DEA Bedford Over 30

After the season's most crushing defeat to Hollis, the Bedford Pacers are in danger of relegation to Division 3 with only two games left. At the start of the season, Bedford was hopeful of jumping up to Division 1. After today's blown opportunity, Bedford is narrowly ahead of Marblehead with a makeup game at Marblehead this week. How did this happen? Bedford and Division-leading Hollis both brought close to their 'A' squads for this match. Hollis started strong, and when newcomer Brendan Gilmarton took a feed inside the area he ripped a shot that was destined for the short-side upper ninety. Pacer keeper Chris Cloutier harmlessly pushed it aside, but this was a wakeup call. After the initial five minutes, the play levelled and each side displayed some stingy defense. Bedford did have a couple of very good opportunities, the best was Gary DuPlessis' clear shot midway through that scorched wide. The halftime score was level at nil-nil, and as well it should have been as it was a solid, evenly played half. Early in the second half, Bedford finally broke through. Chris Florek found Barry Fitzgerald down the right flank. Fitzgerald beat his man and sent a beautiful cross to the back post. DuPlessis elevated and volleyed home the go-ahead tally. Not 10 minutes later, Hollis stopper Jeff West had a chance inside the area. As Bedford went to clear, the tough field caused the ball to bump up and instead of ball...they got a lot of leg and West went down in a heap. The referee never saw the play, as there were at least six players blocking his view. Hollis was all over the referee, but to his defense he really didn't see the play. Soon after, Mark Wilensky sent Jeff Guild through. As Hollis keeper Brock Bair and Bedford striker Jeff Guild both slid after the loose ball. Guild got there first, and after gathering himself from the collision pushed home the insurance tally. Hollis again erupted at the referee over the play, which was borderline and could have been called either way. Bedford had the important 2-0 lead as they looked to close this out with 20 minutes left. When Chris Laberge's cross was pushed home accidently by a Hollis defender for an own-goal, Bedford had a three goal cushion for the first time this year. Unfortunately, they played their absolute worst 15 minute stretch of soccer of the year as Hollis methodically pecked away at the lead. First, Ryan Carvalho took a short restart from 25 yards out and screamed a low liner towards goal. Cloutier got a late break on it and the ball just skimmed under his outstretched left hand. Hollis was on the board and even though they were down by two, seemed to have the momentum. Five minutes after, Chris Fitzgerald beat a man in the corner and found Dave Goupil completely unmarked in front of the net. Bedford thought he was offisides, but the play stood and just like that it was 3-2. Many of the fans who were streaming towards the exits not 10 minutes earlier began to shuffle back to their seats. This looked to be an entertaining final 10 minutes. I guess it would depend on for who you were rooting for this to be entertaining.... After Hollis' DiverMaster Koumaiz Emmanual took a look at the goal, he dove forward two strides into Bedford defensive personnel, let out a blood curdling scream, and fell to the pitch writhing in mythical pain. While we were all waiting for the magic sponge to come out, he ref pulled a classic makeup call and pointed directly to the spot. I hope he cleared his conscience and slept well. Ivan Crnilcvic neatly placed the leveller into the side webbing, and it was three-three with under 8 miunutes left. It was just a matter of time before they took the lead, and after Cloutier's poor punchout went directly to Ivan at the top of the box, he turned and mishit his shot wide of the goal. In a cruel irony, the Legacy pitch let Bedford down as Ivan's dribbling shot took a fortuitious hop and snaked it's way into the side netting. 4-3 Hollis. Bedford's heads were down. The heat had sapped all their energy, and after one more opportunity by DuPlessis that was turned aside the ref blew his whistle and ended Bedford's misery...and, quite possibly their stay in Division 2. This was one of the toughest defeats this intrepid reporter has ever been a part of. While Bedford certainly didn't deserve to be ahead by three goals, they just as certainly deserved a better result from a very solid 75 minutes of soccer. Three points seperate four teams in the race to stay in Division 2, with Marblehead mopping up the rear right now with a game in hand. Bedford is in a dead-heat with Pepperell in fourth place, one point behind Billerica. Bedford finishes their season with Marblehead with a makeup game this Wednesday, then they close the season out in Billerica on Sunday. Basically, if Bedford wins both of their games, they'll get through. If they split, they will be looking for some outside help from Hollis and Westford to ensure they stay in the table. Just a depressing, depressing Sunday....PLEASE MAKE THE TRIP TO MARBLEHEAD THIS WEDNESDAY!!!

