The Wildcat family would like to thank Rich Bletsch and his Special Soccer committee for running a very successful special soccer tournament. It was a beautiful day and all the participants had a great time. This would not have been possible without Rich Bletsch's dedication to the special soccer program. We appreciate all your hard work and commitment. We thank you and your committee.

Sat., Oct. 24

Herricks Community Center

12:00 - Bengals vs. HOTA

1:20 - Strykercats vs. Massapequa

2:40 - Lightning Cats vs. South Huntington

4:00 - Aristocats vs. Massapequa

Manor Oaks

12:00 - Lady Cougars vs. Valley Stream

1:20 - Thundercats vs. Massapequa

Hillside Grade

11:30 - Sabercats vs. Glen Cove

12:40 - Tigers vs. Glen Cove

1:50 - Stormcats vs. Rockville Centre

3:10 - Lady Lynx vs. Auburndale

Sun., Oct. 25

New Hyde Park Memorial HS (Soccer Field)

10:00 - Lady Pumas vs. Garden City

11:40 - Straycats vs. POB (football field)

12:00 - Lazercats vs. Valley Stream

1:40 - Alleycats vs. Sachem

3:20 - Magicats vs. Port Washington

A.T.S.

11:00 - Cheshire Cats vs. Syosset

12:30 - Star Cats vs. Elwood

On Saturday, Oct. 24, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. the Lady Starcats will hold a car wash at the New Hyde Park municipal lot at the corner of Jericho Turnpike and Lakeville Road. Come, get a great car wash, and help support the team.

Last year, New Hyde Park had the privilege to host its first ever Special Soccer tournament for all the LIJSL programs. We were asked, once again, to host another tournament. The NHP tournament committee enthusiastically agreed.

We got off to a great start as the weather was much improved over last year with gorgeous, clear skies and unseasonably warm temperatures. Then things got even better! We had more players and guests than last year with teams from Garden City, Huntington Boys Club, North Shore, Oceanside, Plainview Old/Bethpage, Sachem, Smithtown and New Hyde Park making an appearance. Most had enough players to compete in all three divisions. Scores are not the most important things to these players, and awards are NOT given to those teams who score the most goals or win the most games but, rather, to ALL participants. They play for the fun of it.

After a round of high spirited games, everyone was treated to refreshments consisting of hot dogs, soda, popcorn and candy. A commemorative patch was awarded to each player, in addition to beautiful medallions and water bottles. On hand was our special guest from Sesame Street, Gina, who signed autographs and took pictures with many of the athletes. Another treat was the super face painting done by Michelle Lombardo. The day was culminated with team pictures, taken by a professional photographer, which will be given out at our annual dinner in December. All-in-all, it was another successful tournament.

Behind the scenes were the people who made it all happen. I'd like to offer a special thanks to the committee, consisting of: Ray Andersen, Marcy Bauer, Brenda Bletsch, Rich Bursig, Brian Evers, Debbie Gilroy, Mike Hennessy, Rich Hess, Jim Lawler, Larry Spota and Kevin Walline. A big salute to all the helpers from the Wildcat family and the NHP Memorial High School Key Club for doing all the tasks which sometimes get overlooked. These were the people who served as referees and lines people, those who marked the fields and set up and took down the nets and corner flags, the food brigade who cooked, served and cleaned up, those who provided the awards and shirts for the helpers, and those who kept a watchful eye on the rest rooms.

And last, but certainly not least, a big thank you to all the generous people who gave financial assistance. While we did not have a huge budget, when we started to ask for monetary support, we had quick responses. Thanks to: Stan Epstein (Elite Limousine Plus, Inc.), UPS, Northrup Grumman (Larry Spota), Stormcats (Dom Marrano), the Schwemmer Family and commitments from the Chase Manhattan Foundation (Brian Evers) and ENYYSA (John Ehrhart). We'd also like to make special note of two other benevolent groups. One was the unsolicited generosity of Michael Parisi, the owner of George's Deli on Hillside Avenue, for donating iced tea for our event. The other was the fine people of the Garden City Park Water/Fire District who, once again, allowed us to use their facilities for cooking and were on emergency standby for our tournament.

