Coach Oscar Aviles congratulates his team after putting away Katy SDA 3-1 on Sunday night.
Club Bad News Bears did not waste anytime on Sunday night to put points on the board. Within the match's first two minutes, Albert Martinez would cross a pass to the middle, where Rachel Ammar would send the ball into the back of Katy SDA's net. It would be her first goal of the season and the club's first female goal of the season.
With the Bears up 2-0 early on, the defense took over. Not much was getting by the back four for the Bears, until the 25th minute, when one of Katy SDA's male players put one past goalie Kevin Alanis. The goal, Club Bad News Bears' first goal allowed of the season, sent a nervous feeling down the team's spine. However, in the 27th minute, Albert Martinez would put the Bears back up by two, now leading 3-1.
At the half, the Bears coaching staff made a formation change that would focus on keeping the ball out of their net.
The second half, although intended to be more defensive, would see the Bears take more shots on goal, primarily by Sophie Ammar, who had a couple miss by an inch or two. Defensively, the Bears were slowly showing signs of fatigue, but the modified formation made at halftime prevailed.
As the referee blew the final whistle, the Bears celebrated their second win of the season in as many games. It was a hard fought effort by each and every player tonight that paid off tremendously.
Club Bad News Bears will take on TFC Thunder next Sunday at Bear Creek Park, Field #11. Former Bears player Lorena Reyes will take on her former team in what should be an interesting matchup.
Coach Oscar celebrates Albert Martinez's game-winning goal Sunday night against Hot Soccer Moms.
In a game where both sides were evenly matched, despite a much younger and quicker Hot Soccer Moms squad, Club Bad News Bears used experience and team work to take the win 1-0.
It seemed as if the 0-0 tie would hold. Both clubs had numerous goal opportunities, with every shot just sailing to the left or right. Club Bad News Bears would shut down Hot Soccer Mom's speed with a solid defense. Hot Soccer Moms would disrupt passes and breakaways with their youth. At times, the game was pretty much a stand still, but at halftime, the Bears coaching staff saw an opportunity for victory.
"They are pretty fast," pointed out Coach Oscar, "but they are tiring themselves out. They can't get past our back four."
The observation was spot on, as during the second half, despite a few scoring opportunities, Hot Soccer Moms' offense began to slowly deteriorate, and their defense breaking down one player at a time. In the 65th minute, Albert Martinez took advantage of a deflected shot off the goalkeeper and send the ball at the back of the net to break the tie.
Hot Soccer Moms tried to push the ball forward with time slowly running out, but the Bears defense held off any attack. In the end, the Bears held on to a 1-0 victory, to the satisfaction of the coaching staff.
"Everybody played their heart out," said assistant coach Scott. "The win was well-deserved."
The Bears played with several new players on the squad, but the communication and team work displayed throughout the game ultimately became the difference maker tonight.
Club Bad News Bears will take on Katy SDA next week, March 4th at Bear Creek Park's Field #12.
The game started off a bit sluggish for both sides, but Club Bad News Bears would make the most of it during their 2-0 victory over AFC Renegades to complete the 2011 Summer season.
Both clubs had to endure the 98 degree temperature for more than 80 minutes at Bear Creek Park, with a breeze that was sporadically present at best. Substitutions were plentiful on both benches. The final game of the season was anything but ideal for either club.
Once the game started, Club Bad News Bears would draw Renegades' goalkeeper away and leave the net wide open, only to struggle scoring a goal inside the box. The Bears' defense was solid, and a change to their goalkeeper, Karl Fulk, would prove to be a difference maker. It would not be until the 24th minute that defender Chris Sanchez would score from 20 yards out after a poor clearing of the ball by AFC Renegades.
"I let it take a nice bounce then took the shot."
The goal was his first of the season, and definitely gave the momentum that the Bears needed to finish out the half.
Just minutes later, during the 29th minute, AFC's tallest player, number 15 would receive a yellow card for his rough defense against Greg McFarlane, who at the time was sprinting down the line towards the goal, just yards from taking a decent shot.
