Following a comfortable win on Saturday against TSA, Arsenal was ready to battle Cisco 93 for a trip to the State Cup Championship Match. The previous match the week before was an intense contest that brought thoughts of another excellent match between the two quality teams.

With the Phoenix sun bearing down on the teams, the match began with Arsenal providing most of the action. Through out the first half, Arsenal had several chances that continued to put pressure on the Cisco defense. Michael Schellenbaum hit the bar and deflected behind the goalie but found no one to put the ball in the back of the net. Pressure continued by Arsenal with Cisco having only a couple of chances.

The first half whistle sounded with the teams tied but Arsenal controlling the match. The second half began with more Arsenal pressure but ten minutes into the match, Cisco found what had brought them this far in the tournament and Cisco begin their own pressure on the Arsenal goal. For the next several minutes, Arsenal found themselves on their heels as Cisco pressed forward  and required Devin Foy to make several excellent saves to keep the score level.

With several substitutions, Arsenal regained their composure and control of the match. The team again created several scoring opportunities with Schellenbaum again hitting the post, Alex La Pose making a free run into the box but slipping before getting a shot off, and the best chance of Brennan Redd making a run one on one with the goalie but pushing the ball just wide. The pressure seemed too much for Cisco and that a goal would come at any minute. However, the final whistle came before the goal and Cisco and Arsenal moved into overtime.

The overtime was the second overtime match in two days that Cisco was involved. The pressure of playing in an overtime match seemed to favor Cisco but Arsenal came out with the continued pressure that they had in regular time. Again, however, Cisco battled back and wrestled control away from Arsenal and pressured the Arsenal defense for six of the first ten minute overtime period. It seemed that this could be a match determined by one mistake.

The second ten minute period of overtime began with both teams feeling each other out and neither team wanted to make a mistake that would allow the valuable, and possibly only, goal of the overtime period. With three minutes gone in the second period, Ari Sanchez provided a quality service into the box that was tracked by the Cisco goalie for an easy save. However, the ball found Sean Ayers who made a simple flick and as the ball found the back of the net, the Arsenal fans jumped in joy for the lead.

The goal provided Arsenal with a 1-0 lead but there was still six minutes left in the overtime period. With the goal, Cisco was made to throw everything they had at Arsenal. The six minutes clicked off slowly but with excellent defensive skills and quality position by the team, the final whistle sounded and Arsenal found them in the Championship match, ready to defend their title.

The match had lived up to its hype and now it was on to next weekend and a showdown with Sereno. It would take two wins for Arsenal to retain the State Cup and provide the fourth in five years. With the quality of play this weekend, it looked very possible for this to happen.

The GSC 93 Arsenal Premier Boys team went into their first weekend playing in the loser’s bracket and looking at each match as its possible last one for the year. After a previous weekend of a close loss to Cisco 93 on Saturday then a dominant win over AZFC Hammers 93 in a must win match, the team looked to begin the weekend with a match against Tucson Soccer Academy. TSA came into the match with a win over last year’s State Cup runner-up, Santos 2-0, and momentum.

Without looking forward to possible rematch with Cisco, Arsenal began the match on a positive note with Alex La Pose scoring an opening goal 45 seconds into the match. It was the start that Coach Drew Guarneri was looking for to push the team forward.

The team continued with their pressure with numerous shots on goal and coolness in the defense. Arsenal made their first substitutions about ten minutes into the match. Danny Berzins, coming off of knee surgery, showed that he had not lost any thing after the lay off with a beautiful cross field ball that found Preston Baggett moving down the field. Baggett brought the ball down in full speed and found the back of the net thirteen minutes into the first half, and put the team up 2-0. The first half continued with more pressure but without any more goals.

After an excellent first half, Arsenal continued with their ruthless pressure and Angel Luna produced another classic goal with a shot thirty yards out that deflected off of a TSA defender and into the net. It was twenty minutes in and the lead had grown to 3-0.

