Notts Forest BU9 Red: Presidio Cup Champions
Posted Dec 14, 2010 in Champions, Teams in the News
The Notts Forest BU9 Red Team are Presidio Cup Champions! They continued their amazing season by winning the Presidio Cup Championship in Coronado on December 11, 2010 by beating a very good Albion team 3-2 in the Championship Game.
The opening round of games for Presidio Cup took place a week before, on December 4 and 5. Notts Forest BU9 Red were matched with Quest SC White, Heat FC Blue, and Hotspurs Red in group play.
The 1st game of Presidio Cup had Notts Forest play a tough Quest SC team. Quest came out fast and caught Notts Forest sleeping in the opening minutes of the game and scored in the 1st minute. However, once Notts Forest got their game going, they played Quest well and won 3-2. Their 2nd game of group play was against Hotspurs Red. Notts Forest were dominant in the game and won 5-2, with both of Hotspurs goals coming off free-kicks. The final game of group play was against FC Heat Blue, a team that Notts Forest played during league twice. FC Heat Blue finished runners up to the 1st Place Notts Forest BU9 team during the Presidio League season. Notts Forest scored early in the game. However, a PK given to FC Heat made the game end with a 1-1 tie. Notts Forest finished group play with 2 wins and a tie with 22pts, topping their group to advance to the semi-final match.
Notts Forest was matched up with a tough Pumas Elite team in the semi-final match a week later in Coronado. Pumas were a tough physical team, but Notts Forest came out strong and scored early in the match. Pumas didn’t give up, and they made it a tough match for Notts Forest. Both teams had an even amount of chances in the game, with Notts Forest missing a few clear chances and Pumas hitting the post as well. However, Notts Forest held on and advanced to the Championship game with a 1-0 win.
In the championship game, Notts Forest played a very offensively talented Albion SC team, who beat La Jolla Impact in the other Semi-final match 6-2. The championship match was what a championship should have been: intense, competitive, and close. Notts Forest scored 1st when their target split the Albion defense with a through ball on the left side for Notts Forest’s left mid to finish. Albion began to push for the equalizer and they had a lot of possession before the end of the 1st half, but Notts Forest’s defense was tough and held a highly powered Albion attack to 0 goals at half. After leading 1-0 at halftime, however, Albion eventually equalized. A foul outside the box gave Albion a free kick on the right side. Albion scored on the free kick to equalize 1-1. The momentum was with Albion as they pushed forward again. There was confusion in the Notts penalty box when Albion’s left mid crossed the ball in, only for one of Albion’s players to pounce onto the loose ball to make the score 2-1. This moment really tested the will of the Notts Forest players. Rather than hanging their heads and giving up, the Notts Forest players showed what champions are made of. They didn’t hang their heads, but played harder. Their determination paid off when they scored to tie the game at 2-2. Similarly to how Albion scored their 2nd goal, a loose ball was in the Albion penalty box after a corner kick from the right side. Notts Forest players fought to win the 50-50 ball and Notts Forest’s target player tucked the ball into the net to score. Play was even after that for the next few minutes, when Notts Forest found an opening in the Albion defense. Notts Forest’s left mid beat Albion’s right defender and scored a great goal from a tough angle from the goal line. Notts Forest 3, Albion 2! Presidio Cup Champions: Notts Forest BU9 Red.
“You guys are so awesome. I’m very proud of you and how you guys didn’t give up and kept fighting after we were down a goal. This is a championship that is truly well deserved.” said Coach Marvin to his team after the final whistle blew.
