Open Cup Girls U-17 Final: Albertson Fury 3, Rockville Centre Tornadoes 0

LaGrange, N.Y. -- After the Albertson Fury earned its fourth consecutive State Cup crown, coach Paul Riley tried to put his team’s feat into perspective.

The Fury defeated the Rockville Centre Tornadoes, 3-0, for the second consecutive year, taking home the Open Cup Girls Under-17 championship at Stringham Park June 1.

"They’re a fantastic team," Riley said. "A four peat is special, twice against the same team. It is hard to beat them, year after year after year. When everyone knows everything about the team . . . I think it’s a credit to the kids.

"For some reason, whatever the field conditions are, whatever the weather conditions are, no matter who’s in the lineup, they find a way to win the game. So hat’s off to them."

It certainly did not hurt that the Fury had the dangerous duo of Jasmyne Spencer and Vicky DiMartino at striker.

"They’re special when you have two forwards who can change the game like," Riley said.

Both players scored goals in the match, with Sam Falk connected for the first goal 19 minutes into the match.

Albertson never looked back. Spencer connected on a great individual effort just before halftime and DiMartino struck midway through the half, putting home a cross with a right-footed shot.

On the other side of the ball, defender Brittany Farriella shut down Rockville Centre’s lethal striker Rachel Nuzzolese and Molly Bruh played a strong game.

"Molly and Brittany did a great job in the back," Riley said. "There are not many teams that go deep all the way through and I think the depth helps today in this heat. Hats off to them. Rockville centre we’ve beaten them two years on the run and I expect them to be back next year. I think they will be a repeat again next year. I think they’re just that good. They won Region 1 in our area. They did a phenomenal job."

Riley felt the Fury did not face a difficult tournament early on.

"It was a relatively easy draw for us until the semifinals," he said. "The semifinals was their best game of the season, but I think the final was their best game of the season."

The Fury and Crystal Dunn had to sweat out some dicey moments after the U-17 National Team defender and captain suffered an injury. It was feared she had broken her leg midway through the first half, but appeared to have suffered a deep leg bruise.

Riley noted that the U-17 side was the first team he had at Albertson after he moved over from the Huntington Boys Club.

"We called them the little Fury," he said. "The little Fury are no more little. They’re going off to college."

But before that the Fury has the Region I tournament in Portland, Maine at the end of June. Riley fears the Fury won’t have DiMartino for the regionals because of National Team commitments.

"That would be a huge loss obviously," Riley said. "This is the type of team that can win the regionals. They’re just geared to win. if we hit form and I think we’re in pretty good form. We could go close to the (nationals)."

On this Sunday, Riley was just happy to beat a team from his hometown.

"It’s always good to beat the town you live in," he said. "Now i can go to the deli and pizzeria and show my face without getting (food) thrown at me."

He stopped for a second.

"Maybe they’ll throw them all at me now," he said with a smile.

Open Cup Boys U-17 Final: Albertson Academy ’90 3, East Meadow Falcons 0

LaGrange, N.Y. -- Albertson Academy ’90 coach Billy Gatti is impressed with his Boys Under-17 team. The side just never gives up.

"They don’t give up," he said. "They fight for everything. Every step of the way is a battle for these guys. They’ve beaten some quality teams."

So, it certainly did not surprise Gatti that his team recorded a 3-0 victory over the East Meadow Falcons in the Open Cup final at Stringham Park June 1.

"It was a pretty even game," said Gatti, the former Long Island Rough Riders goalkeeper who now performs for the Long Island Academy. "It was a battle at the middle of the field. We had some chances. We had some kids who picked it up. And that’s where we got the three goals."

Donald Anding gave Albertson all the scoring it needed in first half. He took a pass, ran down the line, beat a couple of players and put the ball home to the near post for a 1-0 advantage.

Patrick McCann added a pair of second-half goals via set plays to put the State Cup match out of reach.

His first goal was scored off a header from a corner kick at the far post, his second one was off a free kick.

"East Meadow is a phenomenal team," Gatti said, adding that "3-0 is a great score. They have great heart. They’re good players and they come up big when it’s necessary."

Albertson finished in the middle of the table in a Long Island Junior Soccer League Division One U-17 division this spring.

