EXTRA! EXTRA! Our photos have been published.....

CLICK HERE FOR A LINK TO THE STORY!!! 

...well, it's a community newspaper, but it's a start!  I've always wanted to get into Sports photography, and playing soccer my entire childhood and through highschool was certainly a great first assignment!

Lined up for national anthems before kickoff.  Bolton Wanderers of the English Premier League came to the Florida Citrus Bowl in Orlando to face the Orlando City Lions in a summer exhibition.

Kevin Davies of BW and Matt Luzunaris of OC, two eventual goal scorers, warm up before the match

 

Great shots came from both sides, and in the 18th minute Davies put one home off his head (seen in bottom photo above)

It was great to be down on the field with the guys you see playing every weekend in the EPL, on the left is Zat Knight, the tallest player in the league measuring roughly 6' 6"

Some more great action, the bottom photo showing the scramble to remove the ball from the box after a corner kick which in the end was futile as it ended in the back of the net for Bolton's 2nd goal. 

 

It's called the beautiful game for many reasons, the strategy, the sportsmanship, and the whole ambiance surrounding the pitch!

 Boden concentrates all the way from ball to boot.  Chung-Yong Lee (right), a South Korean, had a great following in the crowd.

 Wanderers' Petrov, shown left, would score the 3rd and final goal for Bolton.

Matt Luzunaris, the sole Orlando City goal scorer is on loan from San Jose Earthquakes (MLS) and attended one year at the University of Central Florida (my alma mater) before beginning his pro career playing for multiple European clubs.

Stuart Holden (Right) plays for Bolton but also the U.S. Men's National Team!  He is currently nursing a leg injury and did not play in the recent Gold Cup nor this night.  He was a really good guy and came out after the game was over for photos and autographs.

A great showing by the support groups of the RUCKUS (left) and the IRON LION FIRM (right).   Drums, smoke machines, flying streamers, and plenty of verbal abuse poured out onto the pitch from both groups!

It was definitely a once in a lifetime chance to be down on the pitch! 

I will be back taking photos when the Orlando City Lions take on Newcastle United this Saturday, see y'all at the game, I will have more photos of that game to come!

UCF v Philadelphia Union - 2/13/2011

I am a huge soccer fan, as well as a huge UCF fan so when I was told their was a friendly exhibition match between UCF and an MLS team it wasn't a question that I would be in attendance with my camera ready:

 A brisk 50 degrees in Florida saw the beginning of a friendly between UCF Soccer and the Major League Soccer's Philadelphia Union.  As the sun came up, it seemed as if it loosened the joints and the game got heated.

 It was a close fought match between the teams, both with good shots on goal, solid defense, and equal ball control.

 Set piece after set piece saw the ball knocking at the door as neither team was able to put it into the net in the first half of regulation.

 Without even a hint as to the intentions of one of the Union's midfields, he reared back and struck a knuckle ball goal that was even too quick and masked for my camera to capture.

With the game still 0-1, UCF began to really apply the pressure which included a very physical challenge netting, not a goal, but a straight red card at the midway point of the second half.  This game was no longer a friendly.

Both teams had chances late but in the end it was the Union's goalkeeper that kept the game in his teams favor and ultimately sealed the victory with multiple close range saves!

All in all it was a great game!