Nike Boys v Richmond Kickers

The Magnificent 11!

After a very successful PWSI Tournament the Nike Boys took the pitch against the Richmond Kickers. The Nike Boys were beat up after the 5 games in 3 days in Northern Virginia. At game time they had 11 players on the pitch and no subs. Despite a few players nursing injuries the Nike Boys battled to a 2-0 halftime lead. The heat, injuries and lack of substitutes began to mount in the second half and took a toll on the boys. The Nike Boys allowed an early goal to push the score to 2-1. They fought on and almost closed out the game until the final 10 seconds when the Kickers were able to get the ball into the back of the Rush net.

Final Score: VA Rush 2 Kickers 2

Brett heading towards Goal!

Connor congratulated on his goal!

Wes...eye on the ball!

PT - Physical Training

Do you want to increase your upper body strength but you don't have access to a gym or the money to buy a set of weights and bench? No training partner to spot you? Just plain don't know what to do? How to train? How to put together a program?
Check out the links on the right. 100 pushups, 200 situps and 50 pullups. Click on the icon and the links will take you to the website where you can download the free program for each. No equipment at all needed for the pushup or situps. All you need for pullups is a doorway chinning bar. No training partner needed. No special equipment. Very little time. Do your upper body work on your off training days. Complete the programs and you will get stronger. Want to go further with some weight training? This will give you a good solid base of upper body strength to move onto weight training. You can do it anywhere & anytime.

Take the Challenge!

Cristiano Ronaldo

PWSI Toys for Tots Tournament - 2010

The U-16 Nike Boys traveled to northern Virginia over the Labor Day weekend to participate in the PWSI Toys for Tots Tournament. The Nike Boys started with a 1-0 win over the NVSC Thunder 94 with the only goal being scored by Brett. Ben celebrated his birthday in style with a pair of goals in the Nike Boys 2-0 win over SYA Alliance in the second game of the day. Sunday kicked off with much of the same. Wes scored the only goal in a 1-0 win over BRYC 94 Elite to give the Nike Boys a 3-0 record after the Bracket games.
In the Semi-Final the Nike Boys took on the SASA Revolution 94 Blue (that is a mouthful). A tight game early on was broken open in the second half when the SASA keeper blocked two shots from Brett but could not hang on to either one. The rebounds by Ben and Augie gave the Nike Boys a 2-0 win and a spot in the Tournament Final against PWSI Courage 94 Red.
In the Final injuries took their toll on the Nike Boys. With only one substitute left on the bench the Nike Boys battled on against the PWSI team and wave after wave of Courage subs. The game was 0-0 at the half but fatigue set in and the Courage took a 2-0 lead. The Nike Boys refused to quit and Wes put the team back in the game with a goal to make it 2-1. This was the only goal given up by the PWSI team in the entire tournament. The Nike Boys battled on but a very late goal gave the PWSI team the game and first place in the tournament.
The Nike Boys scored 7 goals in 5 games. They allowed only 4 goals (3 against PWSI) and Austin had 3 clean sheets. It was a great showing by this team that has only been together a few weeks. Great job coaching by Carey. Also a good chance for the parents and players to get to know one another. Great weekend boys. On to the VCCL and State Cup!

SUN CUP GOALS

The Sun Cup was several weeks ago but there were some sweet goals by the NIKE Boys. Here are the clips!

VA RUSH U-16 NIKE BOYS

The new VCCL season gets underway this coming weekend. The VA Rush U-16 NIKE Boys team has warmed up with the Sun Cup and the PWSI Tournament. The NIKE Boys won both games the first day of the Sun Cup before the remainder of the tournament was rained out.
The NIKE Boys traveled to Northern Virginia for the PWSI Tournament the first weekend in September 2010. The NIKE Boys won their first three games and won their bracket. The NIKE Boys continued with a 2-0 win in the Semi-Final before falling to PWSI in the Final.
More details, video and photos coming up. Keep up with the U-16 NIKE Boys on the NIKE BOYS BLOG!

Chesterfield Tournament

The Chesterfield Tournament is history and I don't believe anyone is sorry to see it behind us. No video highlights from the weekend because we really did not have many highlights this weekend. We were missing quite a few players and other players that were there were playing out of their normal position or injured. On the positive side the Nike Boys did get a chance to play a few games together and get back into the soccer mode. For the parents it was an interesting weekend. Frigid cold on Saturday morning and shirt sleeves on Sunday afternoon. Billy Shoen took the opportunity over the weekend to school Darren in the finer points of the tactical side of the game. I think playing 5 up top and one in the back may leave us just a wee bit open for a counter attack, but...
There was one injustice I felt over the weekend. The red card given out in the Richmond FC game to Aron Foster. I was next to the Richmond FC parents (and surprisingly was able to restrain myself from saying anything) and in front of the play when it happened. While challenging for the ball the Richmond FC player grabbed Aron by the head and wrestled him to the ground. Aron got up and pushed the Richmond FC player back and ended up with a red card for his trouble.
Still the rule is ... it is always the player that retaliates that gets the penalty. Keep your heads up and keep your composure. On to the Jefferson Cup.

