BSC Raiders 2 - Lakeside FC 1

This Tehel Cup final started even before the whistle blew yesterday. Lakeside was at the field early, planted on their favorite bench and began to warm up on the rink field at Nichols School. BSC Raiders then began to filter in and took a bench on the other field. A small manager-manager confrontation ensued and both teams refused to move, doing their best five-year-old-not-wanting-to-leave-the-zoo impression. Ski was called, a weighted coin was flipped, and BSC won their choice of field. Let the soccer begin.

Lakeside would be missing their star player-manager Pete Marlette, but this did not dampen our spirits. Lakeside came out running one hundred miles an hour in the first half, putting in the extra effort on every ball and pass. BSC was able to hold the ball a little more, but it was a very even, well played first half of soccer. Lakeside goalie Eric Derose had to come up with one or two magical saves, but Lakeside was also able to counter with a couple near misses of their own. Half ends 0-0. Everything had went to plan thus far for Lakeside, a little luck, a lot of great soccer, not allowing the early goal, and taking a scoreless draw into half time.

Second half started a little sluggish from both teams after a very hard first half effort. The game finally picked up a little, and twelve minutes in lightning struck. Lakeside player Luke Lennox received a ball down the right side of the box with only one defender to beat. After some dribbling he dished it across the middle to a streaking Brendan Lachaal who trapped, and then buried the ball post and in from about the penalty mark. 1-0 Lakeside. Lakeside immediately changed it's formation to five defenders, but did not totally pack it in. Lakeside defended, countered, and defended some more, using every drop of reserves left in the tank. With ten minutes left BSC finally broke through. A long looping ball into the box was poorly headed by a BSC player, but another Raider was there back door to finish the ball. Lakeside looked to line judge for the offsides flag that would surely be raised. It was not. The game continued with Lakeside's energy dwindling, but still giving our all. In the 90th minute, a BSC player was dribbling on the far corner of the 18 and was taken down by a Lakeside player. The pk was called and finished by sir tee-shirt himself. Lakeside moved all 11 forward in the final 4 minutes of stoppage but was not able to tie it up. Game ends 2-1 BSC.

The first 80 minutes went perfectly according to plan for us, we just couldn't finish off that final ten. We feel a little jipped by the first goal, but this is not to taint the final result, BSC played well and deserved the win. Congrats to Rocky and all the BSC players for their fifth (?) Tehel Cup. Lakeside plans on passing that mark around 2020.

Well written recap by Barth. I just wanted to say that Lakesides goalie came up with a few unreal saves in the first half as well as Joe Walters on the goal line. The Lakeside goalie pushed one out of the upper corner on a header by Geoff Thompson from a throw in and he also made a great save on a free kick. While there was a scrum in the box Joe slid and block a shot and then while laying on the goal line threw his body in front of another shot. The first half was a lot of counter attacking by Lakeside which they do very well and it hurt that they were missing Pete up front.
In the second half the game seemed to get real sloppy as though everyone was afraid to make that mistake. Lakeside scored a great goal on a counter attack. The player held the ball up and slotted it across the top of the box for a great finish. Lakeside then really seemed to go into a shell and there was a huge gap in the middle of the field that BSC took control over. As for the first goal I served the ball to the back post to Jessie Mankowski whom headed the ball past the defender like he does all the time and passed it backwards to Marc Stencel running in from left back. It wasnt an errand header, or offsides as the ball was played backwards. Maybe I was seeing things wrong though. And then shortly there after Matt Grabs had a one on one with the goalie at the corner of the six which I might add was his easiest shot of the year as he has had about 15 amazing goals, that he put wide. Then on a corner kick Jessie headed the ball just over the post. As for the game winner Marc Stencel was dribbling at the corner of the 18 and spun around the defender and the defender took him down. It was ashame the game came down to that as he was not going to goal and was just inside the 18. But fortunately for us it was called a PK and we slotted it home for the win.
All in all I think that it was a great Tehel Cup final and it was ashame that it got away from Lakeside although I think we were the better team with many more scoring chances and the better of the possesion. I also think the ref unit as a whole did a very good job. I will say this...... it felt great to win that game after what was said to me by the guys on the bench when Lakeside was up 1-0 and Kyle pushed a ball past two of us on the sideline in front of their bench. To you boys "act like you have been there before and thanks for our 5th Tehel Cup in 10 years." Most of your team is a class act and I enjoy playing against you guys because you work so hard and want to win. Goodluck and See you boys next year.