Sunday saw an early 09H00 start in Belém for our U15 A team against the CP Ladies, a game where both teams played with kicking backs.

Three minutes in to the match a LC shot found a CP defenders foot on the goal line and a penalty was awarded in our favor. Captain Vicente stepped up and scored the first goal of the game. On the 11th minute of the game, John found a gap in the CP defense and dribbled through the circle to the back line and flicked the ball in to the goal, scoring the second goal of the match. A CP attack saw a near certain goal against us, but a diving save from Kim kept the ball out.

Near the end of the 1st half, another penalty was awarded to the LC, but the CP kicking back saved John’s strike, tacking us into halftime leading 0-2. The second half proved to be a bit of a stale mate, and only in the last two minutes of the game we won two short corners, both drag flicked in to the net by John.

Next Sunday Lisbon Casuals U15 A team face off Casa Pia’s U15 team which promises to be a cracker of a match!

Casa Pia Ladies 0 – 4 Lisbon Casuals U15 A

Joe Kodde

The U15s won their third outdoor game of the season 4-0 against CF Benfica Ladies, to pull into second position on goal difference in the SF/S-15 outdoor competition. However, starting with one player less than the opposition, without their usual defensive line-up and with the Benfica Ladies hard hitting and determined play on their home pitch, the young lads struggled to get ahead. The side adopted a more defensive line up after fifteen hard minutes and one goal from Martim Gonçalves pushed in from the left post after a scramble in their area, was all they could manage before the interval. In the second half, being more tired, they had to pass the ball around more and this actually helped their play with John and Vicente tirelessly combining in midfield to build up each attack. They found the stick of newcomer Aires Túlio several times on the right hand post and he managed to convert two to make it 3-0. A change in the short corner line brought the final goal with Vicente working the ball round to Fredric who found the goal from the right hand side with a well struck ball to make it 4-0.

James Harrison

No passado Domingo, os S15 do Lisbon Casuals HC deslocaram-se até Benfica para defrontar os S15 do Clube Futebol Benfica.

O LC controlou o jogo com muita posse de bola, mas sem conseguir ultrapassar a defesa, aparentemente impenetrável, da equipa da casa. Foi finalmente aos 17 minutos que o LC conseguiu marcar o primeiro golo, concretizado pelo John Harrison.

Aos 22 minutos de jogo, Aires Túlio marca golo com um bom desvio ao 2º poste. Este foi imediatamente seguido pelo último golo da 1ª parte, marcado pelo Sebastian Baird. É de salientar a solidez defensiva das irmãs Kim e Fleur Huijsmans, nesta 1ª parte do jogo.

Vicente Mourão começa logo a marcar golo nos primeiros 4 minutos da segunda parte. Mas, novamente, o CF Benfica cria dificuldades ao LC com uma forte defesa e criando contra-ataques perigosos. Aos 50 minutos, Diogo Santos marca o 5º golo do jogo e aos 56 minutos, John aponta o seu segundo e último golo do jogo.

Uma importante vitória após a derrota, frente às Ladies do LC, da semana anterior.

Joe Kodde

 CFBenfica 0 – 6 Lisbon Casuals HC

 Atletas: Vicente Mourão (C), John Harrison, Kim Huijsmans (SC), Diogo Santos, Alfredo Burnay, Fleur Huijsmans, Sebastian Baird, Frederic Machado, Aires Túlio, Manuel Silva e António Silva.

Last weekend the U15 returned to the outdoor competition, maintaining their unbeaten record. The Casuals started the game with one player short and half of the team away due to school holidays. As a result they were trailing 1-3 against Belenenses Ladies at the interval, their only goal coming from a short corner struck by John Harrison. However, the Casuals came back strongly in the second 30 minutes with a goal apiece from Vicente Mourão, from a short corner, and Michelle Green with a tip in, combining with John. John then showed his increasing maturity as a player, presenting the audience with 2 amazing field goals combining with Vicente both times. Belenenses got one back, but John converted a penalty stroke in the last minute to make it a 6-4 win for the young sun warriors.

João Miguel Freitas

A brilliant win for the U15s against the former ladies national indoor champions Belenenses, The best game this team ever played: despite the early concession of a strong goal by Belenenses from a short corner, the young ones pushed forward and got the equalizer through Vicente Mourão just before the half-time. Diogo Lima and Marina Gancedo were electric in the LCHC attack, creating numerous opportunities; in the defence John Harrison was a gigantic wall stopping almost all the Belenenses ladies’ attacks. In the second half Belenenses, needing a win to ensure their presence in the ladies national finals, started to push forward: but it was LCHC that controlled the game with a brilliant defence and well organized strategy, and all Belenenses’ attempts were stopped by our ‘Little Giant’  Maarten Green who is becoming a serious case study!! The goal of the day was scored by the usual suspect, Vicente Mourão, from a short corner against LCHC saved by Maarten, Vicente recovered the ball and went straight for goal, dribbling through the entire Belenenses team and scored!!  The 3^rd goal came from a brilliant move starting with Kim (another wall in defence) straight to Diogo Lima, and then to Marina Gancedo who closed the score on a fantastic 3-1.

JMF