The pressured continued on TSA, and with about fifteen minutes left in the match, Zach Nasipak found Sean Ayers on the top of penalty box, who then slotted open a terrific goal, 4-0. This goal allowed the team to continue with their pace and not have to push through the rest of the match.

Now TSA began to pressure getting back one goal with ten minutes left, but in the end it cost them when Ayers received a great ball from Bagget and scored a beautiful goal which brought the final to 5-1 Arsenal. With the final whistle, Arsenal moved on to a Sunday match with Cisco to determine the team who would play Sereno for the State Cup.

This brought the question of whether it would be Arsenal and their opportunity to compete for its fourth title in five years or would Cisco finally make it to the finals and get that much cherished Cup? Time would tell.  

The Arsenal 93 Premier continued their journey towards their fourth State Cup with a convincing win over SC del Sol Extreme 93 on Saturday afternoon. Unlike the previous weekend, a gale force wind would play a part in the match on the players and the ball.

Arsenal continued from the previous week with unrelenting pressure on SC del Sol. The first half saw the team create numerous chances but finding the back of the net was not successful. The team broke through in the 14^th minute when Kyle Jarvis served an excellent ball into the box to Ari Sanchez, only for the shot to be blocked. However, the rebound fell to Brennan Redd at the top of the box and Redd found the back of the net with a great shot, 1-0 Arsenal. The first half finished with Arsenal continuing on the attack but not scoring again.

With fans returning to their seats after half time, Sanchez pressure the SC del Sol keeper you cleared the ball out of the box. The ball found Adam Rodriguez whole launched a shot 20 yards out. GOAL 2-0 Arsenal!! The goal provided the “blood in the water” that Arsenal thrives on and the restart only brought about added pressure.

SC del Sol restart looked to pressure Arsenal back into their end with a long ball. With pressure put on by SC del Sol, Preston Baggett found Redd along the sideline for a release point. Redd, instead of putting into the middle to Angel Luna, made an excellent fake up the sideline to find Alex LaPose with a great pass. LaPose made a move on the defender to slot through a perfect pass to a streaking Sanchez who found himself one on one with the SC del Sol goalie. In clinical fashion, Ari easily put the ball pass the keeper, 3-0 Arsenal, with 2 goals in the opening 3 minutes of the second half.

Sanchez’s goal was not the end to the pressure. Four minutes later, Sanchez found Jarvis on the right side of the box. One quick move and Jarvis shot was in the back of the net, 4-0. The goal only fueled the continued pressure of the team as it looked for more.

With continued pressure and composed play from the entire team, Sanchez brought the total to 5-0 with a goal in the 34^th minute after a pass from Luna. Six minutes later, the final whistle was blown and Arsenal found themselves moving on to the next round of the Arizona State Cup and a match with Cisco 93 on Saturday, May 2.

Under the brilliant sunshine of an Arizona Spring day, the defending club state champions, the GSC 93 Arsenal Premier Boys team, began their defense of their most recent state crown. With the addition of five new players to last year’s roster, the team looked ready to again claim their fourth state crown in five years.

The first match in the state tournament pitted the team against Mesa United Soccer Club 93, which had defeated Banat 2-1 the prior evening in a play in game. United came into the match missing one if its top players, Josh Stern, who was suspended after scoring the go ahead goal and then receiving his second yellow of the night. With his speed lost, Mesa was in for an uphill battle.

The match began with the Arsenal boys taking control early. Arsenal looked very poised as they began to attack the United goal repeatedly with excellent passes and shots that were just missing. With five minutes lapsed in the first half, Juno found himself free down the right flank and served a beautiful ball into the box. The ball was played out of the air with a beautiful volley by Alex LaPose, and provided Arsenal with a much deserved 1-0 lead.

Arsenal continued to attack the rest of the first half but without any goals to show for it. With seventeen minutes left in the first half, Kyle Jarvis dribbled through several defenders and slotted through a ball to Angel who put it in the back of the net, 2-0. Angel followed his first goal with a second goal eight minutes later that deflected off of Alex’s body and past the goal tender. The goal made it 3-0 and half time lead that Arsenal deserved.

