Blue Star Indianapolis

Orange FC Gets the Blues(tar)

2010-10-04T09:17:00.000-07:00

Blue Star got their season back on track with back-t0-back thrashings of Orange FC and ISC Falcons. Over a week later, the blog is still trying to figure out order of goals and who to award assists to, and to be honest, the picture isn't becoming too much clearer.

Last Sunday, Blue Star kicked off a 5 o'clock meeting with Orange FC at Kuntz Stadium. The weather was perfect, and a strong Blue Star side was looking to make up for the humiliating defeat it sustained against Circle City the week prior.

It didn't take long for Blue Star to get out of the gates, and it was 3-0 by half time with goals coming from Sam Robertson, Tye Stebbins, and Judd Haag. Blue Star's pace was just too much for the Orange back line to handle, and they managed to only to chase as wave after wave of Blue Star pressure rolled them over.

This is not to say that it was all one way traffic. Goalkeeper Beaver Riley made an absolutely ridiculous one handed touch over the bar when an Orange midfielder found himself at the top of the box with the ball at his feet and uncorked a blistering shot.

The second half continued much the same as the first, but Trey Buck wanted in on the action...and in he got to the tune of 3 goals in 5 minutes. His first came from a pass from Judd Haag who had worked his way out wide on the left opening up space behind for Buck to run into. From there, it was a simple finishing drill against the hapless Orange goalkeeper.

Buck's second was easily the most impressive team move Blue Star has created this season. The ball was worked smoothly from Frank Dale's left back spot to Schuyler Wareham in the middle of the field. Wareham found Doug Starnes running up the right flank and Starnes played a ball into Sam Robertson's feet as he was checking to. Robertson turned and fed an overlapping Cody Lawson who stood an inviting ball up to the back post. Buck waited on the cross to clear the last defender's head and then finished smoothly into the Orange goal. Well worked.

If Buck's second goal was a testament to team play, his third was a testament to individual skill and technique. Buck found himself in space about 25 yards from the Orange goal and unleashed a thunder strike that caromed off the far post and into the net.

From 6-0, Blue Star took its foot off the gas and Orange was able to find a consolation goal that, to be honest, I have no idea how it happened. By that point in the match, the result was in no doubt.

Goals: Sam Robertson (?), Tye Stebbins (?), Judd Haag (?), Trey Buck (Judd Haag), Trey Buck (Cody Lawson), Trey Buck (?)

Sunday, Bloody Sunday

2010-09-20T12:19:00.000-07:00

Long story short: Blue Star got rocked at the weekend...and not in the too much beer and too much fun kind of way.

With the Colts' home opener looming on the horizon, Blue Star's five 5:00PM kick off seems to have been a bit too close to the Colts' 8:30PM kick off and a healthy chunk of the squad (Blue Star's, not the Colts') too the day off to...drink? Paint their face? All get together to write "Peyton Manning is my hero" letter-by-letter across their chests?

The writing was on the wall when 9 were present and accounted for at kick off. The plan was to initially play compact, possess, and make Circle City play across the face of the Blue Star defense until late comers Louis Leger, Jeff Dresser, and Beau Parsons could arrive with the ammunition to field a more balanced side. This is not at all a sleight to the players on the pitch as their effort was superb all day, but Ross Kenyon is not a left back and the poor bastard had to listen to me vent all match (often unfairly).

Anyhow, Circle City showed up with a full squad of functional players and and must have smelled blood in the water as they went for it from the first whistle. Blessed with forward thinking players on the pitch, but without the proper balance to stay compact, and two men down, Schuyler Wareham found himself tracking Circle City players all over the midfield. Additionally, the Blue Star back four could never quite get on the same page with their shape, and it wasn't long before a deflected tackle and a fortuitous bounce conspired to give Circle City a 1-0 lead about 15 minutes in.

A little while later it was 2-0 Circle City off of a strong header from a corner kick. In fairness, it was one way traffic and Circle City could have gotten a couple more goals were it not for poor finishing and a number of spectacular Beaver Riley saves (he brought a girl all the way from Fishers so he had to pull off a couple of flyers). Mercifully, the troops arrived with about 10 minutes left in the first half and a few well worked moves from Jeff Dresser, Judd Haag, Sam Robertson, and Louis Leger only broke down at the final ball. 2-0 at the half and Blue Star was feeling good about their chances going forward.

Unfortunately, all of the running and covering from the first half seemed to have caught up with them and tired legs led to bad touches, lots of defensive chasing, and a lack of movement to become available when Blue Star was in possession. Jeff Dresser had the brightest spots of the half for the Sky Blues with a direct run at Circle City's goal which resulted in the only goal of the game for Blue Star and a fine effort that the Circle City keeper did well to save in the upper right corner of the goal.

As for Circle City's other two goals? Well, they were variations of a theme and who really wants to talk about that? Hopefully the Sky Blues can get back on track against Orange FC next week.

Goals: Jeff Dresser (unassisted)

Fall 2010...And So it Begins

2010-09-13T20:43:00.001-07:00

The self-aggrandizing Blue Star blog is back for the fall 2010 edition...at least until women, beer, bills, lethargy, and a general lack of motivation to recall match details ad naseum sets in once again.

Blue Star kicked off the fall campaign with yet another match against eternal rivals BRSC Sunday last. It's been an interesting 2 plus years. Blue Star has gone from an unpredictable middle of the table team that started over beers and conversation at Chatham Tap what seems like ages ago to a legitimate contender in the CIASA Premier League. Those first few seasons saw success come in measured and modest achievements. Matches against BRSC, admittedly the team to beat, used to be exercises in damage limitation. Now they are exciting and even matches that could potentially go either way. Alas, Sunday's match went to the bad guys (no offense to BRSC).