Gary DuPlessis and Jeff Guild would lead the way as Bedford Pacers topped Marblehead, 3-1. It was a gritty effort by all. Starting with just enough players for this Holiday weekend, Bedford spent much of the first 10 minutes in their own half. Marblhead would have over 5 corners in this time span, but none proved fruitful. Minutes in, Marblehead had two clear looks at the goal. The first, a low ripper from just inside the box, was pushed aside by Pacer Keeper Chris Cloutier. The second was poorly taken when their stopper was in clean, but his shot wobbled high. Midway through the half, DuPlessis found Guild on the left side, and his pass snaked through. Guild fended of both his defender and the field lumps, then scorched the back webbing to put Bedford in the lead. Neither squad displayed a particularily pretty performance in the first half, but the strong efforts of Peter Cline and Chris Florek allowed the Pacers stay ahead by the break. Early in the second half, DuPlessis and Guild performed a perfect one-two, and this time DuPlessis was in clean. His aim was true, and Bedford had the all-important insurance tally. Still with over 30 minutes left, Marblehead looked to get back into it when they were awarded a PK for a chop-down. After sending the spot-taker to go find the ball, he finally set it up in front of a hole. JD, noticing it's precarious placement, offered his words of encouragement: "Don't worry about that hole!". Cloutier's Jerzy Dudek-like impression watched the poorly taken shot waft over the bar. Bedford had dodged a bullet. Past the 70th minute, Marblehad got one back. However, this was of little concern when Florek sent Guild down the right side with pace. Marblehead's lumbering sweeper made a desperate tackle...getting some ball but a lot of leg. The ref wasted no time pointing to the spot. Jeff Bailey wasted no time in finishing it off as Bedford claimed their third victory of the year. Second half defending by Rob Easton and Dale Dubois kept much of the Marblehead action outside the area. John Guild gets credit for continually dragging his leg up and down the pitch to contribute superbly on both sides. Great effort!

Bedford dropped the second game of the home and home series with Pepperell yesterday, 2-1 at Legacy Park. In what most expected to be an easy win for the Pacers, turned out to be a shocker, as Pepperell would go up early and Bedford could never recover. The Pacers let in two weak goals to in the first 20 minutes of play and would have to claw back if they were to win this match. Bedford would have a chance to get back into the match early when they were awarded a PK. However, the shot would ring off the left post and be cleared. This was a tough break for he Pacers, who just seemed to have a hard time getting their passes to connect and were getting caught in transition. There would be no scoring from the Pacers in the first half. The second half was all Bedford. The pressure was on to score and it would finally come as another PK was awarded to the Pacers. This time Jeff Bailey would beat the keeper to the right and it was a game again. The Pacers would pressure Pepperell constantly looking for the equalizer but it would not come to pass. The final whistle would blow a disappointing loss for Bedford. Next Sunday, the Pacers hit the road to Westford. Westford got the best of Bedford in the opening game of the season so its time for some payback. The Pacers are still in contention with second place all knotted between 4 teams. Game time is 10 AM at Parker Village Field in Westford.

