Thanks for head organizer Coach John Kelleher, assisted by fellow U16/19 Boys coaches Bob Brennis and Ricky Ramirez, for their continued organization.  What started out as as a loose-knit fill-in between seasons has obviously filled a need and turned into a major event each and every week for a group of boys including a mix of current and former BRYC U16/19 players, joined by various guests recently including a contingent from the Robinson and Woodson High School teams.  The photo below was taken at one of last month's gatherings of close to forty boys.  Imagine twice that many!

Coach Kelleher invites anyone who hasn’t yet participated to join the group, and has started a BRYC Soccer Alumni Group that anyone can join, already boasting over 90 mimbers.  Simply click on this Facebook Link for more information

November 20

After warning his boys not to take Vienna lightly, that beating a team twice in two days wasn’t going to be easy, Milian said he had confidence in their ability to win Championship honors if they played as well as they could. And they did! Congratulations to Rani, two Erics, Brian, Ezana, Giles, Benjamin, Liam, Roman, Daniel, Brendan, Kyle, and Philip, and certainly to coach Milian, for a great tournament weekend...the only BRYC squad to win it’s final game.

Coach Megan Kipp’s U10 Girls "Azul" may have been BRYC’s only undefeated team on Saturday.  They might also have been the only BRYC squad not to yield a single goal against.  They also didn’t score a single goal, tying all four contests 0-0 and finishing in the middle of the second tier teams. 

In their first game on Sunday against PWSI, (a 7:30 AM contest that had the girls rising before the sun was up) they fell behind to PWSI by a score of 2-0 before finally finding their scoring touch and winning 4-2 on goals from Bridget O. (Zippy) and Emma J. (Sonic).

The semi-final contest three hours later was against a tough squad from Ashburn.  Brianna F. (Bri) and the defense of Aine M. (Cookie), Jordan N. (Ninja) and Molly D. (M-Dawg) played tough.  Breanna S. (Breezy) set up one socre from a great corner kick.  Rachel H. (Monkey), Anna S (Bananas), and Erica O. (Skittles) played smart ball, as Azul earned a 2-1 victory and moved into the finals.

Playing in their third game in six hours, Azul had no more gas in the tank, having chances but falling 2-0 to an equally tired but inspired squad from Vienna. Coach Kipp extended her thanks to helpers Claire and Kelsey from her U15 Girls travel squad, Vista Xplosion, the former of whom played on Kipp’s first BRYC All Star squad as a U10, "way back when " and congratulated her team on a great weekend.  "Great job Azul!"

Coach Fred Welther’s and Mitch Bennett’s U11 Girls were seeded first on the basis of Saturday’s games, earning a bye on Sunday morning.  After winning their first contest on Sunday afternoon, they had a long break before playing under the lights for the championship, eventually falling to the second-seeded team from the Northern Virginia Soccer Club (NVSC) in a penalty kick shootout after playing to a draw during regulation time.

Exactly the same fate befell Coach James Sullivan’s and Joan Smith’s U14 Girls.  Seeded first after Saturday’s matches, they earned a bye into the second round and won that contest, then tied a very strong Springfield (SYC) team in regulation before losing the shootout.  The webmaster was fortunate enough to see this very tense contest between coaches (and many of the same girls) who had met just a week earlier in the Middle School Girls House Soccer League tournament, with essentially the same result except in that instance the girls were declared co-champions (see earlier stories, November 1 and November 12 below).  There was enough excitement in this game, including an injury and a goal that was called back, to warrant another separate story...coming soon.

Coach Mitch Peyser’s third-seeded U16 Boys earned their Finalist trophies by winning their first two games on Sunday before falling (in regulation time) to the second-seeded boys from Prince William (PWSI).   

The last of BRYC’s trophy winning teams, Walt Lamore’s U16 Girls, was seeded into Sunday’s second round against Soccer on the Hill (SOTH) whom they dispatched by a score of 2-0.  Facing a team fron Springfield in the finals, the BRYC squad played to a 0-0 draw during regulation time but became the third BRYC team to go down by way of penalty kicks in the championship contest.

In a game played for "bragging rights", both squads had a lot to be proud of as the game ended in a 1-1 draw. Check the U14 Girls League page for a more complete story and lots of photos to accompany the team photo at the right.

