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Internationals Play Well in BSC Event -- but Do Not Advance

Posted by Alan Olson on Nov 17 2007 at 04:00PM PST

17-18 Nov. '07. The Internationals were back in action for the first time after its late summer hard-fought scrimmage against DC United Academy team, 2-2, and would face the usally very tough LDC United Rocks (PA-E) who last time played the Internationals (Inter Bethesda) to a 1-1 tie in the BSC 2004 event. But, both teams have changed much since then and the Internationals have vastly improved. In the 1st half, at about the 2 minute mark after a foul by LDC, Ebo launched a free kick from about 25 yards out to the left into the box where the GK came off his line to about 6-8 yards out to grab the ball but it slipped through his fingertips onto the turf and rolled towards goal where Ben N. alertly tapped in the first goal. At about the 18 minute mark, after a nice run upfield by Roque, the ball was tackled out bounds and the resultant throw-in found Nat E. on the left end line where he served a nice ball across the box to Scott on the fart post goal line to knock in the 2nd goal. The Internationals would take 4 shots on goal, 2 corners while committing 6 fouls (including 1 offsides), while the LDC were shut down with no goal kicks or corner kicks while committing 3 fouls (including a YC on #9 for a hard foul at the 17 minute mark), and the half ended, 2-0, Internationals. In the 2nd half, at about the 4 minute mark, Brian rcvd a pass upfield near the right side and sent a ball into the box where Nathaniel H. collected the ball, fired a short shot in towards goal which was deflected outward and he the was able to repossess the ball to fire in the 3rd goal. At about the13 minute mark, Nathaniel H. collected another pass in the box around 10-12 yards left and struck in the 4th goal. Around the 22 minute mark, Martin collected a pass around the 20-25 yards center and made a nice pass over the defenders to Ben N. who sent the ball into the net for the 5th goal. The Internationals would shoot 4 times on goal with 1 corner kick while committing 6 fouls (including 1 handball and 3 offsides), while Inter’s strong defense allowed just 1 shot on goal which was a very hard strike that hit luckily hit the cross bar and bounced harmless away, 1 corner kick which was unsuccessful while committing 3 fouls and the match ended, 5-0, Internationals.

In the 2nd match, the Internationals would play the before unknown JBS FC Premier from Westchester, NY, who earlier downed the usually strong FCH Premier AC 91W, 1-0. Suffice it to say that the Internationals significantly controlled play in the JBS half of the field for much of the entire match, although JBS would counter on several occasions and penetrate deep into Inter’s backfield only to be stopped from any real threatening situations or shots on goal. In the first half, the JBS was held to no shots on goal and an unsuccessful corner kick which was awarded to them after a no-call by the official on a foul by JBS on Martin who was tripped from behind while dribbling the ball which went beyond the end line, and 5 fouls (including a YC on #27 for a hard foul on Ben N.). Credit the JBS defense for holding the Internationals to just 1 shot on goal which was unsuccessful, no corner kicks while committing 5 fouls (including 2 offsides), and the half ended scoreless. In the second half, play was much the same with the Internationals attacking/counter-attacking but could not finish shooting 3 times on goal with 2 corner kicks while committing 3 fouls (including a YC shown to Mati for a hard foul, and 2 offsides). JBS managed to setup 3 shots on goal and corner wile committing 2 fouls, and the dagger came with less than 30 seconds to play. A JBS player made a throw-in to a teammate around 25-30 yards out to the left who then passed to another teammate who was facing backward and away from Inter’s goal near the 18 yard line who then flicked a backwards pass in towards Inter’s goal around 6-7 yards on the left while another teammate from near 18-20 yards out center quickly ran onto and collected the ball, turned and fired in a short strike into the net past a surprised Seth who could only watch, and the match ended just seconds after Inter’s kick-off, 1-0, JBS FC Premier. It would be the first loss for the Internationals since the MD State Cup, and after going 7-0-1 in the USCS Region E/National Cup VI Finals. Congratulations to JBS for doing what it took to get the win and who will move on as group winner to face YMS Xplosion in the Final.

On Sun., 18 Nov., in the 3rd match, Inter would play its longtime friends, FCH Premier AC 91W, in what would amount to a consolation/scrimmage match. Through the years, the Internationals (Inter Bethesda) and FCH Premier AC 91W (ABGC Mid-Town Sharks) have battled each other time and time again in NCSL league and tournament play, with one or the other prevailing over the other back and forth with the FCH Premier AC 91W last besting the Internationals at the Potomac Memorial 2007 event, 1-0. In the first half, for the first 15-20 minutes, both teams played evenly and were able to move the ball up and down the field with the other defending and counter-attacking, but the Internationals would strike with its first goal at about the 19 minute mark after Philip F. received a pass on the right side, dribbled upfield to about 25 yards out, cut the ball on a challenging defender to gain space to pass to Nathaniel H. in the middle about 18-20 yards out center and sent a nice pass to a streaking Matt H. on the left side about 10-12 yards out who then sent the ball into the net to put the Internationals up, 1-0. Just two minutes later, an almost identical situation occurred where Nat E. received a pass in the middle and sent a pass to the left to Matt H. who raced onto the ball and sent another strike into the net for the second goal. The Internationals would take 6 shots on goal, no corner kicks while committing 1 foul. The Internationals strong D held the FCH Premier to just 1 shot on goal -- which was a hard shot from around 18 yards out that Seth moved into position to make a good save -- and 1 unsuccessful corner kick while committing 1 foul, and the half ended, 2-0, Internationals. The Internationals kept up their intensity of play in the 2nd half both offensively and defensively, shooting 6 times on goal with 2 corner kicks while committing 2 fouls (including 1 offsides). At about the 11 minute mark, Skylar sent a beauty of a pass from about 25-30 yards on the right through defenders into the box where Scott ran onto the ball and fired in the 3rd goal past the GK. Just two minutes later, Skylar served another ball into the box to Scott where a defender collected the ball and made a soft passback to the Gk but Scott turned on the afterburners and raced to kick the ball at the same time as the GK attempted to grab it on the ground and it was deflected away from the GK’s grasp back to Scott who easily tapped in the 4th goal. At about the 22 minute mark, after a foul by FCH, Nat E. launched a beauty of a free kick from about 20 yards out slightly left of center which sailed high over the defenders and the outstretched hands of the GK in the upper left corner of the net for the 5th goal. Several minutes later at about the 25th minute mark, Skylar launched a corner kick into the box where Nicholas V. kicked it outward towards the center near the 18 yard mark where Roque alertly sent a well-placed blast into the net for the last goal. Inter’s strong defense held the FCH to 1 shot on goal and 1 corner kick which both were unsuccessful while committing 1 handball foul and the match ended, 6-0, Internationals.

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