It would have been nice to get on the good foot with a victory to start the new fall campaign, but the schedule makers saw fit to issue a challenge right out of the gates. BRSC fielded a solid side of seasoned regulars to start the season. No "we only shoed up with seven players" this time around. Blue Star, to their credit, also fielded a strong side with influential regulars returning and also welcomed back talented players like Yaw Aning, Tim Blom, and Kyle Clark.

The match began at a crisp pace and both teams enjoyed early possession and forays into one another's defensive third. BRSC carved the first legitimate attacking chance of the match with a well worked move down the Blue Star right flank that ended in a parried save by veteran goalkeeper Beaver Riley. Blue Star took the BRSC pressure in stride and were unlucky to not finish several chances of their own in the first 15 minutes. Fraser Laveay, as outspoken and Canadian as ever, was unlucky to not win a penalty after controlling a delightful diagonal ball from Beau Parsons in the BRSC penalty area. He was bundled over by a BRSC defender, but the referee chose not to put his whistle in his mouth and waved play on.

The penalty shout was a portent of things to come as minutes later Beaver Riley blew up BRSC winger Deize Buor and a penalty was awarded. The ensuing spot kick was saved well by the aggressive Riley, but Blue Star's failure to clear their lines off the ensuing corner kick resulted in a sloppy goal. BRSC 1 Blue Star 0.

The rest of the first half was played end to end and Blue Star had their chances, notably through Fraser Laveay and Tim Blom. The latter found himself alone in on the BRSC goal, but was eaten up by that bastard turf monster and went sprawling to the ground before he could latch on to a well played through ball. BRSC also had chances, their best coming off of a quick break through midfield that sprang Moussa Dagnogo in on Blue Star's goal. Swiftly aging right back Doug Starnes was able to recover from Dagnogo's initial burst away and slide to tackle the ball away from him just before he met the business end of Beaver Riley's size tens. At the half BRSC was up 1, but the match was still left to play for.

The second half saw more opportunities for both team, although BRSC took better advantage. Moussa Dagnogo found himself in possession inside the Blue Star penalty area and hit at hope but found the bottom left corner of Riley's goal before he was closed down. 2-0 BRSC.

Although Blue Star never seemed flustered, BRSC again took the advantage through Craig Lippincott as he ghosted across the Blue Star 18 and hit a seeing eye shot into the lower left corner of the Blue Star goal. 3-1 BRSC.

It's a testament to the Blue Star side though that they kept pushing and eventually found themselves a way back in to the conversation from a long ball out of the back to a streaking (not in a naked way) Sam Robertson. Robertson's pace and willingness to run were on display the entire match and he finally found himself in on the BRSC goal with only the BRSC keeper to beat. However, in settling the ball and lining up his shot, the speedy Michael Sullivan was able to recover the initiative and make a last ditch tackle to prevent a Robertson goal. Luckily for Blue Star, obnoxious SEC football fan Beau Parsons was able to follow the play and win a penalty for the good guys (that's us) and Robertson hit an unsaveable penalty to the BRSC goalkeeper's left side. 3-1 BRSC.

The remaining 20 minutes saw back and forth action that favored neither team. George Crawford, Moussa Dagnogo, and Scott Weiger were unlucky to not find the net for BRSC as Beaver Riley and hurried finishing conspired against them. Conversely, Fraser Laveay, Tim Blom, and Judd Haag all had shots that were either blocked at the last minute or saved by the BRSC goalkeeper.

With 10 minutes left however, Fraser Laveay harried BRSC right back McKinley Jones (some would say fouled the bejesus out of) in to coughing up the ball and cooly finished in to the BRSC goal to make it 3-2 BRSC.

The final minutes of the match were played out much as the preceding minutes with both teams springing attacks, putting in full blooded challenges, and going for the win.

In the end, time ran out on Blue Star and they wound up with a loss in the first match of the season. It was an exciting match that could have ended with many more goals for both sides. Blue Star has to take positives from the game and feel good about their chances going forward for the remainder of the season.

Superlative players for Blue Star include Sam Robertson, Fraser Laveay, Tye Stebbins, Damien Thrine, Cody Lawson, Schuyler Wareham, and Tim Blom. Having said that, every Blue Star player could be commended for their work rate and effort and have to believe that they are a force to be reckoned with this season.

Goals: Sam Robertson (PK); Fraser Laveay

The Better Late Than Never Match Report (s)

2010-06-07T14:17:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a lengthy layoff for the blog and my excuses vary from the joy of victory to the agony of defeat and multiple stops between. Who cares though really? Let's get the ball rolling, shall we?

Blue Star Indianapolis kicked off their third match of the spring campaign against FC Miller on a beautiful Friday night at Kuntz field. The Miller Boys were looking to avenge an earlier 2-0 loss to the Sky Blues and started the game with purpose but were quickly pasted. I can't say this any more diplomatically, I've seriously written and then reworded four or five sentences here, but there's no other verb for it. Pasted. The final score line was 5-0 Blue Star and that was with some sporadic build up play and suspect finishing.

The Sky Blues typically found it tough to spread the ball around the pitch at the beginning of the match, but eventually settled down and started picking their moments to go forward. Ross Klippel rather fortuitously found the match's opening goal with a cross cum shot that screwed its way into the goal from the right flank. Jake Edgerton then silenced any criticism of the opening goal with an absolute screamer on the full volley to the left upper corner of the Miller goal. 2-0 Blue Star at the break.

Building on their momentum in the second half, Beau Parsons finished a slotted through ball from Fraser Laveay in the opening 10 minutes and the route was on. David Mcilwane and Cody "The Law" Lawson added goals to insure the already insured victory and Blue Star went about their respective Friday nights with the taste of victory (and beer) in their mouths.

