DEA Bedford Over 30

Seacoast FC rudely welcomed DEA to Division 1 by spanking them, 4-1, today. On the plus side, DEA handed Seacoast three goals off mistakes, but the downside is they were generally outplayed for much of the match. The pitch at Phillips-Exeter Academy was in extremely poor shape. Squishy, muddy, and not level, DEA had hoped for more quality fields now that they have finally made it to top-level football. However, the pitch made for some schoolyard play at times and directly resulted in three of the goals. No excuses, as both sides had to play on it and had to deal with the same set of circumstances. Seacoast started out dominating possession. DEA were caught in a mix of trying to spring forwards Willie Davis and Gary DuPlessis over the top, and also of trying to play to feet. The play was slow...so slow Dale Dubois even commented "It's like running in beach sand out there". Midway through the first half, Seacoast striker Brett Scaccia was sprung free on a through ball. DEA Keeper Chris Cloutier closed the angle, and stopped the initial stop. However, the ball laid at his feet and in the scrum to locate it Scaccia again broke free. With only Chris Florek behind the ball, Scaccia mis-hit his shot. Flo had a chance to clear it, but a poorly replaced field divot resulted in strange bounce and it trickled by Flo's foot. Five minutes later, another mistake in marking left Seacoast open for a cross from the right side. As Jon Cloutier stepped toward the cross to head clear, brother Chris attempted to take over with a late call. The muddy, slippery pitch prevented Jon from clearing out of the way, and the two collided and watched the ball slip in between the two. No excuse for that performance...the two of them have been in the same backfield together for about thirty years. Scaccia was alone at the back post and tapped into the empty goal. Two-nil, and both goals were trash. At this point, DEA had to buckle down to keep their composure. They didn't want to get blown out, but their offense had been lacking. The finally got their first chance when Willie Davis and Chris Laberge linked up to create some open space. After a scramble in front, the ball bounced around and DuPlessis looked to finally break the pane. However, the ball was cleared off the line and out of danger. Scaccia had one more good look at goal as the half was winding down, but Cloutier did well by diving to his right to push the shot aside. Another great opportunity was headed out by a diving Rob Cissel under intense pressure to keep the score respectable. DEA could take comfort knowing they were only down by two and had played about as worse as they could. Ten minutes into the second half, however, Seacoast effectively ended any hopes of a DEA comeback with a nifty goal. After Seacoast winger Mark Griffin tracked down a cross on the left side, he slowed the play and laid a pass back to Javier Corredor 22 yards out. Javier was heard to say "Eight inches under the crossbar, kiss the far post on the way in". Well, that's exactly where his scorching drive went, leaving Cloutier to only watch and admire. DEA finally began to play to feet at this point, and the trio of Laberge, Davis, and DuPlessis created some great passing. Their shots were left wanting, and DEA continued to be stymied. In the 68th minute, DEA pushed everyone up off a corner to exert some pressure in the box. The clearance found Scaccia, and sprung Griffin at the midfield stripe. Cloutier, 45 yards from goal, hesitated while trying to get a read on the outlet pass. The ball didn't have enough pace to it, and he could only watch as Griffin launched a shot from the bottom of the midfield arc and it settled softly into the unguarded goal. DEA was down, 4-0, and had nobody to blame but themselves for three of them. Willie Davis finally restored some measure of respectability for the squad when his smartly taken restart from 19 yards was perfectly placed. After Laberge stepped over the shot, the wall shifted and Davis had the whole right side. His bender went around the wall, away from the keeper, and in. That would close out the scoring. Highlights for DEA were the welcome of Dan Martin into the fold. A member of the DEA Indoor squad for a few years know, Martin played like a player deserving of the hefty transfer fee he demanded in the offseason. Dale played a solid match on the left flank, and Davis was energetic in the upper third...creating the most opportunities. DEA knows that in this Division, mistakes will cost you. There is no margin for error as in the lower divisions. They know that they cannot play any worse, but they also know that when they did finally get clicking in the second half, they proved they can hold their own. But, a loss is a loss and the -3 goal differential will be tough to make up. In other action, Stoneham nudged Ipswich 4-3. Hollis and Pepperell levelled at 4-4. DEA will be requesting to reschedule this Sunday's Easter Clash with Stoneham. Look for updates as them become available. If there is no match on Easter Sunday, DEA will play at rival Hollis the following Sunday morning.

The Management of DEA wish to offer our sincerest condolences to the Family and friends of our founder Peter Hall, on his untimely passing this week. Peter started the then Londonderry Pacers, and managed the franchise for many years before passing the torch to the DEA family. His presence, friendship, and vision will be sorely missed by all. Below is a picture of Peter and his wife, Mary, this past Christmas 2005.

In a bit of stunning news today, FIFA, the governing body of the NEOTHSL, has demanded that the DEA Bedford squad be placed in Division 1 for the upcoming campaign. The North Andover Hotspurs disbanded, allowing for the extra slot to become available. Since DEA had gone head-to-head with Pepperell in the Fall, they were the logical choice. FIFA's President, Sepp Blatter: "We've had our eye on DEA for a few years now. The franchise is well known throughout the football communitiy. We are very interested to see how they fare in Division 1 play. They've spent a long time slowly climbing the ranks, but in the past few years they have taken on the look of a team that is dangerous and ready for some quality ball. If things progress the way we anticipate, there could be a spot opening up for DEA in the 2006 World Club Chammpionships." The news should only help the DEA recruiting efforts. DEA has always been known as the team that has the most fun before, during, and after their matches. Now, with the move to the upper echelon of the NEOTHSL, those players looking for quality will have to take another look at DEA.