As the half ended with a 1-0 score for the Bears, their still was work to be done. Coach Oscar did not feel that the team was in the clear just yet.
"We need to get another goal. This 1-0 score scares me."
Hanniel Malagon would respond to Oscar's worry with an unassisted goal in the 66th minute from just outside the box. The goal put the Bears up 2-0, with AFC Renegades at times after looking like they would prefer the final whistle to be blown.
AFC's attack did not stop, but a solid defensive effort by the Bears would cease any shot attempts at the source and the Bears would come out victorious once the final whistle was blown. A 2-0 victory over a very committed AFC Renegade club. Coach Oscar was very celebratory.
"Great game and great season, guys!"
The team celebrated by dumping the remaining cold water onto their coach.
Club Bad News Bears (3-2-2) vs. AFC Renegades (2-4-0)
August 7, 2011 -- Bear Creek Park
Scoring Summary:
1st Half: AFC Renegades - 0 Club Bad News Bears - 1
2nd Half: AFC Renegades - 0 Club Bad News Bears - 1
Total: AFC Renegades - 0 Club Bad News Bears - 2
Misconduct Summary: AFC Renegades #15 (Yellow Card) - 29'
Attendance: 10 (plus one potbelly pig)
Weather: Partly cloudy and 98 degrees
All statistics contained in this boxscore are unofficial
Club Bad News Bears remain unbeaten against Invictus as they would come from behind late in the second half to tie the game, on a penalty kick by Sophie, 2-2, and send Invictus back to the drawing board on a very frustrating season.
The aggressiveness was there. The speed was there. The trash talking was there.
Invictus brought an expected A-game to the field, and in the 17th minute, would get a goal by exposing a shifted defense, leaving the center open, creating a perfect goal opportunity. In the 26th minute, Hanniel Malagon would be yellow carded for an apparent slide down the line, although his knee was clearly on the ground, preventing such a call.
Lots of goal opportunities by the Bears, but none were able to get passed a sharp Invictus goal keeper.
Halftime saw a 1-0 Invictus lead, but a strategy change which focused on attacking from the sides and drawing the middle defenders out of the box, was stressed.
With that in mind, the Bears continued to attack, creating better opportunities, but still no shots getting through.
Invictus continued its aggressiveness, although it would cost them a yellow card in the 49th minute.
Roberto would also receive a yellow card in the 76th minute, allowing Invictus to convert a penalty kick and extending their lead 2-0. However, in the 79th minute, a foul on Hanniel just inside the box would set up a Sophie Ammar penalty kick, in hopes of tying the game. Her kick was well placed and through the net for the tie with less than a minute to play.
After the referee blew his whistle, the Bears celebrated a hard fought effort with their "never say die" attitude. As usual, the majority of the players from Invictus displayed no sign of sportsmanship after the game, as they didn't display any during the game.
Club Bad News Bears (3-2-1) vs. Invictus (2-3-1)
July 31, 2011 -- Houston Amateur Sports Park
Scoring Summary:
1st Half: Invictus - 1 Club Bad News Bears - 0
2nd Half: Invictus - 1 Club Bad News Bears - 2
Total: Invictus - 2 Club Bad News Bears - 2
Eventually something was going to have to give. Eventually, one of these clubs was going to make a mistake. Eventually, someone was going to give up a goal. Unfortunately, Club Bad News Bears did.
On one of the coolest nights this season, Club Bad News Bears and Pluma Mountain Coffee met for the second time this season at Houston Amateur Sports Park with a lot at stake. The prize: first place. Both clubs were tied before the game at 10 points a piece. The last time these two met, the match ended in a tie, leaving both clubs to look back at opportunities that created shots that could have been goals.
Before the game, it was learned that Coach Oscar would be out with a torn ACL. He is now out for at least the next three months. Albert, Rachel, Vu and Kristy were also out before the game.
