DEA Bedford Over 30

DEA let a two-goal lead disappear and allowed Hollis to level late (OFFSIDES!).  First half goals by Chris Laberge and a PK by Elvis Zukovic were wasted as DEA "lost" this one, 2-2, dropping their season record to 1-2-1.

 DEA held possession for much of the first half (OFFSIDES!) and got on the board midway through by goal-scoring savant Chris Laberge.  Moments after entering the match, Laberge took Elvis' feed and stormed in clean on the right side.  He beat Hollis' mammoth keeper (OFFISIDES!) cleanly to get DEA started.  Nice way to make an appearance.

With Pepperell parolee Reyad manning the center midfield for Hollis (OFFISIDES!), they began to possess much better.  With Brendan Gilmartin creating havoc up front, Hollis pushed to get back level.  However, again Jerold "Crash" White, Chris Florek, Jon Cloutier and Chris Jones kept most chances at bay.  One clean break (OFFSIDES!) by Hollis created a low drive that fill-in keeper Chris Cloutier palmed aside down low.

DEA kept winning the midfield balls, with Ryan Carvalho and Barry Fitzgerald springing the offensive trio of Willie Mungere, Laberge, and Gary DuPlessis free (OFFSIDES!).  One clean chance for Laberge was blown dead on another mythical "OFFISIDES!" call by the ref...tethered to the center circle.

With under fifteen minutes left in the half, DuPlessis tried to get onto Willie's pass and was late to the play.  As the keeper settled, a Hollis defender (OFFISIDES!) stupidly shoved DuPlessis to the pitch.  A stupid, needless foul that resulted in a penalty kick.  After much griping, Hollis keeper tried to play mind games with Elvis by asking "Are you going to pass it to me, since you know it wasn't a foul?  Or, are you shooting?  Just tell me, Elvis."  Elvis ignored him and calmly ripped home his try to make it 2-0 (OFFSIDES!).  This was a tough call.  The keeper already had the ball, but when you needlessly shove a player to the pitch in the area, you are taking chances.  DEA got a break (OFFISIDES!) on this one.

Early in the second half, DEA looked to ice this one.  After two attempt to spring Willie (OFFISIDES!) were creatively whistled dead, Reyad was put in on the left side.  Jerold bottled him up, and Reyad's pass deflected off Sean Whisby.  The fortunate bounce put Reyad through (OFFISIDES!) and the ref, screened, blind, lost, whatever, missed it and Reyad was free.  He ripped a low drive that Cloutier gloved, but not enough and momentum was now (OFFISIDES!) on Hollis' side.

Not content to give up, however, DEA kept playing and tried for the quick counter as Hollis (OFFISIDES!) gamed more possession.  Good chances by Willie and Elvis went for naught.  Then, pure crap allowed Hollis (OFFSIDES!) to level.

Ivan Iwannabuyavowel took a throw in and lined up one of his patented left-footed scorchers.  He drove it directly at Cloutier, who somehow missed it and watched it go right through his hands and Hollis (OFFISIDES!) had come all the way back.  A frustrating goal to give up, indeed.

 That is how it would end.  DEA put on a show for the 3rd half.  With beer, hot dogs, steak tips, dancing girls, farm animals, rides, and an air show highlighted by two F-18's doing flyovers, DEA proved that win, lose, or draw, they know how to enjoy the game of soccer.  In an added benefit, they even got to watch the DEA Masters upend their rival, Irish Village, 2-1 on this beautiful sunny afternoon.

 

DEA's rough start continued when Ipswich took home a 4-2 victory in the rain at Legacy Field.  Again, no ref.  DEA had numbers, and held strong for a 1-1 halftime score.  Ipswich pulled away with three second half goals to drop DEA to 0-2.  Gary DuPlessis and Chris Laberge scored for DEA.

DEA travelled to Windham in search of their first victory of the season. Windham has started slow since being promoted to D1, giving up 15 goals in their first two matches. The trend continued as DEA scored early and often in salting away a 6-2 victory.

Not five minutes into it an Elvis Zukovic scorcher was mishandled by Windham fill-in keeper Derek Dane. Gary DuPlessis poached the rebound and DEA had an early 1-0 lead.

Next, Barry Fitzgerald sent a long cross to a streaking Willie Mungere. Willie dribbled around Windham's regular keeper and calmly finished into the open frame to make it 2-0.

Not to be outdone, Elvis then let another low screamer fly. This one went between the wickets and DEA was threatening to make it a rout.

Just before the half, a turnover in DEA's end allowed Benedict Arnold....er, I mean, Christian Gagnon to put "Simba" through on the right side. His shot was palmed aside by DEA keeper Chris Harrington. However, Windham's mammoth striker BigKirk was there to finish the rebound to make it 3-1.