That taste however was soon embittered with a regrettable loss to Old Yeller FC the following Sunday. I'd really rather not linger on this too terribly much as it involves a 2-0 loss to an inferior team (sorry Old Yeller), but suffice it to say, nothing went Blue Star's way on the day (note: that was completely unintentional rhyming).

Old Yeller had two shots on the day and finished them both. The first was a penalty given up by Steven Riley via a kamikaze tackle in the Blue Star penalty area and the second was given away when a Bue Star defender -who shall remain nameless given his stellar play up to and since the soon to be described incident- was caught in possession at the edge of the Blue Star penalty area and punished for his lingering on the ball. It happens to the best.

In fairness to Old Yeller, Blue Star never looked threatening on the day. Multiple half chances failed to find the net and a Fogle-esque Old Yeller keeper was never truly called on to become McLovin. At the end of the day, the Sky Blues were left asking, "WTF?"

A weeks layoff seemed to do the Sky Blues well and the promise of a possible modeling gig buoyed their spirits for a Sunday match against the visiting Uptown FC. Both sides looked well organized and sharp in the first half of the opening half. The best opportunity of the first half fell to Fraser Laveay who did everything right to catch up to, out muscle, and win the ball off of an Uptown FC defender but could not find the decisive finish his work deserved. Steven Riley was solid in the first half as his goal came under steady pressure, but he answered all calls competently.

As the half wore on and both sides began to tire, the match went off the boil a bit and substitute players tried to pick up the slack. This lead to a more wide open game, but the crispness of the first 20 minutes was gone. At the end of the first half it was 0-0.

Blue Star seemed the brighter of the two sides following the restart and had a number of early moves halted by the final ball or stellar play from Uptown's class back four. The match looked to be heading Blue Star's way though after Judd Haag ran on to a long through ball and forced the Uptown keeper into an intentional hand ball which resulted in a straight red card. Blue Star sought to take the initiative and did so for the next 10-15 minutes with more confident build up play and a number of genuine opportunities on the Uptown goal.

The match looked to be heading to one result when Uptown managed to get a goal against the flow of play. An industrious Uptown forward worked his socks off to find space inside the Blue Star penalty area before finding an unmarked teammate at the top of the six yard box who was able to beat Steven Riley off of a deflected shot.

At this point, Blue Star picked themselves up by their bootstraps and began to play a direct game to get back on level terms. This resulted in more long balls being played through the middle and down the flanks, but the end product never quite came off. Tye Stebbins had the second half's best opportunities with a flying scissor kick off of a Fraser Laveay cross (seriously, you should expect this from a guy who wore diamond stud earrings and glow stick danced in high school) and a shot at the back post that was heroically blocked by an Uptown FC defender.

Suspiciously, the match ended after only 2 minutes of stoppage time. A goal had been scored, a red card given, and a 2 yellow card altercation that took conferences with both referee's assistants to sort out only resulted in 2 minutes of added time. Whatever.

At the end of the day, Blue Star could be pleased with their effort if not the result. 3 more matches to go!

Goals: Seriously, I can't remember their order or all of the assists. Sue me.

Blue Star Overcome Notable Absences En Route to a 2-0 Win

2010-05-02T19:48:00.000-07:00

Blue Star Indianapolis continued their spring campaign with a 2-0 win over FC Miller in a sometimes scrappy, sometimes error filled, sometimes impressive performance Friday night.

What looked to be another strong Blue Star side rapidly turned into a makeshift side after several notable players were unable to make the kick off. Nate Connor, Steven Riley, Cody Lawson, and Tye Stebbins were scratches for the match due to painting (?), banking, lawyering, and gambling commitments respectively. Blue Star patched up their weakened defense as Fraser Laveay stepped into the back four and Doug Starnes was pressed into doing his best impression as a goalkeeper.

From the opening whistle, the thick pitch and stout wind wreaked havoc on the game's continuity as passes went astray and several players were unable to get the ball off their feet. In spite of these inconveniences, Blue Star was able to work the ball well through the middle third of the field, but the decisive move still eluded them.

FC Miller had the first best chances of the opening half as Doug Starnes made several near disastrous mistakes with the ball at his feet. Caught in possession on three occasions, FC Miller was unlucky not to find the back of the net. These early gaffs did not dampen Blue Star's desire to get the opening goal, and when Sam Robertson found the ball at his feet on the right flank, he was able to flight a beautiful diagonal ball across the FC Miller back line that Beau Parsons one touched into the path of a composed David Mcilwane. Mcilwane collected Parsons' pass and slotted cooly home past the diving FC Miller goalkeeper. 1-0 Blue Star.

FC Miller continued to press however, as they looked to take advantage of the wind at their backs. Several nice moves led to forays into the Blue Star defensive third, but they could not find the final ball and Starnes had little to do but worry about his own continuing shaky touch.

Judd Haag came close for the Sky Blues on two occasions hitting the post twice. His first effort, a screaming shot from 25 yards out was turned on to the post by the FC Miller goalkeeper and caromed back across the face of goal, but there was no Blue Star player in position to finish the effort. His second effort caught a deflection and looped over the FC Miller goalkeeper but only found the woodwork.

After a back and forth first half with little possession by either team, Blue Star set out in the second half to dictate the flow of play and find the flank space on a wide open field. Utilizing the wind and a more measured approach, Blue Star began to kill the match.

Midway through the second half, Schuyler Wareham received the ball in the middle of the field from the left flank. Seeing that the FC Miller defense was stretched horizontally, he took positive touches into the FC Miller penalty area and poked a ball into the path of Beau Parsons who finished low into the left side of the FC Miller goal. 2-0 Blue Star.

