Triangle Y Soccer Club

A rough start to the season. The injury/sickness bug caught the Hibs early this year, so they would have to play with only 1 sub. The Hibs played well in the beginning, controlling most of the action in the middle of the field, but the Lightning were definitely determined to make a game of it and counter-attacked extremely well down the wings.

With the wind at their backs, the Lightning were able to easily put long balls over the top and keep the Hibs on their heels. They finally hit paydirt in the 11th minute and followed that up with another 3 minutes later. The Hibs settled down, but a long shot caught JD off-guard and it was 3-0. The Hibs had difficulty getting the ball wide and had to contend with a mud pit on one sideline. The Lightning made it 4-0 off a deflected shot shortly before the half.

The message to the Hibs at halftime was to get the ball wide and get back to playing soccer -- forget the score and just try to win the half. They took the message well and played a terrific half of soccer. Good movement off the ball allowed them to spread the Lightning defense a bit and in the 50th minute, Buzz and Gerald worked a fantastic wall pass that froze the defense and allowed Joey to break in alone on goal. He lofted the ball over the keeper's head for the Hibs' first goal of the season.

That seemed to energize the Hibs a bit as they played more aggressively and kept the Lightning pinned in their own end for much of the half. Several chances materialized as the Hibs moved the ball smartly up the wings, but they couldn't capitalize. Finally, in the 84th minute, Joey won a 50-50 ball that got to Gabe behind the Lightning defense. He pushed that past the keeper to get the Hibs within 2. But, with about 5 minutes left and the Hibs running out of gas, the Lightning buried another one to finish them off.

The Hibs showed how well they can play when they work together and create space with movement off the ball. A much better effort in the second half.

Goals
      Joey, Gabe

Goalkeeper
      JD: 18 shots, 5 GA, 72.2%

A much better performance this week. The Hibs looked sharp from the beginning, moving the ball wide and making things happen down the wings. Joey opened the scoring in the 6th minute as a thru ball got him behind the defense. His initial shot rang off the crossbar, but he followed it up to knock it in. Three minutes later, a nice wide drive up the wing allowed Brian to push a short ball inside to Joey who buried that one for his 2nd of the game.

The Lightning tightened their defense after that, using the long ball to try and get behind the Hibs' defense. Greg, Graham, and Joey Cables took care of those. The Hibs continued to press with JD and Buzz dominating the middle of the field. In the 20th minute, Garrett collected a clear and buried the ball from well out for his first goal as a member of the Hibs. Joey pressed hard for his 3rd goal and in the 23rd minute, his shot rang off the far post. Will was there to tuck it away for the 4-0 lead.

The Hibs kept the Lightning pinned in their own end and created several scoring chances down the wings. In the 33rd minute, Brian found Gabe deep down the left side. He drove to the end line and pushed the ball across the goal mouth. Evan cranked the ball in full stride from about 2 yards out. After that, the Hibs seemed to get a bit too casual and allowed the Lightning to make some plays in the Hibs' defensive end. Shortly before the half, a deflected shot trickled into the Hibs' goal for the Lightning.

The second half was all Hibs. Joey finally got his 3rd of the game as Buzz worked hard to control the ball at the top of the box and draw defenders. That left Joey all alone 15 yards out, and Buzz was able to get him the ball. The Hibs focused more on working the wings after that while the Lightning tried to play the long ball over the top. Joey Cables was quick off his line and regularly beat the attackers to the ball, turning back any threat. Brian rounded out the scoring with a 25 yard blast that the keeper couldn't handle.

A much better effort from the Hibs; sharper passing, lots of switching, and very good movement off the ball.

Goals
     Joey(3), Brian, Evan, Garrett, Will

Goalkeeper
     Joey C.: 2 shots, 1 GA, 50.0%

A very strange game on a pretty sloppy field. The wet grass made the ball skip and difficult to control, but several deeper puddles near the corners stopped the ball dead, forcing players to overrun it. The Hibs were strong in the middle of the field from the start with Will and Gabriel controlling most of the action. Buzz and Brian made great runs down the wing to get behind the Strike defense, but the sloppy field and crowded box made it difficult for the Hibs to finish any of the chances.