A big heartfelt thank you to everyone for their contribution to another successful day from those athletes who only want a chance to participate in events like this.

Pumas 0 - Garden City 1

A tough loss for the Pumas. The boys got off to a slow start and found themselves down 0-1 at the break. In the second half the Pumas came out strong and dominated play. For the last 10 minutes, the boys fired shot after shot, but just couldn't come up with the equalizer. Superb goaltending again by Chris Ganz and Bobby Hugli. Excellent two-way play by Joe Tempone and Giovanni Palazzo. Strong forward play by Stevie Mastrandrea, Matt Siracusa, Chris Kassoff and Frankie Tloczkowski. Solid defense by Seth Levine and Chris Brewer, while Ryu Kawana and Michael Howard controlled the midfield play. The Pumas wish Sal Costa a speedy recovery, we need you back on the field.

Lady Tigers 0 - Oceanside 1

The Lady Tigers faced off against the undefeated team from Oceanside in a defensive game that was decided by a lucky break for Oceanside. The Tigers controlled most of the game with outstanding skills from Dominic Kokkoris and Ali Timpano. Defensive strength was provided by Denise Prevete, Marion Delapena, Francine Leung and Catie Loskofsky. The Tigers outshot and outplayed the visitors but a deflecting off a Tiger into the goal was enough for the loss.

Lady Tigers 4 - Rockville Centre 0

The Lady Tigers advanced in the State Cup with a 4-0 win at home. Jaime Bourazens scored first on a terrific assist from Nicole Cavallaro from the deep right corner. Nicole followed with another Tiger goal off a rebound in the box. Vanessa Cannur was on the mark in this game and scored off a tackle and later assisted Jaime for the fourth goal in the game. Crucial offensive pressure was also applied by Dana Hammer, Raquel Canto and Debra Prevete. Goalkeeper Lyndsey DeSarbo recorded shutout number 10 by taking away the angle on shots that made RVC strikers miss wide and by saving three hard shots.

Lady Jaguars 2 - Commack Lightning 0

In a battle of third and fourth place teams in Div. 2 our girls were battling the huge girls from Commack. After a stellar performance in the first half by Laura Papalexis in goal kept the score tied at 0-0 in the half.

The second half began with The Lady Jaguars on fire. Alyssa Friedman's pass to Leah Cantor who pushed in to Heather Burkey who rammed in the eventual winning goal for a 1-0 lead. Heather's corner found Leah who punched it in for a 2-0 lead.

With Lauren Baumann back from injury, Lucia Giordano, Elizabeth Montreuil, Lauren Stacom and Stefanie Weitzel, our girls allowed one shot on goal in the second half.

Our Lady Jaguars traveled to Northport to compete at the highest level against exciting and talented opponents.

In the first game our girls came out a little flat and East Meadow took a 3-0 win. Our second contest was a end-to-end battle with New Rochelle Stingers which Meaghan Noble blasted in the game winner.

Our Sunday morning game with Cold Spring Harbor was a classic. Each team playing physical soccer. Heather Burkey and Alyssa Friedman scoring for the Lady Jaguars but we came short by the score of 3-2. In the fourth game the Sachem Angels wore out our girls in the second half for a 5-0 win. Monday's third place contest came down to a shootout against New Rochelle which the Stingers outscored us by 3-1.

In this tournament our Lady Jaguars displayed all the skills and muscle but also added a new weapon, physical play. Our girls showed that we can compete with the highest ranked teams. We like to wish speedy recovery to Jennifer Spota and Lauren Baumann as casualties to physical play.

Thundercats 2 - CSH Lightning 2

With Lightning scoring first, Thundercats had to pump it up fast! Maria Saitta got the assist on the first goal by keeping the ball in play, passing it to Analise Siciliano for the score. Colleen Marino's blast from midfield went off the left post and Maria was in front to tap it in for the second goal. Paige Darby, Samantha Sopilnick and Cindy Scianablo kept the pressure on with beautiful passes into the middle. Cindy Luk played a tough defense with the support of Becky Heinemann and Jenna Peveraro. Sara Aron-Bayof and Elise Messina controlled the middle. Ali Antman played terrific goal with some hard-earned saves.

