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The SYC Lions Red kicked off the Fall season with an impressive run in the 2011 FPYC Patriot Cup.  Their undefeated run to the championship saw them post 19 Goals For while only allowing 8 Goals Against.  The girls showed solid form throughout the tournament and are starting to gel as a cohesive unit.  Under the leadership of Coach Scott, the team often held possession and found streaking players in open space.  Defensively, they moved together as a unified force, broke first on many balls, and played it forward for the attack.  And of course, they often played it back to the keeper and switched the field to keep the opposition on their heels (thanks Coach Scott).

Heading into the final match, the Lions were facing the host team, FPYC Gold Flame, who were also undefeated.  From the beginning, the Gold Flame came out blazing.  Before the raucous crowd could settle in, they took the lead with a short sharp shot in the opening minutes.  The Lions quickly understood what it was like to play in a championship.  They settled down and started to mount a counterattack. 

As the half approached the midpoint, they stole a throw-in and drove a ball in the far upper corner of the goal to even it at 1-1.  After some solid defensive play, the Lions pushed forward and in what seemed like a replay, the ball was hammered into the far corner, past the Gold Flame keeper giving the Lions a 2-1 advantage.  The FPYC side would not go away without a fight though as they answered back with a brilliant poke over the crashing Lions goalie to tie it up 2-2.  Heading toward the break, the Lions created chaos in front of the Gold Flame goal on a corner kick and fired home another shot past the diving keeper to take a 3-2 lead into the half

Both teams ramped up the pressure in the second half.  An unlucky bounce presented the Gold Flame with a goal opportunity and they took full advantage, evening the score again at 3-3.  The Lions dug deep and fought for every possession.  Ultimately, they passed to the outside where some fancy footskills sprang the player free for a run down the side.  She served a beautiful left foot cross to her teammate in the middle.  The pass was received gently by the right foot, then to the left, only to go back to the right for a clever shot below the diving keeper's arm.  The Lions were moments away from claiming their first tournament championship.  After a few heartstopping moments for the Lions faithful, the final whistle blew and the girls ran together to celebrate a splendid weekend of soccer.

Check out the highlights below...

For video from the full game, click on the highlights link on the side menu bar.

Also, some beautiful pictures were captured by Julie Kligman during the weekend.  The photo gallery will continue to be updated from other cameras, so be sure to check back often.

2011 FPYC Patriot Cup Tournament