This team has been competing since its U-10 team, although its current compliment of players have been with the side for a short while. It lost several players to the club’s U.S. Soccer Development Academy’s U-16 and U-18 teams. But Albertson got some talented players to fill those spots and Gatti coached the team to the State Cup crown.

Gatti realizes that entering the Region I championships later this month will pose some unique problems for Albertson and its regional foes.

"The kids juggle too many balls going into the regionals," he said, "Whether it is high school, graduation from high school, finals, being able to prepare for the regionals. When you get there, the competition is tremendous. One thing we have seen from these guys, they have heart of champions. Hopefully, we’ll do well."

Open Cup Girls U-19: Albertson Fury 3, Quickstrike Magic 2

Haverstraw, N.Y. -- It’s a good thing the Albertson Fury grabbed a 3-0 halftime lead against the Quickstrike Magic in the Open Cup Girls Under-19 final.

A tiring Fury side allowed a pair of second-half goals, but held on for a 3-2 victory at the North Rockland Soccer Complex on an extremely hot June 7.

"It was hot," Fury coach Nick Fitzpatrick said. "They started to tire in the second half, to be honest with you. We worked hard. We started with 13 on the bench. They had a much bigger roster and that started to show."

Still, Fitzpatrick said he wasn’t worried about his team in the second half of the State Cup game.

"I had a very good team out there," he said. "That was not the problem. . . . They scored a nice goal. The other one was unlucky on our part. Other than that, they did a great job."

Three players found the back of the net for the Fury. Leigh Anne Cummings put home a corner kick that bounced around the penalty area before she scored in the 15th minute.

Sam Fried doubled the advantage in the 36th minute and Kelly Farrell made it a three-goal lead just before halftime in the 40th minute.

Quickstrike’s rally fell short as they tallied twice midway through the second half.

The victory was the opposite of the Girls U-14 Open Cup final as Quickstrike prevailed over the Fury, 4-1.

The Fury is a mixture of players from around the area. There are some players from upstate, some girls from the club’s 1988 and 1987 teams and six players from the East Meadow Magic team that broke up.

Despite all the new faces, Fitzpatrick said the transition was smooth.

"They all get along," he said. "Six of the girls now play the Long Island Fury and the other girls are playing with the (Rough Riders women).

"They know each other. They went to school together, such as Boston College and Notre Dame. It’s a good bunch of kids. They just love to train. It’s excellent. It’s fun to coach and fun to do."

The entire Fury team did not have much time to savor the championship. Several players had to leave immediately after the award ceremonies to play for the Long Island Fury in Atlantic City in a Women’s Premier Soccer League encounter.

The Fury shouldn’t have that problem at the Region I tournament in Maine later this month. Albertson missed two players in the State Cup final, due to a death in the family and injury.

Last year the Fury lost in the regional semifinals in the second extratime and Fitzpatrick is optimistic for this year’s tournament.

"Hopefully, we’re looking to improve on that," he said.

Open Cup Boys U-18 Final: FC NY United Supersonics 2, Yonkers United Tornadoes 1


LaGrange, N.Y. -- Giuseppe Chiarelli might not remember the goal he scored to boost the FC NY United Supersonics to the Boys Under-18 State Cup title, but coach Michael Koutsounadis and his teammates certainly will recount the game to him.

Chiarelli connected for the game-winner with 10 minutes remaining in the opening half as the Supersonics defeated the Yonkers United Tornadoes, 2-1, at Stringham Park June 1.

With about eight minutes remaining in the final, Chiarelli received a concussion when he was hit on head going for the ball. He was taken to a nearby hospital.

"He’s going to be OK, but he’s not going to remember the game," Koutsounadis said. "That’s the bad part."

So, Koutsounadis will have to tell Chiarelli that Yonkers grabbed the early lead before the Supersonics equalized on Jose Lopez’s goal and that Chiarelli struck for the game-winner in the 30th minute.

"It was a great game," Koutsounadis said. "It was a hard-fought game."

The Supersonics held off Yonkers in the second half, which was "back and forth" according to Koutsounadis.

The Supersonics have been around since it played as an Under-10 team in Auburndale. It was know as the Kosmos last year, when the team lost to Yonkers in the final in extratime, 2-1.