Thundercats Advance in First Round of State Cup Games

Thundercats 1 - Bellport Sting 0

With a strong defensive effort led by Ali Antman in goal, Thundercats were able to pull this one out. Jenna Peveraro, Becky Heineman, Cindy Luk and Paige Darby worked hard to boost Thundercats to victory. The goal was off a corner kick by Maria Saitta that went off a Sting player and Colleen Marino catches the rebound for the score. Good all around effort by Elise Messina and Sara Aron-Bayof in midfield. Samantha Sopilnick, Cindy Scianablo, Analise Siciliano kept pressure on against an aggressive opponent.

Lightning Cats 2 - Syosset Attack 4

The Cats started out with a strong return from the defense led by Shannon Lovisi. The offense, led by Grace Emanuele, fought for control of the ball as both teams felt each other out.

Although Katelin Shea on left defense was able to shut down the Syosset offensive attack several times, Syosset was able to penetrate for a goal midway through the first half.

Sarah Ricchuiti came out of the box to make several great saves, but despite her aggressive goaltending, Syosset managed to sneak in a second weak shot on the far post.

The Cats settled down the field with Samantha Selvaggio playing a strong dfefensive halfback.

Melissa Southern charged offensively up the right side and passed up to Kim Grammas who blasted in the first goal for the Cats from the 16 meter line, putting the Cats on the board.

The second half started out with Cassie Green playing a super job as offensive halfback which enabled the Cats to stay in the game. Syosset caught a break away which gave them their third goal. A penalty against Syosset gave Katie Roth a direct kick, which caused a hand ball in the penalty box against Syosset again. Kim Grammas stepped up blasting the penalty shot to the right corner, giving the Cats their second goal.

Despite Colleen Grace's two saves in goal, Syosset was able to get off another shot which secured their win 4 to 2.

Saber Cats 2 - Garden City Park 2

The Saber Cats scored the first goal early in the game to take the lead, and never trailed in the game. The first goal was scored by Maiken Bursig, whoh ad a long booming kick that caught the corner of the net. Garden City Park came back and scored a goal before the half to tie up the game.

In the second half, the Saber Cats took the lead again when Courtney Campson scored after receiving a good pass from Maiken Bursig. However, Garden City Park came back and scored their second goal to tie the game. Cristina Cannella, Christina Bognacki, Laura Galante and Hillary Depowski played well on defense. The midfielders Jessica Fliegel and Alison Stern had a good game. Kristin Arman, Nicole Davis, Danielle Cass and Stefanie Russotto kept the pressure on the Garden City Park goalie. Michaela Marsci played well at goalie.

The game ended in a 2-2 tie, but the Saber Cats played well enough to win.

Saber Cats 4 - Massapequa 5

The Saber Cats lost their second game of the state tournament, but they should be proud of the excellent game they played. Massapequa scored in the first half; however, then the Saber Cats defense took over and would not allow another goal for the balance of the game.

In the second half, the Saber Cats kept pounding the Massapequa goal, but could only get one ball to fall in. The goal was made by Danielle Cass. Good offense was also provided by Courtney Campson, Nicole Davis, Stefanie Russotto, Kristin Arman and Maiken Bursig.

The game ended with a 1-1 tie, and went into overtime which also ended 1-1. The defense, led by Christina Bognacki, Cristina Cannella and Hillary Depowski with the help of midfielders Jessica Fliegel, Laura Galante and Alison Stern, played outstanding. They kept the ball on Massapequa's side of the field for 75 percent of the game. Michaila Masci once again played well at goalie.

The game was decided by a shootout. Massapequa scored four goals to three by the Saber Cats.

Although we lost, the Saber Cats should be congratulated for playing a great game.

