MEAD CUSA Cup

The weekend started out with the always physical Pacesetter Premier.  Pacesetter was coming off a strong showing at the Arsenal Challenge Cup 2 weeks before.  The game was played on a very dry and bumpy field, so both teams struggled to keep possession of the ball.  The first half belonged to the GK’s.  Pacesetter’s GK was called on several times to make saves as Logan Manning and several others broke in behind.  The Pacesetter GK was up for the challenge and shutout Juventus in the first half.  On the other side, Tyler Malone was able to do well on high balls off corners and was called on to make a fantastic save off a free kick just outside the 18 yard box.  The game went to half 0-0.  The Juventus defense was able to shut down the Pacesetter attack in the 2^nd half and Juventus was able to finally beat the talented Pacesetter GK with 7 minutes to play in the game.  Alex Polko hit a rocket from 10 yards out that the Pacesetter GK was still able to get a hand on, but the ball still ended up in the back of the net to earn the 1-0 victory.  The 2^nd game found us matched up with the Pennsylvania East state champions, YMS Celtic.  The first 12 minutes could not have started any better as Juventus controlled the tempo and put an enormous amount of pressure on the YMS goal.  Austin Horton nearly made it 1-0 as a shot in front of the goal went just wide.  Juventus had several other near misses off corners.  After the 12 minute mark, YMS got in a better rhythm and finally scored off a fantastic counter attack.  A short time later YMS was able to score again, this time off a set piece just outside the 18.  After dominating the first half of the game, Juventus had nothing to show for it and found themselves down 2-0.  The 2^nd half was more of the same as Juventus continued to press forward and attack the YMS goal.  Alex Bumpus was unlucky off a free kick from 22 yards out as it hit the cross bar.  YMS was finally able to put the game away and scored off a nice restart where a central midfielder dribbled through 2 defenders and beat the GK.  Logan Manning scored off a PK to end the game at 3-1 in a disappointing loss to a very impressive YMS team.  The 3^rd game found us matched up with Vardar Ann Arbor.  Juventus needed goals to try and earn a wildcard spot.  Juventus pressured the Vardar goal the entire 60 minutes and finally converted on their finishing chances to earn a 7-0 victory.  It was not enough as we came up 1 goal short in earning the wildcard spot.  Our focus will now turn to 5 weeks of MRL play.

Fall 2008 Midwest Regional League (MRL)

Team Ohio FC Sparta – This game was a tale of two halves.  The first half saw the tempo dominated by Sparta as the game went to half 0-0.  After some adjustments at halftime, the 2^nd half went much better as Juventus scored 4 nice goals to earn a hard fought 4-0 victory.  The game was much closer than the score indicated and showcased the great depth we have in this age group within the club.

Ohio Elite Academy – This game was played at the new and very nice Ohio Elite facility in West Chester .  Juventus dominated from the opening whistle and cruised to a 6-0 victory.  Andrew McKelvey scored 2 goals, Logan Manning scored 2 goals, Alex Polko had one, and Alex Bumpus added one.  The guys at the back did a great job managing the 2^nd half with strong winds in their face and Ohio Elite pressing forward.  Tyler Malone was called on to make a nice PK save at the end to earn his 4^th shutout of the year.

Vardar West – This was an interesting game as we played in a poorly lit turf field dome with lights hanging over the field of play and small goals.  Both teams struggled to get in a rhythm during the first half as there were a lot of stoppages.   Vardar was able to clear a ball out of the goal that looked to have crossed the line, but the referee ruled to play on.  The 2^nd half found Juventus hitting their rhythm as we changed formations to get numbers forward.  The result was a large number of shots.  Mitch was able to finally make the score 1-0 with another one of his 25 yard strikes.  The shot had too much pace and beat the keeper in the left corner.   Vardar was able to apply some pressure in the last 3 minutes with several free kicks, but the boys at the back did well to turn them away.  The game ended 1-0.