Meanwhile, in U16/19 Boys tournament action in the Suburban Friendship League, coach Mitch Peyser’s U16 Boys (below left) took first place in their division with a 2-1 win over North Virginia Soccer Club and a 1-0 win over Annandale in the finals.  It took three tournament wins for Coach John Kelleher’s U19 Boys (below right) to claim the championship trophies in their division, beating Annandale 2-1, Chantilly 4-2, and upsetting a second team from Annandale in the finals, 1-0.  League Director/Coach Greg Walsh’s team also went undefeated in tournament action, but a 3-1 win over Haymarket and 2-2 ties with two squads from Alexandria was only good enough for third place in the tournament after a very sucessful season.  Congratulations to all.

Organized by long-time Senior Division Deputy Commissioner and U16/19 ("She Devils") Girls coach Doug Alcorn, and (just as) long time U12 - U16/19 Boys coach John Kelleher (who now has two very active U4 boys of his own and just might complete the cycle again), more than a dozen girls and over two dozen boys got together with current and former soccer teammates and opponents for an afternoon of fun...and hot chocolate! 

Not content to take the winter off, the senior boys and alums continue to play at Wakefield every Friday night from 6-7:30 PM, weather and field conditions permitting.

Thanks to Doug and John for the group photos to freshen up the web page as we wait for the spring season!

November 4

This weekend brings an end to the "regular" season, but not so fast.  Most of last week’s (October 29) games are scheduled to be made up next week on November 12.  Check with your coach if you’re not sure yet about your makeup game schedule.

Before the season disappears into distant memory, don’t forget to get a team photo.  Whether or not you purchased one on Photo Day earlier in the season , you’ll want to get one out on the pitch.  Two coaches have been kind enough to share team photos with the webmaster in the last few weeks.  U5 Boys coach Bernie Fructuoso and his assistant Lenny Lapetina are wrapping up their first competitive season with the high-spirited Pirates, pictured above right after enjoying their post-game snacks.

And U19 Boys coach Bob Heyer and his assistant Nick Gardner (who have coached more seasons together than the webmaster can recall) are wrapping up their Suburban Friendship League season with the Magic before taking the team to the Herndon tournament. 

Bob liked last season’s All Star jerseys so much that he got a complete set for his team to wear during the regular season.  With a twenty-player regular season roster (because at this age you never know which boys are going to show up on any given Saturday), Bob gets a team photo after each game so he can recall who was there. 

On October 1 vs. Annandale, when this photo was taken, Bob had only eleven of his players.  In the SFL tournament next weekend, and the Herndon tournament the following week, with the prospect of a number of games each day,  he’s surely hoping to field a full squad of eighteen.

Meanwhile, a brisk business in T Shirt sales in the hallway kept BRYC volunteers busy, raising money in order to keep the club’s registration rates as the lowest possible levels.  The Webmaster/All Star Coordinator was excited when he spotted Katelyn H., U14 Girls goalie on the squad coached by Joan Smith and James Sullivan, sporting a warm-up jacket emblazoned with all the tournament, BRYC, and opposing team patches she’s collected in six previous six All Star appearances.  (In both of the annual tournaments in which BRYC participates, the players trade patches with their opponents at the end of each game).  Katelyn’s was the finest display of patches the All Star Coordinator has seen.  Katelyn is pictured below, modeling her collection of patches and as she posed for her "official" photograph. 

With the score tied 1-1 at the half (BRYC’s goal coming on a PK), the second half began poorly for the Wildcats, going down 2-1 when Springfield scored on a high, looping ball that trickled off the outstretched fingertips of goalie Jack L. who played the entire game between the pipes.  It was about midway through the second half when Jack deftly fielded an easier ball, surveyed the field, and rather than kick it out to mid-field, decided to give it a hard roll on the turf.  About twenty yards away, Andrew B, a regular forward turned defender at this moment, deftly picked it up and finessed the ball through SYC’s offensive front before passing ahead to forward Harold P., who outraced SYC’s defenders, charged toward the goal, pulled SYC’s goalie out for a one-on-one confrontation, deked around him, and tapped the ball into the net.  From Jack’s roll-out of his own goal area to Harold’s tap-in couldn’t have taken more than fifteen seconds.  It was a thing of beauty Coach Peyer thought worthy of an ESPN highlight reel (if only they’d been there!).