FC Miller still would not give up the ghost and continued to push for a goal. Their efforts were generally reduced to speculative shots from 25-30 yards out and they were unable to create a decisive move.

Blue Star was unlucky to find a third goal as first Ross Kenyon received a driven ball from Judd Haag, but could not handle the pace of the ball and his shot sailed over the FC Miller goal. Trey Buck also found himself in on the FC Miller goal, but his long run into goal was met well by the FC Miller goalkeeper and the score line remained 2-0. Finally, Judd Haag found himself on the left side of the FC Miller area and hit another screamer to the right of the FC Miller keeper, but again the Miller man came up big to keep the effort from finding the net.

With only a few minutes left in the match, an FC Miller forward found himself in on goal, but his rushed shot never looked threatening and Doug Starnes was able to collapse to his left and smother the weak shot.

On the whole, Blue Star looked comfortable in the areas where they were not forced to employ players out of position and the victory can be enjoyed knowing that they did not run out their strongest lineup and did not have many options coming off the bench.

Damian Thrine had another excellent game in the back and his calm, confident play stymied multiple FC Miller attacks. Schuyler Wareham did well in the middle of the park protecting the back four and moved the ball with ease dictating the flow of play from attack to defense. Fraser Laveay, nursing a strained hamstring, also did his bit to marshall the back line and was even able to get into the attack on multiple occasions. David Mcilwane hardly put a foot wrong throughout the match and got his name on the score sheet in a solid performance. Finally, Judd Haag was unlucky to not get his name on the score sheet, but his willingness to take players on caused problems for the FC Miller defense all evening.

Blue Star now enters a two week hiatus and will next take on Uptown FC in Bloomington in their next match. Hopefully, the Sunday kick off will eliminate any work conflicts and not too many players will be dissuaded by the long drive south.

Goals: David Mcilwane (Beau Parsons) Beau Parsons (Schuyler Wareham)

Blue Star Wins in Semi-Dominant Fashion

2010-04-19T09:09:00.000-07:00

The blog is back.

After a regrettable fall season that culminated in Blue Star's first win and brawl of the campaign, the blog is back to report on good times (hopefully, good times that will continue).

To kick off the spring campaign, the Sky Blues (dressed in Vader-esque all black), took on Old Yeller FC at German Park this past Sunday. The first match starting 11 was a good mix of fresh faces and old hands and early on showed promise of more continuity than last season's starting 11 when 9 of the first 11 were appearing for Blue Star for the first time.

Blue Star dominated possession for the first 5 minutes while the Old Yeller players could only chase the ball. This early spell resulted in a well worked move down the right flank, but the final ball wasn't there and Old Yeller finally won possession by default via a goal kick.

Throughout the first half Old Yeller showed themselves content to let Blue Star knock the ball around the back four at nearly the midfield line. New boys Cody Lawson and Damian Thrine fit seamlessly into the back with Nate Connor and Scott Lord as Blue Star tightened their grip on the game. It was from a ball out of the back that Beau Parsons was able to flick on to Tye Stebbins who was floored by the Old Yeller goalkeeper just after getting a touch to the ball. Parsons ran on to Stebbins' pass and drive a low ball across the face of goal that Fraser Laveay cooly finished. 1-0 Blue Star.

It was only a matter of time before the Sky Blues were going to put one away and the goal that broke the deadlock looked to have also opened the flood gates (side note: I should get credit for using two cliches in one sentence). Moments after coming on to the pitch, Judd Haag (two Ds, two As) received the ball about 20 yards from the Old Yeller goal, set himself as the Old Yeller defenders backed off of him, and smoked a screamer to the goalkeeper's right side. 2-0 Blue Star.

Blue Star's third goal came from a Sam Robertson corner kick that found the considerably more elevated noggin of Damian Thrine. 3-0 Blue Star and the route looked to be on.

Fortunately for Old Yeller, half time came at the perfect moment and they were able to regroup and put together a much better accounting of themselves in the last 45 minutes. Immediately after the break, Old Yeller began to push a very high line and put the Blue Star fullbacks under pressure as soon as they received the ball. This resulted in some wayward passes and the possession game that Blue Star's goals had been predicated upon began to come a bit unraveled. Not coincidentally, the match picked up a scrappy element that had not existed in the first half. Tackles got a little rougher and it was only a matter of time before Doug Starnes picked up the match's first yellow card and gave away a dangerous set piece at the top of the box. Fortunately, Old Yeller was unable to capitalize, but it was a portent of things to come.

Fraser Laveay was unlucky to not win a penalty kick after an obvious foul in the Old Yeller area and moments later the referee awarded Old Yeller a set piece from just outside the right side of the Blue Star area. The "foul" in question was more than a little debatable. What isn't debatable is that the Old Yeller forward who took the set piece absolutely hammered the bejesus out of his shot to the far upper corner of Steven Riley's goal. 3-1 Old Yeller.

The rest of the half was a back and forth affair as Blue Star was unable to capitalize on the space Old Yeller was leaving as they pushed for another goal. David Mcliwane, Ross Kenyon, Judd Haag, and Rich Hartley all come agonizingly close to increasing Blue Star's lead, but the Old Yeller goalkeeper, the pitch, and shiny things reflecting in the sunshine conspired to keep the ball out of the Old Yeller net.

On the whole, Blue Star can be encouraged by their display and seem to have a balanced team capable of creative flashes, biting tackles, and competent possession. Next week they will face a tough test against BRSC, but with a win under their belts and a solid pitch to play on Blue Star should have a capable showing.

Goals: Fraser Laveay (Beau Parsons), Judd Haag (Fraser Laveay), Damian Thrine (Sam Robertson).

