IM Soccer League Update

IM Soccer League Heating Up As the IM soccer league begins to heat up, a number of teams remain in early contention. Here is a mid-season look at a few sections who are already planning for playoff glory: Old E (defending champions) How do you top an undefeated RC season, culminated by a 5-3 victory over (now-Old) Section A in the championship? By doing it again. At least that's the plan for the Fighting Emus of Old E as it begins its title defense. After an off season filled with injuries (top striker Federico "party like Maradona" A-D), illnesses (goalkeeper Josh "sacrifice the body" Solera), and intense partying on Section E's now-infamous "Tiger Trek" to India, the Emus got off to a solid start by defeating a strong OD team 9-7. Despite playing a (wo)man down the entire game,  OD superstars Gil Addo and Manuel Queiroz put together quick passing combinations to take an early lead. Shaking off the rust from a long layoff, the Emus clawed back, led by returning veterans from last season's championship team: Ryan "now you see me, now I've put the ball in your net" Ashley, Rachael "never come off the pitch" Gursky, and Jonathan "I'm still taller than you" Mueller.  Daniel " the Venezuelan Situation" Rottenberg, Emil "best accent at HBS" Staykov, and Tunde "second best accent at HBS" Kehinde locked down the midfield, and finally the Emus were able to pull even near halftime. With a large number of subs providing quality minutes, including back-from injury Ryan "the Tennessee Pele" Smith, Dan "THAT'S NOT A FOUL!" Koh, William "the Emu" Collis, and Sam "most-athletic Tech rep at HBS" Sianissian, OE finally took the lead over a tiring OD squad. The word on the street is that last year's Runner-Up, the OA Pandas, have been practicing since last semester looking to avenge their crushing defeat. A note to the Pandas and the RC squads: the Emus are still here and ready to rock. Old A (runner-up) Old Section A is definitely one of the teams to watch this year, featuring the team with a school record of four participants to the Austin Soccer Business School Tournament of the past weekend for the official HBS team where they will defend HBS' football honor. In addition, they are the finalists of last year's section tournament and host a true football section spirit with over 25 people playing football. Section A therefore hosts a deep bench playing with 3 subs for every position and therefore they can dominate the competition both physically as technically. Finally they have 5 of the best female players of the league in their team. Testament to all this football wealth is the whopping victory last week in their first game with a 17 goal differential. Other sections, brace yourselves, as this is going to get rough! Old C OC.  One C.  Only C.  Only Champions.  Out - CKT. Old D Old D, a preseason favorite, has struggled early on. The team will look to its talented quartet of female kickers to provide much needed support as it looks to rebound. As the season continues, the D-squad will rely heavily on the likes of The Player formerly known as "France" and Sarah "The Original Smurph" Murphy to help carry the squad. Nicole "Scoop" Magoon and Sheela "X-factor" Subramanian will provide much needed support and depth. Team Leader Eli Townsend has the team poised for a late season push for the playoffs. This is definitely not a section to be slept on. New G Section G is ready to continue its tradition of excellence - this time around it'll be on the soccer pitch. The G-Unit has put together a formidable team that is skilled, well-trained, and balanced. The team is a juggernaut comprised of British brawn, Spanish flair, Tunisian creativity, Japanese fast-twitch muscle, Irish-American scrappiness, and, of course, a touch of Mexican class. Combine that with some Eastern European attitude, Indian craftiness, Lebanese moves, and military toughness, and Section G is the team to beat.  Shout out to our SD, Iron City, and Jersey crew as well!  The Cup is in sight, and we're ready to put this HBS-SA Cup away. Ole! Author's Biography Gil Addo (OD) is a Co-Captain, along with Aldi Haryopratomo (OG) of the HBS Soccer Club. Originally from Connecticut, Gil has been playing soccer at varying levels since he was 5. Aldi Haryopratomo is a League Coordinator and a member of the EC class, section G.