CPCC Soccer Tigers - Spring 2009

SPRING 2009 SCHEDULE
RESULTS (W-L-T)
Regular Season League Record (0-10-0)

Postseason (1-1-0)

fall/spring overall (3-1-18) including post-season

Match Reports

Wings SC Take Down Tigers 6-0
The league champion Wings Soccer Club entered the Tournament quarterfinals rested and ready to face a CPCC side fresh off a play-in victory the previous day.  Absent for the Tigers were four players involved in four of the previous day's five goals.  With less speed and depth at the forward spots, CPCC would have to rely on the defense to keep this game close, and for almost 60 minutes, they did just that.  

The six goals eventually scored by the league champs did little to dispel the sense of accomplishment left over from the previous day.  In the brief final team meeting that followed, talk turned to the future.  Some players, having met their academic goals at CPCC, will move on to other schools. Others pledged to return and bring some new players with them. Several who are still recovering from soccer-related injuries vowed to continue rehab and return in the fall ready to once again contribute.  Each in their own way conveyed a sense of gratitude to Coach Lyle, Student Life, and one another for the respective role played by each throughout the year in the fight for survival that is the Charlotte Premier Soccer League.

Tigers Win!  CPCC Claws Back for 4-3 Win over SBFC Select
CPCC spotted Silverbacks FC Select two goals in the first 30 minutes after righting ship and drawing to within one before the break.  Full match report upcoming.

Week #10 (5-3-09) CPCC (0) v Premier FC (8)
Premier FC established their dominance early, striking for three goals in the first thirty minutes, then coasting for another five goals on their way to an 11 win season, edging Attic FC for 4th place on the final league table. 

Week #9 (5-2-09) CPCC (0) v Attic FC (1) (forfeit)
This match was scheduled on a Saturday as a make up for a rain-out earlier in the spring.  The club has never had high participation rates for Saturday matches, so it was no real surprise when, despite the best efforts of coach Alex Lyle, less than the required seven players showed up, making it all the easier for the eight Attic FC players who were present to harvest by forfeit the 1-0 win for their club.

Week #8 Report (4-26-09) CPCC (0) v Charlotte United (3)
One of the defining moments in CPCC's 2008-09 season was the goal conceded in stoppage time against Charlotte United in week seven of the fall leg.  Entering that match having won two of the previous three, and sporting a respectable 2-4 record, the Tigers seemed on the verge of pushing their won-loss record to 3-4.  With the middling Copperheads FC next up, .500 seemed within the grasp.  The club had begun finding ways to score, having struck for three goals against Silverbacks Premier in week #3 and four against the Copperheads in week #4.  In short, the pieces were coming together for another respectable run at the upper division of the CPSL Open Division.  Instead, Charlotte United's goal in stoppage time, which salvaged a 2-2 draw with the Tigers, began a downward spiral from which the club has yet to recover.  The next week, the Tigers would allow a startling 15 goals to the Copperheads, and go on to score but one more goal the remainder of the fall.  In fact, it would not be until week #4 of the spring leg that the Tigers would even scratch, eking out a lone goal against the Silverbacks FC Select side.  Not until week #7 of the spring leg would the Tigers tally a second goal and equal their output against United that day.  CPCC did face the United in week #2 of the spring, resulting in a 6-0 loss by a CPCC side that was by then missing several key players due to injuries. 

Given this history, the optimist can view the three goals conceded to the United in week #9 as a marked improvement over the course of the spring.  

Week #7 (3-29-2009) CPCC (0) v Sporting Charlotte (8)
League power Sporting Charlotte struck for three early goals and kept the clamps on the Tiger attack for the 8-0 decision on a rain-soaked field, but sunny field.

Week #6 (3-22-2009) CPCC (1) v Silverbacks FC Select (2)
The club took a giant step in week six, taking the Silverbacks FC Select team to the limit.  Only a conversion of an 80' PK awarded to SBFCS after a corner kick was the 1-1 tie broken.  Improved team communication and spacing were in evidence the full 90.  No possessions were lost in the midfield, and at least half the shots taken were on frame.  Overall, this was a great effort upon which to build the rest of the season. 

Starters: Brandon Phillips (K), Tyson Keldie, Caleb Smith, Hayden Bernasconi, John Larsen, Ali Torres, Val Vyazov, John Humphries, Abu Sesay, ryan Kloepping, Pedro Rosales

Substitutes: George Aponte, Keji Aderibigbe, Cear Pilco-Romero, Jose Mogro, Ali Ahmed, Fernando Carillo

Week #5  (3-15-2009) Rained Out
For the second Sunday this spring, no matches took place due to rain-soaked fields.  This match will also be rescheduled for the end of the season, possibly on a Saturday. 

Week #4 (3-8-2009) CPCC (0) v Copperheads (2)
The Tigers gained confidence but lost a valued player in this match, marred as it was by a season-ending injury to Huguenel Jean Noel.  After spotting the Copperheads a goal in the first minute, CPCC got a full side on the field.  In the 25th minute, a Copperhead forward evaded an offside call to net a 2-0 lead for his club.  CPCC responded by creating more chances for themselves.  Anderson Mogollon seemed on his way to a close-in shot when he was taken down from behind in the box.  Cesar Pilco-Romero came very close with a shot that pulled just wide.  The defense gained fresh courage by Frank Lleras' save at the 34' mark, laying out to stop a certain goal and keeping CPCC within striking range.  CPCC began the second half playing as if it believed the two goal deficit could be overcome.  Sometime around the 60' mark, Jean Noel's collision with the Copperhead keeper while sprinting for a shot opportunity brought the game to a halt.  The official resumed play for another 10-12 minutes.    

Week #3 (3-1-2009) Postponed-will be made up at end of season.

Week #2 (2-22-2009) CPCC (0) v Charlotte United (6)
A resurgent Charlotte United FC took adavantage of an injury riddled CPCC side to post a 6-0 victory in week #2 of the spring leg of CPSL play. 

Week #1 (2-15-2009) CPCC (0) v SBFC (4) 
Central Piedmont came out fast on the chase in their spring opener against what may be the best team in the league right now. But the Silverbacks combined good spacing and accurate passing to largely neutralize the Tigers' exceptional conditioning, as they turned long stretches of the match into a virtual game of keep-away. As a result, CPCC was unable to mount much of anything that could be called a possession in the first half, though they did manage a couple of shots on goal. Despite the Silverbacks' dominance, rookie keeper Andrew Fowler's shutout hopes were ended only after a penalty called in the Tigers' defensive third just before the half.  The first half was also marred by a red card being shown to Blaine Decker.  Although CPCC was more organized in the second stanza, possessions remained scarce.  Breakdowns in the middle and outside wings led to three more Silverback goals for the 4-0 final.  

Clearly, there is an amazing amount of new talent throughout the defense and midfield on the roster this spring.  But the first match was a reminder that talent alone produces little in the way of victories in the Charlotte Premier Soccer League, and that the work of truly becoming a team has just begun. 

Starters:  K. Aderabigbe (yellow card ’73), M. Cerpa, R. Norwood, R. Kloepping, H. Bernasconi, C. Pilco-Romero,  A. Sesay, B. Phillips, Z. Sanders, T. Keldie,  A. Fowler (8 saves)

Substitutions: B. Decker(red card ’42), T.Y, J. Larson, M. Ahmed

 Coach:  Alex Lyle