Blue Star Indianapolis: Simply The Best...In June

2009-06-23T08:38:00.000-07:00

Blue Star Indianapolis finished their inaugural season with a win to make it three on the bounce to close the season. Sunday's match against AAFC had all the makings for Blue Star walk in the park as AAFC started the match severely shorthanded and seemingly in a daze. It wasn't long before Blue Star capitalized off a right sided set piece. Doug Starnes drove a ball low into the near post that Rich Hartley let run through to the deadly right foot (I mean, stats don't lie) of Beau Parsons. 1-0 Blue Star as Parsons looked to solidify his spot as the Sky Blues' leading goal getter.

Blue Star continued to push forward and exploit the vast amounts of space on the AAFC flanks and came close multiple times before Parsons bagged his second from almost the same place on the pitch as the first. Judd Haag beat his man down the right flank and served a ball into Parsons who settled on the six and finished easily. 2-0 Blue Star.

They say 2-0 is the most dangerous scoreline in soccer, and Blue Star set about proving that point as soon as the second goal found twine. Seemingly feeling the game was won, Blue Star stopped pushing and lost control of the midfield. It was from midfield possession that an AAFC forward was played in over the top of the Blue Star defense and finished over a charging Steven Riley. 2-1 and suddenly the match was on.

Blue Star came close again as the second half died down first from a Jon Scott header following a Doug Starnes set piece and then a swing and a miss from Starnes only two yards out. Mercifully, Aaron Grant and Judd Haag were able to atone for these misses as Grant found Haag running into space off a set piece. Haag hammered his volley past the helpless AAFC goalkeeper. 3-1 Bue Star and all seemed to be set right again.

Unfortunately, such was not the case. Only moments later, makeshift center back Brett Craig found himself behind a charging AAFC forward and his challenge in the box was deemed unfair by the center referee. Penalty! AAFC's designated penalty guru stepped up and slotted home to Steven Riley's right side. 3-2 Blue Star at the half.

Blue Star came out of the break determined to get more goals and shore up the back line, but fate conspired against them. AAFC was obviously encouraged by their late half push and were rejuvenated by the arrival of late coming players. They were still a man down, but all of that would change.

Steven Riley charged out of his goal to challenge a sent through AAFC forward, but missed timed his tackle and clattered into the AAFC man. Another penalty and, even worse, a straight red for Riley. One time goalkeeper Doug Starnes stepped into the net to try and preserve the lead and was rewarded when AAFC's penalty not-so-guru hit a weak shot to the same spot where he had previously scored. Starnes only had to fall to his right (which is good because he just turned 29 and probably could not have dived).

The rest of the match saw back and forth action with both AAFC and Blue Star coming close on a number of occasions. Cort Fondon served two or three delightful balls across the AAFC area, but Blue Star's attacking players were unable to latch on to the service. Sam Robertson, having another stellar match, should have done better on two occasions but was unable to get his shots on target. Rich Hartley also had a great chance go begging as his eyes must have lit up at being unmarked so close to the AAFC goal.

All in all, a scrappy performance that should not have been so close, but ended in a victory for the Sky Blues. Special mention has to go to Nick Stahl who absolutely had a monster of a game. He followed his mark well and cleaned up a number of AAFC forays into the Blue Star defensive third while also launching the attack with well-timed passes and intelligent runs from the back.

Beau Parsons also had an exceptional match and locked down the golden boot with 5 goals on the season.

Judd Haag was a constant source of energy on the pitch for Blue Star and his goal and assist were matched only by his willingness to enter the match at center back in the last few minutes to lock down the Blue Star goal and preserve the victory.

Blue Star currently sit second in the table behind Uptown FC, but have played as many as five games more than those midtable.

Goals: Beau Parsons (Doug Starnes), Beau Parsons (Judd Haag), Judd Haag (Aaron Grant)

Blue Star Shines Early, Fades Late, But Avoids The Supernova...or Some such Other Celestial Implosion

2009-06-21T21:35:00.001-07:00

A belated match report here, but Blue Star Indianapolis is still recovering from their sudden offensive onslaught against Inferno FC Sunday last. Looking forward to their first match since gaining the first three points of the season, Blue Star Indianapolis looked to continue their June dominance against Inferno FC in a weekend blighted by field and referee confusion.

Negotiating the confusion of dueling referee and field assignments, both Blue Star and Inferno finally got all of their players to one pitch and kicked off a 1PM game in the men's premier league. Staring on the good foot, Blue Star saw early pressure in the Inferno defensive third and solid possession in midfield go unrewarded as what would turn into a combative match took on its early character.

Unfortunately for the sky blues (recently resigned to playing in black for good luck), their early inability to mark off a corner kick saw an Inferno player control the ball off his chest and finish smartly from just inside the six. 1-0 Inferno.

Refusing to concede so early in the match, Blue Star kicked it into another gear and were rewarded when makeshift forward Steven Riley won a penalty kick with determined hustle. Sam Robertson stepped up and hammered the ensuing spot kick into the Inferno net. 1-1 and the recovery was complete.

Not looking to let Inferno FC back into the match, the sky blues continued their early pressure and soon Beau Parsons was able to latch onto a bungled clearance in the Inferno box after a solid Cort Fondon knock down. Parsons' acrobatic flying volley found the back of the net and Blue Star was cruising. 2-1.

The onslaught continued with Fondon coming close again after a Parsons lay off following a sixty yard ball out of the back from center back Doug Starnes. It didn't take long for the Blue Star to capitalize yet again when Ross Klippel latched onto a free ball in the box and slot home for Blue Star's third. 3-1 Blue Star.

Shortly thereafter and still in the first half, Riley won yet another free kick on the edge of the Inferno area and this time Judd Haag stepped up to the ball and curled his effort into the roof of the Inferno goal. 4-1 Blue Star and the route looked to be on.

