Déjà vu, West Texas United Visiting Laredo, Championship at Stake
Written by admin, Jul 25, 2009, 0 Comments
After 16 regular season Premier Development League (PDL) games, the West Texas United Sockers (8 – 5 – 3 / 27 points) and the Laredo Heat Soccer Club (7 – 1 – 8 / 29 points) are set to play for the Mid-South Division Championship this coming Saturday, July 25, 2009 at the Texas A&M International Soccer Complex. Kick-off is set for 8:00 PM.
The Midland, TX based club advanced to the divisional championship game versus the Heat by virtue of their win over the Austin Aztex on Wednesday, July 22nd by a score of 2 – 1. The Sockers came out strong in the second half after going into halftime down 1 – 0 on a goal by Austin’s Kendall McFayden in the 17th minute. Goals by striker Ben Everson in the 46th minute and Dominic Furness in the 51st sealed the victory for the West Texas team.
“After accumulating a combined eleven tie’s during the regular season by both teams, I can guarantee there will be a winner on Saturday night”, said Heat General Manager J.J. Vela.
United Soccer Leagues rules for playoffs dictate that if a game results in a tie after 90 minutes of regulation time, the game is extended into two (2) fifteen (15) minute halves that have to be completed (no golden goal scenario) and if the teams are still tied after 120 minutes of play, the game will be decided by penalty kicks using the international FIFA scoring system.
“Saturday night’s game should be very exciting and hard fought since both teams are fairly evenly matched and only two points separated us in the standings”, added Vela.
“Not to mention, the Sockers were the only team in the Mid-South Division to beat us (the Sockers defeated the Heat 1 – 0 back in May in Midland) and just last week we defeated them 1 – 0 here in Laredo. I guess this game on Saturday not only has playoff implications but can also be considered, as they do in baseball terms, the rubber match of the three game series”.
Vela concluded, “We are focused on the task at hand and relaxed enough to be confident that we can execute our game plan in order to continue on our second goal of the season that of representing the Mid-South Division in the PDL Quarter-Finals next weekend”.
The winner of Saturday’s divisional championship game in Laredo advances in the playoffs and will play again next weekend (game sites TBD). The other teams vying to continue their playoff runs are:
Southeast Division: Mississippi (Jackson, MS) Brilla, Bradenton (Florida) Academics and the New Orleans Jesters
Southwest Division: Hollywood Hitmen and the Ventura County Fusion
Northwest Division: Kitsap (Washington) Pumas and the Seattle Wolves
Great Lakes Division: Kalamazoo (Michigan) Outrage and the Chicago Fire
Heartland Division: Des Moines (Iowa) Menace, Thunder Bay Chill (Canada and 2008 PDL Champions) and the Real Colorado Foxes
Mid-Atlantic Division: Reading (Pennsylvania) Rage and the Cary (North Carolina) Clarets
Northeast Division: Ottawa (Canada) Fury and the Ocean City (New Jersey) Barons
Game Ticket Information:
Regular season ticket pricing continues into the playoffs. General admission tickets are only $5.00 for adults and all kids 12 and under wearing red will be allowed to come into the game free of charge. VIP tickets are $20.00 for both adults and children.
Heat Injury Report:
Outside from midfielders Greg Mulamba (game day decision) and Luis Reyes (day to day), the Heat is completely healthy for this weekend.
