After two disappointing weekends, Arsenal looked to get back in form. The team still down with injuries to keeper Devin Foy and defender Chris Aguirre still looked to dominate the weekend opponents. One highlight from the previous league match was Terry Boyd, Juno’s dad, showing off his skills. While holding his new granddaughter in his arms Terry was able to settle a ball kicked from the field. Great to see the Boyd’s introducing the game at an early age.

The weekend began with a Saturday match against a revamped San Tan Legacy side. Arsenal knew it would not be an easy match. This was evident with San Tan leading twice but two goals from Joseph Clemente brought Arsenal even and gave the team a draw. Even though it broke Arsenal’s streak of the three straight loses, to the team it felt as if it was a fourth lose and they were looking at another Sunday match against Sereno the following day.

With the same side taking the pitch as Saturday against Sereno, Arsenal looked to turn around their mini skid. The match again was physical with both sides playing control soccer. After a few minutes of pressure from Sereno, Arsenal seemed to settle down to push their own pace.

Unlike previous matches, it was Arsenal seemed to be working and not giving up on any balls.  This was rewarded half way through the match when Alex LaPose pressured the defense and scored an opening goal to put the team up 1-0. The first half continued to move with Arsenal controlling and taking Sereno out of their long ball game.

With a half in the books, Arsenal knew they could not rest on their one goal lead. In the previous two matches, the team had also taken a 1-0 lead but ended up surrendering the lead and the match. However, this day seemed to show different outcomes. The defense of Tanner Clay, Ryan Holt, Michael Schellenbaum, and Zachary Nasipak controlled the back with excellent confidence. Except one shot that went off of the pole, the defense did not allow many clear shots on Juno Boyd.

The continued pressure of Sereno to put in a tying goal allowed for numerous counter attacking opportunities for Arsenal. One attack found pressure coming again from Arsenal and Brian Suarez gaining the ball from a defender and heading in on the Sereno keeper one-on-one. With a great shot, Arsenal found themselves now up 2-0.

After a dominant previous day, Arsenal looked to continue its path in its match against Texas Fire. Last year the team had lost on penalty kicks in the championship match to Fire and looked for revenge.

The match would begin like the previous year’s match. The play was quick and physical, and Arsenal was able to find their play and not fall into what Texas Fire wanted to produce. The match went back and forth with several physical moments. One produced a free kick for Arsenal with approximately one minute left in the first half. Michael Markette stepped up to the free kick and produced a great ball that just missed a goal and bounced off of the post. The ball bounced to Tanner Clay who then produced the opening goal of the match. It would be 1-0 Arsenal when the half time whistle blew.

The second half would be a totally different match. The match continued to be physical and the referee then began to brandish yellow cards to three Arsenal players like they were Christmas cards to relatives. The pressure from Texas Fire finally produced a tying goal and life for the team.

With the tide turning, it seemed like Texas Fire could produce a victory that would knock out Arsenal, who only needed a tie to advance on to the finals. Texas continued to press when Pasha Brown made a brilliant run down field to find Brian Suarez who dropped the ball back to Kyle Jarvis. With a great attempt, Jarvis produced a great goal and a 2-1 lead with three minutes left in the match.

The final whistle blew and Arsenal found themselves in the finals for the third straight year. This year, they would face the host team, Sereno 93, who were making their first finals appearance in several years.

The championship match would be all that would be expected out of a match between the top two teams in Arizona. Arsenal took advantage off an excellent corner kick that found Zachary Nasipak’s head who directed to Ryan Holt, who then banged home the opening goal. With two minutes left in the first half, Arsenal found themselves up 1-0.

The second half began with Sereno taking possession and dribbling down field to score the tying goal in the first minute of the second half. This seemed to bring life into a very rested Sereno team who were able to rest several members in the previous group match.

Like the match against the Texas Fire, the referee began to produce yellow cards to players, three more that went against Arsenal. Regulation ended with the teams tied at 1-1 and headed to extra time. In the two five minute extra periods, Sereno provided most the action but a header that barely missed the goal by Bo XXX with two minutes left in the final extra period provided the only viable score for either team.

The match went into spot kicks, which ended with Sereno pulling through narrowly defeating Arsenal. The loss was the first for the team since May, but was one that was fought hard.