Unfortunately, the oppressive heat and humidity (and black jerseys) conspired against the good guys as Inferno were able to rally in the second half and take advantage of some sloppy and tired defending. Inferno's second goal came from another corner as a white's midfielder was able to ghost unmarked into the box and place a beautiful headed effort out of reach of stellar Blue Star goalkeeper Robert Coonfield. Not long afterwards, a botched goal kick led to an Inferno numbers advantage and an Inferno effort corkscrewed off the post to make the scoreline 4-3 Blue Star.

the final moments of the match were tense as Blue Star looked to weather storm after storm of marauding Inferno runs at their defense. Beau Parson's had a chance to put the game out of reach after a drive Doug Starnes spot kick, but his effort blazed just wide of the top corner. Fortunately, the opportunity missed did not come back to haunt the sky blues as the final whistle blew amidst a sea of protests coming from and cards delivered to the Inferno squad. Final score: Blue Star Indianapolis 4 Inferno FC 3.

Goals: Sam Robertson (penalty) Beau Parsons (unassisted) Ross Klippel (unassisted) Judd Haag (unassisted)

Blue Star Stars

2009-06-08T22:32:00.000-07:00

Building on a 2-2 draw with Old Yeller FC two weeks ago, Blue Star Indianapolis finally posted a win on the season last Sunday. Beaming with confidence, the sky blues clashed with second place FC Miller for the late fixture Sunday night and came away with all three points.

No doubt buoyed by their 8-1 demolition of Old Blue United, FC Miller came to the match looking for a walk in the park against a Sky Blue team that has underperformed this season. Never underestimate a beleaguered squad.

Starting in a confident 4-4-2 formation, Blue Star immediately took the fight to FC Miller and found quite a bit of joy down the left flank with Sam Robertson, Nate Connor, Schuyler Wareham, and Brett Craig combining for some nifty forays into the Miller defensive third. Multiple chances on the FC Miller goal went begging as Ross Klippel, Sam Robertson, and Beau Parsons narrowly missed opening the account for the Blues in an possession game that left FC Miller wondering why their opposition found themselves so low in the table.

First half goalkeeper Steven Riley found little to do as Blue Star weathered the sporadic FC Miller attacks with the help from solid defensive play by Spencer Squires, Frank Dale, Nate Connor, Aaron Grant, and the ever energetic brothers Stahl. 0-0 at the half.

Robert Coonfield replaced Riley in the Blue Star goal to start the second half and filled in nicely as the good guys continued to press for the opening goal. No doubt frustrated by the obstinence of their opponents' impervious goal, FC Miller pressed but to no avail. Jon Scott, Brett Craig, and, surprisingly, Steven Riley (I mean, c'mon, he's a freakin' goalkeeper!) went close, but the deadlock remained.

After a near mooning of the center referee by Brett Craig, Blue Star found themselves with another opportunity on the increasingly stressed FC Miller goal. From a fortuitously awarded corner kick, Ross Klippel served lofted ball into a six yard box inundated with Sky Blue players. Blue Star forward Beau Parsons was able to sneak to the back post and pile drive Klippel's service into the FC Miller goal. 1-0 Blue Star!

The final fifteen minutes of the match saw the Sky Blues put in the dirty work to see out their first win of the season . Special consideration has to go to Nate Connor and Sam Robertson who absolutely exhausted the FC Miller right back with their constant forays into the Miller half as well as Spencer Squires, Judd Haag, and Schuyler Wareham who were able to both blow up attacks and dictate the flow of play through their well timed passes and solid tackles.

Blue Star will hope for a full squad this Sunday as they face Inferno FC in what is sure to be an exciting encounter.

C'mon you Blues!

Goals: Beau Parsons (Ross Klippel)

Points! Er...point?

2009-06-04T04:01:00.000-07:00

Blue Star Indianapolis finally got on the good foot with a hard won point against Old Yeller FC last Sunday. Coming off yet another long break and disappointing result to Dynamo FC in their previous match, Blue Star were hopeful that a large, fit squad would be available to play Old Yeller, but various commitments and last minute conflicts resigned the team to another match which required some creative positioning and exhausting run outs.

However, the team were up to it and started brightly. Some good passing interchanges and quick defensive pressure in midfield seemed to instill the team with belief and Blue Star missed out on the opening goal only due to their inability to deliver the final ball.

At about the fifteen minute mark, Old Yeller found space on the left flank and the resulting seeing-eye pass found it's way to the six where it was slotted smartly home by an Old Yeller striker. 1-0 Old Yeller. The next five minutes saw Blue Star struggle to regain their composure. No doubt thinking, "Here we go again," Blue Star were lucky to not concede another as Old Yeller hit the post once and misfired on a number of occasions.

After weathering the momentary Old Yeller storm, Blue Star began to find space down the right flank but were again let down by the final ball and could never trouble the Old Yeller goalkeeper with a proper shot. 1-0 at the half.

The second half started with Old Yeller on the attack. Perhaps frustrated with their inability to put Blue Star away, Old Yeller began to push numbers forward and enjoyed the run of play for the first fifteen minutes of the second half. Blue Star often struggled to clear the ball away in the face of the Old Yeller onslaught, and it was after one of these troubled clearances that an Old Yeller midfielder collected the ball and struck toward goal from a full 25 yards. Blue Star goalkeeper Steven Riley dove well for the ball, but was only able to paw the air as Old Yeller finished their second. 2-0 Old Yeller.

At 2-0 down, Blue Star easily could have tanked it and gone home for the day, but the second goal, in conjunction with the season's previous results just seemed to piss them off. In particular, Sam Robertson, the brothers Stahl, Spencer Squires, and Jon Scott stepped up their intensity and lifted the rest of the team with them.

