Martian Soccer

Final Goodrich Wins 1-0

Brandon DeGrouchy (Goal), Bobby Short (Ast) - With equal numbers and a scoring opportunity at hand, The Martians presured the Eagles. Bobby Short got his head on the ball and played it to the left side, atop the 6 yard box. Brandon was in position to accept the ball but rather flicked it over his defender and ran around to gain possession closer to the net. Getting in very close, Brandon saw daylight and played the ball through the opening and scored the games only goal!

A great effort put forth by both sides. If there was a hustle award to be given out I think it would have gone to the Martians entire side as they won the majority of the 50/50 balls across the field. With the first half scoreless, it put more pressure on the teams at the half. Just over 8 minutes into the second half, the martians capitalized and maintained the pressure, hustle and teamwork to bring home the victory in the game between the Metro League Champions and the GAC Champs. A very well played game from start to finish.

Final Goodrich wins 7-1

Bobby Short (Goal), Alex Arnold (Ast) - As the Defense of the Rams pushed up toward AA with teh ball, he gave it a perfect touch over the top of the line and Bobby was still commited to go forward. Collecting with one touch while teh keeper charged, he took just one more to bury the ball in the upper right 90. just 30 seconds into teh contest and the Martians are up 1-0.

David Garr (Goal), Colin Angle (Ast), Bobby Short (Ast) - If only it was a set play - ha. Bobby threw the ball into Colin, and he played a great flick to the center, atop the 6 yard box. David Garr with a volley from the flick to take a very quick 2-0 lead. Amazing what a little communication can do when there is lots of skill to back it up.

Danny Leppek (Goal), Richie Kepsel (Ast) - Controlling the ball down the left flank, Richie saw the opportunity to cross and dropped a dime. All the way over teh defense from outside mid to outside mid. Danny Leppek on a tear though the box and volleyed the ball with a complete rocket shot low and hard away from the goalkeeper.

David Garr (Goal), Bobby Short (Ast) - Driving hard to teh baseline on the right side of the net, Bobby kept his head up and saw the unmarked Garr on his toes ready to shoot. But that was the just the beginning. Bobby fired the ball about head high across the top of the 6 yard box. David was atop the 6 yard box and straight out from the back post. With no hessitation, ITS BIKE TIME!!! Just buried the shot with a well executed bicycle kick.

Brandon DeGrouchy (Goal), Bobby Short (Ast) - Ball played from the inside out from Bobby to Brandon on the left side. Turning the corner with lots of options, Brandon saw feet on the inside, a shot on the outside and a keeper hard charging at the ball. Quickly deciding and placing the ball near post to make the play look simple. with 12:03 remaining in the first half, the Martians hold a 5-0 lead.

Dale Sifferman (Goal), Bobby Short (Ast), Ryan Eskuri (Ast) - From the defensive left side, Ryan Eskuri stepped up with the ball and sent a nice ball across the field with an angle to the top of the 18 yard box. Bobby was on the other end of the pass atop the 18 yard box and laid a great ball out in front of the racing Dale Sifferman. It looked as if the entire piece was planned to work that way as Dale was inside and had just the keeper to beat. Pushing a great shot past the keeper completly under control, Dale tallied his first of the season.

Brandon DeGrouchy (Goal) - Driving baseline on the left side looked through to the center of the field where the Martians were showing there feet, eager to score. Brandon fired across on the ground only to find the feet of a Rams defender for the goal.

Great pace and teamwork displayed on the pitch on the warm October afternoon. The Martians came out quick and controlled the possession throughout the entire half. The passes were on target and the intensity was running high. The Mighty Mighty Martians were scoring goals that were of very high quality. Volleys out of the air and controlled passes for their teammates. It was a very exciting game to watch. Securing a comfortable lead at the half, the Martians could smell the Perfect 10-0 GAC record for the second consecuative season. It was a great victory and a nice warm up for the first round district match-up between the Montrose Rams and the Goodrich Martians.

Final Goodrich wins 3-1

David Garr (Goal), Colin Angle (Ast), Alex Arnold (Ast) - From outside the 18 yard box just left of center, Alex drops the ball into Colin with limited time. Colin got a touch on the ball, flickin the ball quickly ahead to David. Without a second thought David turned on the ball and ripped a volley to open the scoring just under 7 minutes into the contest.

Andrew Patrick (Goal), Bobby Short (Ast) - Bobby's throw in was an unexpected distance from the Bronchos side. Patty turned and caught up to the ball and gave the simplest but quality touch to get it past the keeper for the 2-0 lead with 20 still to play in the first. 

