Game 1&2 : Scrimmage Against Cincinnati Kings 5/9-10/09 Town and Country Won 2-1 , Lost 0-2
Game 3: 5/15/09 First league game against 1819 Rovers at Xavier University. Lost the game by a score of 2-1. First time we had a majority of players together for the season. The game started out strong for the other team with our defense making to critical mistakes that cost goals. We outshot our opponents by a margin of 19-10. we had stellar goalkeeping by Ryan Vonderbrink.The team for the first half had many chances but couldn't seem to find the back of the net. We started the second half down 2 goals and fought hard and dominated on the possession. We had many chances on corner kids which were taken by Ryan Shepard. We finally scored on a corner that Anthony D'Amico headed down to an area in front of the goal in which Brad Kunze was able to put it in the back of the net. We had one final chance at the end in which the goalie was put forward and we had a corner kick in which Ryan Vonderbrink headed it just wide of the goal. The whistler blew after that play. our next game is against a tough Kolping FC team which is presently at the top of the standings. We are going to have some players that weren't available for the first game which should help the team considerably. Game time 6:00 Sunday the 17th at Xavier University.
Game 4: 5/17/09 Second league game against Kolping FC at Xavier University. Lost the game by a score of 3-0. We were outshot 19-17. The game started out well with the players moving the ball well in the first half. the first half ended with a 0-0 tie. Second half started and a few changes were made from the starting lineup. Kolping got their first goal on a kick over the central defenders to a running player that beat the outside defender when he slipped trying to make a play to steal the ball and after that Kolping had a open kick on goal. Then second and third goal happened when the defenders tried to make offside traps in which offside were never called so it left one on one with goalie. The defender seemed to give up once that got beat on the offside traps. Team is still having trouble talking on the field and let each other know what is happening. Hopefully this loss helps as we have another game Wednesday against Valencia CF at 7:30 at Xavier. Memorial weekend the team will be playing in Warrior Classic against teams from Michigan, Columbus, and Dayton. Hopefully we can change things Wednesday and carry it into the tournament.
Game 5: 5/20/09 Third league game against Valencia CF at Xavier University. Lost the game by a score of 3-2. We were outshot by a score of 20-12. The game started out slow we our team lacking a lot of key players. We went behind by a goal and then got the equalizer goal from Alex Adkins on a nice centering cross from Aaron Denney. We then let Valencia get another goal and again tied it up on a goal from Alex again on a nice through ball from Nick Brohas. The scored stayed tied till 6 minutes left in the game when Valencia got the lead again. we fought back hard and had shots at the end in which Valencia had a player in front of the goal and the ball hit him in the chest and after that he pushed it away with his hands and we never got a penalty kick. the game again ended on a corner kick. I give credit to our players for playing the way they did with only 2 subs. we go into the weekend playing in the Warrior Classic in Dayton and hopefully can start to turn things around before our state cup game the following Sunday.
Game 6,7,8: 5/23/09 Warrior Classic game against Michigan Sporting out of Dearborn, Michigan. 1st Game forfeit win, 2nd game 1-1 tie, 3rd game 2-2 tie team didn't move on.It was nice to see the team go home without loosing any games. We actually tied the team that won the tournament and it was their only tie or loss.
Game 9: 5/29/09 against Arsenal at Xavier University. Game ended up at a 1-1 tie. We got on the board in the first half with a nice pass from Ryan Shepard to Ryan Vonderbrink who slotted a nice low shot past the Arsenal keeper. The first half ended with us up 1-0. Second half started with the same lineup as the start of the game. We played well but seemed to die down since only 3 subs. We had many chances in the second half but couldn't seem to come away with another goal.The Arsenal tied the game with 5 minutes left when the defense failed to clear the ball. First tie of the league season for us and hopefully this will continue to get better as we play more games. Sunday we have a state cup match against 1790 Cincinnati at 7:00 at Kolping fields.