U-15 NIKE BOYS 2009 GOAL OF THE YEAR

The voting is over and the poll is closed. Brett Martin's strike from distance against the Richmond Kickers on September 12th is our Goal of the Year. Brett's goal grabbed 9 of the 19 votes cast on the Nike Boys Blog. Here is the Goal of the Year one last time.

Wes Hendrix and Nik Shoen each gathered 5 votes for their goals in August and November. It was a very good season for the U-15 Nike Boys. Lots of great games and their best record ever in the VCCL. They came within striking distance of winning it all. Congratulations to Brett. Congratulations to the Nike Boys.

(After you watch the goal go back and watch Darren's reaction on the sideline.)

VA RUSH U-15 NIKE BOYS - GOAL OF THE YEAR!

The season is over. It seems like a long time since the Sun Cup in August but all the same it seems like we just got started. One last poll for the Nike Boys Blog for the fall of 2009. We had a Goal of the Month for every month the boys played this season. Now it is time to select the Goal of the Year. Wes had the goal of the month for August with his chip of the keeper in the Sun Cup. Brett had the goal of the month for September with his strike from distance against the Richmond Kickers. Wes was back in October with his strike against FC Richmond. Nik ended the season with a game saving header off a corner kick against Roanoke. Lets take one last look at the goals of the month for the 2009 Fall season.

That is it folks. Four great goals and now it is up to you to pick the top goal of the year. All the goal of the month scorers will receive a small yet tacky gift from the Nike Boys Blog. The goal scorer of the year gets a less tacky, but no less insignificant, award. Only one vote this time, you can not vote for multiple goals so...Cast your vote!

A little bit short!

All of you know that Wes set a challenge of scoring 10 goals in the VCCL this season. He even said he would shave his head if he did not get the 10 goals. Well Wes fell a little bit short of 10 goals...and now his hair is a little bit short too!

Be sure to rub his head before the Atlantic Cup games for good luck!

Goal of the Month - November 2009

We played one game in the month of November and we scored one goal in that game. No need for a poll this month. The goal of the month for November 2009 is Nick's header off the free kick against Roanoke that gave the Nike Boys a tie and a 4-2-1 VCCL season.

Congratulations Nick on the November Goal of the Month!

Goal of the Month - October 2009

The goal of the month for October was a very close decision. There were nine goals scored in October by eight different players. Two of the goals were game winners in 1-0 wins (Wes against FC Richmond and Brett against the Legacy). The best dead ball play all year in your Blogmaster's opinion was Josh's free kick against Reston in the State Cup. David Beckham could not have bent that one any better. The votes are in and Wes's game winner against FC Richmond edged Josh's free kick by one vote. Here it is once more.

Congratulations Wes on the October 2009 Goal of the Month!

Goal of the Month - August 2009

August was a short month for the Nike Boys with the only games coming in the Sun Cup. We had three goals in August. Goals scorers were Kerby, Wes and Colby. The votes are in and this month it was unanimous. All seven votes were cast for Wes's chip of the keeper in the second game of the Sun Cup. This is a really pretty goal.

Congratulations to Wes for the August Goal of the Month!

Rush Nike 1 - Roanoke 1

On a bright and sunny late November day the Nike Boys took to a muddy and slippery pitch to make up the game with Roanoke. The Roanoke team came out hard and fast. When a free kick was awarded the Roanoke team in the 3rd minute of the game, they sent a ball into the box and past Lally for the first score of the game. Roanoke 1 Nike Boys 0. The Nike Boys got on the score sheet in the 2oth minute when Josh sent a corner kick into the box and found Nick unmarked. Nick headed the ball into the upper right corner of the goal. Nike Boys 1 - Roanoke 1.

The half ended 1-1 and the game ended 1-1. The Nike Boys mounted a furious assault on the Roanoke goal looking for the game winner but it was not meant to be on this day. The Roanoke team played hard and hung in to split the points with the Nike Boys.
This was the final VCCL game of the 2009 Fall season. The Nike Boys had their best showing ever with a record of 4-2-1. It has been an exciting season with some incredible highs (Kickers, Strikers, Sterling FC & Legacy) and some frustrating losses (SOCA, Reston and of course the despised BeachFC).
Congratulations to the U-15 Nike Boys and Coach Warham for a great VCCL season!

