Schwaben Boys U8

U8 Boys Team

2009-2010

U8 Boys clinch first place in NISL Gold Division!

The Schwaben U8 boys clinched first place in NISL North's highest division, Gold 1, with an electrifying 5 - 4 come from behind victory over the Elgin Pumas. This was a huge match for both clubs as Schwaben and the Pumas entered the game in first and second place, respectively, in the division with the Pumas needing nothing less than a victory to keep their first place hopes alive. The game was played in arctic conditions with steady rain throughout both halves, which made it particularly challenging for both sides' goal keepers and gave the strikers with the strong legs a distinct advantage. The Pumas jumped out early with a 1 - 0 lead after a very strong shot that lifted the back of the Schwaben net. However, Schwaben knew the importance of the match and responded with an all out assault on the Pumas' goal for the duration of the first half that resulted in three unanswered goals and a 3 - 1 halftime lead. The Pumas opened the second half with a vengeance as they sent a missile from midfield right into the Schwaben goal to start the half and trim the Schwaben lead down to 3 - 2. The Pumas followed that impressive scoring strike by controlling play for much of the second half and maintaining constant pressure on the Schwaben goal. Their effort was rewarded as the Pumas initially tied the game at 3 - 3 before scoring their third consecutive unanswered goal of the second half for a 4 - 3 lead. At that point, the Pumas' fans erupted with their trademark "Pumas!" chant ....... for the last time. Despite have been significantly outplayed for most of the second half, Schwaben wasn't ready to concede defeat and the players responded with a fury. With two minutes remaining in the game and the Pumas clinging to their one goal lead, Schwaben sent several thundering shots toward the Pumas goal until the Schwaben striker was able to slam in a rebound for the 4 - 4 tie. Despite the fact that time was quickly running out, Schwaben was not interested in settling for a tie as the team wanted to establish itself as the decisive division winner. With less than a minute to play, Schwaben continued to attack the Pumas' goal until another rebound landed on the Schwaben striker's foot with no one between him and victory except for the Pumas' goaltender. After one touch to the side, the Schwaben striker blasted the ball right off of the outstretched arms of the Pumas' goalie, which provided just enough force to carry the ball ever so slooooowly into the Pumas goal for the 5 - 4 lead. The Pumas were unable to get a shot off in the final thirty seconds and Schwaben held on for a tremendously impressive victory. At this point, Schwaben's division record stands at 8-0-1 with one game to play and the boys have now earned the right to call themselves champions.

Schwaben sneaks by Campton

In the team's most recent match, the Schwaben U8 team outlasted Campton United Blue to sweep the season series with a 2 - 1 victory. The match was yet another example of how Schwaben's relentless attack keeps the team in games and puts the club in a position to win far more often than not. Similar to their last meeting, Campton struck first when the team connected on a strong kick-in (a play unique to Campton's home field this NISL season) that found its way into the Schwaben goal for a 1 - 0 lead, which Campton held onto through the first half and well into the second. However, as has been the case throughout the season, Schwaben never let up with its pressure and it paid off when a nicely placed pass was blasted past the Campton goal keeper for the 1 - 1 tie. Unfortunately, the intensity of the match resulted in some excessively physical play and an above-average number of fouls by both clubs. The result was several free kicks for both teams, one of which Schwaben capitalized on toward the end of the game after one of its players was taken down hard about ten yards in front of the Campton box. The ensuing Schwaben free kick proved too powerful for the Campton goal keeper to handle and the subsequent rebound was slammed into the back of the Campton net when one of the Schwaben strikers fought through the Campton defense to score the winning goal for the 2 - 1 win. With its most recent victory, Schwaben has brought is league record to 7 - 0 - 1 with two games left to play on the club's home field against some formidable competition.

Libertyville OctoberFest Recap

The Schwaben U8 team took a weekend off from league play to compete in Libertyville's Octoberfest tournament where the team outscored its opponents by a combined score of 25 - 2 en route to going 4 - 0 and taking first place as the only undefeated team in its six-team "Gold" pool. In its first match, Schwaben overpowered LTSC Premier, from NISL South's Silver division, by a score of 7 -1. Next up, Schwaben repeated its game one performance by defeating Arlington Aces Academy Red, from NISL North's Silver division, by an identical 7 - 1 score. However, Schwaben did suffer a loss during its second match as one of its top goal scorers suffered a leg injury, which forced the team to play without all of its customary firepower during the second day of play. In its third match, Schwaben got its toughest test against Libertyville Premier Orange, which hails from YSSL's top Red division. In response to not having all of its offense weapons available, Schwaben played tremendous defense as the team limited Libertyville to one shot on goal during the entire game and outlasted the tournament's host team for a 2 - 0 victory. In Schwaben's final match of the tournament, the team met Eclipse Select West, which also plays in NISL South's Silver division. Although Schwaben posted another shutout in this match, it was not a repeat of the Libertyville game as Schwaben's offense was hitting on all cylinders throughout the game and as all of the players were heavily involved on the offensive side of the field resulting in the team posting its highest score of the tournament with a 9 - 0 win over Eclipse. One of the many highlights of the tournament included incredible support from the team's fans who braved the arctic conditions to cheer on their favorite players despite the fact this was one tournament where it was a much greater challenge to stand still watching on the sidelines than it was to stay warm by running around on the field. That aside and on a more serious note, teamwork continues to be the team's greatest strength as just over half of the team's twenty-five goals were assisted on. Looking ahead, the Schwaben U8 team will be returning to competition in NISL North's Gold division as it tries to extend its undefeated streak while making a run at the division title.