Monday, August 8, 2011
FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. - The Fort Myers stop on the 2011 Major Beach Soccer Series concluded Sunday afternoon as champions were crowned in the men’s and women’s open divisions, allowing passage to the Major Beach Soccer National Championships in Clearwater in December. After battling intense heat on Saturday and Sunday, ESPN Deportes Tampa captured the men’s open crown and Lakeland Reality captured the women’s title.
The men’s open final was played at the MBS Fort Myers stadium field, where ESPN Deportes Tampa followed up a second-place finish earlier in the summer with their first title of the 2011 Major Beach Soccer Series.
In a physical final, ESPN relied on their technique and possession game to tire their opponents. Forcing defenders to chase the play, ESPN came out in a confident manner and capitalized on several early chances. Jumping out to an early lead, ESPN got in front early and never looked back.
Behind the stellar play of Adee Kirkconnell on defense, ESPN never looked close to conceding more than a pair of goals in the match. ESPN scored on a penalty kick in the second period and seemed to be in the clear; however, they conceded a penalty within two minutes of the restart and looked to be on the back foot. With Oscar Carmona and Stephen Osorio provided attacking flair up front, they scored four goals in the next five minutes to seal the victory.
As legs began to tire in the third period of play, ESPN killed the game off by spreading out as much as possible on the field and keeping possession. Keeping the ball moving and under great control was essential to ESPN’s success, as they picked their spots to move forward as a team or fall back and defend as a team. It was a great display from the team that finished second at the MBS Clearwater tournament in July.
“It was a lot of fun!” Kirkconnell said. “It was great to be here a second time!”
It was a weekend that saw volleys, headers, and plenty of goals. More than 30 teams have battled the elements and the competition to qualify the MBS National Championships, set for December 17-18 in Clearwater.
This summer has seen MBS/Soccer in the Sand events held in seven locations throughout the United States, with a tournament in Boston remaining on the schedule. For details visit www.majorbeachsoccer.com.