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March 10th, 2008

For the second time in only its fourth season as a team, the Wenatchee Fire has won the NW Division Championship of the Premier Arena Soccer League! The Fire is now

February 18th, 2008

The Wenatchee Fire bounced back this last Sunday with a solid performance at home against the PSSA Rapids of Bellingham. In fact, the first half was all Fire! Less than 3 minutes into the game, Tony Infante started an 8-0 blaze that lasted the whole first half. Wilbur Velasco got into the act finding Jamie Richards with 6:10 left in the 1st quarter. Wenatchee earned a powerplay with 2:50 left and patiently looked for a hole in the Rapid's D. Juan Barboza found it with a low, hard pass toward Felix Robles who dummied the ball for the on-running Richards. Richards beat the keeper on the backdoor for his 2nd tally of the night in a beautifully timed play.
The Rapids mounted a counter-attack in the 2nd quarter only to find GK Tristen Ryles in their path. Tristen was Mt. Everest in a snowstorm, beating back everything from any angle. "Just an amazing, 'highlight reel' performance!", according to Coach Thompson. Tony Infante struck again with 5:05 left in the first half to give the Fire an 8-0 halftime lead.
Ricardo Rodarte opened the scoring for the Rapids at 3:42 into the 3rd quarter. Wilbur Velasco earned his second assist 6 minutes into the the 3rd, finding Tony Infante who finished the night with a hat trick. Coach T: "I was really proud of Tony. He's a great player but, like others before him, found it difficult to adjust to our system of play. He persevered however, and it paid off big for him and the team. Hat tricks are very difficult to earn at this level." B-ham got one back with 5:00 left in the 3rd before Felix Robles assisted Juan Barboza for a 3-pointer to the upper 7 just 30 seconds later.
Scoring ended with a consolation goal for the Rapids in the 4th quarter as the game ended:
Fire 13 - Rapids 6.
The Fire host the Central Oregon Steelheaders (4 wins - 5 losses) from Bend, OR this Saturday, February 23rd at 7pm, in a 'must win' match for Bend. If Bend loses, they are knocked out of playoff contention so it will be an exciting match. The Fire then hosts the Seattle Wolves (5 wins - 2 ties - 1 loss) on Sunday, February 24th at 4pm. The Wolves have 8 Seattle Sounders on their roster and must beat the Fire (4 - 1 - 2) to secure 1st place and homefield advantage for playoffs. The Fire needs one win or a tie against Bend to secure a playoff berth and can still finish first with 2 wins this weekend, and a win at Seattle.
Join the Fire at Martin's Market in Cashmere from 3 to 5pm this Saturday, Feb. 23rd as La Super Z conducts a live radio remote while the players sign autograghs.

February 12th, 2008

Wilbur Velasco represents at the Stockton Arena! In an exhibition match against the MISL's California Cougars on February 10th, Wilbur Velasco scored the first goal for the PASL All-Stars and later tallied an assist. Cougars' Head Coach Bernie Lillavois: "I was really impressed by the PASL boys. They had a tough assignment of having to gel together and face a professional team with very little practice time. A lot of those guys have a future in the MISL.”

The Cougars played for real. Having started the season 7 and 4, the Cougars went on a 7 game losing streak in MISL league play. As such, they looked to this game as a chance to turn things around. Former Fire player Pete Randall said, "It was clear from the start that they [the Cougars] were playing for real. In fact, I think that some were playing for their jobs!" The Cougars were winning 6-0 until Willy's goal. The crowd of 2,109 players were impressed however, with the All-Stars play. Willy also one over many in the crowd of 2,109 fans when he stuck a Cougar during a counter-attack. Willy said, "It was so cool! This big dude, like 6 foot plus and probably over185 lbs. was coming at me and I stuck him hard and cleen. The crowd cheered. It was cool." Willy stands 5' 6" and but plays like he's 6'. The crowd was impressed.

Willy and the Fire play this Sunday February 17th at 4pm at the Wenatchee Valley Sportsplex. The Cougars return to action on February 15, 2008 against the Chicago Storm. The game starts at 8:00 p.m. is part of a Fox Soccer Channel doubleheader featuring the Storm at 5pm and 8pm Pacific.