Alex Chambers (Goal), Colin Angle (Ast) - Colin fighting for posession in the offensive 1/3 of the field, plays the ball in the air back to Alex. Without reserve, Chambers released the demon and hit a rocket that dipped to the back of the net after entering through the upper left 90.

After the early goal, the Martians posessed and ran the pace of the contest. It was fast and undercontol. At least as much as can be asked while it has been raining all day and drizzling all night. The hustle of the Martians was unmatched and proved to be the difference in the contest. With prior knowledge entering the game, the level of confidence was high before the contest, during the contest , and after the contest. It was a strong victory for the tru GOD OF WAR!

End of Regular Season:

GAC 10-0, 62 Goals for, 3 Goals Against

Overall 15-1-1, 88 Goals for, 13 Goals Against

Final Goodrich 7-0

Bobby Short (Goal), Matt Palm (Ast) - 12:11 into the contest, the combination that is hard to stop from a defensive point of view- is the game winner. Driving baseline, Matt Palm serves a great ball across the 6 yard box for a one touch finish. Bobby had little to consider when given a dime. Redirection toward the net and give it pace, and that is just how Bobby beat the goalkeeper for the game winner. 

Bobby Short (Goal) - Brandon DeGrouchy down the left side lays a nice ball inside to Kevin Hergenreder on the left side of the offensive 1/3. Kevin rips a shot that gives a rebound to a crashin Bobby for teh second goal of the day with 27:04 on the clock.

Kevin Hergenreder (Goal), Bobby Short (Ast) - Bobby drew the pressure on the right side and found the simple ball to Kevin. Atop the 18 yard box, Kevin drilled a shot low and hard to the lower 90 and beat the keeper. 18:45 into the contest and the Martians have secured a 3-0 lead.

Austin Douglas (Goal), Andrew Patrick (Ast), Kevin Hergenreder (Ast) - Great patience and composure shown by all three involved in this piece. Kevin had penetrated into teh defense and looked to release the ball and get it away from teh drawn pressure. Finding Patty in a great supporting position with options to play the ball. Andrew plays the square pass just atop the 18 yard box to Austin. With a scoring opportunity, Austin set his feet and place a great shot. The keeper whom is adding to the state record in saves did not have a chance, but had good seats for this shot. A bent shot with the right foot that went high and right and then upper 90. The keeper could only watch as this shot was headed for the back of the net. Great Shot, with a little celebration hop, Austin drained that shot he has been looking for all season.

David Garr (Goal), Brandon DeGrouchy (Ast) - Both players converge on the ball and the keeper at the same time. With Brandon getting a touch away from the keeper and then getting tripped up, David finishes to secure the goal and opens the scoring in teh second half with just 4:31 run off the clock.

David Garr (Goal), Colin Angle (Ast), Alex Chambers (Ast) - A great through ball from Alex C to get Colin with pace into the heart of the defense. Beating one on teh dribble and creating the opportunity and touched the ball out in front where David was crashing the face of the goal. David only needed one touch as it was set up for either to finish.

Chase Bertrand (Goal), Danny Leppek (Ast) - A pass in from Danny on the right side of the offense and Chase handled it well playing up top for the first time this season. The ball on teh move, and Chase got under it to flick up to himself for a side volley and place it with some pcae into the back of the net. The final shot on the State record holder is a GOAL!

The Gods of War enter the post season march and make October the time for winning. Maintaining possesion and creating opportunities was a nice look for the home team. The visiting Rams had drawn a tough post season match-up and were fighting for every ball. But the Martians had a job to do and they came through. Comfortable, Confident and Effective with the ball, the Martians ran the game and controlled 85% of the game. Later into the second half of the contest, the play got a bit more physical as one teams season, along with some players careers, were coming to an end. It was a great win for the Martians as they gain momentum and more confidence to go farther into the post season tournament.

The goals did not come fast, but they were consistent. Playing 22 deep allowed for lots of minutes for all of the players on the Martian side. Next up is Durand - At Durand - under the lights at Durand - to End Durands Season!!! Time to prepare for the next battle. 16-1-1 and still going!

final Goodrich wins 3-0

Matt Palm (Goal), David Garr (Ast) - Cramming the middle and breaking outside for opportunities, were the goings on for the first goal of the day. David Garr Collected the ball in the middle and played a thru ball with an angle to the outside right of the attack. Matt Palm collected and beat the keeper for the game winner just 1:07 into the contest.