"This year, it was our turn," Koutsounadis said.

FC NY United played in the Region I league this spring. Because it had many players in college, most of them were not eligible to play until after May 1.

"so we were short-handed most of the season," Koutsounadis said. "Most of the games were played without any subs. One game we played with a player less. So it was a tough season. But everybody was able to come back and play after the first round of our state cup game. they’ve done a tremendous job."

Koutsounadis said he enjoys coaching the team because they’re "a great bunch of players."

"They have a great attitude," he added. "They’re hard workers. Everybody’s involved, the parents, the team manager, Maureen Morenz, have done a great job organizing things. This is their fourth State Cup final they’ve been in. In 2003 they played Bayport and lost, 3-1. In 2004, we were able to get a rematch with Bayport and we won that one, 2-0."

Koutsounadis said he was looking forward to playing at the Region I championships in Maine later this month.

"It’s a very tough competition," he said. "All the teams up there are great. It’s going to be very fun."

Girls Open Cup U-18 Final: East Meadow Shooting Stars 3, Albertson Fury ’89 1

LaGrange, N.Y. -- In this age group, three teams have battled to win the State Cup championship through the years.

It was either the East Meadow Shooting Stars, the East Meadow Dynamite or the Albertson Fury.

This year it was the Shooting Stars’ turn.

The Shooting Stars scored two goals in the opening nine minutes and never looked back. They held on for a 3-1 victory over the Fury to claim the Open Cup Girls Under-18 title at Stringham Park June 1.

It was the third State Cup title won by the Shooting Stars, having won at the U-13 and U-15 levels. East Meadow did not win last year, but qualified for the Region I championships by winning the Region 1 Premier League Girls U-17 title.

"They were fantastic," assistant coach Akem Ayinde said of his team’s performance in this year’s final. "You’ve got to give them credit. It is always tough to keep the girls together. We’ve had the rivalry going for years. Both teams know each other, play each other every year. Most of the time it ends up in a tie or goes to PKs.

"The girls are unbelievable. They have been consistent since U-12."

Ayinde coached the team because head coach Tom Alio was unable to attend the final because of another commitment.

"He’s been calling me," Ayinde said. "He wishes he could have been here."

He would have seen Colleen Mahoney score the first two goals early on and Courtney Breen adding an insurance tall.

The Shooting Stars experienced an average season in the Region I league.

"It was a little mixed," Ayinde said. "The girls were not sure they would be able to go to the regionals. It was a little up and down. Players had other commitments -- in soccer of course. Sade Ayinde was in national camp. The goalkeeper went to Jamaica’s U-20 national camp."

The Shooting Stars are East Meadow in name. More than half the team comes from Suffolk County, mostly from Smithtown, and another from the Hudson Valley region.

"It’s a very diverse group from all over," Ayinde said.

The Shooting Stars hope the fourth time is the charm in the regionals later this month.

"We’re pretty much veterans," Ayinde said. "The age group, we’re the only team that gets out of the bracket. We’ve done it and we know all of the teams. We’ve played very team in Region I. We’ve played region one since we were U-14s. Really, there are no surprises for us."

Open Cup Boys Under-19: Kosmos 3, Met Oval: Frosinone 0

Haverstraw, N.Y. -- Practice doesn’t always make perfect.

Just ask Kosmos trainer Nelson Bonilla. He doesn’t think his Boys Under-19 team practices enough together, yet the team is good enough to win big games.

Case in point: The Kosmos recorded a 3-0 victory over Met Oval: Frosinone in the Open Cup final at the North Rockland Soccer Complex June 7.

That might have made winning the State Cup crown even sweeter.

"It is very difficult professionally, because getting together to practice as a team was a real issue," Bonilla said. "The special thing about it is that they’re all very skillful individuals. They have the understanding to put that individuality together to play the match as a team. The skill level and the tactical level (are excellent) . . . considering they don’t practice as a team as I would like to see them practice."

The Kosmos grabbed a 1-0 lead in the 27th minute and added to it around the 70th minute on Mauricio Gonzalez’s goal. Alex Schweitzer closed out the scoring with a counterattack with two minutes remaining in the match.

