DEA Bedford Masters 2

As is normal at this point, we were short on players and long on injuries, but we were there and ready to go.  Jim joined us to cover net for which he deserves many thanks.  Mo showed up, limp and all to provide us with our one sub.

We started out a little slow and Jim was a bit rusty, which showed as the first goal came from Westford, rolling just inside the post when it at first appeared it was going wide.  We came back quickly though and Jimmy fed Steve in the box where Steve applied his famous toe, scooping the ball up and over the keeper and it was 1-1.  They came back again fairly quickly for a 2-1 lead, then Jimmy played a little billiards in the box, slamming it off a defender's back and again, up and over the keeper to tie it up.

The third goal was pretty, Dave and Jeff worked it down the left side, Jeff hit a high cross over which we couldn't quite get a header on, but Stuart quickly rounded it up, turned it outside, then crossed it back in front where Herman went up for a nice header and a 3-2 lead and that's how we went into the half.

A bit of back and forth in the beginning of the second half with nothing much happening, then the ref decided to take a hand, because, why should the players decide the game?  Westford took a ball deep down their left side, very deep as it went out over the end line around the edge of the box.   It was obvious enough that players on both teams pulled up, but the ref didn't blow the whistle and the Westford player turned and lobbed it back into the box.  There it bounced around a little then Dave chested it down and cleared it out.  Being Dave myself, that ball hit me square in the middle of my chest, my arms out to the side and nowhere near it.  But the ref called it a hand ball and awarded a penalty kick.  Tie game.  Not satisfied with that, 5 minutes later the ref again blew the whistle in the box after Jim went down to grab a loose ball.  No one on either team had a clue what the call was, but the ref then explained that Jim had first grabbed the Westford player's ankle, then played the ball.  One would think the player would know if his ankle had been grabbed, but this was the ref's day to shine.  Another penalty kick and 4-3 Westford.

More than a little upset by this point we came back strong.  Deep on the left side, Jimmy threw into Jeff, took a few steps and received the ball back.  Then a give to Dave and a go to the end line for another pass back, juked a defender along the end line and then a nice roller six feet out to Mo standing in front of the net for the easy goal and we were tied once again.

This time there was a case to be made for a foul, although I'd say it was more Joe's kick after the play than the one he called on Jim, but there we were, penalty kick number 3 and Westford back on top.  By the end of that we'd racked up 4 yellow cards,  most for opining on the ref's performance and started to lose our focus.  Only a minute later and a high ball dropped over where John and their forward were contending for it, giving them a one on one with Jim which they converted and it was 6-4.  The final goal was a bit of rustiness coming back again, Jim caught a spinning ball, but it spun out of his hands, hit the ground and had enough spin left to take it into the goal for 7-4.  The score says 8-4, but I don't remember the eighth one, as I said, by then we'd kind of lost focus.

As crappy as the game was, we are still one point ahead of Westford.  Depending on what happened in Pepperell/Harvard we are tied with Pepperell.  We now need to do our damnedest to win out.  We've got Hoptkinton next week which is going to be a tough game, then we finish with Burlington which we certainly can win.

Next week is also our last home game.  Anyone got a grill they can bring?  I don't have one, but I'll start the signup and bring some sausages.  Anyone in for a last home game cookout?

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GM Note:

WTF   3 PK's and 4 yellow cards!!!!!   That's a 120 beer fine in one game!