Bears Tie on Late Penalty Kick Goal By Sophie

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

Misconduct Summary: Hanniel Malagon - Yellow Card (17'), Invictus #19 - Yellow Card (49'), Roberto - Yellow Card (76')

Attendance:  11

Weather:  Partly cloudy and 93 degrees

All statistics contained in this boxscore are unofficial

MatchDay Preview: Must Win Game For Bears Tonight

Club Bad News Bears (3-2-1) vs. Invictus (2-3-0)

July 31, 2011     8:00pm CST

Houston Amateur Sports Park, Field #3
Houston, Texas

If Club Bad News Bears were ever searching for a break in their schedule, tonight is not it.  Their opponents, Invictus, might be one of the toughest opponents they have ever faced.  Their record this season doesn't accurately display this, but any well prepared opponent of Invictus should not be fooled by their 2-3-0 record.  They have an aggressive defense, with a sharp offense to put any game away quickly. 

For the Bears, it all comes down to a win tonight to keep them at pace with Pluma Mountain Coffee.  A tie or loss will definitely hurt any chances of keeping first place hopes alive. 

Although strategy can be a bit hectic against Invictus, the concept should remain the same throughout this season:  smart passes and quick defense.  The rest will definitely fall into place, as it did the first time these two clubs met this season, resulting in a 4-3 come-from-behind victory for the Bears, who were down 2-0 at the half.  A pair of Rachel Ammar goals gave the Bears their first victory against Invictus, as well as giving them their first loss in club history.

Club Bad News Bears are coming off of a heart-breaking 3-1 loss from Pluma Mountain Coffee.  Invictus will try to take the momentum into tonight with its 3-0 victory last week over Growling Trout.
Tonight's game will be on the warmer side, with temperatures dropping to 91 degrees by kickoff with partly cloudy skies and a 10% chance or rain.  Wind will reach 9mph from the south-southeast.

Club Bad New Bears:

• Third meeting against Invictus.  Last meeting resulted in a 4-3 win at Houston Amateur Sports Park.
• Despite injuries to Juan Sanchez, Irma Sanchez and Marvette Limon-Machala last week, team should be at full strength.
• Fourth game at Houston's Houston Amateur Sports Park, overall record at HASP is 2-1-0 all-time, outscoring their opponents 10-9.
• Keep the strategy and lineup consistent.  Introducing any new elements into the game this late into the season will only weaken the team and confuse the players mindset.

FC Happy Meal:

• Third meeting against Club Bad News Bears.  Last meeting resulted in a 4-3 loss at Houston Amateur Sports Park.
• Invictus are 1-1-0 at HASP, outscoring their opponents 8-7. 
• Solid offense; not afraid to take shots and create plays from long distance.
• Aggressive defense.

Injury Report:

No injuries to report at this time.

Suspension:

No suspensions to report at this time.

Head-to-Head All-Time:

Club Bad News Bears are tied in the series against Invictus with a record of 1-1-0.  Last meeting was a 4-3 victory for Club Bad News Bears.



VIDEO: Taking on Life

This week's video is sure to put the fire back in the Bears' eyes as they prepare to take on a tough opponent in Invictus.  The speech is from the movie "Rocky Balboa", which is considered one of the greatest speeches in movie history. 

It's A Girl!!!

Congratulations to Club Bad News Bears defender Chris Sanchez and his lovely wife Elice.  On Monday, Elice gave birth to a baby girl, Mia Elise Sanchez! 

Did You Know? 7/28 Edition

Club Bad News Bears are 2-0-0 this season when coming off of a loss or tie, outscoring their opponents 5-0.

Week 6 Recap

Pluma Mountain Coffee now has sole possession of first place after their 3-1 victory over Club Bad News Bears on Sunday night.  The loss for the Bears dropped them down to third place, two points behind FC Happy Meal.  Coffee's goal keeper was too much for the Bears as more than 12 shots on goal were taken by the Bears and only one could reach the back of the net, a goal by Hanniel Malagon from a deflected corner from Soso.

In other games from Week 6, FC Happy Meal dominated their opponents, Growling Trout, 5-0, while Invictus defeated AFC Renegades 5-3.  FC Happy Meal's victory pushed them up to second place, while Invictus' victory keeps them alive for a chance at a top two position.

This Day In Bad News Bears History: July 25

July 25, 2010
Bear Creek Park, Field #21
7:00pm

Club Bad News Bears would wrap up Week 5 of the 2010 Division 4 Summer season with a closely contested 1-0 victory over FC Happy Meal.  The victory would increase their winning streak to four games and give them their best start after five games with 12 points.