With the score now tied 2-2 but plenty of time remaining on the clock, neither team was content to play for a tie, with SYC getting the better of it.  The Wildcats were tested repeatedly by their strong passing, crossing, and excellent footskills as their defense thwarted any serious BRYC advances toward goal (keeping the ball in their offensive end most of the time), and the goalie barked out instructions and encouragement as he played far up the pitch.  SYC’s chance for the win came in the final minute of the contest with some frenetic activity in the BRYC goal mouth, the Wildcats unable to clear the ball, until finally, goalie Jack L. made a terrific stop of a point blank shot that was headed for the near corner of the goal.  And then the whistle sounded.

Coach Peyser and his assistants, David Burns and Rich Bautista, were thrilled with a come from behind tie against such a strong team on their home field to start the season.  The webmaster was happy to be there, seeing some great action and grabbing a few photos below.

Coaches Burns and Peyser discuss lineups and strategy at halftime.   Andrew B. scored on PK and assisted on second-half goal.

Harold P. scored "ESPN worthy" goal in second half.     Jacob P. played strong defense and midfield, launching Wildcats’ attack.

Seok Huyn H. played strong midfield, shutting down SYC offense.    Coach telling goalie Jack L. he was needed there in 2nd half.

Growing up in a family that loves soccer (one of her older sisters was a BRYC All Star at U12 before going travel, and played on the Woodson HS varsity team this year; her mother was a BRYC coach for a few seasons), Addie gravitated to the game.  By the time she was a U8 she was an All Star for the first time, and had made the squad five of six seasons through last spring’s FPYC Tournament as a U10.

But then last summer the doctors said it was time for a second open-heart surgery to correct an area that had not kept up with her growth.  For Addie, among other more important things, that meant no contact sports for six months.  No fall soccer. 

Flash forward to the spring season just ended.  With the doctor’s approval, Addie was back on the pitch, playing with as much spirit, determination, and "heart" as ever. Once again she was selected to play as a defensive back on the U11G All Star squad, coached by Dave Diaz.

Meanwhile, Addie has become a movie star of sorts, which is where this story really begins, as a film crew followed Addie’s surgery and recovery to create a promotional video for Inova Health System...capturing some her regular season play for Coach Mike Choffel, on whose team she’s played since 2008.  With the permission of the hospital, the doctors, and her parents, you can see the Inova film, in which Addie says she wants to become a professional soccer player.  Whether she’s that, or a movie star, or a heart surgeon perhaps, for now she’s an eleven year-old who loves soccer...and we’re thrilled she can play again for BRYC.

In January it was a family of deer on the winter’s most blustery day...and happy kids sledding down the hill when school was cancelled the next.  Last week it was Canadian geese and the Annandale High School lacrosse team.  In just a few weeks it’ll be BRYC soccer.

Check out the photo gallery below to see some of the never-ending activity.

The six photos in the gallery below are truly professional quality and have earned Jennifer a coveted BRYC fleece jacket, the same as that worn by our All Star Coaches but emblazoned with the title "Official Photographer".  It’s not quite a Cadillac Escalade or a LCD television but it’s the least (and the best) the webmaster could do and stay within budget. 

Every team should be so lucky to have such an interested and involved parent...who capped the team’s season with a sleep-over no less.  Congratulations to the Titans on a great season, and to Jennifer, for capturing it with some magnificent action photos.

Because of the county’s priority policy, the Fairfax Women’s Soccer Association (FWSA) who’ve played soccer at Pine Ridge Park on Saturdays for 20 years, is losing one of the three fields on which they have played and which they maintained as a grass field under an "Adopt-a-Field" agreement with the county.  As long time friends and supporters of FWSA (including partnerning on the turf installation at Wakefield Park), BRYC is attempting to work with the organization to accommodate their needs at nearby Winterset Park.

