This is where you can read about our wins and losses
and various rambling game analyses by coach Mark!!
For results from previous years see archives
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Fall 2010 Season
October 17th Appalachian Fall Festival vs FC Alliance Gold '98: 2-1, 4-2. Did I say it was cold in Franklin a week or so ago? Try an 8am start in Kingsport!! With heavy dew on the grass and the thermometer reading 38 degrees it was rather tough conditions. FC Alliance has not only some very skilled players, but some very big players (well... a lot of players look big compared to most of our guys) and I knew we were in for a battle. Our defense was really struggling with the wet ball and size and speed of their forwards and FC Alliance picked up the first tally on a corner kick that went in off the foot of one of our own... soccer can be cruel. Graham H. soon got the equalizer and we went into the half tied 1-1. At halftime we really stressed the importance of winning balls and Haley Y. stepped up in the midfield and set that tone. Not long into the second half she came from behind an FCA player and hit a blast from well outside the 18 that skimmed just over their keeper's hands into the back of the net. FC Alliance continued to challenge though and had several really good looks at our goal in the 2nd half. In the end though, with a little luck in the way the ball bounces and some outstanding saves from Andrew S. in the last few minutes, we prevailed. Based on the point system, this set up a rematch for the championship at 2pm.
Wait several hours and turn up the heat by about 40 degrees (literally!!) and it was a new game. We knew FC Alliance had to have felt a bit short-changed in the first game and would certainly have no fear in seeing us again, so we talked a little strategy and set a game plan... basically, we better play a lot harder!! Actually, I spent a little time with each player prior to the game and gave them each some personal goals for the game. I'd like to think it was brilliant coaching strategy, but I know better. What is was, was a great display of heart from our team as we came out strong and gave it all on the field. Chloe M. hit first for us with a strong run from the right side that resulted in a solid blast past their keeper. Bill S. hit second when he feigned a give and go with Chloe at the top of their box and absolutely froze time... and their defense, and drove one into the corner. With a tally from Graham H. we were now up 3-0 and seemingly cruising toward the win... or so it seemed. FC Alliance is not the sort of team to give up though and before long it was 3-1 and half-time. Not long into the second half, FC Alliance were awarded a PK and at 3-2 and a lot of game left, "cruising toward the win" seemed like wishful thinking. We needed another goal "oh so badly" and it came for us off the foot of Graham H. Never a dull moment in this one and an absolute great effort from the team. We end the season 15-5 with two tournament championships and some great memories. Another Flames season in the books.
October 16th Appalachian Fall Festival vs Greenville Galaxy '98 and HVFC '98: 4-1, 6-2. Remember the commentary during the world cup about the US men seeming to dig themselves in a hole early in every game before really beginning to play? The Galaxy was awarded the kick-off and literally scored on their first possession... less then 30 seconds into the game. Talk about digging a hole!! Luckily, we responded and after the shock wore off, settled down into some good Flames Soccer. The galaxy fought hard and threatened us often, but our defense held and offense supplied! Goals came from Bill S., Graham H. (2) and Kile C.
Having played HVFC recently at the Ocoee Cup, we knew they were a good team and we expected them to come out with revenge on their mind. Things seemed to go our way early though and we went into the half up 3-0 with goals from Kyle S., Bill S. and Chloe M. I still had a nagging feeling this wasn't over though and sure enough, here came HVFC... They scored twice in about a 10 minute span and the momentum was clearly with them. A few defensive adjustments later though, we were back on shape, and once again, eventually put up a lopsided score against this team that really doesn't reflect their ability. Somehow, we just have their number I guess but I really wouldn't feel comfortable looking at them on the sideline again because I know they have the ability to score at a moments notice. Goals in the second half came from Bill S. (2) abd Caleb S.
October 3rd vs TNFC Rovers '98 and TNFC Crew '98: 2-1, 1-2. And suddenly it is fall... COLD was the word of the day as a chilly wind blew through Franklin, TN. Challenging games with both TNFC teams today. The Rovers came out with fire and scored a quick goal to set us back a step. We soon re-grouped, but the Rovers played with real heart for 70 minutes and despite numerous scoring opportunities for our team, we only found the back of the net twice. Not one of our better games, but we got it done. Both goals for us came from Graham H.
With that one in the books, we were a little nervous about facing the Crew, which is the team at the next level up in the TNFC club. In actuality, I think the Rovers played us harder though, and despite the final score in this one, I felt like we played to win. The Crew scored first on a long cross from way outside on the touchline... the ball looked like it would sail over the goal and then dropped into the back corner. We countered with a goal from Graham H. and it was then knotted at ones for most of the game. We had several scoring chances in the second half, but couldn't put one in, and then with just under two minutes left, we tried to clear the ball from our defense... the ball deflected off an oncoming Crew player, and into the far corner of our goal. We lost 2-1, neither of their goals coming off shot attempts on our goal. Soccer can be cruel.