The second half began with the same pressure from Arsenal on United from the first period. With several attempts falling wide of the goal, Angel again found the back of the net with a laser shot from 20 yards out only six minutes into the second half. The goal made it 4-0 and the team began to attack like sharks in a pool of blood.

Four minutes later, Ari Sanchez weaved in and out of defenders to find himself in the box for a shot. However, a United defender fouled Ari from behind, and Arsenal were awarded a penalty kick. Brennan Redd stepped to the spot and scored easily past the keeper to make the score 5-0. However, this would not be the end.

A couple minutes later, Ryan Holt, provided the match with one of the more beautiful goals for the year. Ryan, from 40 yards out, provided a perfect pass to Ari, racing down the far side, who smashed it in to the back of the net to make the score 6-0. The last goal capped an excellent display of the fire power that Arsenal possess.

The rest of the game continued with Arsenal domination, with the final whistle ending an outstanding opening win for the team. With the win, Arsenal move on to face SC del Sol in the next road at Reach 11 on Saturday, April 25 at 4:00 pm.

Day two began with one mission in mind; beat the current group leader, New Mexico Strikers FC and move onto the quarterfinals.

The third group play match provided the addition of Ari Sanchez and Kyle Jarvis, fresh off of their state high school championship win. The team welcomed the two back with hugs and congratulations, but that was soon dismissed as they prepared for the crucial match.

With the addition of Sanchez and Jarvis into the starting line up, Arsenal began with an aggressive attack on the Striker goal. Arsenal continued to press and 15 minutes into the match, Sanchez was brought down in the same position that Sean Ayres was fouled the day before in their morning match.

Again, Angel Luna stepped to take the kick, but instead of waiting for the team to prepare for his kick, Luna took a quick kick to a wide open Jarvis you slotted home an opening goal into the bottom left hand corner. Goal Arsenal, and a great welcome back from Jarvis.

The goal did not seem to be enough for Arsenal as the continued the surge to the end of the first half and into the second half. Again, outstanding play by Chris Aguirre, Tanner Clay, Ryan Holt, Preston Baggett and Adam Rodriguez became a wall for the Strikers found hard to penetrate. As the minutes continued to run down, it seemed Arsenal would be moving on into the quarterfinals. With the final whistle, it was realized. Next up, was the Gladiators from New Mexico.

The quarterfinal match would be one of the biggest challenges for the team in this new season. Arsenal was coming in with outsiders looking at the match with hopes that Arsenal would not be blown out but be beaten respectful. However, the team had different ideas.

The match began with a larger crowd to watch the defending State and President’s Day Champion take on the 3^rd ranked team in the nation. The flow of the game was even with both teams controlling the flow of the game for portions of the first half. Both sides had excellent scoring opportunities but Devin Foy and the Gladiators’ goal keeper were up for the challenge.

At half time, the score was knotted at 0-0 and buzz began to circle the field that Arsenal was in the midst of something special.

The second half began with the Gladiators controlling the pace of action and 12 minutes into the half scored the opening goal that they had been wanting all match. The cheers from the Gladiator fans were now, “let’s put this away and score again.”

The mark was now set and dream looked vanished for Arsenal. With the kick off and some back and forth control in the middle of the field, Arsenal sent a long ball that rolled out of the end line resulting in a goal kick. It looked like options were becoming slim for Arsenal. However, that was about to change.

The Gladiator sent the goal kick into the middle of the field that was won by Zachary Nasipak and went to Angel Luna. Luna looked up to find Sean Ayres, who with a man on his back caught a streaking Ari down the middle of the field. A quick back heal found Ari who then saw Alex LaPose make a diagonal run to receive a perfect placed ball from Ari and brought him one on one with the Gladiators’ keeper. With one quick shot, LaPose rocketed a shot into the back of the net, and with that, Arsenal had tied up the match. The goal became the first one allowed by Gladiators in the tournament.