Tale of Two Days – Part 1This past weekend Arsenal participated in the 2009 version of the Sereno Pro Classic. With a championship in 2007 and finalist in 2008, the team was looking to regain another championship. The tournament began with group play with the top team moving on to the finals

The first day saw Arsenal match up in their first match against Santos, which was the third straight match with the team. Unlike the previous two meetings, the match would not be easy. The first half saw each team gain scoring chances but nothing that was significant. With only two minutes left before half, Arsenal was awarded a penalty kick off of a hand ball. Tanner Clay stepped up and put away the attempt, and at half time, Arsenal found themselves in a 1-0 lead.

The second half built on the final few minutes of the first half. Arsenal pushed and pressured Santos and eight minutes into the second half, Chris Aguirre found Brennan Redd on a quality pass, who found the back of the net, 2-0 Arsenal.

Before Santos could take a breath, Arsenal marched down the field again. Joseph Clemente served an excellent cross that found Kyle Jarvis at the far post. With excellent control, Jarvis found Aguirre making a run to goal. A nice pass found Aguirre who slotted home a third goal for Arsenal, 3-0.

The final goal put an exclamation point on to the third match with Santos and the final whistle brought a well earned 3-0 win for Arsenal. Next up for Arsenal was CDO of Tucson.

The match with CDO was the first match up of these two teams. The match began and the first minute would be an insight to the rest of the game. Alex LaPose found the back of the net but was a whistle blew to give a penalty kick instead and the goal was taken off of the books. Instead of a goal for LaPose, Clay stepped up and converted his second penalty kick in two matches. Within the first sixty seconds of the match, Arsenal was up 1-0.

From that point, Arsenal took dominant control. Goals by Aguirre (12 minutes), Pasha Brown (24 minutes), Clemente (30 minutes) and Bo Bechtel (38 minutes) highlighted a first half domination. The second half found players in different positions and the team enjoying playing and having fun. Without being cocky, the team continued to dominate the rest of the match a final goal scored by Jarvis and a 6-0 victory for Arsenal.

The day ended with Arsenal posting 9 total goals and allowing 0. Next up for the team was a final group match against last year’s champion Texas Fire and then the finals.

Following a weekend of dominant performances against Cisco and TSA, Arsenal faced a single match against Santos, an opponent that had provided beautiful matches over the past couple of years. Under an overcast sky and great fields, the match looked to be another classic.

Unknowingly, the opening whistle not only signaled the beginning of the match, but also the beginning of the season’s highest goal totals. The team was immediately on the offense providing several opportunities that just missed a shot on goal. Pressure continued when Brennan Redd found Ari Sanchez with a beautifully placed ball that put Sanchez one-on-one with the Santos goalie. With one quick move, Sanchez put the ball around the keeper but was brought down by the goalie.

This resulted in a foul and a penalty kick was awarded. With the clock showing only 11 minutes elapsed, Tanner Clay stepped to the spot and drilled the opening goal past the goalie, 1-0. The goal did not stop the pressure. Bo Bechtel provided excellent balls to both Clay and Alex LaPose, who both put their shots just wide of the goal.

Midway through the first half, Arsenal brought in their substitutes who continued their rampage on the Santos defense. Adam Rodriguez put a pass through to a streaking Brian Suarez. Suarez battled one-on-one with a defender, and a poke by the defender looked like it stymied the offense.  But instead it popped to LaPose who went straight to goal. The ball in the back of the net at the 31 minute mark made the score 2-0.

Before the team and fans could catch their breath, Arsenal again found itself pressing towards goal. Sanchez was on a break away and slid a ball to LaPose. The ball bounced off of LaPose back to Sanchez who found LaPose still in the play. This time, the ball was placed right at the feet and LaPose found Pasha Brown and with one touch put it in the back of the net. It would be the first goal for Brown and now a 3 -0 lead.

The half ended with Arsenal making a significant statement and their largest goal total for one half. This total would not last and the second half would bring more action. The first sighting of this was five minutes into the second half, Sanchez found Joseph Clemente, who slotted home his third goal in two weeks.

The celebration was halted when the defense had a couple of breakdowns and after 232 minutes of shut out time by goalie Juno Boyd, Santos scored 7 minutes into the second half. Santos followed up with another goal 14 minutes later, and drew the score to 4-2.