Speedy Cats 1 - Hewlett Blue Blaze 2

Speedy Cats came out playing real hard. MaryLu Donovan had some nice drives down the right wing. While Christine Coven took a great shot that unfortunately was stopped by Hewlett's goalkeeper. The Speedy Cats lone goal was put in by Allison Strassberg on a beautiful cross kick from Marie LaMaida to Sarah Goldberg who shot and Allison picked up the rebound and tapped it in. The defensive line of Colleen Holahan, Katie Nilsen and Denise Ingram who made many great goal kicks, played super. Hewlett came back to tie it in the second half on a shot that just hit the corner of the net and went to lead the game from a very questionable call on behalf of the ref. Again Tara Marsigliano was exceptional in goal. A great team effort by all Speedy Cats.

Aristocats 2 - C.S. Harbor Rockets 1

The Aristocats brought their best game today against the always tough Cold Spring Harbor Rockets. Missing a couple of key players due to illness, they knew today would be a challenge. Our girls had the best of the play in the first half, with the speed of Jennifer Fabian and the solid midfield play of Diana Cotilletta propelling the Aristocat attack. Unfortunately, CSH was able to capitalize on one of their few scoring chances to give them a 1-0 halftime lead. Aristocat supporters could tell from the girls' determined looks that they would really step it up in the final half. Our back four were impenetrably led by the intelligent play of Alison Art and Alicia DeMarco. Midway through the half, Alicia DeMarco drove deep and was brought down by a rough foul. Ashley Felcon, who was having a wonderful game controlling the center of the field, calmly stepped to the ball and netted the tying score. Now our girls turned up the pressure even more. Emily Ocner had a terrific game at center midfield, and made a gorgeous wall pass back to a sprinting Suzie Jozkowski who buried it into the far corner for the winning score. The victory would not have been possible without Theresa Piliero, who heard the team's call in need and provided two strong halves in goal. Way to go Aristocats! Now you see how great your accomplishments when we pull togeether and play together.

Kickcats 2 - Terryville 1

The Kickcats played host to Terryville and won our first game of this fall season.

Terryville opened up the scoring on a Kickcat lapse and we never quit. Ilana got us on the scoreboard with the equalizer, and moments later Jessica netted the game winner.

Our defense held up with big saves by Shaina, Anna, Bridget and Marielle. Midfield dictated the play and we put together a full 70 minute soccer game. Ladies keep playing like this and we're unbeatable. "Keep Kicking Kickcats"

Cougars 2 - Wantagh 0

Excellent all-around game for the Cougars. The goals were scored by Chris DiCicco and Ken Zask. Midfield play was controlled by Dan Reilly, Jonathan Caceres and Brian Carton. Excellent defensive effort from Conrad Tenenbaum, Paul Hyatt, Mark Rossi and Kyle Scherder. Fine goaltending by Andrew Herrick. The important fact of this game was that the team started strongly and continued good play throughout the entire game. There was no let down in either half and hopefully the boys are developing a more consistent effort of play. Good job, Cougars!

Battlecats 1 - Newfield 0

Battlecats make it four straight divisional wins highlighted by the fact that each one has been a shutout in a game where they should have had much more than one goal. A nifty midfield play by Brian Eilbott found Andrew Simms who threaded the needle on a well earned goal. Chris Sigmund and Robbie Guercio never gave up their offensive pressure. Juan Flores did a magnificent job of marking a Newfield power forward and constantly denied him opportunities, with Leo Lumermann and Eric Iocco supplying the midfield support as well. What can you say when the defense does it again by shutout? It means that Fran Crecco, Chris Siracusa, Larry Lewandoski, Peter Burger and Jeff Moculeski are working together with perfection, and the ones that do manage to get on goal are being turned away by keeper Richie Crifaso. Once again, a total team performance and game well played.

Lady Pumas 8 - Smithtown 0

The Lady Pumas visited the Smithtown Barracudas and by the fifth minute they assumed control of the game with Sabrina and Alex scoring. Evelin kept on dictating the pace in midfield with Liz's precious help. Thanks to Laurie's work on the wing Sabrina's second game was no surprise! Up by three goals our Ladies lowered the tempo allowing for a Smithtown reaction, but Monika and Jessica S. gave them few chances that Allison, in goal, ultimately denied.