The Strike tried to counter-attack by using the long ball over the top to their speedy forward. One or two chances materialized, but the Hibs' defense was able to turn them back. But, in the 17th minute, the Strike got the break they needed as the long ball worked and their forward was able to finish the opportunity.

The Hibs kept their composure and adjusted their defense to counter the Strike game plan. In the 23rd minute, Gabriel made a nice run deep down the left side, beat his man, and crossed the ball into the crowded box. Buzz collected a misplayed clear and buried it to tie the game. The Hibs maintained their ball control, which seemed to frustrate the Strike players, and the game started to get physical as the Hibs' attack heated up. In the 31st minute, they were awarded a corner kick and Brian's cross skipped into the box a few yards off the goal line. The Strike defender's clear didn't go anywhere and Gabriel was there to pound it in for the 2-1 halftime lead.

The 2nd half was much of the same...Hibs controlling the action, a crowded central Strike defense, deep puddles hindering runs down the wing, and the long ball behind the Hibs' defense. The physical play also escalated as Strike players tried to slide tackle, but were a little over aggressive, resulting in several verbal warnings and one yellow card. The Hibs did manage to create several chances, but the field made it tough to get off clean shots on the run, forcing them high or wide. In the 70th minute, Gerald worked hard on the right side to win and control the ball within several defenders and move it to Gabriel behind the defense. He finished that one to put the game away.

Goals
     Gabriel(2), Buzz

Goalkeeper
     Joey C: 9 shots, 1 GAA, 88.9%

The game started as a pretty even match, with the Ambush doing their best to make runs down the wing and get the ball across. The Hibs controlled the middle of the field, but tried to force everything up the center and couldn't penetrate. They slowly took over the pace of the game and reduced the Ambush to quick counter attacks. Josh, JD, Greg, and Juan were strong in the back and turned those away repeatedly. In the 13th minute, one of the Hibs attacks drew a foul in the box; Brian put the PK away to open the scoring.

After a few minor adjustments, the Hibs began to push their attack up the wings on the wide field and create scoring chances. They also began to test the Ambush keeper with shots from the outside. Garrett's long, floating shot found it's way over the keeper's head in the 16th minute for the 2-0 lead. The rest of the half was much the same as the Hibs sent waves of attack at the Ambush defense. But the Ambush pulled more and more players back, which clogged passing and shooting lanes. Late in the half, Garrett almost had his 2nd of the game on a nice header from a corner kick, but the Ambush keeper was able to slap it away.

The second half was pretty much the same; the Hibs worked the wings relentlessly as the Ambush tried to win the middle of the field and create some offense. JD, Greg, and Josh were stellar in the back and shut down everything the Ambush could bring at them. The Hibs had plenty of scoring chances, but the Ambush were blocking shots and doing everything they could to keep the ball from penetrating.

In the 60th minute, Juan's pass from the left side hit Evan as he made a nice run across the top of the box. He touched it past the defense and found himself in alone on the keeper. He flicked the ball to the far post to make the score 3-0. Three minutes later, Gerald pushed the ball inside from the right and Will blasted a 20-yard laser to the far post that the keeper had no chance on.

With the score pretty much out of reach, the Hibs got a bit casual in the middle of the field, which allowed the Ambush to generate more scoring chances. In the 65th minute, the Hibs had difficulty clearing a corner kick and an Ambush player was there to break the shutout.

Overall, the Hibs played a solid game, moved the ball extremely well and took advantage of the large field. They controlled most of the action, but seemed to bog down once in scoring position. The defense really stepped up and forced the game to be played mostly in the opponent's half of the field.

