Triangle Y Soccer Club

The Hibs opened their Fall 2007 season with a long trip to Goldsboro to face the Sting. But it didn't take long for the Hibs to take control of the game.

Four minutes in, Jake sent Joey down the left wing and his tough angle shot found the far post over the keeper's head. About 10 minutes later Jake got one of his own after Gabriel got the ball loose from a few Sting defenders and set it up nicely. Gabriel made it 3-0 late in the half as a feed from Buzz sent him in all alone on the Sting keeper.

The second half went pretty much the same as the Hibs got a quick score from Colin. The 4-0 lead deflated the Sting and the Hibs controlled the action for the rest of the game. Joey and Colin each added another as the Hibs rolled to a 6-0 win. Greg anchored the Hibs defense as Graham picked up the shutout in goal with very light work.

Goals
    Joey(2), Colin(2), Jake, Gabriel

Goalkeeper
    Graham: 2 shots, 0 GA, 100%

The Hibs put in another dominating performance against the visiting Triangle United Fulham. It took the Hibs just 45 seconds to get on the scoreboard when Joey took Brian's thru pass down the left wing and lofted it over the Fulham keeper to the back post. The Hibs continued to pressure, but Fulham kept them out of the net. Fulham rarely crossed the midfield line and only tested JD once during the half. They were constantly turned back by Gabriel and Graham. Fulham's defense knew they wouldn't be able to withstand the pressure forever. Then, just before the half, Evan took a pass from Colin at the top corner of the 18 and fired a long shot past the keeper for the 2-0 lead.

The second half was more of the same. Within 2 minutes of the kickoff, Buzz took a long throw from Gabriel into the Fulham box and drove thru the keeper for the 3-0 lead. After that, it was all Hibs. Buzz, Brian, and Graham dominated in the middle and created several chances that turned into near misses. Gerald and Josh shut down the Fulham offense while JD had 6 routine saves for the shutout.

Goals
    Joey, Buzz, Evan

Goalkeeper
    JD: 6 shots, 0 GA, 100%

There were several factors that may have slowed the Hibs down on this Sunday afternoon -- 1.5 hour travel, hot weather, only 1 sub -- but they ended up playing their best game so far this season. It started out very much like their first 2 games as Joey got the Hibs on the board 2 minutes into the game. Buzz sent Will down the right sideline and his beautiful, long cross found Joey at the far post to tuck it away. For the remainder of the first half, it was all Hibs. Buzz, Brian, and Colin totally controlled the middle of the field and set up several scoring chances for the forwards. But, they turned into near misses as the Gunners pulled more and more players back to defend, which created too much traffic for any solid shots on goal. The Gunners only crossed the midfield line a few times all half and never really threatened to score.

Although the scoreboard didn't show it, the Hibs had complete control of the game to start the second half and began pressing again. But, the Gunners continued to clog the defense and try to score on a quick transition. The Hibs defense, anchored by JD, was up to the challenge and continuously turned away any attack. As the game went on, the Hibs' inability to put a few more into the net gave some hope to the Gunners and they started to press more players forward to get the equalizer. Greg and Gerald were under constant pressure on the outside while Graham dominated in the middle to keep the Gunners' attack at bay. For a while, it looked like the Gunners would get their chance as a few shots tested Gabriel in the net, but he was up to the challenge and preserved the shutout.

With about 10 minutes left in the game, Zack took a cleared ball down the right wing and zipped past his defender. As he turned towards goal he slipped it over to Joey who put it past the Gunners' keeper to give the Hibs some breathing room. Except for the finish, the Hibs dominated all game, moved the ball smartly, and actually tired out a Gunners team that had a full stable of subs.

Goals
    Joey(2)

Goalkeeper
    Gabriel: 3 shots, 0 GA, 100%

The Hibs put their perfect record on the line and came up short against TUSA Liverpool. The Hibs had a shaky start as Liverpool controlled the flow of the game and moved the ball well. Neither team really threatened to score as both defenses were strong. Once the Hibs settled down, their scoring chances started to come but the Liverpool goalie kept them out of the net. Late in the half, Liverpool worked a nice passing sequence down the left side that sent an attacker in behind the defense. He beat Graham for the 1-0 lead.

The Hibs came out much stronger in the second half as Buzz and Brian took control of the middle. It didn't take long for the Hibs to even the score when Colin pushed the ball across the box from the right side and Joey banged it into the net at the far post. As the Hibs tried to build on that one, a quick Liverpool attacker took the ball at midfield and sprinted in 1-on-1 against Graham. He finished that breakaway to put Liverpool back into the lead.

