TOPSoccer

New Hyde Park celebrated it's milestone 10th TOPSoccer Tournament on October 13th, with a magnificent festival at the Denton Avenue field. A beautiful day greeted many of the TOPSoccer Programs on Long Island at our traditional event. Hundreds of players, family and friends turned out for a day of games and fun. The action was fast and furious. New Hyde Park had players represented in each of the three divisions. The juniors were their usual offensive powerhouse. Harrison Stein led the way with 5 goals. Emily Bosco displayed her attacking skills with a goal of her own. Nicholas Pusateri was a standout in the goal and even stopped a penalty shot! Great support by Liam O'Brien, Danny Barber and Tristan Yang. The intermediate team also contributed a few goals by Nicholas DiSalvio, Constantine Lascarides and Adam Strominger. Super 2-way play by Patrick Williams and Samuel Ho. The seniors were put to the test. While we had no goal scorers they made an immense impact. Matt Saraiva and Andrew Abberton played a terrific game with stellar passing. Stefani Egre played midfield and displayed her numerous tackling and dribbling skills. Debbie Chin was outstanding in her defensive role as she stop a slew of attackers and left them frustrated all day long. After the games were concluded, the Sportography photographer took team pictures. These photos are presented to each player at the end-of-the-year LIJSL's TOPSoccer dinner in December. Then it was on to the blacktop where the hungry players dined on hot dogs, soda and snacks by our gracious servers. Then each player was awarded a commemorative tournament patch and medallion. Tournament T-shirts and a package of goodies filled the athletes hands to the brim. Then, those really into the spirit of the day, sat down for some face painting, which was professionally done this year by Jessica Egre. On the way out, players were invited to take a copy of photos taken during past tournaments. The day couldn't have been such a huge success without many people. The field marking team superbly led by Sean McGonigle and Brian Evers, and ably assisted Kevin and Curt Walline, toiled all week long dodging the raindrops on several occasions to get the fields marked in time. Eric Lorandini who brought the nets to the fields before the sun came up. Rich Hess who arranged for the use of the school and the assistance of the custodians. Eileen Stevens who, not only helped cook hot dogs all morning with Brenda Bletsch, but arranged for the use of the GCP Fire House. Kathy Abberton who purchased most of the food and ably organized the servers. Joe Abberton, Ray Anderson, Dominic Marrano's Lady Stormcats, Sportography, Sport Loft, James Engravers, Debbie and Dave Gilroy, Jim Lawler, Keith Solar, Dan Taglich and his excellent referees, The Lombardo moms, and all the TOPSoccer coaches, who make the program run each week. And a special thanks to Brian Evers, Mary Jo and Rich Bursig and Brenda Bletsch for all the big (and little) things they do in preparing this great day. And to all the players who come from near and far just for the chance to participate in the sport played by the most children on Long Island. They are grateful for a program like this, as many athletes would not have had the opportunity to play the game we all take for granted. It is heartwarming (as has been noted by many people outside the community) to see the outpouring of generosity by the Wildcat family that is the envy of many clubs. You should be proud of yourselves.

-Richard Bletsch

Girls Division

Travel

U-12

Lady Bengals 0 - West Babylon 3 - The West Babylon soccer team played very strong today and the Lady Bengals played enough tougher but couldn't catch a break. Better luck next time girls!

U-11

New Hyde Park Lady Tigers 5 vs. Hicksville United 0

October 13, 2007

Jasmine got the scoring going by charging hard at the goalie. It was a team effort for the Lady Tiger's next goal. With a pass from the backfield to Betsy who rushed up field and then passed it to Jennifer who then made a beautiful leading pass to Jasmine who rushed furiously to breakaway from the United defenders to score her second goal. The third goal developed when Lisa kicked the ball that rebounded off the goalie but Betsy was in position to blast the ball high into the goal. The Lady Tigers then exhibited some more terrific passing and teamwork. From the right corner of the goal Erin passed the ball to Betsy who set Jasmine up to score but her shot rebounded off the goalie. The Lady Tigers were swarming around the goal, but it was Bridgette who was in perfect position behind the goalie to tap the ball in for her first goal of the season. It was a wonderful moment for Bridgette who takes plenty of hard knocks, but continues to always play hard and never lets up on the ball. Erin scored the final goal with a penalty kick that was unstoppable high to the left corner. Sabrina, Laila, Betsy and Julie made solid defensive plays throughout the game. Keeley, Gillian, Erin, Jasmine and Jennifer kept the ball in offensive play for most of the first half. Lisa and Gianna shared goal tending duties and both were outstanding in getting the shutout. We missed Martha today. Good team effort, good team win!

