Triangle Y Soccer Club

A tough opening loss against a familiar opponent. The boys came out strong and played very solidly against the wind. Gabriel opened the scoring when he fought off a defender on a loose ball and lofted a shot over the goalie's head. The Crushers bounced back and tied the game before halftime.

The second half was played pretty evenly, but the Hibs could not take advantage of the wind at their backs. Several of Craig's punts got carried by the wind directly to the Crushers' goalie. The Hibs created several scoring chances, but could not finish them. The Crushers finally scored on a long corner kick that got put away by the Crushers' "garbage man" at the far post. Shortly before the final whistle, the Crushers took advantage of a defensive breakdown while the Hibs pressed for the tying goal.

Craig played a solid game in goal while Gerald and JD turned away the Crushers' attack time after time. Buzz, Gabriel, Joey, and Jake worked the middle of the field well to set up several scoring opportunities. A good game all around, but a tough loss to take.

Goals
    Gabriel

Goalkeeper
    Craig: 12 shots, 3 GA, 75.0%

The Hibs rebounded after last week's loss and took it to the Arsenal. Some solid passing and defensive play led to the first goal. Craig took the ball up the sideline and centered it to Joey who put it over the keeper's head. Joey continued to play heads-up and sent a nice thru ball to Adrian who finished it to the far corner to put the Hibs up 2-0 at the half.

The Hibs picked up where they left off when Trevor lofted a long shot over the goalie's head. The Arsenal made the game 3-1 on a breakaway that JD cut off nicely, but the ball made it to another Arsenal player for the goal. The tide turned the Hibs' way again when Gerald took a quick throw-in to Joey who switched the field to Craig who was wide open. Craig's 15-yard shot made it 4-1. Shortly afterwards, Gabriel fought an Arsenal defender for the ball deep in their territory and put it into the back of the net to extend the lead to 5-1.

The Arsenal made it 5-2 on a miscommunication in the Hibs' defense, but the rest of the game was all Hibs. Joey ran down Gerald's cleared ball and one-timed it into the net for a 6-2 lead. Buzz rounded out the scoring when he collected Adrian's pass from the corner, beat 2 defenders, and drilled one past the goalie.

Every player contributed and moved the ball around smartly. More importantly, they beat the other team to the ball and would not let them get anything going. A very solid win.

Goals
    Joey(2), Adrian, Buzz, Gabriel, Trevor, Craig

Goalkeeper
    JD: 16 shots, 2 GA, 87.5%

The Hibs ended their 3rd straight away game in style with a solid win over the Sandhills Speed. The 1st half was fairly even, with the Speed getting most of the shots on goal. But the Hibs made the most of their opportunities. About midway through the half, Collin challenged a Speed defender deep in their own territory, won the ball, and crossed it to Ryan. Ryan made a nice move around the Speed keeper and placed the ball into the net for a 1-0 lead.

The Speed came out strong in the 2nd half and put constant pressure on the Hibs. But, Craig's outstanding goaltending preserved the lead. The Hibs had some of their own chances as well, but couldn't capitalize. However, with only 15 seconds left in the game, Joey collected a cleared ball, and sent JD all alone into the Speed's half of the field. JD beat the goalie with a beautiful shot and capped the scoring for the Hibs' 2-0 victory.

Graham, Gabriel, and Trevor played outstanding defense against a strong Speed team that moved the ball around well and controlled the tempo of the 2nd half. Craig and the defense kept them out of the net and earned the shutout.

Goals
    Ryan, JD

Goalkeeper
    Craig: 18 shots, 0 GA, 100%

It's tough to win when you spot your opponent 3 goals, but I thought the Hibs were capable of doing just that. The first half started fairly evenly, but the Strike gained some confidence when JD bobbled a long shot right to an opponent who put it away. Another defensive breakdown lead to the Strike's 2nd goal. Their 3rd goal came directly from our ensuing kickoff when they intercepted our drop pass and drove right in for the score.

The Hibs finally woke up after that and started challenging for the ball a bit more. Collin, Ryan, and Graham played solid defense to keep the Strike at bay, while Buzz, Craig, and Gabriel turned the tide in the middle of the field. The Hibs' 1st goal came when Buzz made a smart pass behind the defense to send Joey on a breakaway. He finished that one to start the comeback. Right before halftime, Craig made a long thru pass to Joey, whose speed was too much for the Strike defense. Joey blasted that shot past the keeper to bring the Hibs within one.

The Hibs came out in the 2nd half and pressed for the tying goal, but the Strike took a 2 goal lead again after a scramble in front of the goal found the back of the net. The Hibs finally woke up and began playing tough soccer. The defense tightened up and JD made some spectacular saves to hold the Strike out of the net. Gerald and Collin chipped in by clearing some balls off the goal line.

Adrian, working hard in the middle of the field, stole a Strike pass, beat 2 guys, and made a nice pass to Joey, who blew past the Strike defense for his 3rd goal of the game. The Hibs continued to press and created several opportunities to score, but they just couldn't finish the comeback.