With new energy, Arsenal continued the attack. Five minutes later a shot from outside the box by Ari was blocked and an oncoming run by Nasipak saw a powerful shot just blocked by a defender resulting in a corner. And the attacks continued.

With less than five minutes remaining, LaPose made another run the almost resulted in the winning score. However, this time, his shot was deflected just wide of the goal. The two teams continued their back forth control until the final whistle, which meant spot kicks to determine the winner.

By this time, many of the other matches had finished and teams and parents gathered around to watch was becoming another win in the fable career of the 93 Arsenal Premier team. The two teams sent out their players for the spot kicks, with Arsenal first.

Brennan Redd was first for Arsenal with a powerful shot that the goal keeper misjudged. Gladiators were next and put their first by Foy. Next up for the boys was Angel Luna who saw his shot just graze the post and miss. The Gladiators then had their turn, but were denied by Foy who gave a quick, “I got your back” to Luna. Arsenal then missed their third shot with Gladiators making theirs and moving ahead.

Next to step to the spot was Clay, who had played an outstanding match in defense. His shot blistered past the goalie and retied the score. Needing a save from Foy, Gladiators looked in control but again, their fourth shot was denied. That brought about the fifth and final participants of the opening shots.

Instead of being on the defensive side of the spot kick, Foy took his turn. His kick sailed into the right corner without any problems. Now it was up to the Gladiators’ player to tie it up. Foy had already saved two shots, could he save the third? All eyes were on the goal as the shot was launched. Foy initially stopped it but the ball looked to be headed to the back of the net. With instincts from years of training, Foy realized where the ball was and stopped the shot. Arsenal and slain Goliath again and won the quarterfinal match on spot kicks 3-2.

With the win, Arsenal was headed to the semi-finals to play their instate rival Sereno to determine who would head to the finals. The win against the Gladiators again sent a message to teams around the state and country that the 93 Arsenal Premier were a team to not be taken lightly and to be considered with the best of the best.

With the ending of high school season, most of the Gilbert 93 Premier boys were back in action to defend their 2008 President’s Day Championship. The team began the tournament without Ari Sanchez and Kyle Jarvis who were participating in the high school finals that evening. Their first game was against Fort Collins of Colorado.

The match began with the team with team not looking confident and in rhythm. The team did not look like it just reassembled after a long high school season. They immediately put pressure on the Fort Collins’ goalie with several shots. At the 10 minute mark of the first half, Fort Collins was called for a foul on Sean Ayres just outside of the penalty area. Angel Luna stepped up to take the free kick. He served into the area and put it into the far back post to make it 1-0 Arsenal.

The boys continued to control the game with a couple of more opportunities. The defense held the Fort Collins with little or no chances. Devon Foy only had one shot on goal that he had to contend with during the rest of the match.

With a scoreless second half, the match ended with Arsenal notching its first win of the tournament. Their next match would see them take on Edmond Soccer Club from Oklahoma.

The afternoon match would play out in a little different form then the morning match. The team again controlled the flow of play with Ayres taking a shot on goal that caught the goalie falling away from the ball. Unfortunately, the ball hit the post, and with Zachary Nasipak at the goal line to follow up, the ball rolled to the falling Edmond goal keeper. A chance lost for Arsenal.

The half ended with a 0-0 score line. The match continued with a physical pace with Arsenal creating chances and not capitalizing and the defense playing strong in the back. The back of Chris Aguirre, Tanner Clay, Ryan Holt and Preston Baggett, continued to be the brick wall for the Edmond offense.

However, deep into the second half, an Edmond striker broke the wall and moved one on one with Foy. With a move around a diving Foy, the Edmond player put the ball in the back of the net with 12 minutes remaining in the match. The goal would hold up to be the winner even with an all out attack by the Arsenal team.

Arsenal headed into day two with one win and one lose needing a win to secure an invitation to the quarterfinals. A tie or lose by Edmond in the next day’s match, would assure Arsenal in first in their bracket and miss the Gladiators from New Mexico who just won the prestigious Disney World Tournament during the holidays.

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