La Finale....

In the final week of the league, La Bandita triumphed to lift the trophy as the first Bradford Beach Soccer League Champions, forever etching their name in Milwaukee beach soccer history. After a hard-earned victory in a difficult semi-final, La Bandita defeated Ajax Trees Down in an intense final by a score of 7-4.

Game 16:	Hung Like a Horsefly	11	-	04	Coleman&Williams
Game 17:	Kaka to West Ham	00	-	00	Couchsurfers (Game forfeited)
Semi-Final 1:	Hung Like a Horsefly	04	-	06	La Bandita
Semi-Final 2:	Ajax Trees Down	05	-	00	Winner Game 17
League Final:	Ajax Trees Down	04	-	07	La Bandita

In the first game of the day, Hung Like a Horsefly met up against Coleman & Williams in a repeat of last week's fixture. It was a different day, but the result remained the same: victory for the Horseflies. Progressing to the next round after an 11-4 victory, Hung Like A Horsefly would meet La Bandita in the first semi-final.

This match proved to be an entertaining match as the Horseflies began the stronger. Employing a diamond formation and pushing forward on counter attacks, the Horseflies seemed to be strategically superior to their opponents, taking the lead early in the game. La Bandita equalized on several occasions, but the Catennacio-like tactics of Hung Like A Horsefly proved difficult to break down. With the match at 4-3, Hung Like A Horsefly nearly extended their lead but were denied by the post. Without substitutes available, the Horseflies' legs grew heavy as the match wore on. Sensing weakness, La Bandita raised the intensity. Unable to match it, Hung Like A Horsefly slumped to a 6-4 defeat in an entertaining semi-final.

Unfortunately, the second semi-final was abandoned as both Kaka to West Ham and Couchsurfers failed to show on the day. The winner of this game would have played in the second semi, instead giving Ajax Trees Down an automatic spot in the final against La Bandita. With fresh legs, and their first game of the day, it appeared that the ball was in Ajax half of the pitch....

The final was a match between the first and second seeded teams, La Bandita and Ajax Trees Down, respectively. It was a heated match, with both teams playing for the right to be called champions. You could cut the tension with a knife, and the match boiled over on several occasions with both substitutes' benches coming on to the pitch to separate players. It was a back-and-forth match, with any goal scored by La Bandita being matched by Ajax Trees Down and vice versa. But La Bandita, strong throughout the duration of the league, again showed their strength and resilience and would not be denied. The final was all one could have hoped for, an entertaining match with brilliant pieces of play and several well-worked goals, with La Bandita winning 7-4. Deserved league champions, La Bandita were ecstatic as wild scenes of jubilation ensued as they lifted the trophy. "Ban-di-ta, ban-di-ta, ban-di-ta" was the cry followed by ole's as beers (cervezas) were cracked and subsequently sprayed as the newly-crowned champions danced, sang, and celebrated their way across the beach.

With almost 200 goals scored, we had an entertaining six weeks in the first ever session of the Bradford Beach Soccer League and hope that even more players register for session two which begins on Saturday August 1st.

Who will lift the trophy next time out? Only time will tell...