Formal dedication of the park’s new facilities came on October 16 when, with a game going on behind them, members of Coach Megan Kipp’s U14 Girls squad, the Nightmares, joined dignitaries in the field’s opening ceremony.  Pictured from left to right are Nightmares players Morgan P. and Melissa F., Project Manager Eric Brunner from the Fairfax County Park Authority, Mason District Park Authority Board Member Frank Vajda, Mason District Supervisor Penny Gross, Chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Sharon Bulova, former Head Commissioner of the Fairfax Women’s Soccer Association Ruth Walton, Rose Purple, Chairman of the Pine Ridge Park Association, and Nightmares players Connie K., Julia M., and Erin S.  

After stubbing their toe in their first match against a powerful Quicksilver, the Golden Jets came back strong, winning their last three games against the Destroyers, the Blast Juniors and the Destroyers again, to take championship honors in the tournament’s U7B Silver Division, earning the right to compete at the National KickIt 3v3 Championships in Orlando FL in January. 

Congratulations to the boys and their coaches on a summer well-spent in preparation for the BRYC fall season ahead.  Coach Shiferaw has become the U8B League Director.  The other three will be back on the pitch.  Let the competition beware!

But wait.  As Coach O (for Octavio) was getting ready to leave home for the 10:15 AM match at Kinchloe Park, his wife Amber had a surprise for him!   "Honey, I think it’s time!"  And so it was that Assistant Coach Kevin Ross coached the U11 Girls to a 1-1 draw and into the championship game.  Meanwhile, Coach O was OO ("otherwise occupied") at Fairfax Hospital where baby boy Gabriel Alfaro arrived on the scene as the newest (and probably the loudest) supporter of the team

Sadly enough, after BRYC took an early lead, SYA came back late in the championship game to tie the score.  After two scoreless overtime periods the "Gladiators" were faced with a dreaded Penalty Kick shootout and fell one kick short of winning the Championship trophies.  Still, it was almost a perfect day for Coach O, who raced to the field after Gabriel was born, arriving too late for the presentation of the Finalist trophies but just in time for the team photo.  Many times and over many years there is no doubt that Gabriel will hear the story of his birth day, on the best of all possible Fathers’ Days, except for PK’s!

When BRYC officials determine fields are playable despite inclement weather conditions, a message that games will be played as scheduled is placed on the hotline. If inclement weather continues, the trainers, in consultation with the league director decides whether to proceed with the scheduled game. Games terminated after half of the game has been played are considered complete.

Thunder and Lightning Policy:
IN CASE OF THUNDER OR LIGHTNING IN THE IMMEDIATE AREA, PLAY WILL BE SUSPENDED IMMEDIATELY!! Everyone (no exceptions) must immediately leave the field, seek shelter in their vehicles, and wait 30 minutes. The 30-minute waiting period starts again if additional thunder/lightning is observed. If inclement weather persists, your trainers will terminate the session.

In the Braddock District, BRYC earned two of the awards, both for male athlete and parent.  Notably, Dane Merkel, BRYC Recreational Soccer Commissioner, was honored as outstanding parent from the Braddock District.  In her introduction of the award winners, Marcia Pape, former BRYC Rec Soccer Commissioner and current president of the full Braddock Road Youth Club, said:

"The consummate parent volunteer, Dane exhibits a spirit of selfless service, helpfulness, and undying devotion to the youth of BRYC.  He is a role model for all parents, as well as for other BRYC leaders and volunteers.  As a parent, coach, and soccer commissioner, Dane has emphasized the importance of youth citizenship and parental involvement in all aspects of club life.  As a result of Dane’s involvement, voluntarism has increased markedly, programs such as the club’s recycling initiative have expanded, and good sportsmanship has flourished.  He truly sets the example of how to be involved and how to do so with character."

The award for a male athlete went to BRYC football player Charles Altman.  In a note to the BRYC Board, Marcia noted that "we have many outstanding individuals involved in our club..." and said she looks forward to "...recognizing other champions from BRYC in the future."

Because most area soccer clubs don’t have enough players at the older age levels to create a season schedule independently, some 30 area clubs play their regular season games in the SFL. Teams are grouped into two divisions, based on their record the previous season.  (At the U16 level there were 23 teams placed in Division I, including one from BRYC, and over 50 teams placed in Division II, including three from BRYC.  At the U19 level both BRYC teams played in Division II.)  The teams play a regular-season schedule of seven games before being placed into smaller groups of teams with similar season records for the two-day SFL tournament, held on June 11-12.