Goals
     Brian, Garrett, Evan, Will

Goalkeeper
     Joey C: 4 shots, 1 GAA, 80.0%

A very good game against a big, fast, physical Lumber River team. As usual, the Hibs knew they would have their hands full with this opponent. The Gunners came out quickly and used the big field to push the ball wide and make some deep runs into the Hibs' defensive end. For the first 10 minutes or so, the Hibs were on their heels and having difficulty transitioning out of their own end. A few scoring chances were turned back with some good saves and solid defending.

JD and Graham settled the defense and began working the ball out, which opened the game up. The Gunners began having their own difficulty penetrating and the Hibs started to dictate the pace and control the game. They pushed the ball wide as they transitioned, but turned to the middle too early on the attack and couldn't get past the Gunner's sweeper. A few good scoring chances materialized, but they just couldn't finish. In the 40th minute, Evan drew the defense out on the left side and played the ball in to Graham who blasted a 30-yard shot over the keeper's head.

The Hibs lost their edge at the beginning of the second half and the Gunners took back control of the game. Once again, the defense struggled to clear and the midfield couldn't hold onto the ball to transition. In the 60th minute, the Gunners tied the game as their forward got behind the defense and blasted a shot.

The Hibs buckled down after that and Will, Graham, and Garrett started taking over the midfield and generating chances. In the 68th minute, Brian's corner kick went right thru everyone into the box where Evan stepped up and blasted it home. The Hibs seemed energized after that and started taking it to the Gunners. Evan and Will pressured their defenders and made it difficult for them to move the ball out while Buzz and Graham shut down the midfield. The Gunners mounted a few more attacks, but Juan, Josh, Greg, and JD were stellar in the back to turn them away.

A very good effort by the Hibs as they moved the ball smartly and made some great runs into space to create opportunities. They were a little flat at the start of the second half, but slowly got back into it and took control of the game again.

Goals
     Graham, Evan

Goalkeeper
     Joey C.: 7 shots, 1 GA, 85.7%

Another frustrating game against this opponent. While the Charge have some good players with excellent speed and skills, their basic mode of operation is to play an offside trap, compress the field, and try to put long balls over the top. The offside trap caught the Hibs at least 20-30 times (although some were questionable), which took them completely out of their game.

Since we've played this team several times, it was easy to predict what they would do. However, the Hibs' midfielders held the ball too long and the forwards could not break their habit of running straight up the field. Instead of playing wide and working the ball to penetrate, the Hibs played right into the Charge's hands and tried to hit the homerun every time. Of course, it didn't work. And, because the Charge defenders were quickly at midfield once the ball was cleared -- most times on an offside free kick -- the field got crowded and the Hibs weren't able to move the ball effectively.

Most of the first half was repetitious: Charge long ball intercepted by Hibs defenders; move the ball out and get caught offside on the last thru ball. Frustrating. However, there's an old adage that if you live by the offside trap, you'll die by the offside trap. And, in the 43rd minute, that's what happened. On a Hibs goalkick, the Charge defense lined up on the midfield line. But, when their center back misplayed the ball, Gabriel ran past him and came in 1-on-1 with the keeper...1-0 Hibs.

The second half was more of the same, but in the 52nd minute, a nifty bit of footwork got a Charge forward free in the corner and his cross was headed in for the tie. Ten minutes later, the Hibs took a bad foul at the top of the box and the resulting shot was a beauty in the upper 90. The Hibs settled down after that and tightened up the defense. Garrett, Greg, and Josh shut down just about everything that came their way, and JD transitioned well out of the back. The forwards began to delay their runs slightly and the offside calls weren't coming as quickly.

In the 67th minute, a Charge defender caught up to a deep ball near his own goal line and turned to play it out, but Will was there to shut that down. He battled hard to win the ball and put it across the goalmouth where Juan pounded in his own rebound after the keeper made the initial save. While the Charge continued to step up to catch the Hibs offside, Evan and Colin beat the trap a few times to create opportunities. But, the Hibs couldn't finish them off.

