Fall 2006

The Generals entered the fall 2006 season in division 3 of NCSL, but before the league campaign began they went back to Damascus Maryland to defend their 2005 August Cup title. Unfortunately for the Generals the year began ominously with a 1-0 opening match loss to the host Damascus Inferno. Victories in there two remaining matches in the group stages weren’t enough for the Generals to progress into the knockout round, and the event was over.

The Generals opened the league schedule with what, in retrospect, may have been their best performance of the season, a convincing 2-0 victory over the division 2 bound DC Stoddert Blue Lightening. Things quickly turned south for the Generals after that however. The Braddock Road Blackhawks destroyed the Generals 6-1, leaving Coach Moser to suggest the boys thank their opponents for the clinic they put on at Chesterfield .

 The Generals almost stumbled again in their next match, but two late strikes allowed the Generals to steal a 2-1 victory from Vista Blackwatch at Quincy Park . For the second match in a row the Generals saw red, but fortunately that trend didn’t continue.

In their next match the Generals played well and earned a 0-0 draw with the McLean Speed. A depression at the penalty spot and a ‘no goal’ ruling on a shot off the crossbar reminiscent of the 1966 World Cup final – though this time no goal was awarded – cost the Generals two late chances to earn the full three points. Only later would the Generals learn how costly this was to be.

Their old friends, the Gunston Gunners, came calling at Chesterfield next, and two early strikes left the Generals flat and asking questions at the end of a thorough 3-0 defeat. The Generals briefly regained their health on the friendly turf at Wakefield High School with a comprehensive 5-0 shutout victory over the now-named PWSI Courage ’93 White.

In the end, however, the Generals simply couldn’t find their winning form often enough. A 1-1 draw to the Annandale Bulldogs, and 1-0 defeats to TASC White and then SAC United Premier left the Generals one point from safety and headed back to division 4 for the spring 2007 season.

The Generals had one more chance to salvage their fall campaign by defending their championship at the 2005 MSCA Fall Classic tournament, but early on it was clear that it was not meant to be. The Blue Lightening avenged their opening season loss to the Generals with a 1-0 victory to open the event. Things went from bad to worse for the Generals when the host MCSA Royals handed them a 4-2 defeat in a frantic match that saw the Generals’ comeback bid begin far too late. The Generals salvaged something from the event with a solid 1-0 victory over their familiar foe the Lee Mount Vernon Patriots.

In their final match of the tournament and the fall season, the Generals faced the HFA 93 Heroes tournament team, the eventual champions and a perennial entrant at the Jefferson Cup. With Coach Moser  home celebrating his new son, the Generals rose to the challenge, putting on what may have been their most spirited and dynamic performance of the fall campaign. They rebounded after conceding an early goal to earn the equalizer just before the half, and with several players either absent or injured, the Generals fought frantically into the dieing minutes of the match, only to concede the match winner from the penalty mark after what can perhaps best be described as very ‘gentle’ foul in the box. In a final moment of injustice, the final whistle blew with the ball placed on the corner arc at the Heroes end of the field. After the handshake, the Generals received well deserved praise from the opposing coach, and perhaps some measure of satisfaction heading into what would certainly be a winter of regrouping.

Winter 2006-2007

The Generals mixed hard training with competitive futsal over the winter. Both paid off when they earned a spot in the USFF Northeast / Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships in Downingtown, PA. The Generals left with a victory and two defeats and new-found respect for the skills required to play futsal at a high level.

Spring 2007

The spring 2007 season began with the Generals playing host to five division one teams, including the Virginia and Maryland State Cup champions, at the second annual Arlington Spring Invitational Soccer Tournament. In their opening match the Generals earned a hard fought 0-0 draw with Bethesda United. The United were playing their second match of the day, and the Generals had several late chances to earn the victory. In their second match it was the Generals facing the more rested Reston NoVa 93, and the advantage showed early and until the end, with Reston breezing to a 6-0. In their Sunday consolation match the Generals found consolation, shocking the Loudon Strikers 3-1 and avenging a loss in the same event the year before.

The Generals entered one more preseason tournament, returning to the MSI March Madness event after a year hiatus. Despite a 4-1 victory over the host MSC Wildcats-Xtreme and a 1-0 victory over the BSA Rage, a 1-1 draw with the Olney Flames meant the Generals crashed out of the tournament on tiebreakers with the hope that their good form would hold as the spring 2007 league season began.

In their opening match of league play,  the Generals once again faced the Lee Mount Vernon Patriots and  earned a 3-1 victory that was much closer than the final score would indicate. Building momentum, the Generals shutout the Vista Blackwatch 4-0 and bested the PWSI Courage ’93 White 4-1.

The Generals growing – and unfortunate – habit of conceding the first goal in matches came back to haunt them against the Reston Revolution when the first goal was the only goal. The Generals bounced right back with another 4-1 win, this one over the Damascus Inferno, but the first goal haunted them again against the McLean Fire. The Generals dominated the opening 30 minutes of the match only to come up empty and then concede the opening goal just before the half. With the Generals pressed forward looking for the equalizer, the Fire doubled their lead on the counter attack. A late Generals goal only settled the final score.

With their season at a crossroads, the Generals produced perhaps their most astonishing result. Scoring on almost all of their early chances, the Generals built a 6-0 half time lead over the Fauquier County Lions and cruised to a 7-0 victory.

Over Memorial Day Weekend the Generals attempted to defend yet another trophy from the previous year, this one at the Virginian Soccer Tournament. They opened the tournament with a neat 3-0 win over the FASA Hotspurs. In their next match the Generals lead the Kirkwood Ajax Premier 2-1 only to concede the equalizer in the dieing moments of the match. A 2-1 win over the Wyckoff Torpedoes put the Generals through to the knockout stages, and in the semifinals the Generals took care of business with a 3-1 win over the TSC Thunder Red. The championship was a rematch with Kirkwood . The Generals played well early, but the toll of a long weekend seemed to show more on them, and after not finding the opening goal in the first half, penalty kicks looked like the Generals best chance for the trophy. Late in the second half they conceded the goal, and despite rallying to create a few chances for the tie, the Generals had to be content with a runner up finish.

When the league season resumed, the Generals traveled to St. Mary’s County Maryland with an opportunity to secure promotion back to division 3. On a wind and rain swept field the Generals got a well earned but tense 1-0 victory over the SMU Storm. With one match left in the season and promotion assured, the Generals visited the Thunder Red for a rematch of their clash at the Virginian and a chance to secure the division title. Yet another early goal, this one in the third minute, left the Generals forced to come form behind yet again. Despite dominating large segments of the match, it appeared that the Generals would go down to defeat, but two late lightening bolts shocked the hosts and brought ecstasy and the division crown to the Generals.

With a summer of hard work and hard training ahead of them, the Generals look to make a better showing in the fall when they take their second turn at the NCSL Division 3 competition.