DEA Bedford Over 30

The Bedford Pacers played 60 minutes of good soccer, totally dominating the Windham squad, then they ran out of steam. Windham's depth took over and they slowly erased a one goal deficit and went on to win the match 4-2. The Pacers came on strong right from the start. Missing some key players, the Pacers would mix up the starting 11 a bit. A mix that would have the Red Heat brothers both at striker position, Chris Laberge and Robbie Easton controlling the midfield. The mix would work well for the Pacers as Chris Laberge would hit a through pass onto the foot of Jeff Guild about 15 minutes into the match. Jeff would beat a defender and the keeper to give Bedford a 1-0 lead. Windham would come back about ten minutes later with a great overlapping run that caught the Pacer defense short handed. A perfect cross onto the head of an attacking midfielder would tie the score. Windham made a bed to go up a goal as a bicycle kick shot would nearly find a home in the upper right corner of the Bedford net. Chris Cloutier would make a great save, one of his many on the day. "I almost let you have that one" Chris would tell the Windham shooter, applauding his effort. Bedford would go on the attack again with only minutes remaining in the half. Dale Dubois would intersept a Windham pass and chip it onto the foot of Bertie O'Gorman. Bertie would neatly beat his defender and find back netting for a 2-1 lead going into the half time break. Windham would come out pressuring in the second half, but the Pacers would shut them down for the first 15 minutes. This is where the Pacers ran out of steam. With only two subs( a rarity for a home game) the depth was not there to last with the large and talented Windham team. Windham would systematically score three unanswered goals and go on to win the match 4-2. Bedford had its chances to score, Jeff Guild would ring on of the upper bar. Chris Laberge would rip a shot of a nice dummied through pass through the legs of Jeff Guild. The Windham keeper and sweeper was very strong however and Bedford would come up short. A well played game on both sides. The Pacers wind down their fall season with the final game next Sunday against Hollis at Hollis High School at 9 AM. This should be another good match against the cross town rival and DEA Indoor team mate John Krueger. Don't hurt him. He has a game on Tuesday night.

Not much to write about this one. North Andover 6 - Bedford 1. The Bedford Pacers, missing some key personnel, found themselves behind the eight ball(that one is for you Bertie)early in the match. Bedford fell down 3-0 in the first 15 minutes as the Hotspurs connected on some beautiful shots. Bedford would wake up finally catching North Andover pushing up. Dale Dubois would chip a ball over the Hotspurs sweeper where Scott Sharby was breaking on a quick counter. Scott would beat the keeper easily to put the Pacers on the board. That would be all the scoring from the good guys, however. North Andover would go on to net 3 more in the second half to end the misery. Robbie Easton would pick up a yellow for helping one of the strikers to the ground. The Pacers are back home this weekend with a game against Windham. This should prove to be a good match as the Pacers are battling Windham for the third spot in the standings. Game time is at 9 AM at Legacy.

Jeff Guild scored two goals and Chris LaBerge netted one to lead the Bedford Pacers to a 3-2 win over the Bulldogs of Wakefield. Well, we all know who has the worst field in the division. Bedford spent most of the game trying to adjust to the small, muddy field that had numerous hills and valleys. But in the end they would outlast Wakefield. The game started rough as the footing was slippery. Bedford controlled the play as they did in the two teams first outing. About midway through the first half, Bedford would give up a free kick about 25 yards out. An unmarked Bulldog would take a short feed and crank it into side netting. Keeper Chris Cloutier had no chance at making the save. Bedford would battle back but were unable to equalize in the first half. Some words of wisdom on the sideline and the teams were back at it. This time Wakefield controlled the play for the first 5 minutes of the second half. Bedford would clear the ball down the right side and Wakefield would give up a throw in deep in their own end. Throw ins on this narrow field are deadly. Chris Laberge would take the throw in and rifle the ball straight at the net. The keeper would leap up and attempt to punch the ball out, but it would not clear the bar. As the ball fell, a Bulldog defender would attempt to clear, but it was in the net to tie the score at one a piece. Bedford would pick up the pace and pressure Wakefield. Dale Dubois would take the ball in the stopper position and find Jeff Guild open on the left side. Jeff would turn and hit a beautiful cross. So beautiful that it would land in the net. Bedford was up 2-1 but the Bulldogs were not done. Reminiscent of their last meeting with the same score, Wakefield would come back and score one. A Bedford defender, who will remain anonymous, would attempt to clear the ball. The ball would glance of his foot and find its way into the right corner of the net. Bedford was determined to win this game, Peter Cline would earn his number 6&7 back on his shirt, as he would loose his balance running over the hills on the left side falling during his break away. Sorry Peter, had to get that in... Bedford would come right back, however, Marco Koolman would find Bertie O'Gorman open on a quick counter attack. Bertie would take it straight at the central defender then dish it off to Jeff Guild, who would neatly beat the keeper and give the Pacer the win. This was Jeff's second goal of the day that ties him with our other Jeff, Jeff Bailey, for leading scorer honors. The Pacers would now concentrate on defense and preserving the victory. They would survive the longest two minute stretch in recorded time. Someone needs to give the ref a new battery for his watch. With the win, Bedford moves into 3rd place just ahead of Windham. Next week, the Pacers take on the undefeated Hotsperms of North Andover. Please note that the game is at Reynolds field in North Andover, not as was previously reported on the web site.