Goals
     Gabriel, Juan

Goalkeeper
     Joey C.: 10 shots, 2 GA, 80.0%

Another long drive to Lumberton on a hot day with only 1 sub. I thought the Hibs would have their hands full with this Crush team, but it was a remarkably even game to start. With the wind at their backs, the Crush played long balls and tried to catch the Hibs' defense off-guard. A few chances materialized, but the wind bent a corner kick into the Hibs' goal in the 5th minute to give the Crush the early lead.

The Hibs answered about a minute later when Colin took a quick throw-in on the right sideline. Evan scooped it up, beat his man and found Gabriel making a great diagonal run thru the Crush defense. He finished off the 1-on-1 opportunity to tie the game.

The rest of the half was very even as both teams got some good chances and tried to control the middle of the field. Joey made some great saves and was aggressive off his line to snuff out any scoring plays. And, the Hibs defense was strong, turning back the Crush as they neared scoring range. The Hibs continued to work the ball smartly down the wings, but couldn't finish anything off.

The second half was pretty much the same -- very even play in the middle punctuated by good scoring chances, including one that was cleared off the goal line by Garrett. In the 58th minute, a Crush attacker got past his man and beat Joey to the near post. It took a while for the Hibs to recover as the heat started to get to them and the game began to get chippy.

In the 72nd minute, Gabriel's long, high free kick was mishandled by the keeper. The ball bounced off the crossbar and Evan was there to put it away. The Hibs pressed hard after that and had several great chances on corner kicks and breakaways, but they ran out of time. An excellent game.

Goals
     Gabriel, Evan

Goalkeeper
     Joey C.: 12 shots, 2 GAA,  83%

An interesting way to wrap up the season. A totally dominating performance with just as much difficulty finding the net. Lots of wind, high temperatures, and a very hard field made controlling the ball pretty difficult for both teams. The Hibs took it to the Cobras right from the onset and controlled the action. Graham was dominant in the middle of the field while the runs down the wings were terrific.

The Cobras were faced with wide runs from Colin and Joey, overlapping runs from Gerald and Buzz, and diagonal runs from Gabriel and Juan. It all added up to plenty of opportunities, but the Hibs were too anxious and didn't set up for that quality shot. They also overplayed their switches and the crosswind carried the ball too far. The half ended with no score.

As we all know, if you let a team hang around long enough, they'll make you pay. And, in the 2nd half, the Cobras got some long balls over the top as the Hibs tried hard to break the ice. Luckily for the Hibs, they weren't able to capitalize. In the meantime, the Hibs continued their dominance and kept the Cobras pinned into their own end for much of the time.

Finally, in the 66th minute, Joey made the play near the top of the box that got Evan free behind the defense. He buried that one for the 1-0 lead. Four minutes later, some pressure on the Cobra's keeper got the ball free on the left side. Colin was able to get it across the goalmouth to Will. His shot was blocked, but Colin blasted it in for the 2-0 lead. For the last 10 minutes of the game, the Hibs sent wave after wave in on goal, but could't find the handle.

Not the best way to finish up the season, but a win is a win. Now, it's a 2 week break and on to Wilmington...

Goals
    Evan, Colin

Goalkeeper
     Joey C.: 1 shot, 0 GAA, 100%

The Hibs opened the tournament with an opponent they met in last year's tournament. PTFC White was a Classic team then, but dropped down to Challenge this year. Based on a very close game last year, the Hibs expected a good challenge. But, it only took them 4 minutes to get on the scoreboard. Colin sent Evan deep down the right sideline where he beat his man and played the ball across the middle of the box. Buzz smoothly pushed the ball to the far post for the 1-0 lead.

PTFC settled down after that and the game turned into an end-to-end affair with both teams having decent scoring chances. The Hibs controlled most of the action in the middle, but just couldn't finish off. In the 25th minute, PTFC got the break they were looking for as the long ball got past the defense and the attacker popped it over Joey's head as he came off his line.