The rest of the game saw both teams tired, but Arsenal seemed to rise up and scored three more goals, by Sanchez, Suarez and Bechtel, and Santos added one.

Even though the goals were late, it was the goal by Bo that brought the most celebration. As one of the newest members of the team, Bo continued to place his stamp on the team with quality passes and several shots on goal but without any results. Finally, with time running down, Clay found Bo and he slotted home his first goal with Arsenal. It also brought an end of the match and football like score, 7-3, and a return to the top of the league table. 

If the first match of league play showed the potential fire power of the Arsenal 93 Premier, the second match would show the workman-like attitude and determination of the team. Unlike the previous day’s match, day two of league play began at 8:00 am in cooler temperature and the team looked to continue their winning ways.

Their opponent for day two of league play was Cisco 93, a team that they had split last seasons matches with in league and tournament play. Cisco was a team that matched up well with Arsenal and provided a challenge each and every time they played.

The match began with the usual pressure from Arsenal. With several shots on goal, it looked as it would be any time before a ball would find its way in the back of the net. However that would not happen in the first half for the boys. Cisco was able to dodge each chance with excellent play from their keeper or shots that did find the goal.

The first half was headed towards a 0 – 0 score. With continued fierce play from both sides, the 40^th minute provided Arsenal with a chance to break the tie. Brian Hoyt, the Surf Cup championship scorer, attacked a Cisco player with an excellent tackle that allowed for Arsenal to take control of the ball but an errant pass to Kyle Jarvis looked to remove the momentum for Arsenal. With inspiration from his “twin”, Jarvis pressured the Cisco defender to mishandle the ball. Jarvis was able to take control of the ball and found Alex LaPose making a run down the sideline and placed a quality ball on to his foot. LaPose then hit third gear and pushed around the Cisco defender to lock on to the goal.

At the same time, Ari Sanchez was making a run down the center of field to provide an outlet for LaPose. With a quick look, LaPose found Sanchez who then one timed the ball into the back of the net. The momentum of the match swung to Arsenal with a goal right before half time. The half ended with Arsenal leading 1 – 0.

The second half continued with Arsenal’s strong work ethic. The team had numerous chances but could not find the back of the net. Even though it frustrated the players, the final whistle did provide the team with the result they deserved. With the 1 – 0 win, Arsenal found itself on the top of State League table. They now prepare for a show down with Santos 93.

The journey for a new season began with Arsenal’s opening league match against Tucson Soccer Academy. The team had a different look with goal keeper Devin Foy on the bench recovering from an ankle injury and Juno Boyd replacing him in goal. Even though Arsenal had defeated TSA in the last two previous matches, they knew that it is always a hard fight for any points.

The match began in the heat of the Arizona September day. With temperatures reaching to around 102, the match would be an endurance of players in the elements. Arsenal started the match with a quick shot from Ari Sanchez that required a nice save from the TSA goalie. The pressure continued on the TSA defense when Brian Suarez slipped a nice ball to Joseph Clemente, who found the back of the net with one touch. It was 13 minutes into the match and Arsenal had been rewarded for their hard work.

The first half continued with pressure from Arsenal but ended with only a 1-0 lead. The second half seemed to pick up from where it left off from the first half, and three minutes into the half, Clemente again finds the back of the net for his second goal, 2 – 0 Arsenal.

As the half continued on, the heat began to take its toll on the players. The speed of play slowed down but the intensity of Arsenal continue. With little over five minutes to play in the match, Arsenal ratcheted up the pressure one last time. A streaking Bo Bechtel found Suarez making a run in the box, and with a one touch flick over the head of the goalie, the ball landed at Kyle Jarvis’ feet and then into the back on the net. It was now 3 – 0 and a win assured.

The final whistle sounded and Arsenal had begun with a dominant performance for their league play. The team worn out from the heat, headed for recovery for their next match against Cisco 93 the following day.

The schedule has been published for the 2009 State League, and the boys look to begin the quest for a fourth state title. This year, unlike past years, the league table will determine the seedings for the 2010 State Cup tournament.

The season will begin with a home match against southern Arizona member TSA Red 93 on Saturday, September 12, at Reach 11. The weekend continues with their first meeting against Cisco 93 Black, a semi-finalist in last year’s State Cup. The season continues with back to back matches against Santos FC on September 19^th followed again on October 4^th before participating in the Sereno Pro Classic.

