NH Trounces NF
By Andrew L. Kay (NH)
Contributing Writer
Marking their presence on campus, NH established itself as a front-runner for the IM soccer title after soundly trouncing NF in Monday’s season opener. By all accounts, the 4-2 final score masks the utter dominance displayed by the victors in every aspect of the match. Pacing the Section H attack was the dynamic trio of Alex “the Bachelor” Michael, Jon Czaja and C. Winn Everhart, whose inspired brand of soccer was best summarized by onlookers as ‘awkward but effective.’ NH’s offensive-minded style baffled their hapless opponents with one touch passing that was reminiscent of the Brazilian national squads of the mid 1990s.
Indeed, were it not for the impressive efforts of NF keeper Tom Casarella – number number 00 in your programs but number 1 in your hearts – the margin of victory would surely have risen (yes, ladies, Tom is available, so please get in line). Anchoring the defensive unit for NH were Mans Larsson and Syl “Hot” Apps, who alongside Bruce “Tin Cup” McEvoy, Inigo Amoribieta, and Christian Garcia left the hapless NF’ers demoralized all afternoon long. Dominating the midfield was Lauren Fink, who proved that she wears the pants in the Fink household by providing 40 minutes of hard-nosed play while her husband Dan babysat their young daughter on the swing set. Man of the Match honors went to goalkeeper Greg “Every Girl’s Dream, Every Guy’s Nightmare” Galligan, who turned away a handful of dangerous scoring bids despite playing with a fractured ankle and being kicked in the back of the neck during a first half altercation. Following the game, NH captain Andy Kay summed up the attitude of the winning squad: “We’re flamboyant…we’re reckless…we play with a west coast flair that HBS has never witnessed before…..and we just don’t give a damn.”
NA Beats NC 6-4
By Fabrice Ndojo (NA)
Contributing Writer
Much to the delight of a very partisan crowd (10 Section A members cheering on the sidelines including our press correspondent and photographer, Brian Astl!), the NA team prevailed Monday afternoon in a very tense 6-4 match against NC. It took a few minutes for NA players to dust off the rust accumulated over the last couple of years and to get their legs back. Unlike the rest of his teammates, Andres “Gerente” Caldera did not manage to get all his legs back because he left part of them on the dance-floor of Sophia’s last weekend…However, he made up for it by relying on his natural scoring abilities. As you would expect from a manager, he was decisive and needed only two chances to score two goals in the first half. Unfortunately, after a brilliant overall display in the first 15 minutes of the first half, the NA squad had a few lapses in concentration and allowed NC to score goals in the waning moments of the first half and storm back into the game. The first half ended with a score of 2-3 in favor of NC.
Half time was the time Fabrice “Hurricane” Ndjodo chose to invoke the spirits of all the witch doctors in Cameroon to come to the rescue of NA. Apparently, it did not work as section A was close to concede a couple of goals in the early minutes of the second half. A string of superb saves by our flying gloveless goalie, Brant “I am not French but I lived in France” Avondet, prevented that from happening. Francesco Russo, Guy Weltsch, Mark Brown, Damian Duncan, Bo Fishback and Juan Marcos Hill also tightened up the D. In particular, Francesco Russo used his Italian accent to rattle NC forwards. Mark Brown, our defense’s anchor, scored a goal after slaloming his way through the NC defense to level the game at 3-3….And then, our very own “Pibe de Oro”, Alex Wit, took over the game like Johan Cruyff or Marcelo Salas would. He gave headaches to section C defenders through an assortment of faints and step-over dribbles. The ball seemed to be glued to his magical left foot. He single-handedly lifted us to victory by scoring a hat-trick in the second half. He combined with Puja Sehgal, Margot Greenman, Michael Arlotto, Josh Goldin to create even more chances that unfortunately we were not able to capitalize on…Capitalize or expense? No, capitalize.
The game ended 6-4 after NA let NC score another late goal to save face and restore pride.
Section C, thank you for your fair play and your combative spirit. Margot Greenman and Puja Sehgal, our NA superwomen, thank you for your inspired and inspiring performance!
NG Bests NF, 5-2
By Rebens de Freitas (NG)
Contributing Writer
NG started pressuring NF right from the beginning and managed to score twice in less than five minutes, first with Andy and then with Megan. NG continued playing in the same manner, but missed a couple of good chances, due to good defenses made by NF’s goalkeeper. However, after one of Andy’s cross-shots towards the goal, Sergey completed to score again for NG. A couple of minutes after that, NF came back to action and managed to score their first goal with Goncalo. Right after that, Sergey completed a second cross-shot, this time from Megan, scoring for NG for the fourth time. NF responded and scored again with Josh.
In the second half, the game was very tight, with nobody scoring throughout the entire period, until Rubens in the end made the final goal for NG. Final score: NG 5, NF 2.
‘Nudies’ Emerge Victorious Over NB
By Nico Iacuzzi (ND)
Contributing Writer
In spite of muddy, windy conditions on the pitch, the ‘Nudies’ stunned a sell-out crowd with a 10 to 6 victory over Section NB. The team displayed its characteristic unselfish style of play, making yet another bid on the intramural soccer title. The team was led by John “Crazy Legs” Rudoe who punched in four miraculous goals. The joy of these goals was subsided however, when Crazy Legs was issued a warning for stripping off his shirt and taunting the other team (as well as some innocent bystanders). Next game is on Monday October 4th and it appears that the Nudies are ready and hungrily awaiting for their next opponents.
NJ Proves Dominance Over NI
By Scott Hebbeler (NJ)
Contributing Writer
In conditions better suited for Navy SEALs, the footballers of NI and NJ squared off Wednesday afternoon. The game was tightly contested through most of the first half, but NJ held a precarious lead of 4-2 at the mid-game break.
Following the break, however, NJ settled into a rhythm and established a comfortable lead. Key offensive contributors for NJ included David (accent on the “i” in David) Priego in midfield and Katy Walmsley at striker. Terry Heymann, Sarah Sommer, and Abhi Kodey were all stellar on defense, preventing the NI squad from catching up to the NJ lead. Final score: NJ 9, NI 2.