Game 10: 5/31/09 against 1790 Cincinnati at Kolping Fields. The game ended up with UFC winning 1-0. this was a state cup game that lets the team go to Regionals this year in Chicago June 26-28. both team fought hard in this game with our goal coming on a penalty kick when Kevin Noshang was taken down in the box. Kevin took the penalty which he send hard to the upper left side with no chance for the opposing goalie to get. we had great goal keeping splitting the time between to two keeper Jacob Lagrone and Ryan Vonderbrink. We had great defense play by Mason Kelly and Ben Tarkany. We also had great play by the midfielders Ryan Shepard, Mario Magliano, Aaron Denney, and Brad Kunze. We lost many players to injury this game like Matt Dwyer, Billy Weaver and Mason Kelly. We hope they have a quick recovery as the season continues on. Next game this Wednesday.
Game11: 6/3/09 against Cincinnati Freedom at Xavier University. The game ended up with us winning 1-0. A hard fought game by the team with our only goal coming on a set piece that was kicked By Mario Magliano across goal which bounced and then Brad Kunze ran on and got his head on it to give us the game winning goal.
Game12: 6/5/09 against Valencia CF at Xavier University. The game ended up with us losing 1-5. well 10 players showed up and Kevin Forbes had to play. What can I say ValenciaCf was the better team. We did get a goal again from Brad Kunze. Next game against Arsenal at Kolping field 6/7 at 7:00.
Game13: 6/7/09 against Arsenal at Kolping Fields. The game ended up with us winning 4-1. We started out the game with 10 players and Arsenal also down players. We got 2 goals from Ryan Shepard a goal from Mario Magliano and another from Aaron Denney. Game ended early due to lack of players. Next game against Cincinnati Freedom 6/10 at Xavier University.
Game14: 6/10/09 against Cincinnati Freedom at Xavier University. The game ended up with us losing 5-2. The first goal was a Penalty kick for Freedom. freedom got another goal before the half on an errant pass on defense across the center in which Freedom stole and put in the back of the net. the second half started with Anthony D'Amico receiving a pass from Ryan Shepard in which he was able to get around the keeper and put into the back of the net. Again got 2 ahead on another penalty kick. we came within one goal again when Joey Sandmann took the ball down the side lines the went towards the goal and made a nice pass to Brandon Graves who was open in front of the goal. freedom then went up again on a threw ball which the sunk around our keeper. Freedom went up a 3rd goal when defense was pulled to try to closen the gap. The game was destroyed from the start when the Ref's couldn't get a handle on the big game and seemed to be tired from the game before and made all the wrong calls. Our next game is against Kolping FC at Kolping Fields 6/14 at 7:00 pm.
Game15: 6/14/09 against Kolping FC at Kolping Fields. The game ended up with us winning 3-2. The game started 15 minutes late due to weather. Anthony D'Amico started in goal as out other two goalies we not able to make it to the match per previous committments. Our goal scoring got started with a nice pass from Ryan Shepard to Guy Mbanyansig who turned the defender to get a open shot at goal in which he finished. we got a second goal on a nice slide steal from Alex Adkins who then was able to beat the goalkeeper and put the ball in the back of the net. Kolping scored there first goal after that on a set piece in which the defender were unable to clear the ball and Kolping capitalized. The second have started and we got a nice goal on a centering pass from John Middendorf to Brandon Graves in which he controlled the ball and shot it into the back of the net. we had a few more chances in the second half but were limited to 10 players as Mario Magliano got 2 yellows and removed from the game. The field was very slippery and I'm sure this helped in the cause of these fouls. we had great defense work from Derrick Smith, Nick Brohas, Brad Kunze, Patrick Gibson, and Matt Dwyer. We also had great midfield work from Dan Dwyer, Aaron Denney, Ryan Shepard.Our next game is the final league game against 1819 Rovers in which defeated us earlier in the season. We hope to avenge this loss which would put us third in points for the spring season. we play at Xavier at 7:30 Wednesday. Founders Cup starts this weekend with our first game against Rogues.