Following the tournament, Arsenal prepare for back to back weekends of back to back matches. First they encounter Cisco 93 Black for a second time, on Saturday, October 17^th, and the face Sereno 93 on Sunday. The next weekend they face San Tan 93 Legacy on Saturday, October 24^th, before another match with Sereno on Sunday. The league finishes up with their second match against San Tan 93 Legacy on October 31 before traveling down to Tucson to face TSA Red 93 on November 11^th.This will be an exciting season.

With a fog hanging over the Polo Grounds on Monday, Arsenal looked to establish itself as one of the premier teams in the region by taking home their first California tournament championship. After not being invited initially to the tournament, Arsenal had something to prove to the tournament officials and to rest of the teams at Surf Cup 2009.

The first target was United FC in the semi-final match. Emerging from group play without allowing a goal and they were beginning to be more confident offensively. This would be an excellent opportunity for Arsenal to see if they would become the “Best of the Best.”

The match started off well with United FC showing their speed and physical play from the outset. Arsenal slowly found their groove and began to play their match and find the opportunities to score. With a pace of back and forth between the two sides, Arsenal found a scoring opportunity and it was Tanner Clay that finally found the back of the net, 1-0 Arsenal.

The goal seemed to be like blood for the team. Arsenal stepped up their pressure and Kyle Jarvis sent a blistering shot just over the top bar as the referee whistled for half time. What seemed to be a match that would possibly be won by the team scoring a late goal now was a match that Arsenal looked to add on to its lead.

The beginning of the second half continued in the same manner as the first with both sides pressuring and allowing little room to work. About seventeen minutes to the second half, Jarvis was able to redeem himself and scored to put Arsenal up 2-0 and a birth in the finals in sight.

However, this excitement was stymied when a minute later, United FC scored a goal off of a throw in deep in the Arsenal half. This brought the team back to reality and the score line to 2-1. The match then turned to United putting extreme pressure on Arsenal looking for the score to tie the match up. United continued but the defense that had previously had not allowed any goals in the tournament stood fast, and with the final whistle, Arsenal was through to their first final in California.

For Arsenal, the last team between them and the championship would be San Juan Lightning. The championship match took place in the heat of the day (89 degrees) and Arsenal looked relaxed and ready for the championship match.

The match play was rough and edgy as both teams chipped at each other. Ari Sanchez of Arsenal seemed to attract the most attention with San Juan matching a man specifically on Sanchez to provide a way to slow him down. However, it was Sanchez taking it to the rest of the Lighting by providing several excellent opportunities to score. However, the half ended in 0-0.

As the sun continued to shine on the match, the second half continued at the same pace. Excellent saves from Devin Foy provided Arsenal with the continued hope of bringing back a championship to Arizona.

The match continued late into the second half with parents looking at watches trying to gauge the amount of time left and what would be next, extra time or penalty kicks. With five minutes left in the championship match, Arsenal made a surge forward with a ball curved in from the right side and found Brian Hoyt, the newest member of the team. With the confidence of proven scorer, Hoyt placed the ball in the back of the net and Arsenal could now taste the championship.

With only a few more attempts by San Juan to move down field, Arsenal controlled the ball and waited for the sound of a final whistle. The team continued to move the ball to the corners and with one last run, the referee whistled and signaled the end of the match. The final ended 1-0 Arsenal and its first Surf Cup championship. Players rushed onto the pitch to celebrate while parents celebrated amongst themselves.

The only thing left was to collect their medals and trophy before heading back to Arizona. Leaving the 83° of San Diego to drive back to the 115° of Phoenix was all the more enjoyable with championship medals around the players’ necks. They now prepare to for Thanksgiving and show everyone this was not a fluke but a reality.  

Day two of the competition saw Arsenal sitting on top of their group standings and only needing a tie against Norcross Soccer Academy to move on to the Semi-Finals. The other side of the field saw Norcross needing a win to move on, however, they were up against a defense that had allowed only one goal, and that was on a penalty kick, in the last five matches.

Arsenal started off with pressure but soon found that Norcross was up for the challenge. The first half was marked by aggressive play by Norcross and Arsenal not playing to their top ability. With only a couple of chances on both sides, the half ended with the score 0-0, but Norcross feeling confident.