That woke the Hibs up as they started to really put the pressure on. In the 36th minute, a Hibs corner kick sailed across the box and Buzz challenged for the header. Gabriel banged it home after a few seconds of scramble in front of the net, giving the Hibs the 2-1 halftime lead.

The second half was all Hibs as they sent wave after wave of attack at the PTFC defense and kept them pinned into their own end of the field. Gabriel made it 3-1 with a 20-yard rocket on a free kick in the 48th minute. In the 56th minute, Gerald intercepted a PTFC goal kick and lofted it over the defense where Joey chipped it over the keeper's head. One minute later, it looked like instant replay as Gerald received a switched ball and popped it over the defense. Joey gently lifted it over the keeper's head again to put the game away.

An excellent game by the Hibs. They went a little flat after going up 1-0, but turned it on in the second half to control the action. More importantly, they finished their opportunities and didn't let the opponent hang around.

Goals
     Gabriel(2), Joey(2), Buzz

Goalkeeper
     Joey C.: 4 shots, 1 GAA, 75.0%

We knew it was going to be tough playing against a Premier level team, but the injuries bit the Hibs pretty hard making it all that more difficult. TCYSA played a very disciplined brand of soccer and controlled much of the action throughout the game. It only took 7 minutes for them to put one on the board, and they followed that up in the 19th minute for the 2-0 halftime lead.

Juan, Josh, Garrett, and Graham had their hands full for most of the game trying to keep the Twins' attack at bay. Buzz and Colin worked the right side of the midfield to transition, but had difficulty generating any real threat. The Twin's struck again in the 66th and 75th minutes to put the game well out of reach. Joey C. played outstanding in the net, taking away the Twins' opportunity to run up the score.

The Hibs came out of the game with 3 injured players, setting up a real dilemma for Sunday.

Goals
     none

Goalkeeper
     Joey C.: 15 shots, 4 GAA, 73.3%

The Hibs' 1-1 record got them 2nd in their group and set up a game against a big, fast Carolina Select Division I classic team. Carolina had rolled thru their 2 preliminary games by a combined score of 7-0, so their expectations were very high. On the other hand, the Hibs had injuries to contend with and limited subs. But, that's why they play the games.

The Hibs started strong and controlled the middle of the field, shutting down Carolina's game plan, which was to possess the ball in the middle and spring their fast forwards on a long ball. The Hibs put pressure on Carolina's defenders and clogged the middle of the field, closing off their outlets. Carolina was forced to play the ball from a deeper position than they wanted, and it generally rolled harmless to Joey in the net. The Carolina coach and players were very frustrated and it showed in their actions on and off the field.

Carolina was dangerous on corner kicks, though, and got their fair share as some of their attacks were stifled deep in the Hibs defensive end. Very tall defenders were pushed forward as the ball was played into the box. But the Hibs struck first in the 19th minute. Gabriel took a quick throw-in from 25 yards out and Joey got behind his man deep on the left side. He pushed the ball to the penalty spot and Buzz banged it home. The Hibs held onto the lead into the half.

As the Hibs began to tire, the message was to continue the same strategy: frustrate the defenders and midfielders and force the long ball. But Carolina settled down to start the second half and hit paydirt in the 45th minute with a long ball down the right wing. They went down the right side again 6 minutes later and the forward cut the ball back to his waiting teammate. The Hibs got down a bit, but slowly got their energy back towards the end of the game, playing with some urgency.

Will, Joey, and Gabriel were relentless with their pressure up front and fired off a few good shots that didn't connect. The last few minutes were a frenzy as Carolina was back on their heels just clearing it out. The Hibs ran out of time though and dropped the decision 2-1. Very gutsy game by a shorthanded, banged up bunch of players.

Goals
     Buzz

Goalkeeper
     Joey C.: 15 shots, 2 GAA, 86.7%