In the first 20 minutes of the second half our girls took the game out of contention with Meghan, Ai and Sabrina (hat trick) increasing the lead to 6-0. In spite of playing possession for the last 15 minutes, Maria and Rosemary still managed to get the reward for their efforts, closing out the score!

Excellent game, Ladies! Keep on working, as more victories are on the horizon!

Cheshire Cats 1 - Mineola 0

The Cheshire Cats used aggressive midfield play to control the flow of today's game and set up repeated offensive chances. Danielle Young, Megan Heinemann, and Kara Beardsley shared halfback duties in a dominating effort. Meghan O'Leary and Stephanie Chan shared stopper duties and were able to serve as an extra halfback for most of the game. Our scoring came when Jennifer Noone took the ball to the right corner and passed back out to Jenna Bresso. Jenna nailed the shot just inside the near post. Michelle Cohen again made several good plays to record her fourth shutout of the season.

Lazercats 7 - Bellmore 0

The Lazercats struck hard and first when Adam Ilardi burst through the defense to score the first two goals of the game. Hector Jaramillo struck next for the team, assisted by a beautiful pass by Jason Lacertosa. Fourth goal of the game was scored by Dan Takesky on a lazer of a shot. Next two goals scored by Kevin Philbin as he weaved his way through Bellmore. Russ Monti finished off the scoring by a beautiful set up of Sean Hunt. Mike Onarato had a tough, hard-fought game.

Lady Cougars 0 - Garden City Tornadoes 1

The Cougars ran into a strong defensive G.C. team and suffered their first loss of the season. The offense, sparked by Kim Carini, supplied the pressure early in the game but G.C. shut us down the rest of the way. Jessica Connaughton led the defense and kept the Cougars in the game. With some five minutes to go in regulation, G.C> scored on an errant clear and held on to win 1-0.

Lady Cougars 2 - Bayshore Topcats 0

The first half featured exciting end-to-end action. Allie Brsso, Andrea Flori and Alison Kiernan set up the offense for some early scoring chances. Then, midfielder Teresa Ferraro led forward Kim Carini who lofted a high blast into the net for a 1-0 halftime lead. In the second half, the Cougars got an early goal from Stefanie Kovacic, assisted by Nicole DeNara and Teresa Ferraro. Great defense by Dena Wlodarczyk, Nicole Dobranski, Caitlin Kennedy and sweeper Jessica Connaughton. Goalie Sam Laszlo added another shutout to her credit. Way to go, Lady Cougars, and good luck in Round 3!

The boys faired well against some tough competition, New Rochelle, NPCH, RVC and E.I. Scorpions. Our final most exciting game came on the last day of the tournament against East Islip to decide our standing. The Strykercats were down 3-1 at the half, our first goal being scored by Matt Santalesa on a great starting pass from Sean Mitchell, in a tough physical conflict the Strykercats came back to tie the game on goals scored by Matt Philbin and Neal Morris with assists by Thomas Ambrose and Chris Viviano. The strong midfield play of Mike Rosenfeld, Adam Morris, James Strohschein and Louie Tourrellas helped keep up the pressure Alajandro Frischeisen, Joe Fricione and Enrique Frischeisen were stalwart on defense. The boys could not be beat, nor could E.I. bringing the teams to "shootout." Tommy Corey displayed strong goaltending ability not allowing any goals. Strykercat goals were scored by Neal and Mike giving us a third place victory. The Strykercats would like to welcome Mike Rosenfeld and Louie Torrellas to our team and thank them for their strong support this weekend.

The New Hyde Park Wildcats under 9 girls Roughriders took the East Islip Columbus Tournament by storm, missing the first place trophy by just one point! Their second place finish was accomplished by a group of talented and energetic girls who gave 110 percent every game.

NHP 2 - Dix Hills 0

Game one on Saturday morning was played under gray, overcast skies with the threat of rain. But this didn't dampen the spirits of Jenna Feibus and Gina Moffa who put in a goal each to secure the win. Outstanding frontline action was provided by Amanda Jung, Dayna Obidienzo and Erin Campbell. The midfield was patrolled by Jen Lamaida and Julianne Glasheen. The defense, led by Ariana DiCicco and Tracie Shing, kept the ball out of the box all game long. Shut out goalkeeping by Katie Heller and Gina.

