6/21/2009 Denver, CO -- After beating the Highland Ranch Heat 10-2 on Sunday, the Denver Dragons remain undefeated one-third of the way through the 2009 PASL summer season.
Just don’t ask them to discuss it.
"We don’t even concern ourselves with the streak, we concern ourselves with picking up points every game," said Dragons Captain Josh Elbaum, who scored two goals to help in the victory.
It was a common refrain in the Dragon’s locker room afterward.
"We don’t talk about being undefeated," said Managing Director Alex Monnar. "We just talk about just going out and doing things and improving from our last game to become better."
"Nobody’s brought (the streak) up," insisted Elbaum, "and I think that’s the best way to do it."
Still, the Dragons (3-0-0) are clearly on a roll. Not only have they not lost in three league matches in 2009, the win was Dragons second in a row on the road after a 6-2 triumph in FC Fury 2 on Saturday.
Getting the win on Sunday was especially sweet for Elbaum, who has been used in different positions for most of his first two years in the league.
"He’s been in great form," said Monnar of Elbaum. "He’s been a good pro and he’s dealt with the situation -- because it’s not easy -- and he’s come in and helped us as a leader. When he gets around the goal, he’s probably one of the better finishers in our league."
"At halftime I thought our guys had a good mentality that we could win the game," he said. "It’s important that you win these types of games. I think it goes back to having a group of guys that have been together for a while and there’s a sense of trust and understanding and belief that you can get things done."
It was the type hard-nosed defense Denver displayed last season on the way to an appearance in the Rocky Mountain Conference Championship, a style that has been missing at times this year despite the goose egg in the loss column.
Said Elbaum: "We proved that even in an ugly game, when we’re not playing our best soccer, we could find ways to win."
Luna’s hat trick fuels Fusion rout of San Diego Crew
06/20/2009 San Diego, CA -- There was supposed to be a rainstorm brewing when the San Diego Fusion took to the field against the San Diego Crew in their home game at Toby Wells YMCA. The only actual storm was the one brewed up by fleet-footed midfielder Miguel Luna.
Luna had three goals and two assists to help his team keep a prefect record 5-0 in terrific fashion with a 10-2 victory against the cross town rival Crew on Saturday night.
"The way this team has been over the last four years, we know that pieces are going to change, but the mentality is always the same," said Luna. "Everyone knows, from one to 24 on this roster, we play with the same attitude every time. We are tough defensively, we attack in numbers and once we get our chances, we take them."
Luna’s first-half goals gave him his second multiple goal game of the season.
"Everything is possible and you have to have that mentality if you want to be a champion," Luna said. "Every play counts and there’s no time in the game when it’s out of reach, no matter what the score is. There’s always a way. Hopefully we find that way and get the job done."
His three goals also marked the second hat trick for a Fusion player in the last two games. Previously, Anthony Medina and Kraig Chiles accounted for three goals last weekend against La Cabana de Tijuana.
"We conceded only two goals tonight," Fusion head coach Ray Talia said. "Our team stepped up and defended. We made the hard runs. Defensively we were sound. When we do that our chances are going to be good that we’ll get a win."
Fusion FC hit the road
The San Diego Fusion travel to face Sequoia FC on Saturday. The Fusion will look for success on the road this Saturday at 5:00pm PT in Lindsay, California. The match comes after the Fusion earned a 10-2 win over the San Diego Crew this past Saturday at the Toby Wells- YMCA. The win gave the Fusion its 10th consecutive win at home, and the team is in first place atop the Southwestern Conference. After the match at Lindsay, the Fusion return home for a game against the Las Vegas Knights on Saturday, July 11, at 7:30pm p.m. at Toby Wells –YMCA Center.