"The match was physical. We expected it," said Bonilla, who added that the Met Oval "is a very strong physical team. We came here expecting a physical game. I thought the boys did very well responding to it. After we scored the first goal, the game kind of opened up. It let them get into a game plan that we had to finish the game the way we wanted to."

The Kosmos perform in the Cosmopolitan Junior Soccer League.

For Bonilla, the Region I tournament in Portland, Maine later this month certainly wont be a new experience. He said that he has attended seven regional tournaments seven times himself.

"Our issue was injuries and having a deep roster," he said of a past regional. "This year our roster is a little bit more evened at. So hopefully we’re going to have a better chance [at winning]. We’ll have less injuries. "

Open Cup Boys U-16 Final: Massapequa Aces 2, Commack Premier 1

LaGrange, N.Y. -- After losing two consecutive State Cup finals, the third time certainly turned out to be the charm for the Massapequa Aces.

And the Aces made it happen in the most dramatic way.

Despite playing a man down in extratime, the Aces overcame Commack Premier to register a 2-1 win in the Open Cup Boys Under-16 final at Stringham Park June 1.

Aces coach Ronan Wiseman said winning it in the team’s third attempt certainly left a sweet taste in his mouth.

"It puts the cherry on top of the cake," he said. "I think last year’s results drove them on a little bit to get back here at this stage to finish it off and take it home this time."

Evin Nadaner made sure of that, scoring the game-winning goal in the second extra-time period to break the deadlock. Christian Binberg had been sent off during the second half of regulation.

"We were down to 10 men and they were packing it in, so I told the fullbacks came to them to try to play a diagonal ball because they were making it very tough for us to break them down through the middle," Wiseman said. "The ball was cleared out from the line [and someone] played a diagonal ball to the backpost to Evin. He controlled it with his chest and put it in the corner."

Commack grabbed a 1-0 halftime lead, but Massapequa equalized with some 25 minutes remaining in regulation, putting home the ball off the post.

Wiseman said it was a "scrappy game. We knew that we played Commack in Region I in the season, so we knew it was going to be a tough physical game. It turned out like that. . . . The team adapted pretty well and got the result in the end."

The key to Massapequa’s success?

"I look at them and I’m thinking, ’We don’t have any superstars,’ " Wiseman said. "There’s nobody out there who is an outstanding goal-scorer, that is an outstanding defender. There is no one in any national pools or anything like that. The team chemistry and their work ethic. They all work for one another and they help one another. That goes a long way."

Wiseman hopes the Aces will go a long way at the Region I championships in Maine later this month.

"I’ve been up there recruiting before and I’ve seen what the kids go through," he said. "We’re only carrying 15 and we’re struggling. If they are mentally tough to get through that and to be deal with the [distractions] that will be thrown at them . . ."

Boys U-15 Open Cup Final: FC Westchester 3, Hicksville Strikers 0

LaGrange, N.Y. -- In all the State Cup finals that David McCollum has coached, his F.C. Westchester Boys Under-15 team pulled off a rarity in this year’s competition. His team did not give up a goal.

And McCollum knows about Open Cup success, having directed the Yorktown Spirit to four consecutive Open Cup crowns.

"This is the first team that I’ve coachhed that didn’t concede a game for the whole tournament," he said after his team recorded a 3-1 victory over Hicksville Strikers at Stringham Park May 31.

"If you don’t give goals away, you’re in every game," he said.

Indeed.

FC Westchester struck in the 10th minute on Gerardo Ceja’s first goal of the afternoon. The Hicksville goalkeeper dropped the ball off a corner kick. After a goal-line scramble, Ceja managed to get the final touch.

A corner kick led to FC Westchester’s second goal, also scored by Ceja. In this instance he had just returned to the match. The ball was sent to the back post and Ceja jumped over everyone and headed it home.

Hiroki Kobayashi added the final goal in the last two minutes off a counterattack.

McCollum gave the Strikers some credit.

"They made us work for everything we earned," he said. "We earned this one."

The game certainly wasn’t FC Westchester’s best by a longshot.

"We didn’t play as well as we normally do," McCollum said. "They put us under a lot of pressure. We couldn’t get our normal (rhythm). We’re a tactical team. We like to put the ball on the ground. We couldn’t get our passing game going today. They’re very athletic. They didn’t really create . . . They maybe had one clear scoring opportunity. We certainly had more chances."