Game16: 6/17/09 against 1819 Rovers at Xavier University. The game ended up with us winning a close one 4-3. We started out very fast as in the first five minutes we were already up 2-0. The first goal came on a nice outside pass from Dan Dwyer to Matt Dwyer who then slipped a through ball to James Holliday who took it in and had a rocket shoot past the goalkeeper. Then second came on a Brad Kunze cross in the air to a waiting Anthony D'Amico who headed in in to give us a 2-0 lead.We almost got a third goal on a nice high cross from Brandon Graves who made the goalie jump and push the ball over the net. We then started playing their game and not marking people and let them tie the game up late in the first half. Second half started and we then got another goal When Dan Dwyer slipped the ball through to a running Anthony D'Amico for a goal. We again let them tie it up at 3-3. We had more chances as their goalie kept coming off his line and we tried to chip him. Nick Brohas had a very close from from close to half line in which he chipped the goalie for the ball to only go a foot wide of goal. we finally got the game winning goal on a Brad Kunze through ball again to Anthony in which he slid it to the side of the goalie and the ball went in on the left side just after hitting the inside of the left post. Anthony D'Amico finished out the night with a hat trick the first of the season for UFC. Our next games is a tournament called Founders Cup held in Dayton June 20-21. Our first game is against Dayton Rogues.
Game17:6/20/09 against Dayton Rogues at Ankeney Fields in Beavercreek, Ohio.
REGIONAL CUP 2009 SUMMARY: Chicago, Illinois
Well this is my sixth year winning the State Cup with UFC, and we have advanced to the Regional Cup Championships in Chicago, IL.
I began my weekend driving up to Chicago on Thursday afternoon with Nate Bower (a defender from Elkhardt, IN who plays at the University of Indiana). We had a nice ride but soon received the news of Michael Jackson's passing, and life as I have experience changed. RIP MJ--crazy life but awesome memories.
We first played Wisconsin FC Magic at noon on Friday. We brought a very good team with a great group of talent. We had two new players join us: Brian Ackley who played with the University of Indiana, and Jeff Popella who plays for the University of Dayton. Both of these guys are experienced players who have a tremendous amount of skill and passion. We started out strong with a score of 3-0 in our favor, and then the most bizarre thing happened...the goal we were defending actually collapsed. We stopped play for almost twenty five minutes and used the opportunity to make a few changes in positions so we could rest the players. That break helped the Milwaukee Magic to reevaluate the game, and they managed to get two goals. In the end, we still pulled through and won 3-2.
The next game was on Saturday at 8am against the defending National Champion U23 ELA United Premier out of Illinois. I awoke at 6am to prepare for my day. When I logged into Facebook, I was dismayed to discover that three of our best skill players had been out until the wee hours of the morning and managed to get into a fight at 4am. As a long-time coach and a person who values mutual respect within the team, I found myself quite angry. Today, I still am upset about it. Stress started to run high as game time approached, and several players didn't arrive until 7:45am. The three players previously mentioned finally arrived at 7:55am, and I was furious about how it could affect the team's chances to advance. There was such harmony the previous game, but it was nowhere to be had that morning. When the game began, we were working hard against them and stopping their runs, but within the first ten minutes my right back made two crucial mistakes...and we were down 2-0, just like that. I was in disbelief: this player had performed exceptionally at the Regional Cup and had boasted his confidence in how he would play. Then the bottom dropped out of the barrel, and Brian Ackley got a red card against the Defending National U23 Champions. One of the opposing players grabbed his jewels, and he reacted as many players would--he lost his cool and got the red card. It was embarrassing for me one of UFC's leaders and disrespectful to our other team members who had traveled this far for their dream. At half time, the score remained 2-0 in the opponent's favor. During the second period, they scored another goal on us (3-0). Miraculously, the team woke up--Aaron Denney drilled the ball from the corner to Jeff Popella's head and made a wicked goal. But the goals kept coming....for the other team. We left the center of the park exposed for much of the game, and they pulled in two more goals, bringing the score to 5-1. Then, out of nowhere, Austin Cook called for the shot and ripped a ball from about 25 yards out and brought the score up to 5-2. We still had a chance to make the goal differential better. I made a few more subs, but the final score was 7-2. We had the team that could have beaten them. Brian Ackley is a well-rounded and highly-skilled player, but the lack of sleep blurred his judgment and he lost his cool. The game was especially hard on Ryan Vonderbrink and Nick Brohas.