Goals
    Joey(3)

Goalkeeper
    JD: 23 shots, 4 GA, 82.6%

A loss of focus seemed to be the difference in this game. It was an evenly played match that the Hibs just couldn't seem to get into. And the Battery took full advantage of the Hibs' lack of intensity. A long shot that snuck under the crossbar was the difference.

Trevor, Ryan, and Gerald played well in the middle and set up several scoring chances. But, the Hibs just couldn't finish their opportunities. The defense played strong but the Hibs couldn't keep a sustained attack and got shut out for the first time this season.

Goals
    none

Goalkeeper
    Craig: 15 shots, 1 GA, 93.3%

The Hibs started out slowly and the Express kept them out of the net with some good defensive play. Gerald, Joey, and Buzz created some good opportunities later in the 1st half, but the Hibs just couldn't capitalize. The Express went up 1-0 on a long shot that sneaked under JD's dive. The Hibs did not give up and slowly started to dictate the pace of the game.

With Trevor, Graham, and Ryan shutting down the Express' attack, Buzz played a long ball towards the goal, which the goalie bobbled. A heads-up play by Craig made the score 1-1. Shortly afterward, Joey made a nice square pass to Craig. He turned and ripped a 25-yard rocket that surprised the Express goalie and put the Hibs up 2-1.

The Hibs continued to dominate and it paid off when Jake took a drop ball deep in the Express territory. The ball squirted to Gerald who crossed it to Buzz at the top of the goal box. He quickly pushed it to Joey on the left. His one-time shot found the back of the net for one of the nicest goals scored all season.

A good finish to a slow start put the Hibs back at .500 for the season.

Goals
    Craig(2), Joey

Goalkeeper
    JD: 14 shots, 1 GA, 92.9%

The Hibs came out confident and put pressure on the Blue right from the start. Gabriel opened the scoring in the 2nd minute when he followed one of Joey's shots and put the rebound in the back of the net. Gabriel continued to show his nose for the ball when he took in a free kick from Buzz and blasted it past the goalie.

The Hibs dominated the play and wouldn't let the Blue get anything going. Joey joined the mix after he took a sideline pass from JD, beat a defender and lofted a shot from a tough angle over the keeper's head for the 3 goal lead. Jake rounded out the scoring in the first half by putting a free kick over the goalie's head from 15 yards out.

The Blue came out strong in the second half and put some pressure on the Hibs. But Trevor, Graham, and Gerald turned them away. Eventually, the odds caught up with the Hibs and the Blue put one past Craig to get on the scoreboard.

But Buzz, Joey, and Gabriel continued to control the middle of the field and take the play to the blue. Late in the game, Gabriel sent a lofting ball over the defense. Collin's one-time volley whizzed by the Blue keeper to round out the scoring.

Overall, the Hibs played a solid game, constantly challenging for the ball and not letting the Blue get things started. Nice movement of the ball generated plenty of counter-attacks, and pressure in the opponent's end resulted in good scoring opportunities.

Goals
    Gabriel(2), Joey, Jake, Collin

Goalkeeper
    Craig: 10 shots, 1 GA, 90.0%

Sometimes you come up against a really good team. Sometimes, events in a game change momentum dramatically. I think both of these things happened on Sunday. After the start of the game was delayed, the Hibs started up and played well. Ryan, Gabriel, and Trevor kept the Storm's attack at bay, while Joey, Buzz, and Gerald kept the Hibs' attack alive. Adrian and Joey set up several chances along the left side, but just couldn't finish. For a good portion of the first half, the Hibs had the better part of the play and controlled the action.

Midway thru the first half, Gerald sent Jake on a breakaway with a nice thru ball. The Storm keeper beat Jake to the ball, but tackled with his spikes up, resulting in a penalty shot for the Hibs. The Storm keeper anticipated Buzz's shot well and made a terrific save. This gave a real boost to the Storm and seemed to take the wind from the Hibs' sails. They still played well, but the scoring chances got fewer and the defense was playing with their backs against the wall. Eventually, the Storm starting putting balls in the net and held a 2-0 lead by halftime.

The second half was played primarily in the Hibs' defensive end, and they had difficulty sustaining any kind of pressure. They slowly got their edge back and created some scoring chances, but it was late in the game and the Storm had already put 2 more on the board. The Storm are a very good team, but we definitely played them even for a good portion of the game. They took advantage of their opportunities and pushed hard when momentum was with them. A solid performance by the Hibs, but a good lesson in the mental aspect of the game.

Goals
    none

Goalkeeper
    JD: 13 shots, 4 GA, 69.2%

This season finale started out pretty even but I knew we were up against a long-ball team pretty quickly. Ryan, JD, and Graham were chasing balls over their heads for most of the first half and Craig was there to collect them up. Unfortunately, one of those long balls caught Craig off his line and went over his head to give the Revolution a 1-0 lead.