Congratulations to Coach Mitch Peyser’s U16 Boys, who finished the season with a gaudy record of 7-0-0m and the SFL Division II regular season championship, before being knocked off in the tournament in a couple of very close and hard-fought games which pitted the top five of the  fifty teams in the division.  Coach Peyser said "the boys earned it by working hard all season both at the games at at their physical conditioning.  Every one of the boys contributed to the success.  It was an exciting season with some close calls, and thrilling in the end to see the boys do so well."

Congratulations to Coach Ricky Ramirez’ U16 Boys for turning their season around after a disastrous start at 0-4 with three regular season victories to end league play, and another three wins in the tournament, outscoring their opponents by a margin of 27-6 over the last six games (allowing exactly one goal in each of them), and earning their SFL tournament championship.  That’s some great momentum going into the FPYC Tournament where Coach Ramirez will be taking the best players from each of the four U16 Boys teams, albeit with almost no time to practice as a group.

Meanwhile, there was a similar situation with the U19 Boys where Coach John Kelleher’s team, the "Strykers", won the SFL Division II regular season championship with a sterling record of 6-0-1.  The only "blemish" on the Strykers’ perfect record was a 0-0 tie with McLean in the second game of the season, as the team played two-men down and the game was shortened by rain.  Coach Kelleher viewed that as a moral victory under the circumstances, and the team came back to win its final five games, outscoring its opponents 28-9 over the course of the season.

Unfortunately, after winning its first game of the SFL tournament (scoring very late in the game to break a 1-1-tie vs. Southwestern) on Saturday morning, the team narrowly lost its afternoon game against Annandale (ABGC) by a score of 0-1, followed by a loss to another strong Annandale team in the final game of the tournament.  It was a sad way to end the season for the storied Strykers, but it was a great season overall and one in which the coach and his team can take great pride.

Meanwhile, Coach Bob Heyer’s team, the "Magic", which had a "so-so" record of 3-3-1 in the SFL’s regular season, turned up the heat in the SFL tournament and roared through three games with a record of 3-0, finding the "magic" and outscoring opponents by a margin of 10-3, including shutout victories over Springfield and McLean.  As he does for each of his team’s games, Coach Heyer summarized their play in an email, noting the team’s weaknesses and places for improvement, but filled with plaudits for "forcing the style of play,", "nice passing and ball movement", "disciplined play", and "a lot of effort by everyone!".  Also as he does at each game, the coach got a team photo..with the boys (who will represent BRYC in the FPYC tourney) already wearing their All Star stripes. 

But even better than the team photo is the family photo...an amazing show of support for a U19 squad where most of the boys drive themselves to practices and games.  So congratulations to the parents and siblings as well as the coach and his team for a great end to the SFL season...and good luck in the FPYC tournament.

(All the photos in this story are linked to larger versions.  Just click on the photo.)

For the 17 players on the U14 Girls "Icebreakers", coached by BRYC veteran Brian Conaway, it was going to be hard to improve on last fall’s 7-0-1 season, but improve they did.  In a league that includes teams from the neighboring Springfield Youth Club (SYC) and Burke Athletic Club BAC), the Ice- breakers were unbeatable.  Though there is no official "championship", after the 7th game of the season the teams from the league’s two divisions are paired up for the 8th and final game based on the standings, with the first place teams in each division playing against each other.  The Icebreakers won their division in both the Fall and Spring seasons.  In the final game of the spring season, vs. a team from Burke that sported an impressive 6-0-1 record going into the game, the Icebreakers fell behind 1-0 for the first time this season, but came roaring back at the beginning of the second half, scoring two quick goals which stood up for a final score of 2-1, and an undefeated 8-0-0 season, with a combined record of 15-0-1 over the spring and fall. In those 16 games they allowed only 4 goals while scoring 49 of their own.

The girls play not just as teammates but as friends. 15 of the 17 girls attend Robert Frost Intermediate School, a closeness that Coach Conaway said translates into a team cohe- siveness that was a key ingredient to their success. Congratulations to the coach and his girls, almost all of whom will move up to the U16 Girls league in the fall...where they will face many of the same girls they played against this season.  They’ll be waiting...and the Icebreakers will be looking to extend their streak!