The Mineola Mischief captured second place in their first tournament showing as the Mineola Athletic Association's newest boys travel soccer team. Participating in the annual Columbus Day Town of North Hempstead Cup, the team attained two victories, a loss and a tie playing on their home surface at Wilson Field behind the tutelage of coaches Liam Wachter and TJ Czubakowski.

The Mischief got off to a quick start in the opening foray against the Oceanside Firebirds. Goalkeeper Andre Covas turned away a breakaway in the opening few minutes to thwart an Oceanside charge while the Firebird keeper returned the favor to Troublesome Nicky Ricciardi. Mineola maintained the pace as Brendan Maloney converted a pass from Scotty Mogavero at 16 minutes for his first goal of the season. Defenseman Theo Czubakowski was the second half catalyst bailing out Covas early. Within minutes, TJ Winters took a slide from Ricciardi for a 2-0 lead. Mogavero scored unassisted at 10:00 to increase the pace to 3-0. The Firebirds shot back with a goal at the midway mark trimming the deficit as the weather worsened in a downpour. The teams traded field position until Oceanside added to their total in the 14 minute. The score appeared to be tied when Defenseman Nicky Franzini made a critical save on the goal line only to see the Firebirds retaliate as time expired for a 3-3 tie.

The second match proved the tournament heartbreaker. Playing a scoreless first half tie behind eight shots, Mineola was held in check in a defensive struggle for the rest of the game. The Mischief managed only two shots in the final half while Covas turned away seven chances. Danny Stagnari prevented damage diving behind Covas to keep the perfect score intact. The final minute would again prove disastrous. A Syosset Lightning goal in advance of the final three whistles gave the eventual champions a 1-0 victory.

The Mischief woke up Sunday determined to reverse their fortunes. Tournament play fell behind by an hour in the blustery conditions but it did not bother the local mites. Facing the Manhasset Dragons, an LIJSL divisional foe, fire loomed. Czubakowski turned a direct kick courtesy of a Ricciardi trip into an immediate 1-0 gap in the first three minutes. Winters intercepted a goal kick in the following two minutes and Michael Castellana would send a direct kick off a Manhasset header at 14:00 for another 3-0 halftime result. Unlike Saturday, the Mischief would not let this game slip away. Ricciardi upped the ante at 11 minutes of the second frame and Winters would close out the 5-0 shutout with a high corner boot with one minute to play. Andrew Ines played his best game of the year with three shots on goal and Covas was left bored in goal with only two saves (none in the opening half).

The final game of the tournament would determine second place. Under the lights for the first time this year, the Mischief used Czubakowski's left foot to open the scoring in minute one off a direct kick from outside the box against the Port Washington Magic. Danny McAree added to the tally with a slam in front of the net at 3:00. The Magic cut the lead in half on a penalty kick at 17 minutes. Ricciardi burst the bubble when he rebounded two Maloney misses at the buzzer to hit the locker room with a 3-1 Mineola cushion. The second half opened conservatively before Ricciardi headed home a Stagnari pass for a comfortable 4-1 advantage. The Mischief learned their lessons from the day before playing solid help defense for the rest of the contest. Covas turned away only two shots but one would be a penalty shot at a critical juncture. Frankie Teixera and James Pastoressa were dominant in the midfield frustrating a number of Port Washington chances en route to the victory.

The win gave the Mischief their first career tournment trophies with a second place showing after what looked like a disappointing start. Were it not for the loss to Syosset in the final seconds, the Mineolites would have taken the gold on their home field. In addition, Winters and McAree were selected to play the final tournament game for the U-11 Mineola All Stars headed by Coach Bill Vesely after the awards ceremony was completed. The Mischief are now 5-2-1 overall and undefeated in league play (3-0) with an upcoming division match against the previously faced Manhasset Dragons. The team returns to the road October 20 versus the Hicksville Stars and plays their next home game against the Port Washington Xtreme on October 27 at 1:10 p.m. Spectators are welcome and tickets are free at the door.

Note: This story would not have been possible without contributions by Assistant Statistician Terry "The Pencil" Ines and Team Videographer and Spotter Nelson "Through The Lens" Ines.