The Bears found themselves matched pretty equally throughout the opening minutes of the first half. A nice cross by Juan Sanchez to Sophie Ammar was interrupted only by Pluma Mountain Coffee's goalie. A second attempt just minutes later ended in the same result. Like the last meeting, the Bears were finding no breaks against Coffee's goalkeeping.
In the 18th minute, however, Pluma Mountain Coffee would break the scoring drought and land a shot in the far corner of the net, set up by a fresh Bears defense that entered the game just minutes before.
"What can you say about that?" asked Chris Sanchez, "It was a great shot and we just weren't there to stop it."
Not to let one goal affect them, the Bears began to adjust defensively and hold off future attacks by Pluma Mountain Coffee. Unfortunately, the Bears offense was still puzzled on how to get a shot passed their goal keeper. The Bears tallied six shots on goal by the end of the first half, and no goals to show for it.
In the 39th minute, the Bears would allow a second goal, putting them behind 2-0 in a crucial game.
At halftime, Coach Oscar rallied his troops.
"It's not over. We've been here before."
The second half opened up with a little more promise for the Bears, but another hole in the defense found Coffee's third goal of the night in the 50th minute, putting them up 3-0 with no hope in sight for the Bears to catch up.
Minutes would seem like seconds as the second half approached its end, and the Bears continued to make good passes to the middle, but every shot was found in the goalie's hands. The Bears were not out yet, and needed to make some clutch plays to stay in this game.
Hanniel Malagon would fortunately get a goal through in the 73rd minute after a Soso corner, narrowing the deficit to 3-1. Minutes later, Juan Sanchez took the ball towards the net, but was tackled from behind in the box with no call by the ref, which would have set up a penalty kick, keeping the Bears chances alive.
The final whistle blew and the Bears were left with a result that did not clearly reflect their efforts.
"Nothing to be ashamed about," stated Oscar Aviles. "We played well against a tough team."
Ashley Castaldo added some positive reinforcement after the game.
"At least we didn't get shut out!"
Club Bad News Bears (3-1-1) vs. Pluma Mountain Coffee (3-1-1)
July 24, 2011 -- Houston Amateur Sports Park
Scoring Summary:
1st Half: Pluma Mountain Coffee- 2 Club Bad News Bears - 0
2nd Half: Pluma Mountain Coffee - 1 Club Bad News Bears - 1
Total: Pluma Mountain Coffee - 3 Club Bad News Bears - 1
Misconduct Summary: None
Attendance: 10
Weather: Partly cloudy and 88 degrees
All statistics contained in this boxscore are unofficial
In a battle between first and second place, and in front of a record 13 Bears fans, Club Bad News Bears made it a game to be remembered, whether FC Happy Meal likes it or not. In a game that saw their passing game improve greatly, the Bears were definitely focused on getting an edge over their opponents early on in the game, and the first six minutes of this heavily contested match saw just that.
The Bears would draw first blood in the second minute as Hanniel would take a deflected shot by Rena 25 yards and blast it past the goalie. The goal would be Hanniel's first of the season. Two minutes later, Juan Sanchez would attack from the right side and cut a pass to the middle, where he would find Sophie inside the box for the Bears' second goal of the night, making it 3-0 with the female goal.
The game's early scoring spree wouldn't end as FC Happy Meal would respond with a female goal of their own in the sixt minute, narrowing the Bears' lead down to one with a 3-2 score.
The remainder of the first half saw a physical game from both sides. FC Happy Meal's #3 would be given a yellow card for a push on Chris deep in the Bears' territory down the left side. On many occasions, the both teams traded pushes and shoves for control of the ball. However, no score through the rest of the first half and the Bears would enjoy a 3-2 lead over their fierce opponents, despite some heavy trash talking.
Second half would open up in the 50th minute with another FC Happy Meal goal, this time by #3, with a header, tying the game at 3-3. The goal was scored after two unsuccessful headers.
