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| Kelem and Chairnat, B01 Green, with the trophy |
The B03 Green team, playing in the Premier I Division, were drawn in the group of death against PAC NW Maroon, Washington Premier Black and NW Nationals Red, three of the top 6 teams in Washington State. The boys kicked off their campaign on Friday night with a 8:20pm game against Washington Premier. They competed well but eventually lost out 2-0, with a late second goal probably flattering the opposition. NW Nationals were first up on Saturday and a mix up at the back saw us behind in the first three minutes. The NW keeper was in outstanding form, stopping a bullet of a free-kick from all of 30 yards from Kelem, and early in the second half NW doubled their lead with a swift counter attack and that's how it finished. In spite of two losses, the boys were well aware of how well they were fairing against the best players and teams in the state and there was definitely a sense of pride in their performances.
We approached the third game against Pac NW with a quiet confidence, not overly concerned about the result but aiming simply to put in another solid showing. Pac had beaten both Nationals and WPFC so on paper it didn't look like we had much of a chance. However from the minute the referee blew his whistle, Celtic instantly looked like the more dominant team. Three great chances were spurned by Celtic, while our keeper Wyatt was a virtual bystander in the first half, thanks largely to the trojan work of the defensive midfield duo of Jake and Kelem, who formed a shield in front of the rock solid defense of Yoshi, Miles and Harry. Going in 0-0 at half-time, the belief that we could snatch the win was evident in every player and we really couldn't wait for the game to resume. Five minutes into the second half, Celtic had their goal, with Kelem firing a rocket of a shot past the keeper from close range. Atticus on the right wing was causing their defense all sorts of bother and a few great opportunities from free-kicks on the edge of the box were missed before Will forced a fine point blank save from the keeper. Pac had a late free-kick that did hit the target, but goalkeeper Wyatt pulled off an incredible finger tip save to push the ball over the bar and when the referee blew the whistle not long after, you'd swear we'd just won the cup by the jubilant scenes on the pitch.
On the other field NW Nationals came from behind to beat WPFC, and thanks to our result, ended up topping the group and qualifying for the semi-finals. It was great to see how thrilled they were to learn of our unexpected victory and Nationals would ultimately progress to the final and beat Eastside Red to lift the trophy!
From personal standpoint, the result and performance was one of the highlights of my coaching career and I have to applaud the whole team for the character they showed all weekend.
Results
Seattle Celtic B03 Green 0 - 2 WPFC Black
Seattle Celtic B03 Green 0 - 2 NW Nationals
Seattle Celtic B03 Green 1 - 0 PAC NW Maroon
Also competing were the G03 Girls Green team who opened their tournament on Friday evening with their most impressive performance of the tournament - a 7-0 victory over Harbor Premier White. On Saturday morning against Washington Premier White, the girls failed to find their flow of the day before and fell behind early in the second half. With only one team qualifying from each group, a loss would have almost certainly seen us eliminated from the tournament regardless of our third game. Chance after chance was spurned and it really looked like it wouldn't be our day. However, with less than 5 minutes left, Celtic equalized with a goal that no superlative would do justice, courtesy of left midfielder Maddy. Controlling a clearance from the keeper from 20 yards out on her chest and then thigh, she then proceeded to volley the ball like an arrow in off the underside of the crossbar leaving all in attendance speechless. If there is a better goal scored by a Celtic player this season I will be very surprised. The girls won their final group game against Pac NW White 6-0 to progress to the semi finals where they faced a very impressive FC Edmonds Revolution side. A great move which involved 5 one touch passes leading to a well placed finish to the far corner by Ava got the ball rolling for Celtic and a late Elise volley from a corner sealed our place in the final versus Pac NW Blue.
In the final, Pac took an early lead and despite Celtic creating far more scoring opportunities, we found ourselves up against a keeper possessed and just couldn't find the breakthrough. In the end we probably didn't do enough to claim the win and so, while disappointed not to lift the trophy, the girls can be very happy with an impressive weekend of play.