David Garr (Goal), Andrew Patrick (Ast) - With the dew beginning to set in, it was a great time to fire some shots (As if there is a time not to shoot?). Patty got the ball in traffic and played it to David. Without reserve, David pulled the trigger. With a little love from the Railroader's defender, the ball took a slight redirect but still had lots of pace to beat the keeper to the near post and land the second goal on the contest. 

Brandon DeGrouchy (Goal), Joel Martin (Ast) - Winning the ball and carrying forward, Joel had options and played a smart ball to the outside left where Brandon had a 1v1 situation. Leaving the defender behind Brandon fired a shot from inside the 18 yard box at a difficult angle. The gates were down, the lights were flashing, but there was no train! Brandon hit the 5 hole and the keeper lost track of the fundamentals. Goodrich Secures the lead with 5:30 remining in the contest.

After watching the Chargers of Powers beat Lake Fenton, the Martians took the field to face the hometeam and host, Durand. Struggling to focus, it was obvious that the Martians had been focused on the next Playoff Game and not the one at hand. But out of the gates they controlled the pace and possession. With a slightly uncharacteristic form of attack, the Martians forced the ball into the center of the field and then found openings to spread the width but only in the offensive third. Early and often the outside mids of the Martians got breaks and challenged in a footrace. Getting the early goal was a great icebreaker for the Martians, but following with a second goal after just 13 minutes was a confidence boost. The Railroaders continued to fight 'til the end and created many opportunities including a couple that had every Martian fan holding their breathe. Great contest that was well fought by both sides. Further Preperation for Powers begins.

17-1-1.

Final - Goodrich Wins 2-1

Colin Angle (Goal), David Garr (Ast) - With less than 10 minutes remaining in the contest and the Martians down 1 goal. Three Martians address the ball after an indirect kick was granted inside the 18 yard box of the Chargers. After a shor tdiscussion among the three, Colin Angle looked them both in the eye and said "Let me take it, I will not miss." With a quick touch from David to make it live, Colin put a great shot up stairs near post giving the Powers goalkeeper no chance at the save.

Intense! 80 minutes without a let down on either side. The wind giving one team a bit of an edge, allowed one team or the other to move down the field or so it seemed. Scoring chances, fouls leading to set pieces, the flow of the game had a tough try to get moving as the game became so physical that the referee had to make calls to keep it under control. An out right battle that lead to many injuries for both sides. It was the most intense game that either side had seen this season if not the most intense game that every player involved had ever been in. With Powers scoring in the first 5 minutes from a set piece, the Martians had to fight back almost the entire game. But with less than 10 minutes on the clock, Goodrich received an indirect well within scoring range. Colin Capitalized and equalized the game.

Advancing into extra time the teams felt the added pressure and the importance of one goal. After long battles all season long, it was the team whom scored first would be the only one that mattered. Two, 15 minutes, sudden death overtime periods were played with both teams having their chances. Hitting the crossbar or knocking a shot just wide and running the ball up and down the field, the game was intense. Both had chances that were just off the mark, but both keepers were allowing nothing. Every shot taken, every deflection drew a gasp from the players, coaches and the fans in attendance. No scores through an additional 30 minutes of play.

The Shootout. Both sides picked their 5 shooters and sent them to midfiled. The Goalkeepers took their line and the shootout began. No player is used to that kind of pressure. From both Goodrich and Powers, each scored 2 of 5.

Now after 110 minutes of game time and 10 shooters, the teams would have to present 5 more shooters in the Sudden Death. Powers steps up first, and missed wide. Goodrich sends the 6th shooter to the mark. Goodrich Scores and the stress level that had reached an all time high was quickly transitioned to an adrenaline rush that had emotions running very high for the Martians. The first District Championship in 10 years for the Martians. Goodrich just knocked off teh #1 rated Flint Powers to bring home some hardware! 

DISTRICT CHAMPS!!!! Overall 18-1-1

Final Goodrich wins 1-0

Kevin Hergenreder (Goal), Alex Arnold (Ast) - From a set piece on teh offensive right side about 35-40 yards out. Alex serves a great ball that is playable and draws the goalkeeper out of the net. Kevin got himself in the perfenct spot as the ball floated over teh hands of the goalkeeper and dropped on his head. Redirecting the ball toward the net, Kevin scores the games only goal.

With just more than 5 minutes remaining in the first half, Goodrich scores and turns out to be the games only goal. Bad Axe had one chance to tie, but Calebe Jones did not have any saves on the game.