September 26th Ocoee Cup vs Apex Premiere Renegades '98 and BUSC Hammers '98: 9-0, 3-1. After an interesting day 1 of the tournament we really weren't sure what to expect this morning. After weeks of hot sun and playing the same team three times inside a week, we now had rain and a team from Knoxville we had never seen before. The Apex team certainly pressured us more than the score would indicate, but we were the stronger team and we used this as an opportunity to move some players around. The goal production was phenomenal and spread among 7 different players!! Apex never gave up and while our defense held for the most part, the Renegades did break through, and if it were not for a couple of diving saves from stand-in keeper Bill S., the other side definitely would have notched a few scores. Goals for us came from Bill S. (2), Andrew S. (2), Haley Y., Graham H., Brandon B., Kile C., and Will H.
It was true heart from our players that brought us back from an opening 1-3 loss to meet the Hammers again in the championship game. With the field muddied by the morning rain and excitement running high with the opportunity to play in the high school stadium, you could pretty much feel the tension... I was nervous at any rate!! As expected, both teams came ready to play and it was clear from the opening whistle that this was gonna be a game. The Hammers hit first with a nifty play in front of our goal, but we soon countered off a free kick from the foot of Bill S. We went into halftime knotted at ones and we simply told the team they needed to believe they could win. We have been working on the lofted ball over the opposing defense, timed with a runner into the space, and in what was described to me afterward as a completely "sick" play, Bill S. chipped one with an incredibly light touch onto a running Chris P. who took it straight at the keeper and then calmly placed it past him on the lower corner. I think going a goal up only made me more nervous, but when Grant T. slammed one home on a first touch off a cross I realized we might actually win this thing!! The Hammers were relentless and kept attacking though, and I think I was still feeling nerves even after the final whistle blew. They beat us 3-1, we beat them 3-1... meaning we basically tied them 4-4 this weekend, but our win came with the championship trophy which is just the way the ball bounces sometimes. Great competition and a great effort from both teams. really proud to see our team bounce back and finish strong. Go Flames!!
September 25th Ocoee Cup vs BUSC Hammers '98 & HVFC '98: 1-3, 8-1. Well... What can you say. The Hammers... We talked a lot about not being lured into a mindset that we could beat this team just because we did so last weekend and we fully expected them to come with a few additional players, which they did. But it's not like we don't know anything about them... We've seen it happen before. The bottom line was they came with a lot more desire to win, and win they did. We had a little spark in the second half when we picked up a tally off the foot of Chris P., but by the end of the game they clearly made us feel a lot like I imagine they felt last weekend.... beaten. Hat's off to Junior and his boys, they clearly outplayed us on this day.
After that kind of loss it was hard to regroup and face another team with little time to rest, but we told our team to put the previous game behind them and come out ready to play. HVFC came out very strong and we somehow survived the first 15 minutes without being scored upon. Nicole F. gave us some quality minutes in the goal and managed to keep the ball out of the back of the net despite some serious pressure from HVFC and that was HUGE for our confidence. Even more huge was a long, looping shot off the foot of Bill S. that gave us the game's first score. The rest of the first half was a dog fight, yet we managed another quality finish from Bill before giving one up right before the halftime whistle blew. HVFC was running an overlap from the mid-field that was giving us fits and we told the team at half-time two things. Contain the runners, and try to get another goal early. Approximately 30 seconds into the half, Haley Y. served a lofted ball up the right side and Chris P. ran onto it and hit if first time into the upper right corner. From there on, things went our way... On another run from the right side Chris P. put one off the far post right onto the foot of Brandon B. who hammered it home for the score. That was followed by another score from Chris P., and goals from Kyle S., Andrew S. (a really pretty header off a corner), and Kile C. HVFC is a quality team and there is no way we are an 8-1 better team. We've been on the other end of these types of games before and know what it is like. You can do everything right but just not find the back of the net. My guess is they'll remember us when we see them next... Remember the Hammers...
September 18th vs BUSC Hammers '98: 4-1, 4-0. I always have butterflies in my stomach when I see Junior Santos and his Hammers team on sideline. We have a long history of close matches with his team and while we somehow we got the better of them today, nothing came easy and they fought us hard right up until the final whistle. In another "when are the fall temps gonna arrive?" type of day, he only had one sub to our four so I'm sure fatigue played a part, yet his players didn't show it. On our side, three words come to mind... "Haley, Chloe, and Nicole". Those three girls gave us the xtra legs we needed with our short roster, and with Will H. setting the tone on work ethic (I think his work rate was around one thousand percent today) everyone stepped it up and gave a great effort. In game one, we had a lot of the possession early, but couldn't find open looks. Graham H. finally opened up the scoring and goals followed by Bill S (2) and Caleb S.
In game two we gave Andrew a break from the goal, and in an inspired field performance, he netted our first goal in that match on a breakaway challenge against the opposing keeper. Kile C. gave us our second on a rip from the right side and we finished out with pretty goals from Bill S. and Chloe M. All in all, a great effort and a good prep for next weekend's Ocoee Cup. Go Flames!!
