Columbus Day Tournament - Syosset

Premier Division - NHP Firecrackers

U-8 Girls Roll to First Place Finish

Game 1: NHP - 6, Valley Stream -0

Game 2: NHP - 5, Farmingdale - 0

Game 3: NHP - 7, Levittown - 0

Game 4: NHP - 6, Albertson - 0

Game 5: NHP - 6, Massapequa - 0

This group of girls continues to jell as a very strong, cohesive unit that can display their firepower on offensive, defense and goaltending. In this tournament all 10 girls got to play every position. Their understanding of each position, and where they need to be on the field led to a dominating performance. Relentless pressure from the defense and the offense wore down the other teams. Their ability to pressure with and without the ball from goal kicks to defending throw-ins had the opposing teams backpedaling. The toughest match of the tournament was against Massapequa. With the score knotted at 0 - 0 late in the first half, Marina Pappas slipped by the defense and scored twice in the final minutes to propel the Firecrackers to a 2-0 lead at halftime. At the beginning of the second half, Logan Ward had a spectacular goal where she lifted a free kick from 25 yards out over the goaltender's head, and the team was unimpeded from there. The offensive attack was led by mid fielders Logan Ward and Irene Tashas, and offensive forwards Giselle Corriea, Marina Pappas, Pauline Valentine and Jasmine Kamdar. The defense was anchored by Joanna Mauceri and Paden Dvoor. The steady and reliable goaltending was provided by Irene Krische and Lauren Wasserman. Great job girls, congratulations. Many thanks go out to the coaches Gus Tashas, Dawn Ward and Paul Krische for having the girls well prepared.

TOP Soccer

This week's seniors were a little thin in their ranks but they more than made up for it with their tenacious play. Matched against the coaches and parents, the players clicked on all cylinders. The offense was roaring in the 1st half with goals by Stefani Egre (2) and Adam Strominger. The passing and defense by Debbie Chin and David Glass was outstanding. But the play by Robert Vittiglio in goal was the highlight of the game. Making acrobatic save after save, he thwarted the opposition all day. While the coaches finally got lucky goals by Jeremy Waite and Stan Tristan, Robert was star of the game! The junior game ended 3-2 as the Lions defeated the Tigers. Constantine Lascarides scored all the goals for the Lions and Jo-Jo Gonzalez and Emily Bosco answered for the Tigers. More great goaltending was provided in this contest by Harrison Stein, Kerra Thornton, Emily and Charlie Hinz. Super passing by Kerra, Emily and Camilla Dervisevic. Next week we're off to Rockville Centre for a Tournament. The TOPSoccer dinner is Nov. 14th, at 6:30 p.m. at the Huntington Hilton. NOTE: This is a change of location from last year. It's $25 for all guests. Players are paid for by LIJSL.

Rich Bletsch, Director

Girls Division

Bonnet

U-8

Go For the Goal vs. Kitty Kats - On this nice fall day, both teams needed to be on top of their games in order to advance the finals. The game turned into a defensive chess match with each team having difficulty advancing deep in to their opponent's offensive zone. A strong goaltending effort was put forth by Irene Krische and Tiffany Moreno with some spectacular saves. The defense was lead by Channing Woo with help from the steady play of midfielders Joanna Mauceri and Alexandra Goteman. Pushing the ball up the field on offense were Kassidy Keefe, Randi Sarf, Hannah Weinberger, Arianna Kaloudis and Grace Rocco. Although the girls fell just short against the mighty Kitty Kats, it was a solid performance for Go for the Goal. Congratulations Kitty Kats.