The championship was McCollum’s fifth State Cup crown.

"It doesn’t get old," he said. "You want to push these guys on. There is a lot of talent on this team. I used to work on Wall Street and I was fortunate to work with a lot of talented people and I hate to see people waste talent. That’s why I keep pushing these guys. They basically maximize and get to the highest level they can get to."

FC Westchester’s next challenge is the Region I tournament in Maine later this month.

"The regionals are luck because of the draw," McCollum said. "If the draw is relatively favorable to us, our chances are good enough. There was one guy injured today. He didn’t take part. If we get everybody fit, anything’s possible."

Girls U-15 Open Cup Final: Syosset Rough Riders ’92 Elite 1, East Meadow United 0

La Grange, N.Y. -- On a day that promised plenty of rain in the afternoon, Syosset Rough Riders ’92 Elite coach Joe Agiago made sure he went into his Girls Under-15 Open Cup game with two game plans depending on the weather.

"In the event it was wet and mushy field, we would have played a little more direct and playing to the bigger players more." he said.

And if it didn’t rain, he would allow his team to move the ball around on the group.

"We were going to be playing more small ball with some of the quicker kids," Agiago said.

While it did rain during some games, The rain missed the match. Playing on a relatively dry field, the Rough Riders recorded a 1-0 victory over East Meadow United May 31.

Shannon Farrell gave the Rough Riders the lone score 15 minutes into the match. Emily Litari ran through some defenders for about 30 yards and centered the ball to Farrell, who one-timed it into the net.

The Rough Riders held on for the victory behind an extremely strong defense. Syosset captured the Northeast Region I Premier League title en route to a 7-1-0 record. They outscored their foes, 20-2, surrendering both goals in the final match of the season.

On this Saturday, the Rough Riders made sure it wasn’t going to allow another goal.

"We carried most of the play in the first half," Agiago said. "They carried the play for most of the second half. It was very much a possession game in the beginning. As the things got closer and closer to the end, the pace became more frantic. I thought both teams had a frantic pace. Thankfully, the elements did not play a part in the game."

Agiago wanted to make sure the Rough Riders were properly prepared.

"They played with a lot of heart," he said. "They were mentally prepared for this. We had them in the hotel last night. They did everything together from about five o’clock on as a team. I think it helped it to keep the focus during the course of the game. You tend to lose focus during the course of a longer game."

The key to the Rough Riders’s success? They like to run in the fast lane.

"There are a lot teams that are skilled and a lot of teams have speed," Agiago said. "We have two players with extraordinary speed. One is running sixth in the country in the 3000 meters (Litari)."

The core of the team has been together for five years.

"No one on the team is from Syosset," Agiago said. "We were formerly in Franklin Square. We moved over about a year ago."

Open Cup Girls U-16 Final: Stony Brook Arsenal 0, Albertson Fury 0 (Stony Brook wins on PKs, 3-1)

LaGrange, N.Y. -- Not every State Cup champion is undefeated or has a gaudy record.

Some teams take some hard knocks during the regular season to improve themselves and hone their skills for current and future competitions.

The Stony Brook Arsenal definitely falls into that category. The Arsenal finished around .500 and the middle of the pack in the Region I league.

But that certainly helped Stony Brook, which captured the Girls Under-16 Open Cup crown at Stringham Park June 1. It was the second consecutive year Arsenal won the title, having beaten five-time champion Massapequa, 2-1, in 2007.

After a scoreless tie, Stony Brook prevailed over the Albertson Fury in penalty kicks, 3-1. Allie Schechner, Jen Meier and Georgia Holland converted their attempts and goalkeeper Danielle Singson made two saves in the shootout.

"She played fabulous," coach Tim Hearney said.

So was the game, Hearny added, even though there were no goals.

"The game was a tremendous game," he said. "If you are a soccer fan, it was a tremendous game. There were opportunities both ways.

"Both teams worked extremely hard. Both teams had opportunities. Both teams defended really well."

Hence, the scoreless tie.

One of the things we focus on is basically a team game," Hearney said. "We work together as a group. We always have and it really prevailed for us today. We worked extremely hard."

