Triangle Y Soccer Club

The Hibs came out sluggish in their first game in 3 months. Although Ryan, JD, and Graham did a terrific job with the United attack, the driving rain made the ball difficult to handle. The United pressed hard and eventually put a rebound in for the 1-0 halftime lead.

The second half was all Hibs though. Craig only had to handle the ball a few times, while Buzz, Gerald, and Joey worked the middle of the field and kept the ball in the United end. The United escaped the Hibs' relentless attack several times as shots rang off the crossbar and post.

When the game ended, the Hibs were happy to get into some warm, dry clothes. The parents and coaches were right behind them.

Goals
    none

Goalkeeper
    Craig: 10 shots, 1 GA, 90.0%

A very even first half in the wind and rain produced a 0-0 halftime score. JD had to make a few routine saves while Joey, Adrian, and Gerald set up several scoring opportunities.

The explosion of goals in the 2nd half was a welcome sight. Gabriel controlled the defense while the halfbacks continued their dominance. Joey opened the scoring by taking a one-touch pass from Gerald in full stride and pushing it past the keeper. The Ambush stormed back and tied it up as their forward put one past JD's outstretched body.

The Hibs quickly put that goal behind them and began to control the game. Joey got his 2nd of the game and then Buzz made some beautiful moves to draw the defense, which left Adrian open to make the score 3-1. Buzz continued to control the center and set up Collin for a blast into the far corner. Collin continued to stir things up and made a nice cross that Craig finished for the final tally.

Another cold, rainy game. With an opportunity to advance to the championship game, the Hibs were looking forward to drier conditions the next day.

Goals
    Joey(2), Adrian, Collin, Craig

Goalkeeper
    JD: 10 shots, 1 GA, 90.0%

Don't let the score fool you...this was a close game. The difference was that the Revolution took advantage of their scoring opportunities and the Hibs did not.

Surprisingly, the wind wasn't much of a factor in the game as the Revolution were up at the half 2-1 going into the wind and the Hibs kept the play in the Revolution's end for much of the 2nd half.

The Revolution opened the scoring with a nice passing sequence that allowed a forward to get behind our defense. The Hibs answered when Joey carried the ball thru traffic and pushed it over to Gabriel for the score. But the Revolution kept up their attack and put another one in before halftime.

Against the wind in the 2nd half, Craig got a workout receiving the Revolution goalie's punts. But, he started the Hibs' attack with controlled punts and throws to the halfbacks. Buzz, Joey, Trevor, Gerald, and JD created several scoring opportunities but couldn't find the back of the net.

In the meantime, Gabriel, Ryan, Collin, and Graham were stopping the Revolution attack and turning the play upfield. The Revolution got a few balls thru the defense, and one of them beat Craig for the 3-1 lead. The last goal came on a penalty shot that Craig almost saved.

Goals
    Gabriel

Goalkeeper
    Craig: 11 shots, 4 GA, 63.6%

A very frustrating game. The Hibs did a pretty good job on defense and maintained pretty steady pressure during the first half. But, they lost it in the 2nd half. Although the defense remained solid and started numerous counter-attacks, we couldn't maintain steady pressure and get some balls in the net.

The Strike opened the scoring very early in the 2nd half when a quick throw-in caught our defense napping and an attacker got behind them. Craig had no chance on the breakaway. Shortly afterwards, the Hibs tied it up on a penalty shot. JD's initial shot was saved, but he smartly followed it up and put the rebound in the back of the net.

The tie was short-lived as the Strike got a penalty shot of their own and took the lead for good. The Hibs had several chances later in the game, but just couldn't convert. The Strike did a good job of clogging the center, disrupting the one-touch passes, and sending the ball deep into our territory. We just couldn't find the passing lanes to create good scoring opportunities.

Goals
    JD

Goalkeeper
    Craig: 12 shots, 2GA, 83.3%

Right from the start, the Hibs controlled the action. Gabriel, Graham, and Ryan completely shut down the Rovers' offense making JD's goalie duties pretty easy. In the meantime, Buzz, Gerald, and Collin set up the Hibs' attack. Joey opened the scoring in the first 2 minutes by putting away the rebound of Gabriel's shot. He followed that up by burying a thru ball from Gerald.

