Friday August 7
Type of games played: SU = (regular) Subbuteo, FS = Futsal Subbuteo, FE = Football Express Subbuteo
FS: Simon Hutchinson 3 v Dominic Hutchinson 2 (HT 2-1)
Pitch : Blue futsal, Maricopa, Simi Valley
Simon: I am still getting use to the surface. Passing is difficult to do as I find it difficult to predict where the ball will go. I was happy with my shooting and I took Dominic by surprised with my first two goals.
Dominic: Futsal is definitely better than normal [Subbuteo]. I think it is way more fun than normal Subbuteo. The fast pace action that is normally lacking in normal Subbuteo is definitely present. The 3-2 score is much more satisfying. All in all a great warm up.
SU: Jason Mitchell 2 v David Jensen 1 (HT 2-0)
Pitch : Rookery, Maricopa, Simi Valley
Jason: Good match after a break from Subbuteo. I played really well and took my chances for once. I think I deserved the win.
David: I had a lot of offense and good chances, but couldn't get my shots on goal.
FS: Dominic Hutchinson 3 v Jason Mitchell 3 (HT 2-1) - 5-4 penalty shoot out
Pitch : Blue futsal, Maricopa, Simi Valley
Both players scored four out of the first five penalties. Dominic scored the first of the sudden death penalties and then saved Jason's .
Dominic: That game was a tad slower than I anticipated, but a well played game indeed. Jason's offense was great and the fact of being on the futsal pitch made a big difference in the score. It went to penalties which ended four all, and went on to sudden death. I won on the first round. All in all a great game.
Jason: This is only the second week I have played this game. It is fast and scoring is quiet easy. It was a very even game and took a penalty miss for me to lose.
SU: Wayne Smith 2 v Simon Hutchinson 1 (HT 1-1)
Pitch : Drey, Maricopa, Simi Valley
Simon: It was a good open game. There was end of end action with both of us bring the ball up the field and then missing it as the critical moment. I feel disappointed to have conceded the first goal, as the shot struck one of his own figures and rose into the air towards the right side of the goal. I just could not get my goalkeeper over in time. My equalizer was a great curling, powerful shot into the top right of the goal. Alas, as often happens with Wayne I accidentally opened a gap in my defense and he punished me for it with the winning goal.
Wayne: Simon's defense was very good and allowed only about five attempts at goal. My best attempt, early in the game, was saved. Simon's offense wasn't nearly aggressive as usual as he kept six or seven back most of the game. The 2-1 score was very indicative of the action. I think that Simon scored on his only shot.
FE: Jason Mitchell 2 v Wayne Smith 1 (HT 1-0)
Pitch : Football Express
Wayne: It was fun to play on the new pitch. Jason's winning goal was great! I have up the ball deep in my own zone with five seconds left. He pushed the ball out, touched up, and slammed it [the ball] into the goal.
Jason: After years of looking I finally purchased the "indoor edition". The first game I played was against Wayne, and it was a great game with me nicking the win in the last second for the first and only time I will beat Wayne.
SU: Simon Hutchinson 2 v David Jensen 1 (HT 2-0)
Pitch : Drey, Maricopa, Simi Valley
Simon: The first half was very one sided. I scored two very good goals, two of the better ones I have scored in a long time. The second half was more even and David enjoyed long periods of possession. His goal was a shot that was going wide, but I stuck my goalkeeper out and the ball struck the side of the keeper and went in.
David: My goal keeping in the first half was very poor. [First goal] I was making a defensive flick while Simon was shooting. The second [half] was much better but I needed one more goal.
FS: David Jensen 1 v Simon Hutchinson 1 (HT 0-1) - 5-3 penalty shoot out
Pitch : Blue futsal, Maricopa, Simi Valley
Simon's fourth penalty stuck the post, therefore, when David scored his fifth he won the game without Simon needing to take his last penalty.
Simon: I scored early and David scored late Having playing on the regular pitch I was struggling in the first half to find my touch. The shoot out was down to who made the first error, alas, it was I.
David: The pitch and play style threw me off at first and I gave up a goal. I started to get the feel of game and scored late in the second [half]. Simon hit the post in the shoot on his fourth shot and I closed him out with my fifth.
SU: Jason Mitchell 1 v Wayne Smith 1 (HT 0-0)
Pitch : Rookery, Maricopa, Simi Valley
Jason: I am really happy to hold Wayne to a draw, even though conditions were difficult. It was one of my better games, and I felt I scored a great goal in the last minute to secure a great draw!
Wayne: It's incredible that anyone scored. The pitch was so warped that many passes made U turns. There were more passed that turned more than 90 degrees then turned less that 15 degrees. Two touches of mine in Jason's shooting zone rolled forward then reversed and rolled onto my base, ruining my shooting opportunity. Jason had an equally hard tie trying to control the ball.
Friday August 14
Wayne Smith 1 v Simon Hutchinson 0 (HT 0-0)
Pitch: Black pitch, on loan to Maricopa, Simi Valley
Simon: It was a close game despite Wayne striking my [goal] posts numerous times in the second half. I had some opportunities to get shots, but my final flicks let me down again.
Wayne: Simon was a little better than last weekend, so that means he doesn't have his touch back. I made a ton of nice flicks but the ones I needed to shoot I'd botch the flick. That's why I hit so many posts. I didn't have good angles.
Wayne Smith 2 v Dominic Hutchinson 1 (HT 2-1)
Pitch: Drey, Maricopa, Simi Valley
Wayne: Dominic played really well. He should have played Simon. Dominic's goal was nice.
Dominic: I felt I played extremely well. I can't believe I scored first against Wayne! I am not going to do well tomorrow with my luck. [Tomorrow is the 2009 California State Championship]
Wayne Smith 4 v Simon Hutchinson 0 (HT 1-0)
Simon I tried a more offensive style this game, and while it worked in the first half it did not in the second. I struck the inside of Wayne's far [goal] post in either half, and feel very disappointed that neither of them went in [to the goal]. In the second I just went to pieces. I need to play a lot better than that tomorrow.
Wayne: Simon only five figures back with large gaps [between them] and I managed two rolling balls through the [defensive] line and hit the rollers into the goal. If I hadn't managed to hit the rollers into the net [goal], the game would have been much closer.