2007 - 2008 Season

2006-2007

Blizzard Plowed Away

Virus Found At Forekicks
By A. Lach, Senior Sports Writer

There is a serious disease running through the U9/10 soccer teams playing at Forekicks in Norfolk this year known as “Offensive Interuptivitis”. This infection is known to cause teams to lose their ability to score goals or stop their opponent from scoring. Additional symptoms include a loss of energy in the second half and a general feeling of confusion and dizziness. Scientists and referees have just identified the Norton United soccer team as the cause of this destructive force.

Playing without their head coach and the powerful Jordan “Rocket Shot” Lach, the LPDs took to field 2 at Forekicks on Monday determined to win one for the “Coach” who was traveling to the hot, humid swamps of central Florida in search of more soccer drills for his team. Despite his absence the boys were able to put their emotions and feelings of emptiness aside and turn their attention to the green blizzard from Mansfield.

Despite the snow outside and the blizzard on the field, Norton United was able to plow through a tough first half that ended in a slim 2-0 Norton lead. “Thunder” Levy got the scoring started with a PK blast and a nice finish off a rebound for the two scores.

Towards the end of the first half it became clear that Mansfield’s strategy to get their offense going was to get physical with the Norton players and to leave two or three players hanging in Norton’s end of the field. Ryan “Go-Go” Gill was one of the first targets of their physical strategy as he was knocked down once by a Blizzard forward and a second time by the ball. But true to his name, Go-Go kept going and got even with Mansfield by scoring three goals.

Early in the second half Norton’s passing game kicked into high gear and the goals soon followed. Crosses, one-touches and through-balls lead to six more goals as Norton rolled to an 8-0 victory.

It’s been 33 games since Norton last lost a game. The players from Norton United need to keep working hard because there is a league full of players and coaches working on finding a cure for Offensive Interuptivitis. Everyone wants to be the team to end Norton’s streak.

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When the Going Gets Tough, The Little Purple Dudes show their stuff.
By C. Gill, Beat Reporter

Monday nights game was another stellar exhibition of teamwork and grit put on by our own hometown team. Norton United met the Mansfield Blizzard in a clashing, crashing, bashing, passing pandemonium of Purple Tidal Wave and Blizzarding Mansfield-ians. After giving up early goals in the last two games and being forced to come from behind, the Little Purple Dudes came out with one purpose – score early. The game plan was expressed by the short-handed Crack Coaching Staff prior to the game - five men forward, five men in the box. Based on what this reporter saw during the match, cramming eleven players in the box would have looked more like a Red Hot Chili Peppers mosh-pit than a soccer game. However, at times the entire field looked more like a mosh-pit than a soccer game.

As I mentioned, the game featured a bit of a change in management as the Crack Norton Coaching Staff, and the team, each played one man short. Coach Bill Lach was reportedly on a trip with the family to a well-known vacation destination in the southeastern United States. However, there were rumors to the effect that he may have been interviewing for a coaching position at one of the local clubs, as it was his second trip to the area in recent weeks. Suffice it to say, this reporter will make the sacrifice and travel to Florida to ascertain the truth. But, back to the game.

Norton United took the opening kickoff and stormed the Mansfield end of the field, passing and flying around the field in a frenzy to get that first goal. It was a hard-fought goal, but our own Jonathan “Thunder” Levy, sporting a shiny new pair of fetching blue football cleats, potted the first goal of the night on a penalty kick over the goalies head, leading this reporter to wonder, where is he going to shoot the ball when the goalies can actually reach the cross bar? By the end of the half, the Mansfield-ians had only given up two goals.

As play on the field intensified, Ryan “Go-Go” Gill was a bit too aggressive chasing the ball to the net and paid dearly with a shot to the head as the goalie cleared the ball. It was a bit of a setback for the lad, but after a brief rest he was off the bench to help his team by potting a few goals himself.

With the play on the field getting a bit rugged, many of the Norton players used the rough play as motivation. Math “the Missile” Loranger, Justin “Iceman” Ireland and Ben “Brickwall” Veglas were streaking up and down the wings gritting their teeth and peppering the Mansfield goal with shots. At the end of the game, Norton United kept a firm grasp on first place with a 8 to nil win. It was another great team effort and a fine example of how the team can play with any combination of coaching and players. They always rise to the occasion. It was a great job by all.

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Norton United in Sole Possession of First Place

The Norton United lads faced a tough battle at Forekicks the other night as they squared off against the only other team in the BU9/10 division that had a perfect record. The Little Purple Dudes were well rested after the by-week and they needed it. They were facing an older, confident and aggressive opponent in a battle for sole possession of first place. To add to the challenge, they were playing with two less players. By the end of the game, the red faces, empty water bottles and ice packs on the bench were a testament to the effort put forth by the lads to stay in first place.

Attleboro grabbed an early lead within minutes of the opening kickoff. Having been there before, the Little Purple Dudes settled down and took the game from there. On the next kickoff, the lads pushed the attack into the Attleboro end of the field and with help from some offense minded defenders they brought five attackers into the Attleboro end, spread the field and put the ball into the back of the net for their first goal of the night. As often happens with the Purple Powerhouse, goals are like potato chips, you can’t have just one.

By the end of the game, the sweat and exertion showed on both teams in the battle for first place. But, the Purple Wave had stifled the Attleboro attack and limited them to only a few shots on the net. Norton finished with a hard earned win and a final score of 7 to 1. They are in sole possession of first place and from what we saw the other night, we know they will work hard to stay there.

C. Gill, beat reporter

Avoiding the By-week Blues

Good day sportsfans, Iggy Scoresagoal here. The Norton United lads have been playing quite a stretch of football and have earned a well deserved rest. With the bye-week here, it brings to mind what my old coach Waznyot Agôl used to say, “don’t clog dance with a girl with big feet if you don’t want to get your feet bruised”. He usually presented these words of wisdom as I came into the locker room with a mouth full of cookies and a Coca Cola in-hand. It took awhile to understand what he meant, but as those cola’s and cookies began to take their toll and started to slow me down, I began to understand.

After a particularly bad game, I decided to go to the team trainer Yuvgada Pushada for help. Yuvgada wasted no time. He had me up early, exercising, studying and learning the keys to the game: Teamwork, Passing, Hard work, Sportsmanship, Hydration, Motivation. Yuvgada pointed out that the keys to winning in football (soccer to you Yanks) can be applied to more than just sports.

This being a by-week for the Norton United lads, I suspect the crack Norton United Coaching staff will keep the boys sharp with plenty of practice. The other Forekicks teams are keeping their eyes on the schedule and see the Purple Wave approaching. They know it will take lots of hard work to beat such a skillful and dedicated team. I know the Little Purple Dudes and their coaches are doing what it takes during this break to continue improving their own game.

Keep ‘em Hydrated, Keep ‘em Motivated.
Iggy S.