U-10

Lady Lynx - 4 Great Neck Titans - 0

The Lady Lynx's dominated this contest from the opening whistle. The entire Lynx squad played outstanding. The offensive trio of Eva,Maeve and Danniella controlled the ball throughout the early minutes of the game. Danniella finally opened the scoring on a beautiful shot to the right of the goalie. The Lady Lynx defense,led by Keri, Aisling and Taylor protected their goalies all afternoon. Julia L. and Julia T. also were solid on defense. The whole defensive unit was so strong that they prevented the Titan's from getting shot on goal all game. The first half ended with the Lynx holding a slight 1-0 lead despite controlling the ball the entire half. The Lady Lynx opened the game up in the second half. Ashley received a perfect pass from Jackie, who settled the ball and lifted a rising shot into the net for a 2-0 lead. Allison's hard work led to the third goal. She made a super pass to Jackie who patiently converted the pass for a 3-0 lead. Julia L., Taylor, Aisling and Keri moved easily into the offensive flow. Keri finished the scoring by putting a perfectly placed shot outside of the reach of the Titan's keeper. Ashley, Maeve,Eva , Danniella and Allison moved back to the defensive end and also did a great job protecting their keepers. Jackie and Julia T. handled

Bonnet Division

U-7

MUNCHKINS -5, CUBS -4

WOW - What a game! Like many of the games this season, this one was another nail biter - a high-scoring see-saw affair with both teams having excellent chances to win, lose or tie. It was a shame either side had to lose today. The Cubbies got on the scoreboard quickly, as the Munchkin D was a little shaky early on and let in 2 quick goals. Undaunted, Sophie Michaels and Sophia Leeds each countered with goals of their own to make it 2-2 at halftime. Sophia Leeds' goal was a very well struck penalty kick. The Munchkin D fell asleep again and let in 2 more goals to make it 4-2 shortly into the second half, but the Munchkins came roaring back with relentless effort by Theodora Papadoniou, Mackenzie Griffin, Kasey Borduas, and Kira Crehan who each pushed up on D to keep the ball in the Cubbie zone. Those efforts paid off when Sophia Leeds crashed the net with 2 goals to tie the game [a Hat-Trick by Sophia!!] and Katie Krems came barreling in from the right side to go far post with the game-winning goal to make it 5-4. Absolutely fantastic game by Bethany Ambrosio who attacked real well in the first half, pinched up on D in the second half and made several great throw-ins. Very nice effort by Ashley Lasko also, who had a real nice shot on goal that the goalie just grabbed. Deirde Lynch was super in goal in the second half and kept us in the game with several sparkling saves. Great effort by both teams! We missed you Hailey Lynch and Olivia Baez.

CAP

New Hyde Park Wildcats U7 Girls - 1st PLACE

Columbus Day Weekend Tournament

Front row: Joanna Mauceri, Logan Ward, Marina Pappas, Irene Krische, Giselle Correia. Back row: Jasmine Kamdar, Irene Tsahas, Naomi Diaz, Caroline Nuttall. Coaches: Dawn Ward, Paul Krische, Louie Correia. The U-7 Girls of the NHP Wildcats came ready to play in all facets of the game for the Syosset Tournament. In five games the girls scored 19 goals and did not allow a goal. Fine goaltending by Irene Krische, Marina Pappas and Joanna Mauceri, strong defensive play from Irene Tsahas, Naomi Diaz and Caroline Nuttall, and continuous offensive pressure from Giselle Correia, Logan Ward and Jasmine Kamdar led to a stellar performance. Congratulations on a true team effort and many thanks to the coaches.

U-8

The Panthers stormed out to a fast lead on Zoe Araujo's breakaway goal in the opening minutes of the game. Alannah O'Shea added a second goal for the Panthers shortly thereafter, but the Fire Cats came thundering back with three unanswered goals. Alannah O'Shea then added three consecutive goals, the first of which was a beautifully timed pass from Camryn Finkel, who scored two additional goals for the Panthers later in the game. Bonnie Charles made some amazing saves in goal for the Panthers, one a diving stop, which help keep a Panthers lead. Abah Japi and Camryn Weinbaum hustled on both offense and defense, often taking the ball deep into Fire Cat territory. Shayna Zeitlin, who played as tough as nails, covered the Fire Cat offense and fed the ball to the Panther offense all day long. Ally Petricca did a fine job of taking the ball down the sideline and stealing some potential breakaway goals. Ciara Lennon displayed a tremendous amount of energy as she virtually covered the entire field on both offense and defense, breaking up several Fire Cat passes. The Panther goalie for the second half of the game, Hannah Weinberger, stopped several shots on goal and saved the game, stopping a last minute goal attempt by the Fire Cats. This was truly a remarkable game by both teams. All team members played their hearts out and treated us to some great soccer!!