September 11th vs East Ridge Express '98 White and Murfreesboro Strikers '98: 5-2, 1-5. Another day of double headers against some quality opponents. Having recently played East Ridge White, both teams knew what to expect, but I think they came out with more of an interest in winning than we did. Some days you just look flat and despite two goals in the first half, we felt vulnerable at halftime. Sure enough, a PK to them early in the second stanza put a whole new sense of urgency on the game (at least in the coach's minds) but our team still struggled to find rhythm. We went up 3-1, they made it 3-2, and so it went. In the end we prevailed, but knowing we were about to face a very strong club from Murfreeboro in game two, we were a tad worried. Our goals came from Bill S. (2), Chris P. (2), and Graham H.
Perhaps we transferred our mental state to our team, perhaps we were just having an off day, or perhaps Murfreesboro just completely put us off our game, but regardless of the cause, they handed us our lunch!! Their midfield play was outstanding and our usually strong team shape was consistently broken down. Having played well against East Ridge Red a few weeks back, I had high hopes of a very competitive game with Murfreesboro, but they stifled any offense we had and kept us on our heels the whole way. Interestingly, when we did find a way to push forward late in the first half, we scored a pretty goal off the foot of Chloe M. It was really one of the few offensive threats we showed in the game, but it makes a coach wonder why "if you can do it one time, why can't you do it again?" Another good learning experience for us at any rate. Dennis, if you are reading this, thanks again for coming down!!!
August 29th Riverside Shootout vs SCOR Vitesse '98: 1-4. The competition was tough on the first day and only got tougher on day two. From the onset it was obvious this was a very skilled team and we were in for a fight. We created chances but struggled to finish them, and despite tough play from our defense, unfortunately couldn't keep them out of our goal! On the one goal we scored, we appeared to break down their defense nicely, bringing the ball across from the right and finding a wide open Graham H. in the middle. If you can do it once, you should be able to do it again, but we found ourselves more on the defensive side for most of the match. Great game for us to learn from and a great display of talent from the other side!
August 28th Riverside Shootout vs '97 CSA Samba & '97 HFC Black: 1-0, 3-0. Our first trip out of state with the Flames and with Asheville about 10 degrees cooler than home, we were all in a great mood!! North Carolina must use a different year designation than TN, because these were U13 teams we played despite the '97 designation. The Samba's out of Charlotte, NC proved that they were at the tournament to win and they battled us head to head for most of the game before allowing the only score of the match to the boot of Graham H. It was one of those games that neither team lost... easily could have gone either way. Great start to the tournament for us.
Our second game was not until 6:30pm and despite the warnings from the coach, a few of the players spent a tad too long in the hotel pool. We had no legs in this game and despite numerous chances could not get one in the net until well into the second half. We had the majority of possession, but looked like a team that just might give up the winner to an opponent who seemed to want it more than we did. The team from the Highlands Futbol Club pressured us continually, but finally broke midway through the 2nd half when Chloe M. received the ball in front of the goal off a cross and hammered it into the back of the net. Interestingly, Chloe was one of the few who stayed out of the pool... just sayin'. It always seems like once you break the drought though, the others come easier, and we finished with additional goals from Kile C. and Graham H.
August 22nd vs East Ridge Express '98 Red and East Ridge Express '98 White: 0-4, 4-0. We opted out of any league play this season and instead decided to try and schedule as many realy tough opponents from around the state as we could. Gary Tackling's East Ridge teams are always tough and we knew we'd really have our hands full with his red squad. It was 0-2 at the half and 0-4 by the end, but I've never been so happy with a 4 goal loss than in this game. Our guys (and gals) played to their individual potential and despite the score, I know ER felt like they had been in a real competition. We played tight defense and created several good scoring chances, putting one off the post late in the game. Exactly the type of play I hoped for in scheduling this type of opponent.
Despite some fatigue in game two, we powered up and knocked in 4 goals against the white squad. It wasn't easy though, as Gary has that group playing some pretty tough soccer too!! Our goals came from Graham H. (2), Chris P. and Chloe M. In my "I can rationalize anything" mode, it would appear that we tied East Ridge on this day 4-4. Perfect result after a tough day of soccer!! Go Flames!!
August 8th vs Chattanooga United '98: 6-1. We started our fall season against our old foes from Chattanooga on a HOT summer day in Cleveland. Hard to call it a fall season when the temps are pushing 100, but the conditions are the same for everyone and it was game on. The first half was a close affair with the score at halftime 2-1 on our favor. One of our goals came from an own goal off their defender and the other from the boot of Chandler L. from a good distance out so we felt like we were in a pretty tight match. We got an early spark in the second half and that seemed to break the other side. Goals in the 2nd half came from Chris P. (2), Kile C. and Bill S.
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