Stony Brook captured the Jefferson Cup earlier this year and played the PDA tournament to prep for the State Cup. Four of the teams in the U-16 age group at PDA were in the top 25 nationally, Hearney said.

"It prepped us in terms of work as we were moving forwards," he added.

Hearney said he enjoys the Arsenal because it works as a team so well.

"It’s not a bunch of individuals," he said. "It is truly a team. One of the things we continuously say is one team, one heart, one goal and that’s where we have been. We’ve had people get hurt. We’ve had people step up for them and that’s what makes this team so unique. I’ve been coaching for a long period of time and they really give a team effort."

Hearney took over the team 2 1/2 years ago when the previous trainer moved to Texas.

"It’s been a lot of fun," he said. 

Boys U-12 small-sided Open Cup Final: FC Sting Blazers 4, Staten Island United Red Bull Alliance 1

La Grange, N.Y. -- Playing for Somers FC last year, the FC Sting Blazers lost in the Boys Under-11 Open Cup final.

"It was good for these kids," coach Erhardt Kapp said. "They tasted defeat last year and it hit them a little bit hard. This year they wanted to come back and prove themselves."

The Blazers did, recording a 4-1 victory over the Staten Island United Red Bull Alliance to capture the Boys small-sided U-12 State Cup crown at Stringham Park on Saturday, May 31.

Angelo Materia led the way with two goals, while Luke Roediger and Tim Cousin added one goal apiece.

Materia opened the scoring after the Blazers goalkeeper punted the ball, which Materia wound up corraling before he beat the last defender.

Cousin struck next and Materia found the back of the net again for three goals in the opening 30 minutes.

"In the second half we just wanted to make sure we would win the game," Kapp said.

"We tried to keep it compact in the back. We know Angel has a lot of pace. Our forwards have a lot of pace. We tried to get them behind the defense a little bit. It worked pretty nicely."

Kapp started the team as a U-9 side. It has played in the East Hudson Youth Soccer League and the Eastern New York Premier League as well.

"It’s a very talented group," he said.. "Most of the kids are from Somers. We have a couple of kids from the surrounding area. It’s basically a town team that has progressed nicely."

"they’re all very good athletes. A lot of the kids are very good at some other sports. Our goalkeeper is a very good baseball player. We have a few wrestlers on the team, a few good basketball players. They’re very good athletes and they take soccer very seriously."

Kapp felt that that the 8 v 8 competition is team plays in is perfect for the age group.

"I just think, especially for this age group, 11 v 11 and field is way too big," he said. "The kids really don’t have the ability to play 30-40 yard balls like the other kids do. You’re working on touches. You’re working on your nice give and goes. You’re working on your skills. That’s what it’s about.

"The kids that play kick and run at the Under-12 or 13 age group, They’re not going to survive when they’re 14 or 15. Their skills have to be there. That’s what we appreciate playing 8 v 8."

So, the Blazers will go to the Region I championships in Maine later this month ready to play 8 v 8 instead of 11 v 11.

"It’s a crap shoot," Kapp said. "It depends on who is in your draw to a certain extent. The other states are going to be very well represented because most of the other states play 8 v 8, not 11 v 11. So their top teams are going to be represented. That’s going to be a challenge. The second challenge is trying to play a few different games in a few different days and keeping the kids focused the entire time because they will be able to do other things.

"I’m looking forward to competing and we understand this is not a national championship. We’re just looking to be competitive and hopefully do well."

Boys Open Cup U-14 Final: Commack United 1, Blackwatch Midlothian 0

La Grange, N.Y. -- In a game that was virtually even, the Boys Under-14 Open Cup championship came down to one play that decided the title. Sean Sepe’s volleyed a cross into the side net in the first half to give Commack United a 1-0 victory over Blackwatch Midlothian in the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association State Cup competition on Saturday, May 31.
Commack coach Charlie Aronica said the final was a "well played game on both sides. I think Blackwatch played a strong game. Our boys rose to the test." Aronica felt Commack’s conditioning certainly helped the team defend its lead in the late going at Stringham Park. "We had a strong defense, with all 11 players playing strong enough to hold them off for the rest of the match," he said.

"The Commack United team came through with a little bit of endurance and the conditioning showing in the end."

