SIERRA VISTA — Taken at face value, the Steamers, with on average more rings in the trunk and more inches on the waistline, looked like heavy underdogs to the Rookies in Sunday’s Sierra Vista Adult Soccer League championship game.
The Rookies were younger, leaner and wore the swagger that comes with sporting replica jerseys of the Brazilian national team. Add to the mix the Steamers were down to just 10 players because of injury, a red card suspension and work commitments, and the Rookies had to like their chances of avenging their regular season loss.
Sierra Vista Soccer League: Open Division News
Monday, July 23Team Reps, if you have the 6:00PM game, please come by and pick up the game card and the keys.
Friday, July 6
All Open Division Team Rosters Updated
As of 8 pm on Friday...all Open Division Team Rosters are updated. If you are a player and did not receive an e-mail from Eteamz with your username and password, please send Jen a note (dorrisj@yahoo.com). Some people had such poor handwriting, I couldn't figure out what your e-mail was (or people did not indicate an e-mail address). Also, check your junk mail box to see if the e-mail ended up in there. You have to login to view the team rosters (since they have people's contact info and such on them). Thanks!
Monday, May 21
Shorthanded, seasoned Steamers win Sierra Vista city soccer title
Published in the Sierra Vista Herald on Monday, May 21, 2007
The Steamers’ Marvin Otto (left) and teammate Brandon Elliott (right), vie for the ball with the Rookies’ Josimer Jayden during the Sierra Vista Adult Soccer League championship game Sunday at the Domingo Paiz Fields in Sierra Vista. The Steamers won the game 4-2 to win the city title. (Suzanne Cronn-Herald/Review)
But a hat trick by the Steamers’ Brandon Elliott and some steller goaltending work by Chip Brown allowed the team in white T-shirts to prevail, 4-2 and win the city cup.
“We knew it was going to be tough playing a man down,” Elliott, a native of Alabama who played collegiately at Tennessee Wesleyan 10 years ago, said. “But we’ve been playing together, most of us, three or four years. We just play well as a team.”
Elliott scored the match’s first goal eight minutes in off a free kick from 25 yards out. He struck again eight minutes later, after intercepting an ill-advised pass in Rookie territory.
The Rookies got back into the game in the 32nd minute when Vicente Baldemas scored to cut the Steamers’ lead to 2-1 at the half.
Two minutes after intermission, Brown, with the wind at his back all of the second half, launched a punt from his goal box that struck in front of the onrushing Rookies’ keeper, bounded over his head and went into the goal to give the Steamers a 3-1 lead.
“I called it on the one before,” Brown said, insisting the goal was anything but dumb luck. “The first time I tried it and after that I said, ‘I’m going to get a goal.’ ”
Brown said it was his first goal of the year from the goalkeeper’s box.
Again, the Rookies wasted little time in responding. Two minutes after Brown’s goal, John Jean beat Brown on a fastbreak that cut it to 3-2.
Shortly thereafter, an altercation ensued and one player from each side was sent off with a red card. Now the Steamers were down nine players to 10. With the man advantage, and the field more sparsely populated, the Rookies spent the better part of the next 20 minutes on the attack. Christian Karottki’s attempt to tie straightaway from 18 yards clanged off the crossbar and three minutes later from the same spot, Karottki launched a shot two feet high.
With the help of a steady breeze that was acting almost like a 10th man, the Steamers weathered the Rookies’ storm and got a counterattacking chance in the 80th minute.
Marilyn Piduch, the second-leading scorer in Buena High School girls soccer history, was dribbling in space in the left corner of the Rookies’ box, when she was tackled from behind.
The Steamers were awarded a penalty kick, but Piduch was unable to put weight on her left knee and was helped off by two teammates.
The Steamers were down to eight players, and Elliott took the PK in her place. Elliott knocked it into the lower right corner for the clinching goal with 10 minutes remaining.
The game put the cap on the eighth and most successful season of the Sierra Vista Adult Soccer League. The eight teams entered this year more than doubled the shaky four that comprised the league in 2000.
Elliott said the Steamers expect to have the core of their team back for their title defense next spring.
“We knew it was going to be tough playing a man down,” Elliott, a native of Alabama who played collegiately at Tennessee Wesleyan 10 years ago, said. “But we’ve been playing together, most of us, three or four years. We just play well as a team.”
Elliott scored the match’s first goal eight minutes in off a free kick from 25 yards out. He struck again eight minutes later, after intercepting an ill-advised pass in Rookie territory.
The Rookies got back into the game in the 32nd minute when Vicente Baldemas scored to cut the Steamers’ lead to 2-1 at the half.
Two minutes after intermission, Brown, with the wind at his back all of the second half, launched a punt from his goal box that struck in front of the onrushing Rookies’ keeper, bounded over his head and went into the goal to give the Steamers a 3-1 lead.
“I called it on the one before,” Brown said, insisting the goal was anything but dumb luck. “The first time I tried it and after that I said, ‘I’m going to get a goal.’ ”
Brown said it was his first goal of the year from the goalkeeper’s box.
Again, the Rookies wasted little time in responding. Two minutes after Brown’s goal, John Jean beat Brown on a fastbreak that cut it to 3-2.
Shortly thereafter, an altercation ensued and one player from each side was sent off with a red card. Now the Steamers were down nine players to 10. With the man advantage, and the field more sparsely populated, the Rookies spent the better part of the next 20 minutes on the attack. Christian Karottki’s attempt to tie straightaway from 18 yards clanged off the crossbar and three minutes later from the same spot, Karottki launched a shot two feet high.
With the help of a steady breeze that was acting almost like a 10th man, the Steamers weathered the Rookies’ storm and got a counterattacking chance in the 80th minute.
Marilyn Piduch, the second-leading scorer in Buena High School girls soccer history, was dribbling in space in the left corner of the Rookies’ box, when she was tackled from behind.
The Steamers were awarded a penalty kick, but Piduch was unable to put weight on her left knee and was helped off by two teammates.
The Steamers were down to eight players, and Elliott took the PK in her place. Elliott knocked it into the lower right corner for the clinching goal with 10 minutes remaining.
The game put the cap on the eighth and most successful season of the Sierra Vista Adult Soccer League. The eight teams entered this year more than doubled the shaky four that comprised the league in 2000.
Elliott said the Steamers expect to have the core of their team back for their title defense next spring.