Michigan Elite – We played on a beautiful regulation turf field at Total Soccer in Wixom, Michigan .  The boys had a field day with all the space and dominated from the opening whistle.  Alex Bumpus almost made it 1-0 when he found himself 1 vs. 1 with the keeper, but his shot went just wide.  A short time later, Mitch Wiseman found Alex Bumpus on a perfect split and Alex finished it to make it 1-0.  After several more chances, the game went to half 1-0.  The 2^nd half was more of the same as Logan Manning played a great ball to Alex Bumpus in a 2 vs. 1 situation.  Alex struck the ball in stride and beat the keeper with a great finish.  The scoring continued when Alex Polko flicked a ball to himself and showed great speed and strength in out-racing two Elite defenders before finally beating the Elite GK.  Ben Fitzpatrick almost made it 4-0 when his shot hit cross bar from the corner of the eighteen.  The game ended 3-0 as all 17 players played at a high level and contributed.  Great game.

 Michigan Wolves – This game was played at a smaller turf field facility called Ultimate Soccer.  This was a very fast paced game on the smaller field/turf with a lot of action on both teams’ goals.  The scoring started with #20 on Michigan Wolves playing a phenomenal ball over the top that hit a forward.  The forward played a great cross and a Wolves player beat two Juventus players in the air for a nice goal and 1-0 lead.  Juventus struck back quickly when Andrew McKelvey won a scramble in the box and scored to tie the game 1-1.  Just as quickly as Juventus answered, the Wolves struck again with another great ball through their talented central midfield.  The ball split the Juventus defense and a Wolves player ran onto the ball in stride to finish a nice goal and make the game 2-1 heading to half.  The 2^nd half found Juventus attacking the Wolves goal the first 20 minutes, but could not find the back of the net despite several chances and corners.  The closest we got was a shot off the cross bar.  The Wolves did a great job possessing the ball in the last 15 minutes and turning Juventus away.  Finally, the talented #20 in midfield scored off a shot from 30 yards out to secure the Wolves victory and first place in the MRL division.

Everest SC - This was a much anticipated game by both teams.  The first 10 minutes was end to end as Everest had a big and fast forward that caused problems for our defense.  Tyler Malone was called on to make 2 nice saves.  We moved Zack Vollmer to man mark the talented forward and the game settled down.  Juventus carried much of the action and created several great chances.  Just before half, Juventus was able to finally beat the Everest GK on a free kick by Mitchell Wiseman that slipped through the GK’s hands.  The 2^nd half was more of the same and we were finally rewarded with a second goal when Logan Manning scored off a corner.  The game ended 2-0.  With the win, Juventus reached their goal of making the Premier bracket for spring MRL.

Internationals – This was a pretty uneventful game and Juventus played very lethargic after reaching their goal in the 1^st game of the day.  Internationals had a very talented sweeper and a phenomenal GK.  Both made stellar plays to keep the game tied until the 60^th minute.  After switching to 3 forwards to get one last push, Alex Polko was able to get in behind the Internationals defense and beat the keeper on a nice finish.  That was all we needed as the game finished 1-0.  It wrapped up the fall MRL season where Juventus earned a 6-1 record.  In the process, we had 6 shut-outs and a plus 15 goal differential.

