Post by Scott Crawford on Jan 17, 2002 9:32:25 GMT -6
www.nola.com/sports/t-p/index.ssf?/sportsstory/leagues16.html
Olympiakos Football Club on top again
Soccer team wins seventh consecutive league championship
01/16/02
Left wing Billy Dwyer and center Matt Millet scored goals, and Millet made good on a penalty kick as the Olympiakos Football Club defeated the Uptown United Football Club 3-1 in the Southeast Louisiana Adult Soccer Association fall championship Sunday.
"It's a final, and in a final you always go for the results -- not to show off or anything," said Olympiakos forward George Papapanagiotou following his team's victory at the New Orleans Soccer Academy fields. Standing water at LaSalle Park prompted a venue change just before game time.
SELASA is the largest adult men's soccer association in the state, said George Chakon, president of the 16-team league. Many participants are international players from such places as Greece, Latin America, France and Vietnam. Others are locals who flourished at the high school and college level.
"Although this is a very competitive league, these guys play for recreation, absolutely," Chakon said. "It's a mix of those guys who weren't able to go on to have professional soccer careers and those who just like to play soccer."
Playing for Olympiakos, the champion for the past seven seasons, is former New Orleans Storm coach/player Danny Rebuck, Louie Smothermon, Colin Rocke and Robin Dixon.
"We all get on well," said Rebuck. "It's kind of nice."
"We have guys on this team who played college soccer, big-time college ball and professional ball at one time," said Olympiakos goalie Robbie Goertz, a graduate of De La Salle High School. "It's frustrating -- sometimes I stand back there guarding the goal, and the ball never comes my way."
The one that got by Goertz on Sunday, however, was by Rene Salmon of Uptown United.
"We could have won the game -- we missed the chances we had," Uptown United coach Mark Mussman said. "Olympiakos is a strong team with strong players -- we're making the push, but they're hard to crack."
Other Olympiakos players are Erick Aertker, Nick Danna, Shad Jeanfreau, Brian Landry, Danny Owens, Nicholas Chetta, Billy Dwyer, B.J. Scott, Mark Nichols, Graham Maclean, Karl Pfefferle and Nick Lambert.
In the semifinals, Olympiakos defeated the Stryker Football Club 9-0.
The SELASA spring league begins Sunday. On Memorial Day weekend, Olympiakos will compete at the U.S. National Cup in Gulfport, Miss. For more information or to join the league, visit futbolselasa.com.
Joy Hirdes can be reached at jhirdes@timespicayune.com or (504) 826-3807.
Olympiakos Football Club on top again
Soccer team wins seventh consecutive league championship
01/16/02
Left wing Billy Dwyer and center Matt Millet scored goals, and Millet made good on a penalty kick as the Olympiakos Football Club defeated the Uptown United Football Club 3-1 in the Southeast Louisiana Adult Soccer Association fall championship Sunday.
"It's a final, and in a final you always go for the results -- not to show off or anything," said Olympiakos forward George Papapanagiotou following his team's victory at the New Orleans Soccer Academy fields. Standing water at LaSalle Park prompted a venue change just before game time.
SELASA is the largest adult men's soccer association in the state, said George Chakon, president of the 16-team league. Many participants are international players from such places as Greece, Latin America, France and Vietnam. Others are locals who flourished at the high school and college level.
"Although this is a very competitive league, these guys play for recreation, absolutely," Chakon said. "It's a mix of those guys who weren't able to go on to have professional soccer careers and those who just like to play soccer."
Playing for Olympiakos, the champion for the past seven seasons, is former New Orleans Storm coach/player Danny Rebuck, Louie Smothermon, Colin Rocke and Robin Dixon.
"We all get on well," said Rebuck. "It's kind of nice."
"We have guys on this team who played college soccer, big-time college ball and professional ball at one time," said Olympiakos goalie Robbie Goertz, a graduate of De La Salle High School. "It's frustrating -- sometimes I stand back there guarding the goal, and the ball never comes my way."
The one that got by Goertz on Sunday, however, was by Rene Salmon of Uptown United.
"We could have won the game -- we missed the chances we had," Uptown United coach Mark Mussman said. "Olympiakos is a strong team with strong players -- we're making the push, but they're hard to crack."
Other Olympiakos players are Erick Aertker, Nick Danna, Shad Jeanfreau, Brian Landry, Danny Owens, Nicholas Chetta, Billy Dwyer, B.J. Scott, Mark Nichols, Graham Maclean, Karl Pfefferle and Nick Lambert.
In the semifinals, Olympiakos defeated the Stryker Football Club 9-0.
The SELASA spring league begins Sunday. On Memorial Day weekend, Olympiakos will compete at the U.S. National Cup in Gulfport, Miss. For more information or to join the league, visit futbolselasa.com.
Joy Hirdes can be reached at jhirdes@timespicayune.com or (504) 826-3807.