Shortly afterward, Collin made it 3-0 by collecting a pass from Buzz, beating a defender, and rifling a shot past the keeper. The Hibs kept up the pressure and it paid off when Buzz and Adrian made a nice 1-2 pass to set up Craig's goal for the 4-0 lead. Just before the half, Jake followed one of Joey's shots and beat the keeper.

The 2nd half started off with a bang as Craig's half-field shot went over the keeper's head. The Hibs continued to play exceptional soccer, move the ball smartly, and control the action. Gabriel replaced JD in goal, but the result was much of the same.

JD got on the scoresheet himself when he made a nice run behind the defense and put Graham's pass away. Graham rounded out the scoring with a late penalty shot.

An excellent game by all players contributed to this lop-sided win.

Goals
    Joey(2), Craig(2), Jake, JD, Collin, Graham

Goalkeeper
    JD: 4 shots, 0 GA, 100%
    Gabriel: 1 shot, 0 GA, 100%

The Hibs continued their shutout streak by controlling the action all game.

The first half was ripe with opportunities, but the Hibs couldn't capitalize. Buzz, Adrian, Gerald, and Collin controlled the action and set up several scoring chances. Up front, Gabriel and Jake just couldn't find the trigger. The Raptors made it interesting when a corner kick resulted in a scramble in front of the Hibs' goal. But, Graham cleared the ball off the line ending the threat.

While Ryan, Trevor, and Graham shut down the Raptors attack in the second half, Buzz and Gerald got things going. First, Gerald sent a nice thru ball to Gabriel at the top of the box. He turned, beat his defender, and ripped a shot into the corner to break the ice.

Shortly afterwards, Buzz beat his man near midfield and raced down the sideline. Once he drew some defenders out of the center, he placed a nice cross to Jake's feet. Jake finished that one for the 2-0 lead.

Although Jake's corner kicks had been excellent all day, the Hibs couldn't find the handle on them until late in the game. With only a few seconds left, Jake's corner kick created a scramble in front of the Raptors' net and Buzz drilled the ball to finish off the scoring.

The Hibs were aggressive to the ball all game and totally dominated the action. They were rewarded with a solid victory.

Goals
    Gabriel, Jake, Buzz

Goalkeeper
    JD: 8 shots, 0 GA, 100%

The Hibs controlled the action from the start. Adrian, Buzz, Joey, and Gabriel worked well together to create several scoring opportunities while JD, Ryan, and Graham stuffed the Carolina attack.

Midway thru the 1st half, Gabriel set up Joey with a nice thru ball to get behind the defense. Joey put that one away to open the scoring. Shortly afterwards, Joey broke down the wing and pushed a ball thru the middle of the Carolina box. The goalie mis-judged it and it went all the way thru to Jake, who put it into the open net for the 2-0 lead.

The 2nd half was much of the same as the Hibs would not let Carolina get anything started. Their counter-attack was working well as the Hibs had several scoring chances that they just couldn't finish. Adrian made it 3-0 when he took Craig's long throw-in and beat the keeper.

The Hibs appeared to be on cruise control until an unchallenged Carolina player fired a shot from 25 yards out that Gabriel couldn't handle. That put Carolina on the board. They quickly followed that one up when some mis-communication in the Hibs' defense allowed the ball to spurt out to a Carolina player 20 yards from the goal. He put the ball into the open net to close within 1.

But the Hibs buckled down and the game ended 3-2. All game, several Hibs players made excellent runs into space and set up their teammates. Defenders were also joining in the attack, which created numbers issues for Carolina.

Goals
    Joey, Adrian, Jake

Goalkeeper
    Craig: 2 shots, 0 GA, 100%
    Gabriel: 5 shots, 2 GA, 60.0%

The Hibs kept their winning streak going -- now at 4 games -- by controlling most of the action. You knew it was going to be a good day when the first goal came within 25 seconds of the opening whistle. Buzz and Gabriel worked a nice 1-2 passing combination and Joey split the defense for the opening goal.

