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Division Tercera - News
All three makeup games took place this week after Saturday's games to finally put Tercera's teams back on par, with seven games played apiece. This means we can see an accurate set of standings coming down the stretch, with the playoffs set to start Sunday, Nov. 22, the day after the last regular season matches.
Organized Chaos won two games over the weekend, knocking off Pennypack Park Rangers 2-0 and Sporting Philly 3-0. OC's Lee Superville, the division's leading scorer, netted four goals over the two games, including a hat trick against SP, to put his unbeaten and untied team within reach of promotion.
OC can clinch the regular season title this Saturday with a draw or win against FC Zot, which has struggled much of the season but earned a dagger-in-the-heart draw against Tri-County United last week on a stoppage time goal by Leigh Amery.
TCU bounced back the next day, however, defeating nOgerland 4-1 on Sunday to earn their first win after drawing four of their seven matches. They hope to further scale the table this week against streaking Sons of Ben Independence, which has won four straight matches since not scoring a goal in their winless first three games.
Meanwhile, United Nations FC staked its claim to second place with a 5-2 win over FC Spartans and is the only team with a mathematical chance of outpacing OC for the regular season title. If UNFC beats PPR this week and FC Zot upsets OC, it means the Nov. 21 match between OC and UNFC will be a one-game battle for promotion on the regular season's last day.
In other matches, Lot Lizards take on nOgerland, while SP plays Spartans.
REMINDER: Wild card playoff matches take place on Sunday, Nov. 22, the day after the last regular season game. Playoff seedings will be announced immediately after the Nov. 21 late games.
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Posted by Dan Walsh, Last Updated: 9 days ago
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Rain wiped out three Tercera games last week, so the teams are in the process of rescheduling them. Sporting Philly and Organized Chaos have set their game for Sunday, Nov. 8. We're still waiting for confirmation from the captains of the other four teams were rained out this past Saturday.
Two games went off before the rains killed the late games Saturday. FC Zot picked up its first win 2-1 on Mike Hamilton's winner after holding off a late comeback by FC Spartans in which a potential game-tying goal hit the crossbar in the final minutes. Elsewhere, Lot Lizards and UNFC played to a 1-1 draw.
This week, Sporting Phllly and UNFC will put two of Tercera's three unbeaten teams on Field t5 at 2:35 p.m. to see if one walks away with a loss. First place Organized Chaos also has a talented nOgerland team, while the rest of the division is trying to close the gap with those teams at the top of the table.
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Posted by Dan Walsh, Posted: 22 days ago
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Organized Chaos won its fourth straight game, defeating FC Spartans 3-0 on Saturday. This week, they face what might be their toughest test yet, against a United Nations FC team that has yet to lose in Tercera. UNFC drew 2-2 Saturday with Tri-County United.
Meanwhile, nOgerland and Pennypack Park Rangers each showed a case of Jekyll and Hyde as nOgerland, which has had trouble fielding a full squad, bounced back from a 6-1 blowout loss to demolish Rangers 6-0 for their first win. Rangers had been coming off a big 5-0 win over FC Zot, with all five goals in the second half. Rangers will try to bounce back this week against TCU.
Nogerland takes on an FC Zot team that has struggled offensively, with just one goal in four games. But the squad held unbeaten Sporting Philly to a scoreless draw Saturday and will hope to score some goals this week.
The only other team to score as few goals as Zot is Sons of Ben Independence, but their fall season's first goal, scored by Claude Reifsnyder, was all they needed Saturday to secure a 1-0 win over Lot Lizards. SoBU plays SP this week, while the Lizards have Spartans on Saturday.
Game of the week: OC vs. UNFC, 12:40 on Field 7.
Players to watch: OC's Lee Superville, who leads Tercera with seven goals in four games, and the three Nnumolos for UNFC, who control the pace of a game as well as any in the division.
Reminder: Games are a half hour early this week. See updated schedule.
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Posted by Dan Walsh, Last Updated: Tue Oct 13, 2009
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After two years as a perennial doormat, FC Spartans have shown up to play this season and are unbeaten through three games in Tercera. Thanks to some added depth, stalwarts such as striker Marquis Ryan-Walker, goalkeeper Greg Watson and defenders John Paulick and Derek Kendig may no longer have to worry about those dreaded games where only 10 players show up. Eight players have scored for them so far. They've even offered a surprise fashion statement by ditching their old orange jerseys for a new white uniform.
But are they for real, or have they benefited from a weak schedule, with two wins against Tercera's two pointless teams?
We'll find out Saturday, when they take on Organized Chaos, who have won three straight to open the fall. After finishing in last place in fall 2008, OC improved to mid-table in the spring and then made the Summer Cup semifinals. Midfielder Lee Superville has found the net six times already, with his two goals Saturday making the difference in a 2-1 win over Lot Lizards.
Game time: Saturday, 1:10 p.m., on Field 1.
Meanwhile, mid-table teams UNFC and Tri-County United face off in what could be an evenly matched game.