At about fifteen minutes from time, Jon Scott was played in beautifully down the Old Yeller right flank. He bent his run into the ball and struck a perfect driven ball low across the Old Yeller goal which fit again Brett Craig one timed into the net. 2-1 Blue Star and some belief was injected into the squad.

Adopting a more aggressive 4-3-3 formation, Blue Star began to push for an equalizer. With another player further up the field, the three Blue Star midfielders began to see more time on the ball. After Ross Klippel won possession from an Old Yeller midfielder trying to break the pressure on his defense, Doug Starnes found himself in space 35 yards from goal. Seeking to finally test a shaky Old Yeller goalkeeper (or maybe just too tired to run at the heart of the Old Yeller defense), Starnes hit at hope and was rewarded as the Old Yeller keeper looked less to be attempting a save and more likely fending off a swarm of bees. 2-2, honors even.

Desperate to maintain at least a draw, Blue Star did what they had to in the final ten minutes to earn the draw. Steven Riley, atoning for the second Old Yeller goal, saved smartly three or four times in the final minute to bail out an exhausted back line. In the end, 2-2 was a just result and finally gives Blue Star something to build on in the last half of the season.

Goals: Brett Craig (Jon Scott), Doug Starnes (unassisted)

Lightning Strikes Twice

2009-05-20T14:29:00.000-07:00

After a lengthy layoff, Blue Star continued its season with a match last Friday against Dynamo FC. Although the squad was somewhat thin with concern to numbers off the bench, the quality of all players present was never in question and Blue Star was hopeful of getting off its slide against a young Dynamo team after having lost three on the bounce. Such was not to be the case.

Starting with a relatively makeshift lineup due to late arrivals, Blue Star started hopefully and was able to maintain possession and stifle early Dynamo forays into its defensive third. The squad seemed invigorated and energetic and created several nice moves into threatening positions only to be let down by the final ball.

Unfortunately, Dynamo was fist on the score sheet after one of the Reds' forwards lost his mark and slotted home nicely out of the reach of Blue Star goalkeeper Steven Riley. This seemed to be the wake up call Blue Star needed and, after some late arrivals allowed the team to adjust to a more balanced formation, quickly pulled one back. Rich Hartley, playing in an unaccustomed defensive role, found first time starter Fraser Laveay in the middle of the park . Laveay turned with space in front of him and weighted a teasing ball into the Dynamo eighteen yard box that Judd Haag was able to run onto and, after pushing his initial touch into the keeper, recovered and found the back of the net.

Moments later, released from his defensive responsibilities by the solid work of Nathan Connor, Brian Pfiefler, Doug Starnes, Sam Robertson, and Frank Dale, Laveay was able to find space out on the left flank, beat his marker, and looped a curling shot (cross?) into the far side netting of the Dynamo goal. 2-1 Blue Star and the pace was quickening.

After a number of other half chances and long range saves by the Dynamo goalkeeper, the Reds seemed to find their feet again and only a miraculous save from Steven Riley kept Blue Star out in front. Going into the half, Blue Star was up and eyeing its first victory of the season.

Unfortunately, the lack of numbers off the bench seemed to catch up to the Sky Blues as the second half began and fatigue made it difficult to get numbers forward. Balls out of the Blue Star defensive third began to find only Dynamo players and it was through this inability to maintain possession that Dynamo midfielder Jimmy Carson was able to collect the ball and make a run toward the Blue Star goal. However, this move should have been whistled for hand ball after Carson batted the ball into his path, but the referee was out of position to make the call and Blue Star defender Doug Starnes was left to foul Carson in an effort to prevent an unchallenged run into the box. The following set piece from 25 yards out found the back of the net. 2 all.

A goalkeeping change two thirds through the second half saw Robert Coonfield replace Steven Riley in the Blue Star goal, but although he was able to make three or four timely saves, moments into his Blue Star debut, a ball over the top landed at the feet of a Dynamo forward and he cooly finished to give Dynamo FC a 3-2 lead.

The final moments of the match saw Blue Star compose themselves somewhat and several nice attacking moves petered out inside the Dynamo goal area. In a frustrating repeat of the season's first match, the game was called due to approaching lightning with ten minutes still to play and, like the first match, Blue Star found themselves on the wrong end of a frustrating 3-2 loss.

Despite the continued struggles and high goals against average, Blue Star can take some positives from the performance and hope to build on those positives in the second half of the season. Firstly, the additions of Fraser Laveay and Brian Pfiefler to the squad address key areas that had been lacking in the first three matches. Laveay played provider on one goal and scored the second and his industry and creativity in the middle of the field allowed Judd Haag to operate up top and become a nice foil to hold up strikers like Beau Parsons and Jon Scott. Pfiefler's addition in the back gives Blue Star some speed to cover transitional breaks and allows Doug Starnes to play a little more into the midfield where he can spread play to the wings and not get too exposed due to his relative lack of speed.

Having finally created several quality chances from the flow of play, Blue Star will be looking to get their first win of the season in the coming weeks. Onward and upward...provided the lightning stays away.

Goals: Judd Haag (Fraser Laveay), Fraser Laveay (unassisted)

Blue Star Blues

2009-04-28T13:59:00.000-07:00

After a series of rain cancellations, Blue Star faced their second and third opponents of the campaign on Friday night and Sunday afternoon, respectively. Anxious hopes to right the ship after a missed opportunity on the opening weekend of the season were soon dashed as the Sky Blues found themselves down two in the opening minutes of their match against Uptown FC.

First hand accounts of the match reported Blue Star to be emotionally flat, easily pulled out of shape, and largely out-classed by Uptown FC. The night ended in a 5-1 defeat that was given a modicum of respect when Beau Parsons cooly finished in the waning minutes of the match. All told, the match was a poor showing for a team that would only see its season's hopes fall even further on Sunday afternoon against a strong BRSC side playing in it's first match of the season.