U-9

Cubs 2 vs Lady Tigers 3 - On a fine looking day the Cubs took on the Lady Tigers. The Lady Tigers took first strike at the Cubs with an early shot on goal. The Cubs defense was powered by Theodora Papadonia, Sara Manners, Isabell Ugolini, and Jessica Goldstein. The Cubs came back with their first goal when Olivia Lugo slammed a loose ball into the net. The Offense was supported by Dylan Sanders, Jordyn Siegel, Siohban Mcmullen, and Sophie Michaels. In the second half the Cubs second goal was started by a leading pass by Theodora from defense to Olivia who slammed her second goal passed the goalie. The girls had several scoring chances but just came short of tying the game after that. Marissa Cronin, Siohban McMullen, and Sara Manners did their best at goaltending for the Cubs. We miss the help of Marisa Menist.

Semi-Final Playoff Game Summary

Lightning 5 - Panthers 1

In a game that was much closer than the score indicated, the Lightning squared off against the always tough Panthers. Sophia Leeds, Tiffany Velin (2) and Kaitlyn Krems (2), led the attack. The defense was anchored by Bethany Ambrosio, Cara Becker, Lauren Perlman and Stephanie Karczewski, who all cleared the ball well. Kristin Granieri and Parker Spector-Salwen held down midfield. Stellar In goal was Shayna Zeitlin in the first half and Casey Sanders in the second. Dominique and Sylwia, we hope you are feeling better Kevin Panthers vs. Lightning - The Panthers quickly took the ball into Lightning territory when Mackenzie Griffin passed to Deirdre Lynch, who took the ball down the center of the field. The potent Lightning offense scored two quick goals, but Panthers defender Edna Dudek cleared the ball to a wide open Ciara Dowling, who fed the ball to Kira Crehan, who scored for the Panthers. The two teams battled fiercely for the remainder of the afternoon. Katie Belmonte, Celine Macura and Rebecca Olivari hustled from sideline to sideline, keeping the Lightning offense in check. Panther goalie Hannah Dienstag did an outstanding job of stopping several potential Lightning goals. Panther Forwards Julia Kosinski and Kelsey Nathan hammered the ball down field, keeping it in Lightning territory. Panther defenders Ally Petricca and Ciara Lennon teamed up to deny the Lightning on several scoring opportunities. Both teams worked really hard and hustled all afternoon. All in attendance were really proud of the tremendous display of sportsmanship by both teams.

U-9 (Pre-Travel):

NHP White Lightning 2 - Syosset 2

In a heat-breaker of a tie game, where the weather played as much of a factor as the opposition, White Lighting went head on with a tough Syosset team. NHP built a 2 goal lead in the first half thanks to lightning fast goals by Katie Krems and Tiffany Velin off beautiful outlet passes by Theodora Papadonio and Sophia Leeds respectively. Syosset got a goal back off a questionable PK about half way thru the second half, and then the scored the game-tying goal with 30 seconds left in the game when they made a mad dash down the left side. The D of Sophia Leeds, Kira Crehan, Theodora P, Stephanie K and Isabel Ugolini was solid throughout the game. The attack of Katie K, Tiffany V, Olivia Baez and Jordyn Siegel had several fast breaks on goal, including several in the closing stages that would have capped the victory had they found net. In goal, Enda Dudek was superb and made several nice shots of point blank range. A good tough game, but a heart-breaking tie in the end.

NHP Blue Thunder 4 - RVC - 1

The girls handled a large pitch, lots of wind, and much playing time in stride. The seven Blue Ladies defeated the RVC squad by a score of 4-1 contributing to the win. After tending net the first half, Olivia Lugo netted two goals in the second half. Playing a strong center forward, Camryn Dluginski scored the team's only first half goal. Mackenzie Griffin tallied the other goal. Siobhan McMullan did lots of running and kept the ball mostly in the RVC defensive end. Bethany Ambrosio and Lauren Perlman had outstanding games as each really stepped up and filled lanes when needed. Mac provided coverage from her centerback position. Shana Zeitlin had a busy first half at left wing and a very quite second half in goal. A good team effort!

