Associated Press
by Leif "oh captain, my captain" Hembre

Minneapolis, MN, May 4, 2000 - When the dust settled, literally and figuratively, Futbol Club EcoTaz was the only team left standing. Gut-wrenching championship victories, by both the EcoTaz men's team and the Classic EcoTaz co-ed team Thursday night capped an historic season.

Late in the second half of the co-ed game there was a play that will live on in intramural soccer lore for decades, and was truly a microcosm of this season of destiny.

Guarding a tenuous 2-1 lead with less than 10 minutes to play, a nimble forward from MISA penetrated the usually air-tight defense of EcoTaz Classic and had only the goalkeeper to beat. The striker shot at point blank range, but miraculously the ball was deflected by the EcoTaz goalie. A scrum ensued with both teams scrambling for the ball.........seconds later (though it seemed like hours) the dust settled and the goalie rose from the goal mouth like the Phoenix rising from the ashes, clutching the ball and preserving the 2-1 lead and ultimately the victory.

Earlier in the evening, the EcoTaz male squad completed and undefeated , untied maiden season by beating a talented, but chippy Salonica side in an overtime shootout. While EcoTaz had many scoring opportunities, the score remained 0-0 after regulation and a short overtime period. The shootout was as closely contested as the match itself. The teams traded goals as the first five shooters from each team took their shots. Joe Craine, Jacques Finlay, and Pete Avis made their shots to counter the 3 made shots by Salonica. The sixth shooter for EcoTaz, newcomer Dana Blumenthal, made a clutch shot while the Salonica shooter failed giving EcoTaz Male an ulcer-inducing 4-3 shootout victory and the Men's League title.

Thanks to all the players and our supporters for a great season. I'm pretty sure that scary banner gave us an intangible edge over our opponents. Don't forget about the big party Saturday night at the Metro at 8 pm.

This time is WAS personal.