Our last game was against Indiana West Side United. We came to the field battered and bruised from the previous game, but respect and pride were on the line. Dan Dwyer began to emerge as a talented and passionate player. This 19-year-old from Cincinnati, OH has two brothers that are also part of the UFC family: Matt Dwyer (team leader) and Mike Dwyer, both of whom played in the previous Regional Cups. Matt's ankle was unfortunately battered and bruised in the first game against The FC Magic. Dan played with skill and made the teams chase and work against him. Our centerback had something in his eye for much of the game, making it even more difficult to defend against this very good Indiana team. They scored two goals. We tried to adapt changes and played well against them, but they scored another goal (3-0). The pieces came together and we were able to score 2 goals. Ryan Shepherd (UFC Team Co-Captain) made a cross, and Dan full-volleyed the ball in the net. The highlight of the entire tournament was when Billy Weaver hit a complete bomb from about 43 yards, 2 feet, and 5 inches out on a full run full complete volley line drive into the back on the net. His excitement was overwhelming, and he threw off the shirt...and he soon received a yellow card for taking his shirt off. It was absolutely amazing and a great memory to have forever. I had asked Jacob Lagrone to go in for Ryan Vonderbrink--they only got one goal on Jacob, but we still lost 5-3 in the end. Jacob played well and was spared the blasting that was dished out to Ryan. They were both valuable players in the game.
It was the best time I have had in a long time, and the new UFC players, Patrick Gibson and Brandon Graves, were outstanding in their positions. The highlight of the tournament was seeing the players go out to the movies to see "The Hangover" and watching them enjoy each other and the tournament experience. On Saturday night, we all went into Chicago via train and had a great time at the "Taste of Chicago". All in all, this team made me want to come back volunteer more for an even better time next year, when the World Cup will be played in South Africa 2010.
I would like to mention Mario Magliano and Che Beya for their excellence in their patience and leadership. Che Beya is the player who rode up with us in hopes that his International Clearance would come through. There were some complications and it didn't work out, but I know that his availability would have changed the dynamics of the UFC greatly. Joey Sandman is an upcoming new player who really showed another side of his game--he has so much potential that we want to hone in on. Brad Kunze, in my opinion, has made the most improvement in his personal game. He was our rock in the thick of all this, and I foresee Brad having a tremendous year for his school. Alex Adkins also pleasantly surprised me with his composure and strategy, placing the ball in all the right places--I hope he continues to improve his game because he is a great asset to the team. Ryan Shepherd was the player who improved his game even greater from the previous year, and he is definitely one of UFC's leaders. I'd like to recognize Kevin Noschang: without the arsenal of players he contributed and his own amazing ability, this entire trip to Chicago wouldn't have even happened--he scored the goal in the State Cup game and also brought Billy Weaver and Brian Ackley to UFC. I know Kevin and a bit of his track record, and it's an honor to call him a UFC player and a friend. Finally I want to ackowledge Ryan Vonderbrink for his tremendous leadership and commitment to life and soccer. He has made almost every game and played the field. His attitude was the best I have seen out of the many players I have encountered in the past ten years. And can you believe he had brain surgery twice last year? I believe in miracles, and I believe in Ryan. God Bless you Ryan, and I hope you have a wonderful season with Ohio Dominican. You were our MVP for this year's team and the silent Captain for us all. Ryan Shepherd, I want to thank you too for all you have done. Your continued improvement is amazing to watch. You are my silent CoCaptain for the team. Brad Kunze, I have to give you props as my Co MVP.
With all that said I now have to write another long overdue report of another tournament. Guys, I pray that you all were safe this summer and that you enjoyed playing UFC soccer. Let's make an effort to let Andy Baxter know how much we all appreciate his hard work, the time he has put in, his strong commitment, and his skills as a webmaster. Andy, you are our leader...we live to serve the game and you, and we are eternally grateful for having you bless our lives with your passion and love of this game.
I have made my decision to continue to come back and be in Cincinnati, Ohio for the next season and have a different regimen of better soccer skills and leadership for you all. Be ready for 2010--I'm already stoked about the World Cup and my boys from Brazil. I'll cheer for USA to the end, but soccer is where my heart is, and Brazil has the game I want. It would be my dream to take a team to Brazil someday and play.
NOTE: Andy and I have to know by this Wednesday how many are committed to playing in the Tournament of Champions Aug 1-2 in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. If we do not have at least 16 to go then we will call it off. We have too much at stake to play without a full team.
If you have not already, please feel free to join my Facebook network--it will only help get the UFC word out more.
Again, it has been my honor and pleasure to do this for the absolute love of this game. May the Lord of hope, love, honor, and life continue to bless you all in Jesus' name.
Kevin Forbes / Andy Baxter
The United Futbol Club