The Mineola Tornadoes, an Under 8 year old MAA soccer tournament team, completed their first ever victorious streak in the Town of Hempstead Rockin' Soccer Tournament held at Speno Park in East Meadow. Coach Ann Forte had her troops drilled in an exciting six on six format played within outdoor inflatable fields on a beautiful July Saturday. The tournament was a twist on normal soccer rules with each team playing without goalies and the playing surface containing ten foot high walls forcing all balls to be in play at all times unless kicked outside the confines of the enclosures. The boys won two of three matches with all members contributing to the success of the squad.

The Tornadoes played a tough Hicksville Hot Shots team in their first game and needed time getting used to the unusual surface. Hicksville jumped out to an early lead before Richie Forte, Ryan Winters, Bobby Kelly and Jonathan Kowalcyk tinged the twine for Mineola. The Tornadoes tightened their defense after a 7-5 halftime deficit behind the dominance of Brett Windisch and Anthony DeStefano. Staying close to their opponents, Nicky Palma and Kowalcyk kicked in second half goals to narrow the score. The Tornadoes then showed their firepower at the most opportune moment. Down 10-8 with less than a minute remaining, the trio of Palma, Kowalcyk and Forte blasted consecutive shots to exit with a tremendous 11-10 victory stunning the surprised Hot Shots.

The second contest became quite a different affair versus a feisty Levittown squad. Bobby Kelly lit the scoreboard early followed by Forte and Nick Conway to jump out to a 3-1 lead at the break Coach Ann opted to rely on her defensive set including Thomas Satalino to preserve what would be a tough win. Kelly was in the right place all the time and notched another goal before fleet Kowalcyk would add the final tally. DeStefano and Windisch again provided a solid 1-2 combination on the back line to guarantee a 5-3 advantage at the final whistle. Ryan Winters played the enforcer when Levittown took a few too many liberties to aid his teammates in a nip and tuck battle.

Between games, all teams competed in various skills competitions including shooting, passing and dribbling and were rewarded with certificates of performance and kept their tools sharp for the matchups. The boys were also treated to visits from the New York Power and a raffle for MetroStars tickets, soccer balls and shirts.

Game three was a small letdown but left the boys knowing they were not invincible - at least not yet. Playing the hometown East Meadow Soccer Club, the Tornadoes got off to their worst start giving up a quick five goals. Mineola fought back behind goals by Kowalcyk, Forte, Kelly and Winters for a 4-8 shortfall at the midpoint. The team showed incredible scoring balance as the game progressed with Conway and Palma adding to the total after a second rocket by Kowalcyk. Unfortunately, the boys took home their first loss of the day by a final of 7-14.

The day was a success for this young team which is slowly coming together behind the husband and wife Forte coaching tandem. The boys were entered in an Under 8 year old division with a complement of 7-year-olds on the team. Scoring was plentiful in this tournament with the leading Tornado being Jonathan Kowalcyk with 7 goals followed by Richie Forte with 5, Bobby Kelly with 4, Nicky Palma with 3, and tornadoRyan Winters and Nick Conway with two each. The defensive group of Anthony Destefano, Brett Windisch and Thomas Satalino were credited with an enormous amount of "foot" saves in the only soccer tournament on earth where absolutely no hands were allowed.