With the advent of warmer weather, excitement continues as the Manhasset Arsenal second grade soccer team has extended its unbeaten streak playing against older and more experienced third grade teams. With three tournaments scheduled in June, "the buzz has already surpassed last year," said Coach Joe Gavin. Fueled with determination following their gold medal winning performance in last October's North Hempstead Cup competition, the second grade boys are pumped up and anxious to begin tournament play.

With the season barely under way, two of the Arsenal's opponents were forced to pull out of the league. Scheduling conflicts with baseball have taken a toll on players committed to both sports. The Arsenal's ranks were also hit by the absence of several players. "We knew it would be tough to field our usual line-up this spring" offered Coach Gavin, who had no other choice than to recruit several third graders from two other Manhasset traveling teams.

Thanks to the assistance of third grade coaches Tim Hayes and Albert Yim, the Arsenal was able to field a full team that prevented a forfeit in their April 21 season opener against Cure of Ars third graders from Merrick. Spurred on by the enthusiasm and encouragement of the fans, the Arsenal went on to capture a stunning 5-2 road victory.

Battling a hot afternoon sun and trailing, 1-0, early in the game, Manhasset tied the score on a goal by Willie Sandoval. Merrick came back to grab a short-lived 2-1 lead, but the Arsenal countered and gained a psychological lift by scoring the equalizer at the best possible time - before the end of the half as Richard Sandoval threaded a perfect pass to Nico Capetola, who fired a high screamer that hit the crossbar. Capetola followed-up his shot and hammered home the rebound for his first of two goals on the day.

The Arsenal was determined to make its presence felt in the second half. Because they were playing against an older, more experienced team, Coach Gavin implemented an attacking strategy in which he moved the entire unit forward in an effort to apply more pressure on the Merrick team. The move paid off as Capetola banged his second goal of the game into the near corner giving the Arsenal a 3-2 lead and adding fire to a team that never doubted its own ability.

The solid defensive play of Bradford Greaves, Chris Haldeman, Matt Manoogian and Richard Sandoval held the opposition to a scoreless second half. Capitalizing on passing and teamwork, Manhasset was able to advance and score decisive goals at crucial times. It was another jinxing run by Willie Sandoval, who scored the fourth goal with an assist from Chris Manoogian. Sean Connors wrapped up the day's scoring in the waning minutes by powering home a penalty shot that proved too strong for the Merrick goalkeeper. Coach Robin Greaves called the triumph "an important victory to bring home to Shelter Rock in readiness for our next outing," a contest against Albert Yim's much revered Manhasset third grade outfit.

It was another steamy afternoon when Arsenal's second graders were battling Manhasset's third graders in a game played with an ironic twist. In order to provide the third grade team with a full roster, four second graders were placed on loan and were now manning the opposite end of the field. Coach Gavin praised the Arsenal's Kevin Grimm, John King, Marco Madia, and John Medwick for "displaying outstanding sportsmanship" by temporarily doning the opponent's jersey and allowing the game to be played.

An early goal by Willie Sandoval, assisted by Michael Heenan, gave the Arsenal a 1-0 lead. Not to be outdone the third graders began to make their presence felt. Mario Gagliano scored two goals in three minutes as the first quarter ended. Nico Capetola added two more goals in the second quarter which created a 4-1 deficit for the Arsenal and threatened their undefeated record.

To fend off the possibility of losing, Arsenal's coaching staff made immediate changes. They moved Bradford Greaves up to the forward line which enabled Richard Sandoval to have more freedom to attack while maintaining a tight hold on midfield with Sean Connors, Chris Haldeman, Michael Heenan and Joseph Mancini. The strategy worked as Greaves notched the second Arsenal goal. The Arsenal defense held its ground well preventing the third graders from scoring again despite some determined efforts by Capetola. The defense was anchored by Bradford Greaves, Jonathan Thomas and Thomas Gavin (participating in his first game of the year since his tonsillectomy). Gavin, who was called upon to play a new position, responded with a heads up performance at fullback.

But it proved once again to be the Arsenal's day as both Sandoval's (no relation) scored. Willie slid in the third tally with an assist from John Prufeta and Richard picked his spot with a well-placed left foot shot giving the third grade goalie no chance. It was a warm and memorable afternoon, featuring a 'family showdown' between two Manhasset teams, who rose to the occasion by battling to a 4-4 tie.

The Arsenal continued its tournament build-up when they played Merrick's third grade "A" team on Saturday, May 19. The Merrick team had never lost a regular season or tournament game. Facing the prospect of playing the toughest opponent in team history, the Arsenal coaching staff put the team through vigorous and extensive training in the weeks before the contest.

The Arsenal players shrugged off any of the coaching staff's concerns by grabbing an early lead on a goal by Willie Sandoval with an assist to Nico Capetola. Capetola's spirited and hard fought performance served as an inspiration to the team all day. Despite Merrick's extremely talented players, they were unable to break the Arsenal's defense led by fullbacks Andy Hayes, Bradford Greaves, Richard Sandoval and Chris Haldeman. This hard working foursome turned in a stalwart performance, but it was Andy who set the tone. His tenacity and hustle ignited the defense throughout the entire game. The victory would not have been preserved had it not been for the hard-nosed midfield play of Sean Connors, Drew Belinsky, Greg Hayes, Thomas Heenan and Jonathan Thomas.

Merrick managed to score just before half time on a controversial penalty kick. Jostling for position in the penalty area produced a handball situation that the referee judged to be intentional. C.J. Quackenbush, who turned in his usual outstanding performance in goal, executed a full-length dive but the perfect placement of the ball by the Merrick sharpshooter made any chance of a save an impossibility.

The second half produced an exciting end-to-end skirmish as the teams fought to a 1-1 tie. The real winners were both defenses as the forward lines were not able to find enough room, speed or time to turn the half-chance into a goal. In the end a very creditable performance against a superior team proved to be a confidence builder for the Arsenal team as it heads into tournament play.

The Manhasset Arsenal players and coaches would like to thank all participants who were represented during these matches and allowed these important games to take place. The team is looking forward to the tournament play which gets under way this Saturday.