Ottawa soccer league: Sporting Peru vs Gloucester Stingers (VIDEO).

Watch the Gloucester Stingers player in red shorts (#22)

Aug 08, 2023

Welcome to my new blog called “MIVI: Magic Triangle”. It is entirely apolitical, meant to share some stories from my life. It is published as an amusement (fun) supplement to my other blog called “IVIM: Who can tell me the truth?” which is dedicated to global and concerning issues.

This blog is mainly shared with my close friends and colleagues, but you are welcome wherever you are reading it from, to follow along. More stories, including my music and poetry, will be coming.

This inaugural issue starts with one of the key passions of my life - soccer.

I love soccer. To me, it’s a mini-model of how people, in general, should be living in this world: seeing each other, finding the best place for yourself on the field to be of most value to the team, and engaging everyone through passing, regardless of the skill you have. You can be a beginner or an expert; everyone plays together.

I have had great luck and pleasure playing in the Ottawa soccer league this year, with some of my former NRC colleagues and new and old friends. Everything is real there - we play on a full-size field, full time, with referees, coaches, captains, fans, and even a TV crew sometimes, like this time when leading teams are playing against each other. Incidentally, this was also the time when I played in red shorts, so you can easily spot me there :)

It was also when I had to leave in mid-game to bring my daughter back from the gym. When I left (at 30’), it was a very close game at 0:0. Then, when I came back (at 75’), it was already 0:1 with twelve minutes left to go. In these twelve minutes, we managed to change the score to 3:1, and I was lucky to be part of this rather historical breakthrough in this quite dramatic game.

This is how our captain described it:

After falling behind 1-0 last night in the second half we were definitely teetering. They just needed one more nudge to topple us off the cliffs of Machu Picchu and send us crashing into a deep Peruvian ravine. But it was not to be! Dmitry returned from his midgame errand in time to send a sumptuous cross to a charging Paul who scored the clutch header to tie the game. While Sporting Peru were still in shock we pressed them deep in their zone. Iain picked up a loose ball and fired on net. The keeper, apparently preoccupied with the puddle he was standing in, was unable to corral the shot and suddenly we had the 2-1 lead. Our insurance goal was almost a repeat of our first. This time Fil sent in the beautiful cross that Paul redirected for his brace.
It was looking bleak for most of the match but we had the quality when it mattered! The crosses supplied by Dmitry & Fil were top-notch, and Paul made sure he got to the spot to make them count. Also of particular note were Roger's early saves to keep us in the game, and Roley's great one-on-one coverage on the back line. Thank you Dave for making the double trip from Richmond when you realized you didn't have your cleats - we really needed you in that second half. Oh yeah, we also survived a frantic goal line stand when they seemed to have a sure goal coming but somehow we managed to get enough bodies in the way to save the day.
A special treat today! The league actually filmed our game (I had no idea). Here are the abbreviated highlights of the match - enjoy!!!

Moments of specific interest with player #22 (in red shorts) :

0:50 - Multi-passing contre-attack (4 passes!) with me missing the targert :(
6:45 - Equalizer from my crossing pass

You can also watch the entire 9 minutes of highlights. Perhaps you’ll get the same thrill as from the US - Sweden Women world Cup 2023 game highlights shown also below. It was also quite dramatic! You can also compare both highlights :)

Sporting Peru vs Gloucester Stingers Full Highlights (9 mins)