The Hibs battled back with Gabriel, Gerald, and Adrian leading the charge. A few missed opportunities were followed by a throw-in deep in the Revolution's territory. Gabriel's long throw found Jake, who tried to pound it through several defenders. A scrum in front of the net ensued and Adrian patiently waited for the ball near the goal line and tapped it in for the equalizer.

The Hibs came out quickly in the 2nd half and got the go-ahead goal within the first minute. JD dribbled out of his own half and switched the ball over to Gerald on the right side. Gerald carried to the top of the goal box and crossed it over. It got by Jake, but JD was up on the play to finish it into the back of the net.

The rest of the half was pretty even with the Hibs getting several excellent opportunities that they just couldn't finish. The Revolution were awarded a penalty shot after Graham got tangled with an opponent in the box. They made good on that to tie it up again.

The Hibs continued to have trouble with the Revolution's long balls, but still made several counterattacks that they couldn't finish.

There were some outstanding passing combinations all day and solid defense by Ryan, JD, and Gabriel. But, the Hibs let the Revolution control the middle of the field and get their attack started. A solid game that should've had a better result.

Goals
    Adrian, JD

Goalkeeper
    Craig: 16 shots, 2 GA, 87.5%

The air was a chilly 40 degrees, but the Hibs came out hot against their first opponent. Within the first minute of the starting whistle, Joey collected a long ball from Gabriel and beat the keeper to put the Hibs up 1-0. The Hibs continued to dominate the middle of the field, with Buzz controlling most of the action. He worked the ball with Gerald and Adrian to keep constant pressure on TFC's defense.

About mid way thru the first half, Joey and Buzz generated a beautiful passing sequence that sent Joey behind the TFC defense once again. His shot hit the upright, but Buzz was trailing the play and put the rebound in the back of the net for the 2-0 halftime lead.

The Hibs continued to dominate in the second half. The defense was stellar and Ryan, Graham and Gabriel constantly frustrated TFC's attackers. Late in the game, Adrian took a thru ball from Gabriel and beat the TFC goalie for the final tally of the game.

Goals
    Joey, Adrian, Buzz

Goalkeeper
    JD: 8 shots, 0 GA, 100%

As the weather warmed up, the Hibs had a 5.5-hour delay to contend with. But, they shook off the cobwebs and put it to the Rovers. The defense was strong again as Gabriel, Ryan, and Graham turned away the Rovers' attack. Craig opened the scoring when he took Gabriel's pass, beat a defender and blasted one past the goalie.

Collin, Buzz, and Adrian hustled the Rovers off the ball and created good offensive pressure. The Hibs took immediate control in the 2nd half and made the game 2-0 when Graham's lead pass to Craig caught the defense by surprise. Craig finished that one to get his second goal of the game.

Late in the game, the Rovers got a break when an attacker ran onto a misplayed ball and beat JD for their lone goal. This was only the fourth Rovers shot.

The Hibs' 2-0 record was tops in their bracket and propelled them to the medal round on Sunday.

Goals
    Craig(2)

Goalkeeper
    JD: 4 shots, 1 GA, 75.0%

Because of the tie-breaking rules, the Hibs met a familiar opponent in the semi-finals, TFC Durham YMCA.

TFC was determined to produce a different result and put the Hibs on their heels with a quick goal. But, once they settled down, the Hibs completely controlled the action on the field. Buzz, Gerald, and Joey were relentless in the mid-field and created numerous scoring chances.

Buzz opened the scoring by rocketing a penalty shot past the TFC keeper. The Hibs took the lead for good later in the 1st half when Craig took Graham's thru ball and beat the keeper.

The 2nd half was completely controlled by the Hibs, but they just couldn't put another goal on the board. The 2-1 win put the Hibs into the finals.

Goals
    Buzz, Craig

Goalkeeper
    JD: 5 shots, 1 GA, 80.0%

Once again, the Hibs started strong and seemed to have total control of the game. Trevor, Collin, Gerald, and Buzz played solid in the middle, but it was Adrian's turn to score the goals.

After stealing the ball at midfield, Buzz sent Joey streaking down the left wing. He drew the defense and then crossed the ball to Adrian who one-timed it into the net. Later in the half, Buzz sent Adrian behind the defense with a nice lead pass. Adrian put his shot over the keeper's head for the 2-0 halftime lead.

The Hibs pressed hard in the second half to put the game away, but got caught on a counter-attack. The Revolution forward put a nice shot past JD to close the gap.

The Hibs worked hard but could not keep the rejuvenated Revolution out of their end of the field. The game was tied up on a beautiful header off a corner kick, which really pumped up the Revolution.

It appeared that the game would be heading into overtime until a tripping call gave the Revolution a penalty shot with 2 minutes to play. JD barely missed the shot that ended up being the winning goal.

Goals
    Adrian(2)

Goalkeeper
    JD: 10 shots, 3 GA, 70.0%