 

February 4th, 2008

The Wenatchee Fire-- currently in third (3, 1 and 2)-- had a tough roadtrip this past weekend. After scoring early in the first quarter and controlling much of the play, Snohomish-- in second (3, 1 and 3)-- got one back. Each team tallied another midway through the quarter and then the Skyhawks hit another at the end of the quarter. Snohomish went on to score 3 more unanswered goals in the 2nd quarter. According to Coach Thompson, "We looked good starting out and could have been up 6 to 8 points. Unfortunately, we gave up some very stupid goals. Several guys were playing sick and by the time the 2nd quarter came, it showed. Minds were cloudy and we had no subs. We brought our 'B-Game' and you can't do that in this league." Result: Loss 20-10

The competition in this league is unforgiving. Elswhere in the Northwest this past weekend, the PSSA Rapids (2, 1 and 3) bounced back after a loss to the Fire on Jan. 26th, and tied the Seattle Wolves (5, 1 and 1) in Bellingham. The Fire look to do even more against Seattle as they kick off at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 9th at Starfire Sports in Tuckwila, WA.

 

January 21st 2008

Wenatchee – The Wenatchee Fire is back on track to challenge for the Northwest Division Lead. This past Saturday The Fire beat the Bellingham PSSA Rapids 12 – 10 to secure second place in the NW Division. Currently, The Fire is 3 - 1 - 1 and is 2 points behind league leader, Seattle Wolves. The Fire plays host to The Seattle Wolves this Saturday, January 26th at 7PM at the Sportsplex in Cashmere. Mike Thompson, Head Coach of The Fire says, “The game this weekend against the Wolves will be a war, it's for first place in the division and we are peaking at just the right time. If you haven’t seen a game yet this year, then this is the one to come see.”

Get tickets at the gate - adults $5.00 and youth $3.00

The Wenatchee Fire is composed of players from around Central Washington and competes in the Premier Arena Soccer League (PASL) in the Northwest Division.

You Gotta See These Guys!

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January 13, 2008

The Wenatchee Fire started the 2007 - 2008 season by beating the Tacoma Stars and the Troutdale B2B Bombers. The Fire tied the Snohomish Skyhawks 14 - 14 with a 2 point goal with 18 seconds in the 4th quarter at the Sportsplex in Cashmere.

The Fire traveled to Bend OR last night to play the Steelheaders and lost 16 - 8. The match was even going into the 4th quarter and then Bend erupted with 4 - two point goals to pull away and give the Fire it's 1st loss of the season. The Fire's record is 2 - 1 - 1.

The Wenatchee Fire plays Bellingham away January 19th. This is a must win for the Fire! The next home match is against the Seattle Wolves Saturday, January 26th at 7PM at the Sportsplex. Come support your Wenatchee Fire!

You Gotta See These Guys!

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March 13th, 2007

The Wenatchee Fire finished the regular season nicely, winning 5 of its last 6 games to finish the season at 5 and 5, securing 3rd place in the Northwest Division of the PASL. With a stellar final practice before playing the Snohomish Skyhawks in the NW Division Semis, Coach Thompson looked forward to a victory and a chance for another Divisional Championship. "We just couldn't find the net," said Thompson. "I was confident that if we played well defensively, we would be able to score, but that just didn't happen." Thompson stated that he was proud of the team for working hard and showing a lot of heart this season.

With 10 players out for injuries for some or all of the season, many new faces earned a chance to shine. According to Coach T, "I didn't plan on playing any of the developmental players at all this year. They were going to be 'red-shirts' but, they all got to play and some started the majority of matches. For these guys to play against teams with ex-pro and collegiate level All-Americans, and succeed, was awesome!" The Fire is definitely the youngest team in the division and quite probably the youngest in the PASL. If most of the players return, as we expect, and can stay healthy, the 2007-2008 year should prove successful.

January 20th, 2007

The Wenatchee Fire earned two victories on the road to pull themselves out of the cellar. "It seemed like we just could not play a full game without major breakdowns until this weekend," stated Head Coach Mike Thompson. He went on to say that, "The guys came together and played selflessly. That was the key. Quick, one-touch passing enabled us to dominate Central Oregon." Thompson also praised the disciplined play of his defenders and the saves of Matt Stalnick in his first start.
The result; a 9-4 victory for the Fire.