Early games this week. Remember: Next week's games are all a half hour earlier than the original schedule. See updated Master Schedule for details.
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Posted by Dan Walsh, Posted: Fri Oct 9, 2009
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Organized Chaos and Sporting Philly got big wins Saturday and will aim to continue their season-opening winning streaks this week.
SP put away nOgerland in a goal festival that tilted back and forth like a pendulum. SP opened a 3-0 lead before nOgerland closed to 4-3 behind two Gary Brett goals. Thomas Scabbia's hat trick was too much though, and SP pulled away for a 6-3 win. This week, they take on Tri-County United, which rebounded from a week 1 drubbing to earn a 1-1 draw against Lot Lizards.
Meanwhile, OC shut out Sons of Ben Independence 3-0, thanks in part to two goals by Lee Superville, the division's second-leading scorer. They'll try it again this week against the Lizards, in what could be an entertaining and evenly matched game.
The rest of the division has been close. United Nations FC and FC Zot drew 1-1, with A.J. Alderfer's stunning shot-stopping display for FC Zot cut short in the match's last 15 minutes by a perfectly placed Chris Nnumolo goal that brought them even. Pennypack Pack Rangers also bounced back from a tough first week in playing to a 1-1 draw against an apparently much-improved FC Spartans team.
Also this week:
Zot take on PPR, with each looking for their first win;
Spartans try to extend their unbeaten streak to three against struggling nOgerland;
SoB Independence look to hit the net for the first time this season against UNFC;
and TCU will try to upset SP.
Early games, so don't stay out TOO late Friday night.
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Posted by Dan Walsh, Last Updated: Sun Oct 4, 2009
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Opening Day actually happened Saturday on the third try, with no rain and mixed results for Tercera's new teams.
Lot Lizards eked out a 1-0 win over FC Zot on John Tiberi's late goal, while United Nations FC defeated nOgerland 3-2. Both winners gained promotion from Abierto in the spring.
Meanwhile, Pennypack Park Rangers and Tri-County United, the lone new Casa entries to start play above Abierto this fall, suffered blowout losses. Sporting Philly demolished rivals PPR 6-0, while Organized Chaos won 5-1 over TCU, with Lee Superville and Dave Brown scoring twice apiece. PPR and TCU, the lone new Casa entries to start in Tercera this season, will hope to work out the kinks that many new teams have and bounce back this week against FC Spartans and Lot Lizards, respectively.
In the fifth match, Joe Roshinko scored twice to lead FC Spartans to a decisive 3-0 win over Sons of Ben Independence.
Possible game of the week? Sporting Philly vs. nOgerland. Both teams had tough times in Segunda last year, but they're each hoping to bounce back up. Two talented teams = a good match. SP will be shorthanded though, with prolific striker Joe Hoffman sitting out one game due to a red card. 3:05 p.m., Field 1.
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Posted by Dan Walsh, Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2009
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The fall season starts this Saturday, weather permitting, and a few intriguing matches top the schedule for Opening Day, take 2.
Organized Chaos FC and FC Zot face off in a rematch of the Summer Cup’s two surprise semifinalists. OC comes in led by the division’s leading returning scorer, Justin Govonlu, who missed the team’s spring match, which was won by FC Zot. 1:10 start at Pennypack Field 1.
Another potentially entertaining match takes place simultaneously on the adjacent Field 2 as Abierto champ Lot Lizards take on nOgerland. The Lizards showed terrific form in the spring, while nOgerland often struggled to field a full squad in Segunda last season. Captain and defender Matt Rittenberg will aim for his retooled team to rebound Saturday. To do so, they’ll have to shut down Lizards captain Jeremy Samet, who led Abierto in goals last season.
Remember: Some matches will be played up at Philadelphia Soccer Club this weekend, so check the schedule.
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Posted by Dan Walsh, Posted: Tue Sep 8, 2009
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The fall season kicks off this Saturday (weather pending), and it looks like a wide open field competing for promotion.
Three extra Tercera slots opened up this season, due to three Casa teams folding or taking the fall off: Les Levriers in Primera, Memphis Taproom in Segunda, and Deportivo Sazon in Tercera. Philadelphia Athletic (formerly Sons of Ben Athletic) and Gremio moved up to Segunda to fill openings, opening up Tercera slots for Pennypack Park Rangers and Tri-County United – spinoffs of Sporting Philly and Brighton, respectively. FC Spartans was also retained in Tercera after bolstering their roster, but it may be the last reprieve any relegated Casa side ever gets now that the league has hit its maximum of 40 teams.
Without Philadelphia Athletic, the division favorites could be Lot Lizards, who steamrolled through Abierto last season with several former Primera players. This Saturday, they take on a retooled Sporting Philly team that was relegated from Segunda in the spring, and it might be the game of the week. Meanwhile, Organized Chaos FC and FC Zot, two surprise semifinalists in the summer tourney, would like to stake their own claim, and they’ll open against PPR and TCU, respectively.
Make sure to check the weather hotline on game day.
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Posted by Dan Walsh, Posted: Thu Aug 27, 2009
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