Chris Laberge's hat trick would lead the way over Pepperell as Bedford evened their record on the season to 2-2. With an slim sideline, Bedford started off with a very strong opening 15 minutes and showed they had the better side. Laberge staked Bedford to a 2-nil lead almost single handedly. Dale set up Laberge's first tally on the evening. His second was a classy finish after being sent through by John Demerritt. Jamie New Guy looked to make it three when he danced through four players, and had a great opportunity from just inside the box. However, his efforts were fruitless as his shot was left wanting. As the game stretched on, Pepperell got one back off a nifty header. Minutes later, they were sent in clear only to be denied by sliding Bedford keeper Chris Cloutier. The halftime break would arrive with Bedford up 2-1. Early in the second half, Dale's crushing tackle brought down a Pepperell player in the box. The ref took not an instant before pointing to the stripe. However, the PK was poorly taken and scooted wide by two yards. Soon after, with two injured Pacers on the sidelines and Bedford playing with 10 men on the pitch, Pepperell levelled with a quirky outside of the foot bender that Cloutier could only watch. The momentum had clearly turned, and Bedford's first half dominance was long gone. With under twenty minutes left, an offsides Pepperell play was sent clear, only to be denied by Cloutier again with a Patrick Roy-like kick save. Bedford was clearly not playing with the same intensity that brought them their early lead. Pepperell's efforts finally paid off when another offsides player was again sent clear. This time, the finish was better. Bedford, despite showing themselves as the better squad early, were down and the clock was winding down. Thankfully, Johnnie Guild strapped on another coat of tape and made his way back on the pitch. Great fire, Johnnie! In the 80th minute, a long clear by Cloutier found Jeff Bailey down the left side. Bailey slipped a pass to Jeff Guild, who ripped a short, sharp, shot into the lower corner to bring the match to level. What would the last 10 minutes bring? That question would be answered in extra time when Bailey again sent a cross into the box. This time, it was Laberge who scaled the ladder and nodded home the winner. Bedford breathed a collective sigh of relief with their second late winner in the last three days. Kudos go to Mark Walinsky and Rich Powlowski for solid matches. Powlowski's track back, with the shark fin up, to hinder a clear opportunity late quite possibility saved the match. Chris Florek was sanctioned after the match for going to an Indoor Tournament instead of the match. Bedford and Pepperell meet again on Sunday morning in Bedford. A great win everybody!!

The Bedford Pacers finally got off their schnide in downing Billerica, 2-1. Bedford upped their record to 1-2 on the young campaign. It was a cold, dreary, windy morning. Bedford elected to take the wind at their backs in an effort to come out strong. And, come out strong they did by thoroughly dominating the first half. Midway through the first half, a short corner played by Rob Cissel to Rob Easton left Easton dancing along the endline. He found sweeper Doug Alderton chugging down the lane. Easton left a short pass just past the puddle, and Alderton slammed it home from short distance for the 1-0 lead. Bedford had two more glorious chances that didn't meat with fruition. First, Jeff Bailey took a Chris Laberge feed, had a look, and sent a skipper just off the near post. Later, Gary DuPlessis, and workhorse all day, had a solid opportunity in front, but his shot was left wanting after wallowing in the mud. Halftime saw the arrival of Alan Gagnon. Gagnon made an immediate impact with his distribution skills. Unfortunately, two hard tackles within minutes of each other were both rewarded with bookings. Pacer was left to hold off a more-confident Billerica squad with only 10 men. However, Pacer keeper Chris Cloutier allowed a howler, providing Billerica with the leveler on a silver platter. Cloutier tried a quick restart on a goal kick. His cheeky chip, against the wind, was poorly contrived. By the time Bedford started to scramble back in position, Alderton was pulling the tying goal from the back of the vacant net. Not pretty indeed. Now it appeared Bedford was left to play for a point, while Billerica tried to take advantage of the extra player. However, the Pacers wouldn't sit back and box it in. With just over a minute left in the match, Chris Florek came steaming down the right flank. Florek slipped a dart through Billerica's defence to Laberge. Laberge got just enough of a touch, redirecting the winner to the short side. Cloutier screamed in relief. Bedford has a home-and-home with Pepperell this week. Wednesday evening will be a make-up of the previously cancelled season opener. Next Sunday will be back at Legacy. Great Win!