US Club Soccer State Cup

This turned out to be a very nice weekend in Lodi, Ohio with 80 degree temperatures.  The first game found Juventus matched up with Ohio Select FC.  This game was never in question as Juventus cruised to a 4-0 victory.  Ben Fitzpatrick, Alex Polko, Logan Manning, and Austin Horton provided the scoring.  The second game found us matched up with a very nice team in Excalibur.  Again, the game was never in question as the boys played nice attacking soccer and earned a 5-0 victory.  The Sunday morning game was a match-up of two Columbus teams as we faced NCAA Blast.  Barring disaster, Juventus had already secured a semifinal birth.  The boys did just enough required to earn a 2-0 victory over the physical Blast.  Austin Horton started the scoring with a nice goal to make the game 1-0 fifteen minutes into the first half.  Alex Bumpus added another goal on a sweet left footed strike to make the game 2-0 going into the half.  We were able to rest players in the 2^nd half and turned away the Blast on a couple of dangerous moments to earn the 2-0 victory.  The semi was a rematch from MRL play 2 weeks before as we faced Internationals.  This was a different look for Internationals as they picked up 2 physical guest players.  Juvenuts received bad news before the game as Tyler Malone was unable to finish the rest of the weekend due to illness.  As a result, it was GK by committee.  Juventus controlled play for the entire first half, but was only able to muster 1 goal.  Logan Manning scored a very nice goal as he got in behind the Internationals defense and beat the talented Internationals GK to take the game to half 1-0.  Fatigue started setting in during the 2^nd half and the game slowed down considerably.  With 15 minutes remaining, Ian Keller was able to add some breathing room as another ball beat the Internationals defense and found Ian alone on goal.  Ian calmly placed the ball in the corner for the 2-0 advantage.  With 5 minutes remaining, Internationals jumped on a loose ball in the box and cut the lead in half.  Juventus was able to kill the game and earn a spot in the finals with the 2-1 victory.  Alex Polko and Jordan Messick did a great job covering the GK duties.  Alex would like the score sheet to show he was credited with 2 saves.  The finals brought on Worthington Crew Jrs who brought a talented US Club roster to Lodi .  Again, Juventus had to play goalie by committee due to illness.  The game started off back and forth with both teams getting into the others attacking third, but both unable to take advantage of corners.  Alex Bumpus nearly made it 1-0 in the first 7 minutes as he beat the Worthington defense and hit a nice left footed strike that was closed down at the last moment and blocked by a Worthington defender.  Worthington was able to counter off a corner and hit a great cross in behind the defense to their talented forward.  Without an experience goalkeeper to cover a routine ball in the box, the Worthington forward made a great move and hit a rocket just under the cross bar from 10 yards out to make the game 1-0.  A short time later, Andrew McKelvey made a great individual run into the Worthington box, but the Worthington GK was prepared and came off his line to cover.  The 2^nd half brought more of the same.  There were few quality shots on goal by both teams and both were unable to take advantage of corners and set pieces.  The Worthington defense did a nice job of slowing down the talented group of Juventus forwards.  The game ended 1-0 in favor of Worthington for their first US Club Championship.  Thanks to Nick and Jordan for covering the GK duties in Tyler’s absence.

Beadling Friendlies

 The boys traveled to Pittsburgh for 2 friendlies against the top team in PA-West and the top team in PA-East.  We traveled with 13 Juventus players and 1 Sparta player as 4 players were not able to make the trip.  The first game found us matched up with Beadling SC.   Beadling was able to get on the board in the first 10 minutes as a defender slipped on the wet field and allowed an easy shot on goal to make it 1-0 Beadling.  A short time later, Alex Polko went on one of his long runs and beat the keeper and 2 defenders to tie the game 1-1.  Ten minutes later, Alex went on another long run and beat the Beadling back line and GK to take the game to half 2-1.  The 2^nd half found Juventus with more rhythm and could have made it 3-1 when Logan Manning was pulled down in the box.  The refs let the GK restart in lieu of a PK due to the nature of the game.  In the final minute, Tyler was called on to make a great save as a Beadling winger played a perfect cross to an outside middie on the opposite wing.   Tyler was up for the challenge and made a reflex save to earn the 2-1 victory over a very organized Beadling squad.  The 2^nd game was against PA Classics Elite.  This was the most complete and talented team we have seen in 2 years.  The first 5 minutes found Juventus with good possession, but neither team was very dangerous.  Around the 10 minute mark, Classics took advantage of a poor ball out of the back and played a forward through.  We were able to take the proper angle and recovered well to make a great tackle.  In the process, a free kick was given just outside the eighteen.  A Classics player calmly bent the ball around the wall and placed the ball in the right corner for a 1-0 lead.  The next 20 minutes found Classics controlling possession as Juventus was a step slow to the ball and in tackles.  During this time, the Juventus back four did well to limit the Classics chances on goal.  Tyler had to handle some high balls off free kicks and corners and that was about it.  The last 5 minutes found Juventus applying some pressure and nearly made it 1-1 with Nick Gualtieri hit a shot just over the cross bar from 18 yards out.  Having said all of that, Classics clearly dominated play in the first half.  The 2^nd half was a completely different match after the boys realized this game turned into more than a friendly for the opponent.  After getting pushed around the first half, Juventus responded with a much more physical game and the result was more possession and great chances on goal.  The Classics backline became shaky and Alex and Logan caused problems with their speed.  With 10 minutes to play, Aaron Johnson (joining us from Sparta for the day) got the goal we needed when he hit a great shot from 18 yards out that found the right corner.  This came off a scramble in the box where the ball popped out to Aaron.  Ben Fitzpatrick nearly made it 2-1 when a shot was saved by the GK and found Ben all alone on the back post.  His volley looked to have beat the keeper, but the keeper reached back to stop the ball on the line to keep it 1-1.  That near miss energized Classics and they began to apply pressure the last 5 minutes, but Drew, Tyler, Zack, and Jordan continued to turn them away before any dangerous moments occurred.  The final whistle blew and it was a 1-1 draw in a hotly contested game against a very talented team.