Travel

U-12

New Hyde Park Lady Tigers 1 vs. Plainedge Dare Devils 0

Oct. 25

The Lady Tigers dominated the ball throughout the game with Erin scoring the one and only goal early on in the game. The Lady Tigers played very well as a team with Jasmine, Erin, Sabrina, Joslyn, Caroline, Gillian, Keeley, and Gianna all having shots at the goal, but the Dare Devil's goalie caught most of the balls. The defensive players of Isabel, Laila, Julie, Bridgette and Jennifer all played well and helped Lisa in defending the goal to preserve the shutout. It was a total team effort.

Boys Interamurals

International Division

Weekend of Oct. 25-26

BU-8

Celtics vs. Yankees - Both teams were definitely on top of the games this year as both put their best feet forward for this thrilling game. In the end, it was a win for the Yankees with two minutes left in the game. Tommy M, Kevin A, Ryan O, and Connor S were great on offense for the Celtics. Great passing between the boys kept the ball moving forward against a tough Yankees defense. Yousef H, William B, Julian M, and Daniel V were strong on defense and worked great together to hold back a powerful Yankees offense. Matthew O, in goal for the first half, was like a towering brick wall. All in all, the boys played great and it was an exciting game for all who watched. Let's bring that enthusiasm to our Final game on Saturday.

BU-10

Tigers - 3 vs. Panthers - 2, Saturday 10/25/08

What a match this one turned out to be! The Panthers jumped out to an early 1-0 lead before the mighty Tigers came roaring back on Christopher Kilcullen's first goal that was tucked into the corner of the net after a beautiful pass from Nicholas Lopez. The Tigers must have had some pretty powerful oranges at halftime because they came out and scored right away as John Kilcullen found the back of the net on a ball that was crossed from deep in the corner by his brother Chris. Nicholas Lopez was a "man on a mission" all game as his hustle kept the ball on the Tigers' side for most of the half. Nicholas' hustle and effort enabled him to have numerous shots on goal throughout the day. The Tigers defense was once again led by Michael Lynch, Joseph Steves, and Ryan Shum as they kept the Panther attack away from their goalie, Kevin Fox who came back a week early from an injured foot to contribute in this hard earned victory. Rory Greene, Paul Wiess, and Ari Bazigos were outstanding manning the left side of the Tiger offense. The Tigers went ahead for good late in the game as Christopher Kilcullen hooked in the game winner from the right corner. What a treat for all who attended this well played game! The Tigers will move on to the championship game next week as they face off against another tough team, the mighty Bengals. This game will be played at Manor Oaks School on Saturday Nov. 1st at 12:00 noon. Please come down and cheer on these two teams as they put the finishing touches on a great season. GO TIGERS!!!

Boys Travel

BU-10

NHP Sabercats - 2 vs. Huntington Boys Club - 3

It was a well played game of soccer, matching the NHP Sabercats against the Huntington Boys Club. Excellent effort was put forth by both teams. The Sabercats started Jose Maralunda, Nick Favale, and Matty Lorandini in forward, Matthew Vowinkel in midfield, and Carlos Alvarado and Christian Carrick in defense with Jack Nuttall in goal. Shots on goal were favorable to the Sabercats. Daniel Zvi had several shots on goal followed up by Matthew Vowinkel, Matty Lorandini, and Christian Carrick. Alex Bracco and Fernando Rabayo came in with great intensity. Fernando had a beautiful shot on goal but the HBC keeper was on the ball constantly. Jack had great saves one after another but HBC was strong offensively. Yanni Rigos came in and was strong in his efforts but again the Sabercats were just unlucky. Right before the second half, HBC was on attack. Jack took a hit straight to the stomach and went down but his teammates were quick to back him up and protected the goal. At the second half, Yanni Rigos went in to goal and made numerous great plays. HBC scored again with strong offensive playing. The Sabercats were down two and they got hungry. Fernando Rabayo shot a corner kick to Matty Lorandini who effortlessly passed it to Daniel Zvi who shot it straight into goal. The second goal came quickly thereafter to equalize the game with yet another corner kick from Fernando Rabayo straight to Matthew Vowinkel who slammed it into the goal. The game held at 2-2 for quite some time. The Sabercat defense was strong as ever with Christian Carrick, Nick Favale, and Carlos Alvarado playing the ball perfectly. In the end, the Sabercats took their first loss. It is always tough to have your first loss but what a great game to learn from! Nevin Nambiar was a big miss for the Sabercats today.