JD, Gerald, and Greg tightened up their defensive play after that and continued to turn back the Liverpool attack. The Hibs controlled much of the action in the second half, but just couldn't put the ball away. Brian and Joey tore up the left side of the Hibs attack trying to get the equalizer and several excellent scoring chances were cleared off the line by Liverpool defenders. The Hibs came up just short in a very even match.

Goals
    Joey

Goalkeeper
    Graham: 5 shots, 2 GA, 60%

The Hibs got back on track with a victory in Sandhills over SYSL White. The Hibs took control from the opening whistle and dominated the action. Brian and Joey tore up the left sideline but they couldn't complete their attacks. Graham and Josh played strong defensively to keep Sandhills out of the Hibs' defensive end for most of the half. Unfortunately, their many scoring chances -- including Jake Stone's 25-yard free kick that hit the bottom of the crossbar -- didn't find their way into the net.

Winless Sandhills came out confident for the second half after surviving the Hibs' first half onslaught. They pressed hard for the first few minutes and had the Hibs on their heels just trying to clear the ball. But it was inevitable that the Hibs would get things going. In the 39th minute, Zack played a beautiful through ball to Joey tearing down the left wing. He cut the ball inside and finished his 15 yard shot to open the scoring. The tide turned completely after that and the Sandhills keeper really had to go to work. But, in the 60th minute, Evan drove into the penalty area and then dropped the ball back to Jake. His one-time half volley from 20 yards zipped past the keeper for the 2-0 lead.

Shortly after that, Gerald sent Joey down the wing that he owned all day. He drove deep to the corner and drew the Sandhills defense out of the center. His cross got past the keeper and Gabriel was all alone to tuck it into the open net. JD finished the game with 4 routine saves for the shutout. Although the Hibs' solid effort kept Sandhills on their heels all day, their near misses kept them in the game for most of it.

Goals
    Joey, Jake, Gabriel

Goalkeeper
    JD: 4 shots, 0 GA, 100%

The Hibs upped their record to 5-1 by posting their 5th shutout of the year against the Johnston Knights. With no subs at the start of the game, the Hibs knew they'd have to play smart to conserve their energy against a fully-stocked Knights roster. Buzz and Brian took control of the midfield early and dictated the pace of the play while Evan and Joey tried to penetrate through the left side of the Knights' defense. They created several chances, but the keeper was up to the challenge.

However, their work paid off in the 17th minute when Joey banged the ball off the Knights' defender for a corner kick. Brian's cross went all the way thru the penalty area to Josh who was cheating up on the play. He pushed the ball back into the middle where Jake one-timed it into the net. The Hibs continued to shut down the Knights' attack and took the 1-0 lead into the half.

Like the cavalry, Colin arrived at halftime to give the Hibs a sub and a little relief. He immediately made an impact on the game by dominating the right side of the midfield and turning the ball towards the Knights' end of the field. Brian and Buzz continued to control the action and send Jake, Joey, and Will in on goal. But, a few near misses were all that resulted.

In the 48th minute, Will lofted a beautiful corner kick through the goal mouth. Several players converged on the ball but it still squirted thru to Brian who put it over the keeper's head for the 2-0 lead. The Knights' attack became relentless after that, but JD, Greg, Gerald, and Josh were steady and almost unbeatable. They completely shut down the Knights' star forward and disrupted passing lanes.

Goals
    Jake, Brian

Goalkeeper
     Graham: 5 shots, 0 GA, 100%

The Wildcats controlled the action from the opening kick-off and put the Hibs on their heels. The Hibs fought through it and slowly started turning the momentum of the game and creating some chances of their own. Just when it looked like they would go into the half with no score, the Wildcats' counter-attack in the 32nd minute resulted in a great save by Gabriel. But, the rebound was tucked in by a trailing forward. The Wildcats took advantage of a stunned Hibs team by putting in another a minute later.

Down 2-0 to start the 2nd half, the Hibs just couldn't get anything going against the fast and aggressive Wildcats. JD, Greg, Gerald, and Graham did all they could to slow down the Wildcats' attack, but they found the back of the net 2 more times. The highlight for Hibs in the 2nd half was a penalty kick save by Gabriel.