Comparative reports of the two matches seem to suggest that the Sky Blues played more respectably in the BRSC match, but tired legs abounded and it was only a matter of time before three small Blue Star mistakes compounded a la that one Decepticon made up of all the little Decepticons to create BRSC's opening goal. A scuffed clearance, blown mark, and another scuffed clearance led to a BRSC strike that was never in doubt as it hammered the back of the net from four yards.

The remaining minutes of the half were rather uneventful. Although BRSC was able to dictate the pace of the match, they were having trouble taking advantage of clear opportunities and it looked as though the match would go to halftime 1-0. However, with only a few seconds remaining until the halftime whistle, a suspect penalty was awarded after some mutual shirt tugging in the box. BRSC was able to convert the PK and the teams went to the break BRSC 2-0 Blue Star Indianapolis.

The second goal hit Blue Star like a punch to the gut and frustrations began to vent in unproductive ways. The second half started exactly as the first ended with Blue Star conceding yet another penalty only five minutes in. That makes four conceded in three games. BRSC converted the second just as they had the first and the rout was on.

As Blue Star pushed for at least a consolation goal, BRSC began to get more opportunities on goal. If it weren't for two spectacular Steven Riley saves, the score line would have been even more ridiculous. As it was, BRSC was able to find the net one more time on a thunderbolt from 22 yards out to the upper corner. 4-0 and all Blue Star was able to muster was a desire for the final whistle to blow.

Moving into a long break from action, Blue Star sits bottom of the table after three matches and will be hoping to figure themselves out in the coming weeks. It's certainly been an unlucky string of matches for the Sky Blues and they arguably faced the top two sides in the league on the same weekend.

Only one way to go from here...

Goals: Beau Parsons (?)

Blue Star Runs Out of Time

2009-04-06T17:22:00.001-07:00

Blue Star Indianapolis kicked off its inaugural season with a first match loss to Old Blue United. Despite the loss and a poor first half display, Blue Star has to be encouraged by their efforts in the second half pulling back two goals after giving up three in the first 45 minutes. One gets the feeling that if the match had not been called due to lightning a little over ten minutes from the final whistle, an equalizer was in the cards.

The opening ten minutes of the match saw Blue Star complete some nice short passes to find space on the flanks and in the middle of the final third, but the final ball was not there and the build up more often than not resulted in searching through balls and long range efforts that never threatened the Old Blue goalkeeper.

As the first half progressed, Old Blue started to find their feet and began springing players down the flanks into threatening spaces. Playing three in the back, Blue Star started to come a bit unravelled defensively and resorted to long balls out of the defense to no one in particular. Eventually, Blue Star's lack of possession allowed an Old Blue midfielder to play a ball over the top to an onrushing Old Blue forward who beat Doug Starnes and Frank Dale to the ball and slotted his shot past goalkeeper Steven Riley. 1-0 Old Blue.

Although the goal came somewhat against the flow of play, Old Blue was encouraged by the match opener and started to possess in midfield and find their passes forward. A few minutes later, a set piece on Old Blue's right flank led to a lofted ball to the top of the eighteen that center back Doug Starnes misjudged. His inability to win the ball in the air created space for an Old Blue forward who controlled the ball with his chest and smartly finished a full volley over Riley's head and into the top corner. 2-0 Old Blue.

Blue Star was able to collect themselves after going two goals to the bad and a number of marauding runs from Nate Connor, Sam Robertson, and Judd Haag saw shots travel just either side of the Old Blue goal. Unfortunately, Blue Star's inability to pull one back was punished in the last 15 minutes of the first half when a through ball by an Old Blue midfielder was cleared by Steven Riley off the legs of Frank Dale and unluckily fell directly to the feet of an unmarked Old Blue forward. 3-0 and the route looked to be on.

Just before the half time whistle, Tim Blom was unlucky to see his acrobatic overhead kick deflect off of an Old Blue defender and trickle harmlessly to the Old Blue goalkeeper. A bright spot in an otherwise forgettable half. The score at the break was 3-0 and Blue Star was left wondering what had happened.

As the second half began, Blue Star seemed determined to make the score line more respectable and came out feeding off of Nathan Connor's intensity in the middle of the park. Moments into the first half, a smart ball from Connor found Brett Craig in space down the right flank and his low, driven ball through the area found Ross Klippel on the back post. Kilppel looked second best to the ball, but put in a determined challenge that did just enough to find the net. 3-1.

Charged by the goal, a similar build up led to a Rich Hartley cross that found Brett Craig on the six with only the keeper to beat. Craig took his time to settle the ball unaware of an approaching Old Blue defender who was able to tackle the ball away from him. Fortunately, it popped right back to Craig who kept his wits and was able to find the net with his left foot as he fell to the ground under the weight of another challenge. 3-2 Old Blue.

As the weather approached, Blue Star began to play with more urgency going forward and Rich Hartley was unlucky to not bury a header following a beautiful Cam Brown cross from the right flank. However, the desire to find an equalizer led to numerous Old Blue counterattacks that Blue Star was sometimes lucky to deal with.

A little over 10 minutes from time, the match was called due to approaching lightning and Blue Star was left disappointed with their opening display. With more time playing together and a better organization with concern to subs and formation, they should be able to right the ship in coming matches. All told, there were encouraging signs from the match and, despite the loss, a number of solid individual performances were put in on the day. In particular, Nathan Connor played with the intensity and verve that typically mark his play and Blue Star will hope that in the coming matches every player can equal his intensity.

Goals: Ross Klippel (Brett Craig), Brett Craig (unassisted).