Cabbage Patch Division

U-7

Kitty Kats vs. Goal Kickers

The Kitty Kats took charge of the field. Kaitlyn Louie and Tiffany Moreno successfully blocked all goals. Caroline Nuttall, Cayla Mikowski, Jillian Cooper, Lauren Vowinkel had a very strong game on the attack as well as many scoring chances. Joanna Mauceri dribbled the ball around the defenders and scored a goal. Everyone put their best foot forward in defending the net and clearing the ball. Stephanie Zovich, Julia Feldman, Georgia Thoms, Alex Thoms were superb in passing the ball and were very impressive with their overall ball control. Congratulations to both teams.

Boys Division

October 13, 2007

Boys U12 Travel

Stray Cats vs. Terryville

Terrific effort by all the Stray Cat players in a convincing 5-1 victory over a very strong Terryville squad. Relentless defense and a second half offensive onslaught were the keys to today's win. In the first half, the Stray Cat defenders - Cian Fitzgerald, Billy Stevens, Tyler Carrick, Ryan Korzevinsky, Stephan Eranovic, Chris Ferlazzo - constantly pressured while completely shutting down any Terryville offensive threat. Then the Cats' offense got going. Gerard Farrell blasted a 20 foot laser off a defender's back to give the Cats a 1-0 lead. Tied at one in the second half, Bryan O'Neill scored the first of his two goals off a sweet pass from Gerard. A few minutes later, Austin Ward booted one in from the left side for a 3-1 lead. On a pretty pass from Tyler, Bryan netted his second of the game. And Steven Cacchioli scored the Cats' final goal on a nifty 40 foot shot over the keeper's head. Midfielders/ Forwards Ciaran Stack, Travis Finkel, Chris Sacino, and Alex Spinoccia easily dictated the pace and play of the game with crisp passing and terrific ball movement. Goalie Andrew Blumenson was again rock-solid in the nets, making seven super saves. Great game Stray Cats !!!

U10

Tigers vs. Hicksville Warriors- Loss 3-1

Saturday, the Tigers played a very rough and tumble game against the Hicksville Warriors. It was hard fought and our players took a lot of hard shots, but they stayed focused and tried their best. The first half was close with our lone goal scored by Brendan Quinn off a corner kick. On defense, Brendan, Kevin Keenan, and Jeremy El Kashash encountered a bit of rough play, but they kept clean and did a great job of turning the play around and keeping up the pressure on the opponent's offense. Our offense of Michael Orlik, John Hanna, Nicholas Nikas, Peter Restivo, Jacob Leeds, and Michael Carotta had their opportunities, but we missed on other scoring chances. Alex Ptacek and Ryan O'Donnell each had some great saves in goal and kept the score close. Get 'em next time boys.

International Division

Boys U9/U10

United vs. Fire

Great match today by team Fire against DC United. The Fire opened the scoring quickly on a nice shot by Christian Carrick. DC United answered back with a goal of their own. Great midfield play by Nick Favale, Joshua Rotstein, Nathan Edwards and Tom Kamberis kept the score tied at the half. The second half saw end to end action with DC United taking the lead only to have Jason Priest tie it up on a nice feed from Justin Carnero. Once again DC United took the lead but Christian buried one in the net to tie it once again after some nice hustle by Frankie Maropakis and Jonathan Ang. DC United was able to put in one at the last minute for the win. Good job in goal by Kostov Katsoulis and Jonathan. Good Luck in the playoffs. Go Fire!

Boys U8

Tornados vs. Lions

The Tornados closed out the regular season edging a tough Tiger squad 3-0. Goal scorers, Nicholas Femia and Andrew Imperatore set the tone offensively with great passing from Peter Siozios, Jake Guercia, Mathew Notine, Goalies, Brian Schoenberg and Michael Murnane played a tremondous game stifling the hard charging Tiger attack and were supported with great defensive work by Brendan Kiernan and Christopher Kerrane. The team is excited to be starting the playoffs next week.

Boys U8

Tiger Sharks vs. Lions

Finally a cool, crisp day to play soccer. The Lions took the field hoping to clinch the top seed in the playoffs which start next week. Nicholas Pellegrino started the scoring with a lot of hard work in front of the Tiger Sharks' goal. The Tiger Sharks knotted the score at one to end the first half. Nicholas Arman broke the tie by putting in a rebound over the head of the defending goaltender. The defense of Steven DeVerteuil, Micheal Marcy and Colin Neubert kept the ball in the offensive zone for Gabriel Moreno to cap off the scoring for the Lions 3-1 victory.