Goals
    none

Goalkeeper
    Gabriel: 10 shots, 4 GA, 60.0%

The Hibs upped their regular season record to 6-2 with a victory over the previously unbeaten East Wake Arsenal. After their loss last week, the Hibs were eager to get back on track and it showed right from the opening kick-off. Their passing was sharp, they beat Arsenal to every 50-50 ball, and they wouldn't let Arsenal get anything going.

Zack continually harassed Arsenal defenders as they started to build their attack from the back and it paid off in the 8th minute. He stole the ball and pushed it towards the net. As the Arsenal keeper came for the ball, Brian stepped in front of him, moved the ball around him, and fired into the open net. Arsenal tried to play the long ball over top to their speedy forwards, but Gabriel and JD saw those coming and turned the ball the other way. On one of JD's punts, Buzz flicked it one-time to spring Joey behind the Arsenal defense. He beat the keeper to put the Hibs up 2-0 in the 20th minute.

The Hibs continued to control the middle of the field and spread the ball wide. Jake took several blistering shots from the outside that tested the Arsenal keeper, including one that hit the bottom of the crossbar and bounced out. It was close, but the referee wasn't in good position to determine if the ball had crossed the line. Arsenal continued to try the long ball and it paid off in the 29th minute as a defensive miscommunication allowed the Arsenal attacker to step between and put one in the back of the net. The Hibs answered right before the half. Joey pushed the ball up to Zack at midfield where he plowed thru two defenders and sprinted in on goal. He put that one away to give the Hibs a 2-goal cushion at the half.

The Hibs continued to dictate the pace of the game in the second half and created several scoring chances, but the Arsenal keeper was up to the challenge. Brian and Will worked the left side of the field while Buzz and Colin dominated the right. Arsenal continually played the long ball and got one deep down the right side in the 61st minute. The ensuing cross found an open attacker in front of the goal and Arsenal made it a 1-goal game again. The Hibs dug in after that, containing Arsenal in their own end, and killed off the remainder of the game for the 3-2 victory.

Goals
    Brian, Joey, Zack

Goalkeeper
    JD: 9 shots, 2 GA, 77.8%

The Hibs started slowly and let the Crushers dictate play in their defensive end. But a quick counter-attack up the right wing in the 4th minute completely turned the game around. Jake took a feed from Zack and drove to the corner. His cross went over the keeper and Joey buried his shot at the back post.

The Hibs settled down after that and started to control the middle of the field. Buzz and Brian worked some nice passing sequences to move the ball through the midfield but the Hibs' forwards were too anxious and got caught by the Crushers' offside trap several times. But in the 14th minute, Joey beat the trap with a nice fake on Brian's pass and drove in all alone on the Crushers' goal. He put that one away for the 2-0 lead. JD, Greg, Josh, and Gerald played tight defense for the Hibs to stifle any opportunity that the Crushers tried to create.

The second half was all Hibs as they dictated the pace from the opening kick-off. Joey was playing like a man possessed and dominating the Crushers' defense on the left side. In the 48th minute, Evan sent Joey in alone on goal again. He finished that one for the hat trick and gave the Hibs a comfortable 3-0 lead. The Hibs smelled blood and really took it to the Crushers, keeping their goalkeeper very busy.

In the 55th minute, Evan worked through the defense and blasted a shot on net. The keeper made the save but couldn't control the rebound. Several Hibs were following the play, but Zack got to the ball first and pushed it into the open net. In the 59th minute, Buzz pushed the ball down the right wing for JD, who was making a rare appearance on the front line. He controlled the ball and drove in on net all alone. JD's hard shot went through the keepers legs into the back of the net. It was his first of the season and put the game well out of reach. Gabriel had light work in goal and easily handled the Crushers' lone shot on frame for the shutout.

Goals
    Joey(3), Zack, JD

Goalkeeper
    Gabriel: 1 shot, 0 GA, 100%

The Hibs began the tournament against the Lumber River Gunners and it didn’t take long to get things going. Gabriel opened the scoring when he took a feed from Buzz in the 9th minute and drove thru the Gunners defense. The Hibs kept the pressure up and in the 21st minute, Colin drove down the left wing, cut inside, and crossed the ball to the far right side. Jake blasted a 20-yard shot past the keeper for the 2-0 lead. But, the Gunners were not going to go down easy and got one back in the 29th minute when a long shot beat Graham. The Gunners could not get any momentum from that as the Hibs answered less than a minute later. Gabriel hustled thru the defense and laid the ball over to Colin who made it 3-1 at the half.

