Acing the Spring '18 AUBG Soccer League




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  • 2018-05-06 20:43:23
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  Towards the end of each semester-long season, the best student-players line themselves up to play for the title of the AUBG Soccer League. In this spring's final, Team "A" came on top in a clash against Dve rakii, molq! to take the league trophy. The Spring '18 season featured a new format to the soccer league, as changes had to be made by the two co-presidents, Denis Kirilov and Ivan Nikolov, both second-year students, due to the small number of participating teams. Playoff groups were introduced to determine the teams to advance to the semi-finals. "This change was necessary because of the lack of interest from current freshmen and future students. I see that as a worrying trend," said Nikolov. There was also plenty of controversy surrounding the league this semester. Phoenix were disqualified from the tournament for starting a fight in a group stage match against All United. Later on the presidents decided to disqualify both teams from the competition, despite All United's protests. Nikolov maintained that the decision had been taken in accordance to the league's constitution.
"It is true that Phoenix started the fight, but I could not ignore the five to six All United players that fought as well," said Nikolov. "As far as I know players from both teams had a grudge outside the pitch, and after the fight took place I disqualified Phoenix directly, because their captain started the fight, but I could not just leave All United there. If only a single All United player took part in the fight, then I would disqualify only him and the entire team of Phoenix, but five players were too many."
[caption id="attachment_39557" align="aligncenter" width="1009"]Group stage results; From AUBG Soccer League's official Facebook page Group stage results; from AUBG Soccer League's official Facebook page[/caption] The two playoff groups determined the four semi-finalists, placing the first team in the "Red" group against the second in the "Blue" group, and vice versa. This meant that Team "A" played Laberia, and 0 ZateP faced Dve rakii, molq!, competing for a place in the Grand Final. The first leg matches offered no surprises as Team "A", ranked first after the group stage, comfortably beat Laberia with a score of 10-3, while 0 ZateP took a two-goal advantage ahead of the rematches. 0 ZateP seemed set to face Team "A" for a shot at the title, but the team of Dve rakii, molq! carried out one of the best underdog comebacks in recent seasons. [caption id="attachment_39540" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]Dve rakii, molq! player shooting; Steliyana Yordanova for AUBG Daily Dve rakii, molq! player Martin Ushatov shooting in the semi-final rematch; Steliyana Yordanova for AUBG Daily[/caption] [caption id="attachment_39616" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]Hristomir Dobrev and Plamen Dobrev (left to right) of Dve rakii, molq!; Steliyana Yordanova for AUBG Daily Dve rakii, molq! players Hristomir Dobrev and Plamen Dobrev (left to right); Steliyana Yordanova for AUBG Daily[/caption] [caption id="attachment_39541" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]HEADER Georgi Marinov of 0 ZateP; Steliyana Yordanova for AUBG Daily[/caption] In the first rematch, a seven-goal deficit proved insurmountable for Laberia as Team "A" advanced to the Grand Final with an aggregate score of 14-6. The second-leg clash between Dve rakii, molq! and 0 ZateP, on the other hand, was a dramatic display that saw Dve rakii, molq! score two goals to take the semi-final into a penalty shoot-out. The first half was marked by slow tactical play, with a few goalscoring opportunities for both sides. In the very beginning of the match Dve rakii, molq! managed to hit the woodwork after a poor clearance by 0 ZateP's goalkeeper. 0 ZateP players reacted almost immediately with a quick exchange of passes that ended up with one of their strikers hitting the post. Dve rakii, molq! struggled to create chances, but managed to outwit 0 ZateP, utilizing their substitutes particularly well. Georgi Dobrev, who came out as a substitute for Dve rakii, molq!, netted a header near the end of the first half to give his team hope for a comeback. The second half developed in a similar fashion, but this time 0 ZateP had significantly more chances. Plamen Dobrev, Dve rakii, molq!'s goalkeeper, made multiple clutch saves to keep his team in the game. With time running out, 0 ZateP looked confident to advance to the Grand Final, but Andri Ivanov's shot found the net with 10 minutes left on the clock to send the match into the roulette of penalties. Dve rakii, molq! came out victorious in the penalty shoot-out, as the team scored all five of their penalties, while Plamen Dobrev became the hero for his team, saving Ventsislav Marinov's penalty. Dobrev's goalkeeping echoed Jerzy Dudek's legendary performance in the 2005 Champions League final against AC Milan, who used various distracting movements at the goal to save two of AC Milan's penalties. [caption id="attachment_39615" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]Andri Ivanov taking a penalty for Dve rakii, molq!; Steliyana Yordanova for AUBG Daily Andri Ivanov taking a penalty for Dve rakii, molq!; Steliyana Yordanova for AUBG Daily[/caption] [caption id="attachment_39545" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]Plamen Dobrev saving a penalty for Dve rakii, molq!; Steliyana Yordanova for AUBG Daily Plamen Dobrev saving a penalty for Dve rakii, molq!; Steliyana Yordanova for AUBG Daily[/caption] [caption id="attachment_39547" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]Penyo Krotev scoring the deciding penalty; Steliyana Yordanova for AUBG Daily Penyo Krotev scoring the winning penalty; Steliyana Yordanova for AUBG Daily[/caption] The final, and the match for the third place, were played on Thursday, May 3, on the soccer field outside the ABF Student Center. In a close-tied showdown, the team of Laberia made a comeback against 0 ZateP to snatch the bronze medals, overcoming a 2-1 deficit to win the match 4-3. Later that evening, Team "A" won comfortably 6-2 against Dve rakii, molq! to take home the gold medals. This spring's season officially ended with a closing award ceremony, which took place immediately after the final in the Sports Hall inside the ABF Student Center. The presidents first gave away individual awards, which were distributed as follows: Top Goalscorer - Angel Dimitrov (Team “A”) - 20 goals MVP - Kristiyan Ganchev (0 ZateP) - 6 points Best Defender - Penyo Krotev (Dve rakii, molq!) - 7 points  Best non-student - Vencislav Marinov (0 ZateP) - 8 points Best Goalkeeper - Mariyan Djizov (Team “A”) - 7 points The team of Reckless, fifth in the final standings, got the award for fairplay, as the team finished the season without a single disciplinary point. The presidents then concluded the ceremony by giving away medals to the third-place finish, Laberia, and medals and trophies for the runner-ups, Dve rakii, molq!, and the champions, Team "A".