The second half consisted of more pressure put on by Norcross but this half saw Arsenal begin to take more control. Midway through the second half, Arsenal struck with a goal from Tanner Clay and putting the nail in the coffin for Norcross to move on to the next round.

Norcross continued to put more pressure and looked to muscle their way to a goal. This was stopped on several attempts, one being the “Twins” double teaming a Norcross player as he tried to move down field. However, all the extra pressure forward led to opportunities for Arsenal on the counter attack. Unfortunately, Arsenal was not able to capitalize but with the final whistle they did find themselves moving on to the semi-finals.

Having played two matches the previous day, their win over Norcross signaled an end to group play and a day of matches for the team. This allowed the team to enjoy the rest of the day by venturing down to the beach. The beach provided the back drop for the boys to relax and enjoy the great California weather. However, they all knew they had another day of tough matches and they had come too far to lose now.

Next up for them was the Group A runner-up United FC and a possible birth in the finals.

After earning their first win of Surf Cup 2009, the Arsenal boys looked to keep up their winning ways against Marin FC. The sunny warm 81° afternoon turned to a balmier temperature with the late afternoon cloud cover. It seemed like the perfect setting for another win.

With a different line-up from the earlier match, Arsenal attacked Marin FC in the same manner that Chicago Wind experienced. The match consisted of excellent ball control from both teams and a defense that allowed for few scoring chances.

Fifteen minutes into the match, a challenge in the box was deemed by the center official to involve a hand ball on Gilbert and a penalty kick was awarded to Marin FC. On the verge of allowing their first goal of the tournament, Devin Foy came up big and provided an excellent stop and kept the ball out of the back of net. The save put the rest of the team on a confident plain.

Gilbert than went on the attack and with two minutes left in the half, Arsenal found the back of the net from a header by Pasha Brown. Only a few minutes earlier, the match seemed to bend to the advantage of Marin FC but through hard work, Gilbert was able to snatch the advantage and the lead. The half ended with Arsenal leading 1-0.

The second half continued in the same vein with excellent defense in the back providing opportunities at the offensive end for the team. Arsenal dodged a bulletin when Adam Rodriguez saved a sure goal off of the goal line. With about twelve minutes left in the match, Juno Boyd secured his first goal of the season and provided the final nail in the coffin for Marin FC. The final whistle secured another victory for Arsenal and the top of the table for their group.

An early morning greeted the 93 Arsenal Premier boys as they began play in Surf Cup 2009. This would be the first tournament which the boys would begin to attract college coaches to watch and evaluate them.

The team arrived at the fields at 6:45 am under morning sea cover and 60° weather to take on Chicago Wind National Black. With a spring in their step, the boys took the opening kick and immediately put pressure on the Wind gaining a corner kick within the first three minutes of the match. The team continued to put pressure but could not put away the wanted goal. The half continued with the Chicago team finding their rhythm and the match settling into a back and forth affair. The Arsenal boys did find their footing a little slippery with several players loosing their traction when trying to change directions.

The first half ended knotted at 0-0. The second half looked to be a continuation of the first with only a mistake from one team providing the edge and goal needed to win the match.

The chance came in the 12^th minute when Ari Sanchez was fouled on the right side of the field, about twenty five yards out from goal. Newcomer, Michael Markette, provided an excellent free kick that found a darting Tanner Clay, who flicked it into the corner of the goal, 1-0 Arsenal. It was a goal well deserved by the team and one that would be the difference in the match.

The next eighteen minutes saw the Chicago team throw more players forward which brought more chances for Arsenal. Excellent up front play by Sanchez and Alex LaPose provided opportunities for Joseph Clemente, Juno Boyd, and Zachary Nasipak to add to the goal total, but they could not find the back of the net.  A last chance effort by the Wind provided nothing and the match ended with Arsenal gaining a well deserved win on day one of the tournament.

The boys then traveled back to their hotel for rest and food before their early evening match against Marin FC. A win tonight would assure the team an opportunity to move on to the semi-final match on Monday.

TEAM CORPORATE SPONSORS

For more information about the Gilbert Arsenal 93 Premier Boys Team, contact Drew Guarneri
(480) 892-5850