The game was very even. "The ball was going end to end the whole time," Aronica said. "The possession was probably 50-50 . . . with us breaking out a little more often than them. "They put us under a couple of times. We put them under. The game got a little chippy but it stayed under control because of excellent refereeing."

Aronica said that he enjoys coaching United because it doesn’t rely on any one player  "The chemistry of this team is special because they don’t have one particular player that has the game on his shoulders to do the job. They do it together."

United captured the Northeast Region I Premier League title, which "gets you ready for the State Cup competition," Aronica said. Next stop for United is the Region I championships in Maine later this month.

"We have a long road in front of us," Aronica said. "We just came off a tournament last week in Potomac. The boys have trained in Bermuda, down in Disney, played in the Tampa Bay area throughout the winter. We stayed active through the winter months, which . . . can be very cold. The road has been long, but I think our training sessions going long have enabled us to come back in overtime games to get us through to this game. It keeps us going at the end of the match."

As Northeast champions, Aronica figured the United players will have a target on their backs from the other regional aspirants. "They absolutely will be gunning for us," he said. "They know how we play. We played have played teams that are ranked top three in the nation. They know we can play with anyone in the nation and we look forward to a well fought contest against them."

Boys Open Cup U-12 Final: B.W. Gottschee Celeste II 3, FC Westchester ’96 0

La Grange, N.Y. -- The bad taste has been in the mouth of the B.W. Gottschee Celete II players for more than a year. As an Under-11 team, Gottschee was eliminated in the third round of the Open Cup last year.

"Last year we were on the short end of the stick atin the third round," coach Miguel Brunengo said. "But they were hungry this time. They were on a mission to get the job done and win the State Cup."

The mission was accomplished on Saturday, May 31 as Gottschee registered a 3-0 victory over FC Westchester ’96 in the State Cup competition at Stringham Park on Saturday, May 31. "

Arun Baslejivic connected on the first of his two goals in the fifth minute to give the Cosmopolitan Junior Soccer League team all the scoring it needed. "He’s our general on the field," Brunengo said. "When he’s on, its very difficult for clubs to beat us."

A little later he added a penalty kick and Jeremy Fedus closed out the scoring. "We try to spread them out," Brunengo said. "It worked for us today. Our guys stepped up today. They were very hungry."

This Gottschee team is into the sport big time.

"This team lives soccer," Brunengo said. "They eat and breath soccer. This is their passion more than any other team I’ve coached and more than any other team I’ve been around. They live the game 24/7 and I think that puts them over the top compared to other teams. They love it. They enjoy it. They come to practice always with a smile. They play because they love the game. I think that is the difference maker at this age."

Gottschee plays up an age group at the CJSL U-13 level. The team is currently in fifth place, but has two or three games in hand on the rest of the league. "We’re going to make up games the next several weeks," Brunengo said. "If we win the rest of our games we can finish in second place. Not bad. Not bad." 

Boys Open Cup U-11 Final: Manhattan Kickers ’96 1, Clarkstown White ’97 0

La Grange, N.Y. -- Admir Nezaj was so excited that he had scored a goal in a State Cup championship game that he immediately took off his shirt to celebrate.
That is a no-no at all levels of soccer. Nezaj did not get a yellow card, but the referee did talk to him about the incident.

But perhaps Nezaj had a premonition that his goal would be something even more special -- the only one scored in the Manhattan Kickers ’96’s 1-0 victory over Clarkstown White ’97 in the Boys Under-11 Open Cup final at Stringham Park Saturday, May 31.

"He watches a lot of soccer," Kickers coach Evan Rosenthal said. "He was excited. He sees them on TV do that. They mimic."  Nezaj, whose Albanian family are refugees from Kosovo, took a cross at the far post and beat the goalkeeper with a left-footed shot.

"Somebody else could have scored it," Nezaj said. "But they didn’t have a chance and they missed. So I took a chance and I scored it. Somebody crossed it. A kid missed a header. It came to me and I just like kicked it up in the air on a volley and it went in."