NHP Stryker Kats - 4 vs. Albertson - 3

In the wake of a storm coming, the Stryker Kats took the field on a "Silent Weekend". With their coaches quiet on the sideline, the boys raised their voices and their game. A ball was brought down the side line by Richard Marchelos who delivered a nice soft pass to Jason Priest. Jason brought the ball right down the goal line, passed the ball across and hit a perfectly positioned Luke Laurino to go up 1-0. Albertson, however, was not going to go away that easy and tied up the game by crashing the goal. Working hard in the center position was Justin Carnero who kept fighting the ball into the offensive zone and putting a ton of pressure. In forward positions were Gabriel Moreno and Mark Niewierowski. After a shot on goal, the Albertson goalie threw a ball into play only to be picked off by Jason Priest. Jason squeaked around two players to score unassisted to put the Stryker Kats up 2-1. Albertson came back again and tied it right before the half. The Stryker Kats came out the second half just as strong as the first with Jason Priest forcing the play down the center of the field and hitting Richard Donovan on the wing. Richard made a line right for the goal and put the boys up 3-1 early. Albertson put pressure on, but the defense was amazing as usual, led by Daniel Lee, Zachary Fazekas, Francesco Maropakis, and Jordan Zivan. Jordan passed the ball out to Jason Priest who found a streaking Richard Marchelos and put one in the back of the net to make it 4-2. In the second half, Albertson put in one more to make it 4-3 but it was already too late.

BU-11

NHP Tigers - 0 vs. Oyster Bay Falcons - 4

The Tigers met up with a very competitive Oyster Bay team. The Tigers were on the attack in the first half with the offense of Nick Nikas, Michael Orlik, Jacob Leeds, and John Hannah. Although there were multiple chances and good crisp passing, the Tigers came up short against a tough Falcons goaltender. The half ended scoreless. Midfielders Joe Pugliese, Jeremy El Kashash, Husain Poonawala, and Michael Carrotta played tough, patrolling the field and springing the offense. Even though the opponent was able to score four in the second half, that does not reflect the play of the Tiger defense, composed of Peter Restivo, Kevin Keenan, Marko Kurek, and Ryan O'Donnell. The D made some great clears and swept in front of the goal to repel the attacking offense. Goaltender Alex Ptacek made seven saves and kept us as close as possible in spite of the outcome. Keep your heads up and go get 'em next week boys. GO TIGERS!!

BU-13

NHP Jaguars - 5 vs. CSH Sackers - 0

On "Players Day Only", the Jaguars showed they did not need anyone help from the sidelines this game. Three minutes into the game, some nice passes between Chris Pun, Steven Cacchioli, and Alex Spinoccia paid off with the first of two goals scored by Alex. The Jaguars took control from the kick off with the defense of Andrew C, John Liam, Anthony C, and Andrew B pushing balls into midfield. Steven L kept pushing forward and sending balls to the wings to Anthony D and Paul. The second goal from Alex came from a pass from Paul. Steven C scored two goals in the first half, his second from a 25 yard shot. Michael Z and Anthony D kept the Sackers defense busy. At the second half, the Jaguars kept the pressure on with Brendan and Anthony L pushing the ball to the forwards Brian and Thomas. The Jaguars had many shots on goal but none finding the back of the net. Thomas was fouled in the box and finished the scoring from the penalty shot. Goalkeeper Daniel saved the few shots that were fired at the goal and was never under real pressure. The Jaguars 5-0 win was a great day for the team on "Players Only Weekend". Congratulations to the coaches and parents for letting the players have their big day. Great job!