Results
Seattle Celtic G03 Green 7-0 Harbor Premier White
Seattle Celtic G03 Green 1-1 WPFC White
Seattle Celtic G03 Green 6-0 Pac NW White
Seattle Celtic G03 Green 2-0 FC Edmonds Revolution
Seattle Celtic G03 Green 0-1 Pac NW Blue
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| SEATTLE CELTIC G03 GREEN - PAC NW PREMIER II FINALISTS
The B01 Green team, making their first return to Starfire since finishing runners-up in the Labor Day Cup Final, from the outset were determined to go one better this time around. Led from the front by goalscoring machine Cooper (who notched 6 goals over the course of the weekend) they started the tournament very well taking an early 2-0 lead against WPFC Navy on Friday evening, eventually winning 4-0. A sluggish start to Saturday saw them share the spoils with Harbor Premier FC Green in a dull 1-1 draw with Cooper again on the scoresheet. Their final group game against Eastside Grey was won pretty comfortably but I think it was fair to say that the draw had been kind to the team and they knew that if they were to lift the trophy, far tougher games would be in store for them in the knockout round.
In the semi finals they took on Pac NW White. An early goal from Quinn should have eased the nerves, but almost immediately a rather fortunate deflection set up Pac for the equalizer and their striker made no mistake from 10 yards. Pac, with technical director Leighton O'Brien stepping in as coach were very well organized, holding firm at the back and hitting us on the break. Were it not for the calm and collected Elliot in goal, Celtic might have found themselves a few goals behind. The game looked to be headed for a dreaded penalty shoot out when midfielder William hit a speculative effort from 25 yards that looped over the keeper and just over the line. Despite a period of heavy pressure, the Celtic defense held firm and progressed to the Championship game.
Their opponent in the final was Crossfire Premier B who saw off Washington Rush A in the other semi. Crossfire plied their trade in the top tier of the RCL as recently as Spring 2014 and looked a very tough proposition for our guys, who since the first game had not really been on top form. Within the first five minutes, Celtic found themselves behind courtesy of a free kick that sailed in from fully 35 yards. Having started brightly with Crossfire sitting back and Celtic applying the pressure, the goal changed the tone of the game and Celtic hardly got the ball over the halfway line in the first half. It seemed only a matter of time before Crossfire would be out of site. The referee's whistle for half-time came as much relief to the Celtic players, coaches and fans who hoped that Coach Drew could find a way to threaten the Crossfire defense.
Based on the flow of the first game, the Celtic fans in the stadium were not too optimistic about our chances of breaking the deadlock and seemed almost resigned to defeat.
However, it soon became evident in the early stages on the second half, that the Celtic of old had come out to play and they drew level with a world class finish from that man again Cooper, following a great through-ball by Quinn. Crossfire were stunned and not long after, failed to deal with a free-kick into the box that fell to Quinn who deftly finished past the keeper to claim the lead for the mighty Hoops!
Celtic held firm for the remaining ten minutes, reducing Crossfire to a few half chances from distance and went on to claim a famous victory and lift the cup. It is testament to the group's passion for the game that no sooner had they finished celebrating the win, that they were all off to Arena Sports Magnuson for their final game of their Winter I indoor season which saw them crowned league champions of the top division for the second year in a row.
Next up for the boys is the Spring PSPL league and then the Washington Cup, where they will hope to continue their good form!
Results
Seattle Celtic B01 Green 4-0 WPFC Navy
Seattle Celtic B01 Green 1-1 Harbor Premier Green
Seattle Celtic B01 Green 2-0 Eastside Grey
Seattle Celtic B01 Green 2-1 Pac NW White
Seattle Celtic B01 Green 2-1 Crossfire Premier B
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| SEATTLE CELTIC B01 GREEN - PAC NW PREMIER II CHAMPIONS |
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