Nezaj was ecstatic about scoring the goal. "I felt really good because I won the game for the team," he said. "I was pretty excited scoring."
The game was a close one.  "It was a good game," Rosenthal said. "I felt we never really got into a groove because the other team was really all over us. . . . It took a good goal to beat them. "Usually we play a little simpler than what we did, a little more on the ground, a little bit more skilled, a little bit more entertaining than it was. We defended well. We kept it clean. I don’t think they had any real good chances. We had one play that was offside, a couple of long shots. Our goalie cut down a lot of angles."

Sam Harris is the Kickers goalkeeper, one of players Rosenthal praised, including central defender Sam Carter and winger Israel Guerrero. "We won the game and I’m happy, but I wasn’t pleased with their performance." Rosenthal said of the Kickers.

The Kickers, who play in the Cosmopolitan Junior Soccer League, are made of players from various countries, including Colombia, England, Turkey and of course, the U.S., who come from Queens, New Jersey and Manhattan to play for the team. "We have a good, diverse group that we pull from," Rosenthal said. "Real soccer people."

Rosenthal and the U-11 Kickers take soccer seriously. "We have two mandatory practices and one skills practice (a week), technical training," he said.  He has been coaching the team since the players were seven- and eight-years-old. Rosenthal said that it’s “good continuity. I’ve been with them since they’ve been little. There are some works in progress. It’s not like if you switch coaches, it breaks up and players slip through the cracks. I’ve been with them for a while. It helps out.”

Girls Open Cup U-13 Final: Syosset Arsenal 2, Massapequa Elite 0

La Grange, N.Y. -- No one has to remind the Syosset Arsenal or coach Declan McSheffrey how special the State Cup final is. It’s so special that McSheffrey wears a suit -- a black one -- to the final.

And as Syosset S.C. president Gary Grossman said: "You never know if you’re going to get back here ever again."

The Arsenal, as it turns out, has reached the Open Cup final for three consecutive seasons. Syosset won as an Under-11 team in 2006, lost in the U-12 age group last year, but rebounded with a 2-0 win over Massapequa Elite at Stringham Park Saturday, May 31.  "I thought we deserved to win," McSheffrey said. "This is the best we’ve ever played against them. We picked a good day to have a good day."

The Arsenal lost to Levittown United in the U-12 final last year, 3-0. But Saturday was different.  "We felt the girls were a lot calmer, a lot more relaxed coming out of warm-ups," Grossman said. "We had a real good feeling as to how they were going to play today, as opposed to last year."

The Arsenal scored a goal in each half.  Kimberly Kolodny connected off a corner kick 15 minutes into the match and Colleen Reynolds added an insurance goal with five minutes remaining in the match.  "The first half both teams came out playing strong soccer, moving the ball beautifully," Grossman said. "But we were just a little bit more aggressive. The second half started and they really took it to us. They pushed an extra midfielder forward. We adjusted our defense accordingly. They put an onslaught the whole way through. Our girls persevered. And there were some really nice saves by the keeper."

The Arsenal has experienced an up-and-down season in two competitions this spring. It finished third in the Northeast Region I Premier League and was slightly less than .500 in a WAGS League in New Jersey, Grossman said.  Asked what makes the Arsenal so special, Grossman replied, "The kids, the camaraderie. Declan believes in every single player. The kids really like each other. There’s very, very little turnover on the club. Last night we had a barbeque and the kids were arm in and arm and that’s what it’s all about. We believe in each other on the field."

McSheffrey said the Arsenal isn’t stocked with many big-time players. "We don’t have lot superstars," he said. "We have good players. Some other teams have recruited big-time players. We have a nice chemistry."  And about that black suit, which McSheffrey has won to the State Cup final three years in a row (he even has yellow and red card cuff links on his shirt). "Two years ago I got soaked," he said, remembering the rainy 2006 finals in Saratoga Springs. "This year I just got wet. That’s a bonus."

McSheffrey said he has worn a suit to every final "because I try to tell the kids that this is a special event. Only 32 teams are there. So to me, that’s very special. It’s not an ordinary game. It’s not an ordinary memory. It’s different."

Grossman praised McSheffrey, who also is the club’s head coach.

"Declan’s is one in million," he said. "We always say that we wish we could clone you, but then we say we’re happy that we can’t. Declan is a consummate professional. He trains the girls. He teaches them about being good, young human beings and he nurtures them. He also nurtures our club."