Due to DEA's failure to produce a full squad to take on Southern Conference Champion South Boston Bohemians, the season is officially over for DEA. On balance, this was DEA's best season since the famous battles with Hollis in the Spring '03 season. DEA narrowly missed advancing to Divsion 1, ending in a dead heat with Pepperell while going undefeated on the year at 5-0-5. Every game was a close battle, as DEA won their five games by a total of seven goals. Many of their games were decided past the 80th minute, showing their fighting spirit and superior fitness level. A rundown of their late game heroics: -Chris Laberge nodding home a season-opnening tying goal at Barley with 10 minutes left in the match, bringing DEA all the way back from a two-goal deficit on the road. -Jeff Bailey's emotional winner in the final minutes in Billerica's sandbox. -Dale Dubois outmuscled three players to get his head on Elvis Zukovic's perfectly placed corner kick just before the final whistle to knot a powerful Windham squad at 2-2. -Barry Fitzgerald unloading two bombs in the final ten minutes at Westford, traditionally DEA's Field of Horrors, en route to a big 3-1 road win. -Laberge and Bailey hooking up with only seconds left on a Friday Night Prime Time telecast for a 2-1 victory against Barley. -Scott Sharby closing out the scoring for the season with a leveller at Pepperell in the final match, ensuring a tie for first place. Not mentioned above, however, was Pepperell tying up DEA in Bedford in the final seconds on a controversial penalty kick. That call ending up costing DEA a trip to Division 1. (Yeah, I'm still pissed off, Dan Roberge.) Due to the games always being close, and DEA able to consistantly field a full, skillfull squad, this was the most enjoyable season in quite some time. With new pickups Barry Fitzgerald, Sonny Gagnon & Elvis Zukovic each playing in at least 7 games, DEA began to get more consistant play. The biggest new addition was keeper Lucas Hill. A seasoned DEA Summer League veteran who just reached 30 years old, Hill came as advertised. He went 4-0, with a 0.50 GAA. His game presence and his overall goalkeeping skills were the best in the league. He looks to have a bright future for the squad. Offensively, at times it was all Chris Laberge and Jeff Bailey. Bailey led the team with five goals (two game winners), while Laberge chipped in with three goals and three assists. Gary DuPlessis, scoreless all year, worked hard all over the pitch and his efforts cannot go unmentioned. Defensively, Chris Florek filled the middle of the pitch and emerged as DEA's sweeper for the future. Coupled with DEA Legend Dale Dubois, the tandem were rock solid all year. Several others pitched in on the wings, with John Demeritt & Jon Cloutier getting the most for their efforts. So, without further ado here are the post-season award winners: Offensive Player of the Year: Chris Laberge. Laberge eeked out the award over Jeff Bailey, a winner of the award multiple times. Laberge scored a couple of huge goals, and was in the mix on several others. The big man in the middle used his head, and his feet, in emerging as DEA's primary target up top. Both had a flair for the dramatic, and seemed to be at their best when time runs short. Laberge's header against Barley, with his car alarm going off, will be the stuff of lore for years to come. Defensive Player of the Year: Chris Florek. Flo won every first place vote en route to winning his first DPY award. He was a rock all year (literally and figuratively) as DEA allowed the second least amount of goals in their history, and the lowest total in six years. Goalie of the Year: Lucas Hill. Lucas ran a scoreless streak of almost 260 minutes as he took OTHSL by storm in his first year. The man knows how to put up a clean sheet, and makes it look easy in the process. Rookie of the Year: Elvis Zukovic. Elvis played steady in the middle of the pitch. Snakebit and playing without luck, he only had one assist but helped to create numerous others. Showing for nine games and being a consistant option won him some key votes. This was another extremely close vote, with Hill, Fitzgerald, Gagnon, Eli Krause, and Willie Davis all getting votes. Lou Gehrig Award (Playing in every match): Dubois and Florek. Flo also played every minute, while Dale only took a brief 10-minute break all year. Absolutely amazing! Save of the Year: Hill's fingertip save against Billerica after DEA took a late lead. When Billerica threw the kitchen sink at him, Hill saved the match. Ball Retrieval of the Year: Dale wading into the middle of The Pond at Sportsman on a balmy 35 degree night to fetch a ball. "Boy, that water's cold" said Dale. and, everyone's favorite... Goal of the Year: Willie Davis' 20-yard blast the opened the door for DEA against Windham. Just a ripper, this immediately turned the tide against the loaded Windham squad and allowed DEA to eventually go ahead. and, a bonus... Third Half of the Year: Shorty's after the Barley match. Now, THAT was a good time!! Great season everyone! Look for Spring Season updates, coming to your e-mail in early winter!! Keep up to date with DEA Indoor squad at: DEA Indoor

DEA could not scape up enough players to take the trip to Canton, MA tomorrow morning to play the South Boston Bohemians. DEA had a great season. It was really a pleasure to play this season. HAVE A GREAT WINTER AND SEE YOU IN THE SPRING.... DEA Management