Just four hours later, the Fire kicked off against the Troutdale Bombers. After taking an early lead and dominating the game, fatigue set in and they found themselves trailing 5-2 at half. The players knew they could still come back and win and did just that. Garrett Brown's bicycle kick to the upper 7 beat the outstretched hands of the keeper, giving the Fire an 8-7 lead late in the fourth quarter. Troutdale tied the score with a deflected shot off of a Fire defender but, Manny Robles would earn his 6th goal of the day for the game winner. Coach Thompson, "Garrett's goal was incredible and then as if that wasn't beautiful enough, Manny nails a volley from the mid-line for the game winner! This match should have been televised. It had it all; lead changes, beautiful team play, hits and licks, and 'highlight reel' goals."
The result; a 9-8 victory for the Fire.

You Gotta See These Guys!

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December 17th, 2006

The Wenatchee Fire is off to a slow start this year by losing the first 3 games of the season. Losses have been against the Tacoma Stars, Klammath Fuego, and the Snohomish Skyhawks. Games have been close and exciting, but just not what the Fire was expecting this year.

The Fire hits the road for three games in in January and is back at the Plex for a home game against Troutdale on January 27th at 1 PM. Come support the Wenatchee Fire. For more info please check out wvsportsplex.com

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November 19th, 2006,

Wenatchee - The Wenatchee Fire Intra-squad game was last night and fans, players, and coaches all enjoyed the fast action and hard kicks. According to Fire Head Coach Mike Thompson, "The main objective of the Intra-squad game was to put the players in a high intensity game situation with few substitutes. We really wanted to see how the guys reacted when they were tired." Manuel Robles had the play of the night when he jumped up and bicycled the ball into the goal from the red line.

The Fire is ready for the Tacoma Stars on December 2nd at 7 PM. This game will be very intense and full of fast action. Thompson said, "Tacoma is the 2006 PASL Summer League Champs...We beat them twice last year in indoor play, so I'm sure this game will be very aggressive and exciting."

Come support your Wenatchee Fire on December 2nd at 7 PM. The game is at the Sportsplex in Cashmere, WA. Get your tickets at the gate.

You Gotta See These Guys!

(See below for recent news)
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November 6th, 2006

WENATCHEE - Tryouts are going well, according to FIRE Head Coach Mike Thompson. Coach Thompson believes this year's team is talented and balanced. Thompson says, "We have many returning players from the 2006 NW Division Championship team. This experience will be invaluable over the course of the upcoming season." He continued, "I like the committment...some players are driving from as far away as Okanogan to play on this team."

The season gets underway with an intersquad match on Saturday, November 18th at
7 PM at the Sportsplex in Cashmere. The game is free for all fans and standing room only is expected for this pre-season exhibition match.

Please come support your Wenatchee Fire!

You Gotta See These Guys!

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(See below for a summary of the 2005 - 2006 NW Division Championship Team)

March 20th, 2006

FIRE Struggles in California, but learns a ton!

The Wenatchee Fire had their hands full in all three games this past weekend in Sacramento, CA. Al Valenica barely missed a goal with 3 minutes remaining in game 1 against the Mass AZTECS that would have tied the game. The FIRE played tough all game, but game up short when a free kick from the red line by the AZTECS found it's way into the net past goalie Felix Robles.

Manuel Robles said, "what a great experience, we know what we have to do now to compete on this level, it's good to have a reference point."


The Fire Season at a glance: The Fire has won all of the following game:

Tacoma Stars 11 - 2 on December 3rd
Salem Surge 11 - 3 on December 10th
Central Oregon (Bend) Steelheaders
6 - 4 on December 17th
Forfeit win over Southern Oregon Fuego on January 7th
Tacoma Stars on the road 9 - 7 on January 14th
Southern Oregon Fuego on the road 15 - 3 on January 21st
Central Oregon (Bend) Steelheaders on the road 9 - 5 on January 21st
Hillsboro, OR Hurricane 14 - 6 at home January 28th
Hillsboro, OR Hurricane on the road 5 - 4 on Feb. 4th
Salem Surge on the road 6 - 5 on Feb. 4th

Southern Oregon Fuego 11 - 3 at home Feb. 25th
Bend Stealheaders 18 - 6 at home to win the PASL NW Division Title

The Wenatchee Fire is composed of players from around Central Washington and competes in the Premier Arena Soccer League (PASL) in the Northwest Division.


You gotta see these guys!
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