NHP 0 - East Islip 1

This was game two on Saturday morning. The weather wasn't any better but that didn't stop a classic battle between two top teams, the lone goal coming on a fluke play late in the second half. Amanda, Julianne, Erin and Dayna kept the offense pressure up throughout the game. Marielena Barbieri, Jen Gonzalez and Jen L. controlled the midfield play, constantly pushing the ball upfield. Tracie, Ariana, Jenna and Jen G. led the defense once again.

NHP 0 - West Hempstead 0

Sunday afternoon saw plenty of sunshine and blue skies for NHP. This was another exciting game for the girls (and a nail biter for the coaches and parents). Forty minutes of non-stop action was provided by the entire team. There were many chances at the net but neither team could put the ball in. The "J" team of Julianne, Jenna, Jen L., Jen G. provided support all over the field! Marielena provided the offensive play along with Dayna and Erin. Amanda helped on "D" this game with Ariana and Tracie. The shutout twins, Gina and Katie, played great in net again.

NHP 4 - Deer Park 0

The girls really stepped up their play for the last game. Jenna scored a hat trick and Erin put one in to secure the victory and second place trophy! Tracie, showing her versatility, moved up from her defensive spot to put numerous shots on goal. Jen G. was a wall, stopping every attempt by Deer Park to move the ball forward. Amanda, Dayne, Julianne and Katie all got in the action; passing, playing aggressive "heads up" soccer. Ariana, Marielena and Jen L. pushed up the back line and played like mid-fielders, sending the ball forward time and time again. What can I say, Katie and Gina did it again, for the shutout.

The whole squad came and played hard at all four games. We won some and lost some, but what a performance against tough competition! Olivia was our star scorer with goals assisted by the whole team. Grace, Caroline, Ariel and Leila completely controlled the defense. Brianna, Ariel and Aileen were unbeatable in goal. Melissa, Nicole, Aileen and Emily were creative forwards.

Last play of the tournament summed up what soccer is all about. The ball was thrown out by goalie Brianna to Caroline who dribbled and passed to Melissa who passed to Nicole. Grace received the ball and sent it to Olivia who passed it to Emily. Then came a few give and goes between Olivia and Emily who ended up in front of the goal with a blast to the net for the winning goal! Way to go girls! What a pleasure to see you play. Coaches Efi and Sean thank the parents for wonderful support and a great weekend.

Tigers 1 - North Shore Lightning 5

The Tigers lost a tough game against a strong North Shore team. Danny Goldberg scored the only goal of the game assisted by Joe Mercadante and Dylan Mayer. Good team effort by all the boys. Sean McGonigle and Nick Fishman were strong in goal.

Tigers State Cup Game One

Tigers 4 - East Meadow 0

The Tigers played their first State Cup Game against a determined East Meadow team. The Tigers were strong the entire game and never gave East Meadow a chance. Sean McGonigle started the scoring with a perfect pass by Dan Goldberg. Nick Fishman scored the second goal with assists by Carmine Gironda and Allen Williams. Allen also scored goal number three on a penalty shot. Brendon Schweitzwer scored the final goal on a corner kick. Great goaltending by Rich Caridi and Nick Fishman along with strong defense by Joe, Luigi and Dan Wortley gave the Tigers the shutout. Great team effort and a great game boys!

The Stormcats won round two of the U-11 State Cup with a grind out, hard work attitude. With no subs there was no scoring in the first half. Danny Gangale, our goalie, stopped missle after missle. The defense led by Alex Neystate, Chris Dijanic, Joe Incalcater, Robby Kassoff and Robert Morici were their usual stingy selves denying run after run that Valley Stream had. Tough first half with a 0-0 score. The second half Michael McHale fed Eric Andreuzzi who blasted one over the goalie's head. Then five minutes later Valley Stream tied it up. Scoreless the next 10, Joe Marrano made a big cross to Daniel Duras who headed it in for the winning goal. Other players who played their hearts out were Chris Dijanic and Justin Brobst. Well done, boys!