More furtituous bounces would follow when Elvis' corner was again bobbled inside the area. As it rattled around, it found it's way over the goal line. There was some discussion as to who would get credit. It initially looked like Elvis', then the ref called it an own-goal. However Peter Cline, who we know is money in the bank from inside two yards, poked it home for good measure. The tape was inconclusive, but since Cliney reffed the Ipswich game last week his reward for the flack he took was the goal. Sorry, Elvis...Management Decision.

Early in the second half, Duplessis would get his second when he finished off Willie's pass to eliminate any cause for concern.

Kirk would pull one more back to make it 5-2 before Willie notched another off a John Lablanc header to close out the scoring.

Kudos to the backfield tandem of Jerold White and Chris Florek for the outstanding job they did in keeping the lid on the high-powered Windham attack (that was missing a few of it's bullets).

DEA is home against Hollis next week.

It is simple.  Show up with numbers and ready to play.  DEA did neither of these on Sunday morning and found themselves on the bad side of a 5-0 whooping by Stoneham to open the fall season.  Stoneham picked up some new players for the fall and showed up 30 minutes early to warm up.  On the other side, DEA showed up at 5 minutes before the whistle with bearly 11 players.  Eleven is all they would get for the duration of the game also and it would show in the fitness level. 

Not much good to say about this one.  Just chaulk it up to a learning experience and get back to winning.  DEA did see a new keeper, Chris Harrington, who did a fine job despite the lob sided score.  None of the goals were errors on Harrington's fault and he is a welcome addition in the absence of long time standout Lucas Hill, who is out on the DL and Chris Cloutier, who was hiking around Alaska.

DEA is off this Sunday but gets back to work on September 9th with another home game against Ipswich.  Jerold and Ryan are in charge of coordinating the 3rd half cook out.  Game time is 8:30 AM..... Please be at the field at 8:00 AM to warm up.

The 9th Annual DEA Awards Gala at the Bellagio was held recently, and as usual the black tie affair was a smashing success. With celebrities galore, the event is typically one of the 'must-attend' events of the year for Hollywood "A-Listers", Politicians, media, and athletes from throughout the world. The big winner was Chris LaBerge. Named Captain before the start of the year, he wore the arm-band proudly in taking home Four awards. Thankfully, his family was with him (as they almost always are) and helped to carry his cache out the door. So, without further ado, the winners are: Offensive Player of the Year: Chris LaBerge. LaBerge netted 7 goals on the year while splitting time between forward, center midfield, left midfield, and a variety of backfield positions. Not only did he lead the team in total number of goals, but also in quality and importance. Defensive Player of the Year: Tom Labonville. "Bomber" teamed well with runner-up Chris Florek, forming an imposing middle of the backline. Making his DEA O-30's debut, the long-time DEA SummerLeaguer meshed in well with the squad. He was an imposing force in the air all over the pitch. Goalie of the Year: Lucas Hill. Lucas also won the unoffical award for "Most Miles Travelled" as he made the trek from Connecticut for every game but two. He personally stole the first Ipswich game with a series of stunning saves, and was the vocal leader on the pitch. He did nothing to shed his "All-World" tag. Rookie of the Year: Labonville. In the closest vote on the docket, Labonville edged sniper Ryan Carvalho for the honor. DEA's recruitment of the last 30 months has brought a lot of quality and should allow DEA to remain in the running for league honors for the foreseeable future. Goal of the Year: This voting was the closest of any of the categories. The nominees were Willie Davis' chest and volley against Pepperell; Gary DuPlessis' tricycle-winner in the same match; and LaBerge's 45-yard chip to get DEA started against Ipswich. The winner was the LaBerge chip. As Elvis Zukovic, who won the title last year and presented the award this year commented: "Chris' strike was very calculated, against a good team, and gave us some early momentum". Fan(s) of the Year: The LaBerge Clan. They were at virtually every game, and always provided entertainment for the younger crowd. They even assisted with the sausages provided for Mother's Day. MVP: Another close vote, LaBerge edged Jerold White for the honor. Jerold won the title last year, but it looks like the voters went for the sexy stats this year. Either was deserving. Jerold the subtle quartback who game-in and game-out contributed everywhere. LaBerge the emotional leader who carried the load when needed most. Last, the following players received honors for the Lou Gehrig Award, which is awarded for making every game. Never in their history have so many players taken home this honor. That is a major reason for their successful season. -Chris Cloutier -Chris Florek* -Chris Jones -Chris LaBerge (no wonder Willie calls everybody "Chris" out there) -Barry Fitzgerald -Jerold White *Florek's protest about the early start in Pepperell, which cost him the bid for a 900-minute season, was denied by FIFA. It was recommended that he lost all footing when he A) Stayed out extra late the previous night; and B) Wasn't at the field the mandatory 30-minutes early anyway. DEA Management would like to thank everyone for the excellent commitment, quality of play, and positive results. Have a great summer, and get in shape for the Fall Season as it is coming up soon.