Steady As She Goes, 5 x 0

Playing steadily and on a cadenced pace, Lebowski FC reached its fourth victory in the Conejo Valley Soccer League when it beat Code Blue by the score of 5 x 0 on October 27th. The match, held at the West Pitch of the Borchard Community Center, was followed by throngs of green-and-yellow supporters. However, this fanatic crowd of Young Urban Achievers actually missed most of the goals, since most of them took place in the second half - when bedtime had already passed and a new episode of Yo Gabba Gabba was being broadcast on Nick Jr.

Without Ogo Egbuna, Adam Shaywitz (out of town in business trips) and Shane Williams (injured), Lebowski was also forced to cope with additional problems as a replacement for Todd Vanecko was not found in due time. Additionally, Cesar Libanati and Justin Tvetan were not able to make to the stadium in time due to other commitments. All these absences drove the Lebowski squad to adopt a more cautious formation than what would have been expected against the last team in the league - as Code Blue had lost all of its six previous games.

The use of a rather conservative approach against an opponent with limited technical skills - even if a motivated one - meant that the first ten minutes were lukewarm, without clear opportunities of goal. Realizing that, Lebowski upped the rhythm - it was playing unusually slow until then - and such a shift had immediate results. In quick succession, four good chances were almost converted by Brian Stone, Garo Sarkissian (twice) and Ricardo Dent. There was also a shot by Paul Klekotka that scared the young children watching the game and would have gone into orbit if it hadn't hit - an almost brought down - a large pine tree first.

Building on the momentum, it was Brian who opened the score, receiving a pass from Garo and completing to the net. And... that was all. The first twenty-five minutes ended at 1 x 0, and that was too little for Lebowski, as the team counted on winning by a wide margin so to improve its goal balance.

Lebowski entered the second half with a more offensive formation, and it paid off: some five minutes into it, Bart rolled to Sal, who advanced into the opponent side and dribbled two opponents. Garo called for the ball, received it and precisely put it into the net, scoring the second goal of the game.

Gaining confidence, the Lebowski players begun to pressure Code Blue on its own terrain - it was this way that Sal stole the ball from one of Code Blue defenders, rushed forward and shoot with his left foot to move the score to 3 x 0. After a rotation of positions, Justin - who until then was displaying his multiple talents in a game for the basketball league -, replaced Paul in the midfield, Brian moved to the back and Ricardo shifted to the right front. And it was Mr. Dent that would be the intellectual culprit for the fourth goal, when he attempted a long shot; a Code Blue defender saved it, but as she committed a penalty for doing so inside of the arch zone. The masses claimed unanimously for Garo to take it on behalf of the Achievers, and the Armenian Michel Platini calmly pushed the ball to goal: 4 x 0.

Code Blue had few chances of scoring in the second half; the most dangerous ones were two shots from long distance - one of them, rather luckily, hit the pole. Credits should be paid to Bart, who played very solidly in the defense, and to the overall disposition of the green-and-yellow team for playing collectively and passing the ball instead of rushing inordinately to the attack. Also, the Lebowski dudes have progressively gained more confidence in the last rounds, and certainly "going for it" when blocking the other team's players or fighting for the ball.

Near the end of the game Lebowski brought the score to a final 5 x 0 when Sal passed to Garo, who turned around and launched for Dan to complete to the net with a fast shot. Shortly later the final curtain came down and the Achievers marched to their favorite watering spot - Magoo's, at Wendy Driver - to celebrate the victory with pitchers of Newcastle, orders of buffalo wings and a much welcome buffalo wing pizza topped with blue cheese. Such a healthy and invigorating diet follows strict recommendations of the team's nutritionist.

New week Lebowski will face Blue Lightning - in a direct fight for the third place in the table. The game, which promises much excitement, will be played at 18h45 at the East Pitch of the Borchard Community Center. See you all there!