recent history. I think it is pretty awesome that a plus .500 season still isn't good enough for a bunch of recreational footballers. At last count, nobody was seriously injured this season, we play some good soccer, and we have our own team poster! (Next to a Seanny bobblehead, I think that is about as good as it gets for us adult soccer players!) So again, gentlemen, I thank you for another fun season of footy, paying your fees without threats of violence, and wish you a great summer.

Fall season starts in less than three months!

Match notes...Attendance, due largely to the Rangers-Newcastle double feature at the MES, was a staggering 30-ish...Junior Ranger Kendall, ably assisted by Junior Ranger Stella, sold Gatorade at the match...'Gers finished 4-4-2 on the season...FC77 holds Sunday scrimmages all summer at 2:00 p.m. at Glenhaven Park...Post-season celebration/potluck/party time and date to be determined...check your emails for more information...Aaron Radigan would have won the "Golden Boot" award for the season if we gave one out...