Goal of the Month - October 2009

October was a little bit of an up and down month for the Nike Boys. Even so there were some impressive goals in October. We started the month with a State Cup game against Reston. A great free kick by Josh and a hard working goal from Colby. Next we spent Columbus day weekend at Lake Taylor High School. Connor and Kerby got us off to a good start with two goals against SOCA and a bit of pay back for the loss up at their fields. We had Ethan as a guest player for the tournament and he came through with a nice strike against Herndon. Nick hit the back of the net for the first time this season in a hard fought game with the highly ranked team. Ethan added a second tournament goal against PWSI and the Nike Boys changed their focus to the remainder of the VCCL season. Wes got the game winner on a beautiful strike against FC Richmond. Brett followed up with a game winner of his own the next week to give the Nike Boys a 1-0 win over the Legacy. I told you about them...now watch them for yourself!

Some great goals and back to back VCCL wins to take us into November. Vote for your favorite goal in the poll to your right. Remember you can vote for more than one goal but only vote for each goal once.

Goals of the Month - August 2009

We are going a bit retrospective here. I did not think to post a compilation of goals every month until September. We had three goals in a short playing schedule in August 2009. I wanted to give those players and their goals their time of the Blog. Kerby, Wes and Colby are our goal scorers for August.

Remember to vote for your favorite goal on the poll to the right. You can vote for more than one goal but please do not vote for the same goal multiple times. Good luck to the goal scorers.

Brett Martin - Goal of the Month for September

Brett won the goal of the month for September 2009 (11 votes) for his goal against the Kickers.

Brett's goal from distance was the runaway winner for the month with well over double the votes of any other goal.
Other players receiving votes were:

Brett - 1st Goal State Cup (4 votes)
Brett - 2nd Goal State Cup (4 votes)
Kerby - goal Bethesda (4 votes)
Wes - goal SOCA (4 votes)
Ben - goal SOCA (4 votes)
Wes - game winner State Cup (2 votes)
Wes - free kick goal Strikers (1 vote)

Congratulations to all the goal scorers. Look back soon for the Goals of the Month for October. (Goals for August will also be posted soon)

Rush Nike - 1 Williamsburg Legacy - 0

On a windy but warm and sunny morning, the Nike Boys took to the pitch for their last VCCL home game of the Fall 2009 season. The opponent was the Williamsburg Legacy. The wind was a definite factor today for the team going into the teeth of it. The Legacy had the wind in the first half and made the most of it by sending two shots on goal that bounced off of the crossbar. The Nike Boys tried to mount an attack but the wind battering the ball in the air. The first half ended 0-0.
The Nike Boys had the wind in the second half but it was not a factor in the game winning goal. In the 48th minute, the ball fell to Brett who settled it and sent a strike low and hard into the left corner of the Legacy goal.

Nike Boys 1 - Legacy 0. Some good defense by the Nike Boys the rest of the way sealed an important win. One game to go in the VCCL 2009 Fall season. A make up game against Roanoke.

MIKE - THE BALL BOY!

This video is to honor the unsung hero. Those individuals that toil in the shadows without notice but without whom things would not get done. Sure the goal scorer gets the cheers, the keeper hears the roar of the crowd when he makes a great save and we all hear the collective appreciation for a great run or hard tackle. But where would they be without the ball...and the Ball Boy!

A tribute to the guy who makes things go...Mike - The Ball Boy!

U-15 VA Rush Nike - Fall 2009

Mike Hess needed a team photo for the CAP program so I took a quick photo following today's game against FC Richmond. Here is the Fall 2009 VA Rush Nike Boys

VA RUSH NIKE v FC Richmond

VA Rush Nike - 1
FC Richmond - 0

After two weeks off due to weather conditions, the Nike Boys took to the pitch on a windy and overcast day to take on the FC Richmond side. The wind was a real factor against the Nike Boys in the first half. With the wind blowing stiffly in their faces the Nike Boys pressed on and created a few good chances that came up a bit short. A great save by Lally, who returned from injury this week, keep the score 0-0 at the half.

In the second half the wind began to calm and the two teams continued to push for the first goal of the game. Early in the second half Brian played a ball that Wes ran onto. A hard shot by Wes sent the ball past the keeper and into the far corner of the net. 1-0, Nike Boys.

FC Richmond continued to push forward looking for the equalizer but to no avail. The Nike Boys held on and got back into the winning column with a 1-0 victory.
The Nike Boys return to action next weekend with a double header make up weekend. The Legacy come to the Hampton Roads Complex and the Nike Boys travel to Richmond to finish the season against Roanoke.