Hanniel Malagon celebrates the Bears' victory
over FC Happy Meal with his very own Happy
Meal.
With the game becoming more and more defensive, Juan Sanchez took it upon himself to fly down the right side again, taking a decisive pass from Marvette Limon-Machala, only to cut a pass down the middle to find Sophie Amar again, scoring her second goal of the night and for the season. The Bears would take the lead 5-3.
Trash talking would resume from both sides, especially from FC Happy Meal. Yet, in the end, the final whistle would blow and Club Bad News Bears would take the much deserved victory and now enjoy residence at the top of the standings.
"Great win!" shouted by Scott Machala, who filled in for Coach Oscar. "This win was for the women who weren't able to win the big one today." Scott was referring to the U.S. Women's National Team, who fell to Japan in the World Cup final earlier today.
Club Bad News Bears (2-1-1) vs. FC Happy Meal (3-1-0)
July 17, 2011 -- Houston Amateur Sports Park
Scoring Summary:
1st Half: FC Happy Meal - 2 Club Bad News Bears - 3
2nd Half: FC Happy Meal - 1 Club Bad News Bears - 2
Total: FC Happy Meal - 3 Club Bad News Bears - 5
Misconduct Summary: FC Happy Meal - #3 (Yellow Card)
Attendance: 13
Weather: Partly cloudy and 86 degrees
All statistics contained in this boxscore are unofficial
Club Bad News Bears got back to their winning ways with a convincing 4-0 victory over a struggling Growling Trout squad. Growling Trout's sideline was bare as only one spectator and zero subs were present. The heat would take its toll on both clubs, but the lack of support for Growling Trout made the victory for the Bears very easy.
Playing their first game in two weeks, Club Bad News Bears would go up against a female goalie for the first time in club history. For the most part, she held her own. A couple of times, Albert Martinez found his shots directly in her hands. Even their defense was putting their entire bodies into it, as Marvette Limon-Machala would have her first half shot blocked early on by a defenseman's face.
However, in the 36th minute, Albert Martinez took a bad pass by Growling Trout and stormed down the field and found the back of the net in the 36th minute.
Leading 1-0 at the half, Coach Oscar praised his team on their excellent passing and teamwork. Drained by the sun, the team gathered a second wind and found an opportunity to push an attack against a very drained and exhausted Growling Trout side. Soijem "Soso" Ossi would sit out the second half with a pulled hamstring.
Midway through the second half, Juan Sanchez would follow through on a deflected Sophie Ammar shot to put the Bears up 2-0 in the 58th minute. Greg McFarlane would answer thirteen minutes later in the 71st minute with an unassisted goal. At this point, the Bears' opponent were just waiting for the final whistle to blow.
Juan Sanchez would find the back of the net one more time in the 79th minute to put the Bears up for good at 4-0.
All four goals were scored unassisted, taking advantage of deflected or poor passing from Growling Trout.
At the end of the game, Coach Oscar celebrated the win with praise and congratulations. The win guarantees at least a second place postion in the standings.
Club Bad News Bears (1-1-1) vs. Growling Trout (1-3-0) July 10, 2011 -- Bear Creek Park
Scoring Summary:
1st Half: Growling Trout - 0 Club Bad News Bears - 1
2nd Half: Growling Trout - 0 Club Bad News Bears - 3
Total: Growling Trout - 0 Club Bad News Bears - 4
Misconduct Summary: N/A
Attendance: 8
Weather: Sunny and 90 degrees
All statistics contained in this boxscore are unofficial
In what could only be an even greater start to the season with yet another win or tie, the Bears found themselves not only chasing two points, but having difficulty finding ways to get a shot past the goalie. And making its third appearance this season, the heat, rounding at 91 degrees at kickoff, played yet another devastating role to the Bears' performance.
AFC Renegades would take some crafty shots, many that were deflected or off target, but in the 31st minute, a controversial shot would be taken by one of their female players as she would make contact on the Bears' goalie Mike Prause and force the ball across the net for two points. The ref would be confronted by several players, including Mike and Coach Oscar, but the ref ruled it a goal.