The Hibs must have been looking forward to the press clippings, because they cooled off a bit from the opening. They still controlled most of the action, but couldn't penetrate the Durham defense to create opportunities. But, Durham took advantage of one of their lone scoring chances by putting the ball past Craig at close range to tie it up.

But the Hibs rebounded nicely with JD getting one of the best goals of the year so far. Craig's long punt almost reached the opponent's goal box and JD ran under it after the first bounce. He timed his header just right as the Durham keeper tried to play it about 10 yards out. The ball went through his arms and into the goal for the lead.

The 2nd half was all Hibs. Joey extended the lead by intercepting a Durham goalkick and putting away the rebound from his initial shot. Shortly afterwards, Collin worked hard for the ball deep in Durham territory and sent it across the goalmouth. Joey was at the back door to get the hat trick.

With Ryan, Trevor, and Graham playing a stiff defense, the Hibs kept up the pressure, and it paid off. Gabriel sent a thru ball to Collin, who fought off 2 Durham defenders, and slipped the ball past the keeper.

Late in the game, Buzz drew 2 defenders deep in the corner and worked his way out of it for a nice feed to Gerald at the top of the box. Gerald blasted a shot for the 6-1 lead. With about 3 minutes left in the game, Durham surprised Craig with a long, high shot, but the result was already determined.

The Hibs played a nice, aggressive game, won many 50-50 balls, and set up some great passing sequences. It paid off with their 4th win in a row.

Goals
    Joey(3), JD, Gerald, Collin

Goalkeeper
    Craig: 7 shots, 2 GA, 71.4%

The Hibs would not be denied this week as they rallied back in the 2nd half to win their 5th in a row. The Strike play the long ball often and make it difficult sometimes to play our game.

The Hibs controlled the action from the start, but the Strike opened the scoring on a shot that JD just couldn't get to. The Hibs pressed on and Joey drew a penalty just outside the Strike box. Gabriel took a beautiful shot to the far post to tie the game.

But the Strike responded with a goal on their own indirect kick to recapture the lead. They took a 2 goal lead when JD gave up a rebound in front and the Strike put it away. The Hibs would not be denied, though, and they continued to attack. Shortly before half, Joey worked the ball to the goal line and turned to the center. His pass across the goalmouth got past the keeper and Collin was there to put it away.

It looked like the Hibs would get the equalizer in the 2nd half, but the Strike converted a corner kick to regain a 2 goal margin. That seemed to set the Hibs off because their attack was relentless. Gabriel, Graham, and Ryan stuffed the Strike attack, and Buzz, Adrian, Gerald, and Collin won the battle in the midfield.

Joey and Collin worked a nice passing combination, which allowed Collin to cross the ball to Buzz. He beat a defender and slipped the ball past the keeper to close the gap. Shortly afterwards, Buzz sent Joey on a thru ball and his shot found the back of the net for the tie. Joey put the Hibs up for good when he took a throw from Gerald and beat the keeper clean. The Hibs patiently killed off the rest of the game to preserve the win.

Some lapses in team play kept the Strike in this game and got the Hibs in some deep holes. But, once they began moving the ball and creating space, it paid off with their own opportunities. Sensational effort and an exciting win.

Goals
    Joey(2), Buzz, Gabriel, Collin

Goalkeeper
    JD: 14 shots, 4 GA, 71.4%

The Hibs travelled to Chapel Hill again to take on another TUSA team. This time, Los Tigres were the opponents. The Hibs started strong and took control of the game right from the start. Collin, Buzz, and Adrian worked some good passing to create several opportunities.

Midway through the first half, Buzz pushed a nice thru-ball to Collin who blew around the defender and popped the ball past the goalie for the 1-0 lead. JD, Adrian, and Jake continued to press hard at midfield, while Gerald, Gabriel, and Graham shut down Los Tigres' attack. Craig didn't get much action as the Hibs maintained the 1-0 halftime lead.