The Bedford Pacers broke their 4 game slide with a win over the Westford Football Club yesterday morning, 2-0. This is the second time this season that the Pacers have shut out Westford, which will pretty much seal the relegation door on the Westford squad. Things were not looking good for Bedford prior to the kickoff, only coming up with 8 players at check in time. The numbers grew to ten at the kick off with a couple more late sleepers loosening up on the sideline. The Pacers would start the game with a bunch of backs, which would allow Chris LaBerge to start in the striker position. This was unfamiliar territory for Chris, as he has not played this position since high school. Bedford looked sharp from the start, moving the ball throughout the midfield and backs. About five minutes into the game, Bedford would work the ball around the back and up the right side, connecting on about 8 consecutive passes. Peter Cline would receive one of these passes and hit a cross over to Chris LaBerge. Chris would bury the ball in net, beating Westfords top notch keeper. With the early lead, Bedford would resume normal positioning and continue to control the game. Chris Cloutier would make some fine saves and the Pacer defense was very strong to keep Westford off the score board. Bedford would have numerous attempts at scoring, but Westford keeper was on his game. The first half would end 1-0 in favor of the good guys. The second half would continue as the first ended. Bedford controlling the ball well. Chris LaBerge would ping a shot off the cross bar in a bid for his second goal. Marco Koolman, Rob Easton and Peter Cline all played strong up the middle, controlling the play. Jeff Bailey and Bertie O'Gorman kept the Westford defense busy making numerous runs. Westford would also make a few attempts to tie the score, only to be denied by the excellent goal keeping of Chris Cloutier and all around great effort of the Pacer defense. As the time was running out, Westford would push an extra man up, looking for the equalizer. Jeff Bailey would pick off an attemped clear by the keeper in the closing minutes. The Pacers leading scorer would chip it over the keepers head from about 30 yards out to seal the victory and add one more for goal differential. The win leap frogs Bedford over Wakefield to take over fourth place. Next week the Pacers travel to Wakefield to take on the Bulldogs. Game time is 9 AM in Wakefield. The team will meet at the exit #3 park and ride at 7:45 AM. GREAT WIN !!!!!!

The Bedford Pacers have found out that Division 2 is tougher than they thought in week one, dropping their last four games straight. The latest set back was at the hands of interstate rival, Hollis United. Bedford put up a good show but was lacking in defensive man to man coverage and finishing goal scoring opportunities. This lack of defensive marking lead to a Hollis 2-0 lead in the first half. Bedford had some chances but were shut down by the United keeper. The second half would start out all Bedford, but now goals would result. Then on a quick counter down the left side, Hollis would blow by a Bedford defender and crank a shot. Chris Cloutier would make a great tip save, but the ball would hit the upper cross bar and Chris would get tangled in the net. The ball would fall in slow motion and allow an unmarked United player to make it 3-0. Bedford would come right back as Rob Easton would feed the ball out to Jon Cloutier on the right side. Jon, in turn, hit a rocket that would find only side netting and get the Pacers on the board. It would be the only goal for Bedford, however, and the game would end, 3-1 Hollis. Bedford takes on Westford at home next week in a battle of the bottom. Bedford shut out Westford in their first meeting. Westford will be in search of their first win and Bedford will look to turn things around. Game time is 9 AM.... at Legacy Field in Bedford.