For the rest of the game, the Bears found themselves at times trying to beat the heat than beating their opponents. At times, fatigue set in for some, making passes difficult to chase and deflected shots to attack.
"We just didn't play our best today," explained Coach Oscar. "We need to play better to win."
Through numerous opportunties, shots were not taken, but rather deflected by the Renegades. Too many shots were off target, but by mere inches. In the end, the AFC Renegades would hold on to a 2-0 victory, their first of the season, as well as their first against Club Bad News Bears.
Many players looked frustrated after the game, but with a two week break in between games, the Bears should get enough rest. Hanniel Malagon will definitely benefit from the two week break as he left the game late in the second half with a knee injury.
"I felt something snap," described Hanniel. "I've never felt anything like this before."
Hanniel's return is indefinite at this point.
Club Bad News Bears (1-0-1) vs. AFC Renegades (0-0-1)
June 26, 2011 -- Bear Creek Park
Scoring Summary:
1st Half: AFC Renegades - 2 Club Bad News Bears - 0
2nd Half: AFC Renegades - 0 Club Bad News Bears - 0
Misconduct Summary: N/A
Attendance: 6
Weather: Sunny and 91 degrees
All statistics contained in this boxscore are unofficial
Rachel Ammar's two goal performace last night was enough to lift Club Bad News Bears over Invictus for the first time in two meetings. With the team down 2-0, Rachel would find the net twice and give the team 4 points. Invictus would make a strong comeback effort by cutting the lead down to one late in the second half, but it wouldn't be enough as the Bears would come out victorious.
"It was an all around great team effort," commented Rachel after the team's victory.
Irma Sanchez cheered Rachel on after the game. "Rachel Ammar is the bomb!"
There is plenty to celebrate after the team's win, especially with this being only the second time in club history that the Bears begin the season unbeaten after two wins. Club Bad News Bears normally start off the season slow, but the victory last night says otherwise.
Club Bad News Bears (0-0-1) vs. Invictus (0-0-0) June 19, 2011 -- Houston Amateur Sports Park
Scoring Summary:
1st Half: Invictus - 2 Club Bad News Bears - 0
2nd Half: Invictus - 1 Club Bad News Bears - 4
Misconduct Summary:N/A
Attendance: N/A
Weather: Sunny and 97 degrees All statistics contained in this boxscore are unofficial
Coach Oscar congratulates the Bears after battling a tough opponent, and the heat, to a 0-0 tie.
For the first time in club history, the Bad News Bears opened up their season with a tie against Pluma Mountain Coffee. In front of 10 supporters, the 0-0 score reflected not only a strong defense for both clubs, but also a heat that exceeded 90 degrees on the field, causing fatigue and exhaustion.
Both squads had great opportunities to score goals, but the ball hit everything (from shins to crossbars) but the back of the net. Both goalies were impressive, as Coach Oscar Aviles watched his squad battle the heat from the goalie position, while Pluma Mountain Coffee's goalie constantly kept his team subbing in and out to avoid tired legs on the field.
Despite two water breaks at the midway point of each half and a solid effort by both teams, the final score would prove the heat (and both team's defenses) were too much for either side and a 0-0 tie would be the final result.
After the game, Oscar pointed out to the Bears that it was a "great effort against a tough team."
"It was a 'heated' game," noted Marvette Limon-Machala.
The Bears should keep their heads up after this performance, as it's not everyday a Division 5 team finishes with a scoreless tie against a very experienced Division 3/4 team.
Club Bad News Bears (0-0-0) vs. Pluma Mountain Coffee (0-0-0) June 12, 2011 -- Bear Creek Park
Scoring Summary:
No Goals Scored
Misconduct Summary:
No Cards
Attendance: 10
Weather: Sunny and 92 degrees All statistics contained in this boxscore are unofficial