The second half was much of the same as Buzz, Gerald, and Joey controlled the midfield and created several opportunities for Gabriel. Ryan shut down Los Tigres' main attacker and kept him frustrated for the remainder of the game.

The few times Craig touched the ball turned into excitement for the attack. One of his punts down the short field bounced into Los Tigres' goal box. When the goalie bobbled the ball, Gabriel was there to punch it in for the 2-0 lead. It was almost instant replay as Craig boomed the next one to the opponent's goal box as well. This time the goalie and a defender closed on the ball together. Gerald scooped up the loose change and deposited it into the open net.

All game, the Hibs pushed the ball wide and created crossing opportunities. At the same time, they won the 50-50 balls and quickly transitioned to the attack. A well-earned 6th straight win.

Goals
    Gerald, Gabriel, Collin

Goalkeeper
    Craig: 7 shots, 0 GA, 100%

The Hibs put their 6-game winning streak on the line in Southern Pines. The atmosphere was festive as a tournament was taking place on adjacent fields.

The Hibs came out strong and played pretty good soccer. Gabriel lead the defense as they slowed down the Speed attack, while Buzz, Adrian, and Jake made some nice plays on the transition. Craig opened the scoring when he took Gabriel's long throw-in and blasted it past the Speed goalie. JD made some excellent saves to keep the Speed off the scoreboard and maintain the 1-0 halftime lead.

It looked like a tale of 2 games as the Hibs came out flat in the second half and regressed to some bad habits that we hadn't seen in weeks. The Speed controlled the pace of the game and got on the board quickly with a long shot that caught JD off his line. The Hibs couldn't get pressure on the Speed attack and they continued to fire shots at the Hibs' goal. JD made some terrific saves, but it was just too much; the Speed tallied 3 more to get the 4-1 victory.

This was definitely not one of the Hibs' better efforts, especially the 2nd half. Hopefully, they'll put it behind them and come out hungry in their last game.

Goals
    Craig

Goalkeeper
    JD: 21 shots, 4 GA, 81.0%

Rain before the game created some really sloppy field conditions to play soccer. Although the boys generally do well in the rain and have a lot of fun playing in it, the field was just too mucky to get any good plays going. Both teams had to contend with it, which made for some interesting situations.

The Hibs tried their best to generate some momentum and got several opportunities when the Gold goalkeeper misplayed some shots and passes. They just weren't able to put one in the back of the net. At the same time, the Gold's long ball was getting behind our defense and causing trouble.

Towards the end of the first half, the Gold created a good scoring chance when their forward took the ball deep in the Hibs' corner and lofted a ball to the center. The resulting headball didn't bounce in the mud and scooted by Craig.

The Hibs came out strong in the 2nd half and pressed hard for the tying goal. Gabriel, Buzz, and Adrian dominated the middle of the field but couldn't get a thru ball to Joey up front. JD, Ryan, and Graham closed down the Gold attack and kept the ball in their half of the field. The pressure paid off when Adrian was fouled in the box as he was attempting a shot. Buzz drilled the penalty shot to knot the score.

The Gold turned the tide enough to keep the game even the rest of the way. The Hibs didn't take advantage of their last few scoring chances while Craig made some good saves on the Gold's chances. The game ended in a 1-1 tie, which was probably a good thing since these teams have many friends and schoolmates between them.

Goals
    Buzz

Goalkeeper
    Craig: 11 shots, 1 GA, 90.9%

A pretty good game against a strong team. The Hibs opened the scoring and then watched their lead evaporate in the second half.

Goals
    Buzz

Goalkeeper
    JD: 16 shots, 3 GA, 81.2%

The Hibs were never really in this game and got steam-rolled by the eventual State Champions.

Goals
    Gabriel

Goalkeeper
    Craig: 20 shots, 8 GA, 60.0%

The Hibs were just playing for pride in their last State Cup game and were outmatched by a bigger, faster team.

Goals
    Joey, Collin

Goalkeeper
    JD: 15 shots, 7 GA, 53.3%