The Hibs got a lot of momentum from that late goal and it carried over to the second half. Greg made it 4-1 with a long lofting shot shortly after the opening kick-off. Four minutes later, Buzz sent Evan thru the Gunners' defense. His driving shot banged off the post and into the back of the net. The Hibs rounded out their scoring a few minutes later when a quick throw by Colin got Evan behind the defense on the left wing. He crossed the ball to Zack for the 6-1 lead. The Gunners got one back quickly, but didn't threaten much more after that.

Goals
     Colin, Evan, Gabriel, Greg, Jake, Zack

Goalkeeper
     Graham: 5 shots, 2 GA, 60.0%

After a great opening, the Hibs’ afternoon game almost turned into a disaster. It was less than a week ago that they dominated the Chatham Crushers 5-0, but the Crushers had different ideas this time. In the 6th minute, they got a Hibs defender turned around and fired a long shot past JD. The Hibs tightened up and controlled the pace of the game, but weren’t able to finish their many opportunities. The Crushers’ confidence grew and a long lofting shot from a tough angle caught JD out of position. So, after 18 minutes of controlling the game, the Hibs found themselves down 2-0. Their persistence paid off though, and right before the half, Gabriel sent Joey down the left side of the Crushers’ defense that he dominated a week before. He banged that one home to get the Hibs within 1.

The Hibs settled into their game quickly in the second half. Within a minute of the kick-off, Graham split the defenders with a pass to Gabriel. He smoothly moved around the keeper and deposited the ball in the net. Three minutes later, Brian drove down the left side and made a beautiful cross. Will made a diving header to put the Hibs ahead for the first time. The Crushers could not stop the onslaught and Brian’s corner kick found Joey for the 4-2 lead in the 42nd minute. Joey completed his hat trick off a feed from Graham. Right before the final whistle, Will got his second of the game when he stepped in front of the Crushers’ keeper to head Evan’s cross home. The back-to-back 6-2 wins put the Hibs into the elimination round against the Johnston Knights.

Goals
     Joey(3), Will(2), Gabriel

Goalkeeper
     JD: 4 shots, 2 GA, 50.0%

A cold Sunday morning against a familiar opponent awaited the Hibs when they arrived at the soccer complex. They came out strong and kept the Knights pinned in their end of the field for the entire first half. JD dominated defensively with support from Greg, Gerald, and Josh. The Knights never threatened to score and Gabriel had an easy time in goal. But, the Hibs also had nothing to show for their dominating performance, which gave some life to the Knights.

The second half was much of the same, but the Knights pressed a few times only to be turned back by a stiff defense. Finally, in the 46th minute, Zack kept after a ball deep in the Knights’ end and won it from the defender. He pushed it across the goal mouth, but the keeper misplayed it right to Jake who was charging in. The ice was broken. Three minutes later, Zack broke in thru the defense and dropped the ball to Colin trailing the play. His 20-yard shot slipped thru the keeper’s hands for the 2-0 lead. Gabriel capped off the scoring when he took a feed from Joey and drove thru the Knights’ defense and keeper. The 3-0 win put the Hibs into the finals for the 3rd straight year.

Goals
     Colin, Gabriel, Jake

Goalkeeper
     Gabriel: 0 shots, 0 GA, 100%
     Graham: 0 shots, 0 GA, 100%

The Hibs knew they would have to play their best game of the tournament against the only team they struggled with during the regular season. It didn't start good as the Wildcats' quick forwards got behind the defense and opened the scoring in the 3rd minute. The Hibs stiffened a bit and played it even until the 16th minute when the Wildcats made it 2-0. It didn't take long for them to extend their lead. After that, the Hibs tightened their defense and started moving the ball well in the middle of the field. Buzz and Brian created some opportunities for Evan, but the Wildcats' defenders and goalkeeper kept them off the scoreboard.

The Hibs stuck it out in the second half and played a solid game. Gabriel and Gerald controlled the defense, while Graham, Colin, and Will tried to make things happen in the middle. Josh and Evan harassed the Wildcats' defenders into making mistakes and turning the ball over to Hibs’ midfielders. The Hibs had at least 3 solid scoring chances in the second half that they shot wide. The Wildcats had steamrolled through their first 3 opponents, but ran into a game Hibs team who held them in check for the final 52 minutes of the game and gave them all they could handle. JD was outstanding in the goal and frustrated the Wildcats' attackers. But, it wasn't enough to overcome a very strong team.

Goals
    none

Goalkeeper
    JD: 22 shots, 3 GA, 86.4%