CASL Shootout

The tournament decided on shortened games due to large amounts of rainfall the days before.  As a result, all Saturday games were to be played with 25 minute halves on muddy fields with standing water.  The first game found us matched up with FC Frederick from Maryland .  This was probably the tallest and most physically imposing U14 team we have seen.  The game started out with FC Frederick being the aggressor and winning most tackles.  The first 25 minutes was pretty uneventful with chances on goal as both teams were slowed by the playing surface.  We decided to play a more attacking formation in the 2^nd half to try and get a result in the last 25 minutes.  We ended up with the majority of possession, but FC Frederick was able to close down any scoring chance we created.  The game entered the 24^th minute and both teams were preparing for a shootout.  A Juventus defender played a ball off an opponent’s leg for a clear goal kick.  The line judge made an error and gave a corner kick to FC Frederick.  The corner was taken and the muddy ball slipped through the hands of the GK and was left for an FC Frederick player to slide into the back of the net.  With the goal, FC Frederick won the division after winning their first match earlier in the day.  The 2^nd match found us matched up with Triangle FC from North Carolina .  Juventus controlled most of the 50 minute match.  James got the scoring started after intercepting a ball played out of the Triangle defense.  James out ran the defenders and calmly slotted the ball home for the 1-0 lead.  Triangle was able to get on the board after a miscommunication between a defender and the GK allowed for a Triangle player to easily beat the GK and tie the game at 1-1.  The 2^nd half was more of the same and it seemed like just a matter of time before goals number 2 and 3 would be scored.  This never happened and Tyler actually had to make a fantastic save to secure the 1-1 tie as time ran out.  Due to the tournament rules, the game went to a shootout where Triangle was able to win the PK shootout.  The consolation game found us matched up with SOCA Express from Virginia .  The bad news was the game was played at 7:15am.  The good news was we were back to 70 minute games.  The boys dominated from the opening whistle, but again, found ways to give away goals.  The scoring started with a nice ball played into Alex Bumpus.  Alex played Polko though and he was able to outrun the SOCA defenders and beat the GK for a 1-0 lead.  A short time later, SOCA got on the board after an errant pass put the Juventus defense under pressure which resulted in a turnover deep in our defensive third.  The referee called a foul outside the box, but then pointed to the PK spot.  The SOCA player was able to beat the GK to tie at 1-1.  It was more of the same with Juventus attacking and James was able to take the game to half 2-1 with a nice build-up and goal.  The 2^nd half found Juventus knocking the ball around even better than the first half. In that time, Juventus had a goal called back and hit the post.  On top of that, there were a handful of other point blank chances that would just not go in.  With around 5 minutes to play, a tackle was won by a Juventus defender, but it took an odd deflection which found another SOCA player in front of the net all alone for an easy goal.  It summed up the weekend as the game ended 2-2.  It was just not our weekend after high hopes coming in.  Thanks to James and Nathan for joining us from Everest.