| Andre Press Sports Ticker Sudwerk Drops Doubleheader By Andreas Agocs AP Soccer Writer DAVIS, Calif., March 6 -- The two top teams of the league proved too strong for FC Sudwerk in a doubleheader played Tuesday on the last day of the regular Davis adult soccer indoor season Sudwerk lost 4-2 to Davis United and 5-2 against Woodland, extending its losing streak to four games. The injury-plagued red-and-black had to play without skipper and defensive midfielder Andrew LaMar, out for much of the season with a knee injury. In addition, defensive organizer and England international Dave Raybould had to pause after injuring his ankle during training. In a positive development for the club, however, goalkeeper Chris Lief returned to the lineup with a standout performance, and striker Bruce Berry was back to add his guile and pace to Sudwerk's offense. Sudwerk began strongly in its first game against title hopefuls Davis United. The reshuffled Sudwerk defense, organized by Patrick Chandler and Andreas Agocs, played cohesively and withstood early United pressure. Newly signed Renee Wurschmidt proved again that she is a valuable addition to Sudwerk's defensive lineup. In a newly devised strategy for the club, forward Joncarlo Mark had the assignment of "shadowing" United's playmaker and league star Matt Amaral. Mark's play rendered Amaral largely ineffective for most of the game, while it didn't prevent Mark to get involved in Sudwerk's offensive efforts. Davis United opened the scoring after 4 minutes on a header by Kass Tavakoli, who took advantage of a brief moment of confusion in Sudwerk's defense. Minutes later, Berry equalized on a rebound after Agocs had dribbled the ball across the field and placed a shot that United's goalkeeper could only palm away. On the other side of the field, Sudwerk goalkeeper Lief came up with a spectacular save in the 7th minute, denying midfielder Amaral on one of the star player's rare breakaways. In an entertaining and exciting game, United led 2-1 by halftime and increased their lead to three goals early in the second half. Although striker Ralph Garcia scored on a powerful shot in the 16th minute, in the end the depth of United's player pool decided the game in the title contender's favor. Sudwerk's greatest opportunity came with 3 minutes left to go in the second half, when Armando Murrieta's precise pass from the edge of the box found Mark open a few yards in front of United's goal. Mark's close-range shot was blocked by United's goalkeeper, however. In the second game of the evening, Sudwerk encountered a Woodland side that was rested and in high spirits after a 4-2 victory over Big Pern's Posse earlier in the day. Sudwerk dominated the game early and set up a number of scoring opportunities. It was Woodland, however, that went ahead on a vigorous shot by Jeff Henderson from steep angle. Minutes later, Agocs received the equalizer on a rebound of a Murrieta shot but although Sudwerk increased its offensive pressure, the team failed to capitalize on its play. Murrieta and Garcia had a number of scoring opportunities that were denied by the outstanding performance of Woodland's goalkeeper Todd Cook. After Erica Ramsay established Woodland's lead early in the second half, the exhausting schedule of the evening, combined with a lack of substitutes after Berry left the field injured, took its toll on Sudwerk's play. Within a 3-minute spell in the middle of the second half, the red-and-black fell behind 5-1, and Garcia's second goal of the night came to late to rally the team once more. "The second half of the game, we were just tired," goalkeeper Lief said. Sudwerk's president and CEO Ramal Werdna, who attended the governor's election party at the time of the game, a sign of the growing influence of soccer in California politics, was unavailable for comment Tuesday. A club spokesman indicated however that Werdna would exert his influence over the governor to prevent future scheduling mishaps like Tuesday's, when the state Primary elections took place on the day of the last regular-season games of the league. "This could not have happened in countries like Italy or Brazil," the spokesperson said. With much of the local and state media focused on the California Primary elections, Sudwerk's games for the first time were covered by German ARD television, which broadcast two entertaining and exciting matches to an overseas audience. In other league action, Woodland beat Big Pern's Posse 4-2 and Julie's Coeds forfeited to Big Pern's Posse. FC Sudwerk will meet both Davis United and Woodland again in the tournament-style playoffs next week. After three consecutive defeats, the brewery-sponsored club is not counted among the favorites. However, going into the playoff as "underdogs" may be in the team's favor indicated Joncarlo Mark. "We are the snake on the ground," the striker mused on ARD television - and Sudwerk's playoff opponents better beware where they tread. ## |