GEOS revive title race
by ELSA NEWS
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Comp so far (as of Round 9): 1. GCA: Up until the last round GCA appeared unbeatable but that 2 nil loss to GEOS last week has given them another dimension; that of being human and fallible. However, that still does not take anything away the fact that they are a well-oiled solid side of players who know how to play as a team and win games. They still look fairly set for the title and that being their third championship season in a row…..unheard of in the history of ELSA. Hats off again boys.

2. ACE : Always thereabouts really. When you consider their form from the start you’ll see that they’ve only lost three games and two of those were to the league leaders GCA and the other to an in-form GEOS, all others have been swept before them with relative ease except for last weeks walk on the wild side with Aspect where ACE snatched a goal in the dying seconds. Then there’s the return of stalwart defender and captain to help them focus.

3. GEOS: Had a fabulous squad to start with but injuries and various comings and goings put paid to any stability required for the championship contention GEOS were hoping for. One can only say that it’s been an up and down season so far for GEOS and it’s anyone’s guess from here whether they’re on the up from last weeks win over GCA or on the down from hereon in. One thing in GEOS’ favour is that as one of the larger colleges in the comp they always have new players enrolling every week.

4. APC: Have kind of been doing the roller coaster ‘up the hill and down the dale’ trip this season. They won by a couple then lost by a couple and so on, and apart from a short relatively stable period midway through the first leg, APC have failed to live up to the standards their numbers and talent suggest. However, in saying that, they have reached the top half of the table for the first time this season this week. So, who knows?

5. SELC: Looked the likely contenders until just recently when the wheels well and truly fell off the SELC wagon. One could lay the string of harsh defeats at the feet of their coach who has gone on a series of walkabouts, but it could also be said that the loss of Shabib, their flamboyant Omani goalkeeper a few weeks back may have dealt them a blow too hard to recover from. As their coach is still away and SELC’s regular players continue to fall away also, it’s hard to see any improvement from them in the near future.

6. Ability: The ones to watch here. Ability have taken the criticism and the heavy defeats of seasons past and used them to motivate and strengthen their resolve. Some unlucky losses have kept them in the doldrums of the table for the majority of the season but Ability seem to be putting it all together of late, and are currently at number one on the stats table due to notching up wins in their last three games. I get the feeling that Ability could be pushing for top four very shortly.

7. Kaplan Aspect: A strange tale from the KA’s this season. They lost the first four games in spectacular style and then won the next four in similarly fashion. A couple of weeks ago they were the up ‘n’ comers of the comp but last week sadly were pipped at the post by a determined and some say extra lucky ACE. My guess is that the defeat will not deter them from their push to get to where they deserve as they have a disciplined lineup that fights to the very end and any team not taking them seriously will live to regret it.

8. LETS: Really only a shadow of the team offered by the college last season. When LETS joined last year every team knew they were in for a decent fight and usually a beating to boot. This year LETS have failed to deliver the merest whisper of even an argument to its opposition. From its failure to post a single point on the ladder to its woeful goal difference, LETS has been more of a disappointment than anything else. In fairness LETS are a small college and have therefore so far this season only offered other teams’ unused substitutes a chance to play for a team short of numbers.

Good luck to all.
Bill