Boys U-11 Open Cup champions: HBC Titans
La Grange, N.Y. -- Now that the HBC Titans have won the Boys Under-11 championship of the Open Cup on June 13, perhaps they will be able to move up to Division 1 in the Long Island Junior Soccer League U-12 age group.
The Titans have been playing a year up in Division 2 and have a chance to win the league.
"If we can get into Division 1, that would be terrific," Titans coach Dennis McGowan said. "We just moved up this past fall. We’re playing 11 v 11."
HBC certainly puts its best foot forward with a 3-0 victory over the Massapequa Raptors at Stringham Park in the Eastern New York State Cup competition.
Adian Keenan scored early, which "kind of set the tone," McGowan said.
John Foley scored in the 20th minute as the Titans grabbed a 2-0 halftime lead.
Sean McGowan added a late goal to wrap up the match.
"The field was a little bit tight," Dennis McGowan said. "It made it a little difficult to play. But eventually both teams settled down and you definitely saw some good soccer.
McGowan felt the key to the Titans’ success was hard work.
"Not to take anything from anybody, but I think we work as hard or harder than anybody else," he said. "We put in training sometimes three days a week. We just try and outwork everybody."
Boys U-12 Open Cup chamions: FC Westchester
La Grange, N.Y. -- On and on and on it went.
The penalty-kick shootout between FC Westchester and the Manhattan Kickers in the Eastern New York Boys Under-12 Open Cup championship game seemingly went on forever.
Finally, it was decided in the 14th round.
Stefan Gualano put in the game-winner as FC Westchester survived to win the tie-breaker, 13-12, after playing to a 1-1 draw with Manhattan at Stringham Park on Saturday, June 13.
Asked about his first reaction after the penalties finally were completed, FC Westchester coach Ricardo Lyon replied, "Obviously relief."
FC Westchester president Lonny Unger said it was "incredibly nerve-wracking."
Steven Elias scored first for FC Westchester in the second half and the Kickers replied with a goal of their own.
"We were expecting a very tough game," Lyon said. "It was a very even game. I would say the Kickers started much better and gradually we started getting the pace of the game. It started to become a very even game. It easily could have gone to either side. That’s why it ended up in penalty kicks."
Asked what made the team special, Lyon replied, "For all the different personalities. No. 1 we are a a very unique group of families. I would say also the parents are a very key part of this progress. then the kids."
FC Westchester will participate in the Region I champions in Huntington, W.Va. from July 2-7.
"At this level or even higher, it’s going to be tough competition," Lyon said. "I would say the only thing I am expecting is good soccer, nothing else."
Boys U13: FC Westchester 3, HBC Devils 2
LaGrange, N.Y. -- FC Westchester’s 3-2 victory over the HBC Devils in the Boys Under-13 championship game is the way all Eastern New York Open Cup games should be played.
It was a tight game and had lead changes and the winning goal in the waning minutes.
Jorge Porras put home his second goal of the encounter to break a 2-2 tie with 10 minute remaining in the match at Stringham Park on Saturday, June 13.
According to FC Westchester coach Jim Quiroga, Porras had four players marking him. Porras received the ball at the top of the penalty area, turned and launched a shot to the far post.
The Devils enjoyed a 1-0 halftime advantage before FC Westchester rallied behind two penalty kicks in the final half -- the first one by Porras and the equalizer by Jeffrey Antoine.
"In the first half HBC was very strong and solid and really came on fire, winning every 50-50 ball," Qurioga said. "The second half my team had composure and we were able to come back and stay focused and attack and attack.
"It was a reflection on our season. We’re all relentless and always seeking to go up in the advantage. We did. We came from behind. It’s great that our kids are able to have composure and get the result at the end of the game."
Last year FC Westchester lost in the State Cup final.
"This made up for it," Qurioga said. "We knew we were the best team in New York. We proved it on the field."
“It wouldn’t be a State Cup final if we didn’t have a Quiroga in it,” said club president Lonny Unger, pointing to the fact that one of the Quiroga brothers – James or Edgar – has been in at least a half-dozen state finals during the past decade, winning four.
FC Westchester finished first in the Northeast Premier League this season.
Quiroga felt that experience -- the coaches and players -- has been a key to the teams’ success.
"That experience and the players talent and dedication," he said. "What makes it special is their heart and conviction to always want to give 110 percent. Even when we’re down, they always step up and always find a way to get the result. I’m very proud of my kids."
Boys Under-14 Open Cup champions: Manhattan Ajax
La Grange, N.Y. -- Manhattan Ajax made history on Saturday, June 13, becoming the very first team in club history to earn an Open Cup crown.
Ajax recorded a 2-0 win over the Hicksville Extreme in the Boys Under-15 final in the Eastern New York State Cup competition at Stringham Park.
Coach Mark Elliott said winning the title was "huge, just huge for the club. I think everyone will be thrilled."
The team celebrated in Central Park in Manhattan that night.
Owen Elliott scored the first goal five minutes into the match. Manhattan later was helped by an own goal.
Scoring so early in the match helped Ajax.
"It put a lot of pressure on them and took them out of their game," Mark Elliott said. "It made it much tougher for them to play the patient style they wanted. As they pressed forward, it gave us more opportunities, particularly in the second half."
Elliott knew he was up against a difficult opponent because Hicksville eliminate eliminated perennial power Dix Hills Thunder before the quarterfinals.
"Hicksville is a very good team," he said. "We knew it was going to be physical. They compete. They play hard. They have some guys who are really quick and move the ball around. But we were able to defend well and they did not get many opportunities. Going up early in the first half was huge. It gave us the lead we were able to relax and play our game after that."
The key to Manhattan’s success?
"These boys grew up together," Elliott said. "This isn’t one of those teams where people came from all over to join it. These boys have been playing since rec soccer together. Most of the boys have been on the team since U-9 and we’ve kept working, kept playing, kept improving and finally got to the state championship. It’s just a fantastic result for us."
Now, its another challenge -- the Region I championship in Huntington, W.Va. from July 2-7.
"This is our first time," Elliott said. "We never won State Cup before. We’ve got to get organized and get everybody heading out there. It’s 600 miles. I’ve already clocked it."
Open Cup Boys U-15 champions: Massapequa Rough Riders
La Grange, N.Y. -- It isn’t every day a player scores a hat-trick in a State Cup final.
But Chris Joseph did for the Massapequa Rough Riders in their 4-1 victory over FC Westchester in the Open Cup Boys Under-15 championship game at Stringham Park on Saturday, June 13.
"He’s one of the main guys," coach Jose Rebay said. "He’s always there when you talk about scoring goals. We have other guys who usually score, also. Chris is a steady player the way he plays. Today he was a little more than he’s used to. He’s ready for this big game and he showed it on the field."
The Rough Riders grabbed a 2-0 lead with goals in the 10th and 30th minutes before FC Westchester pulled one back on a penalty kick. But Massapequa struck twice in the second half to seal the match.
"We played very well," Rebay said. "This is a team is a well-coached team. It’s the future of a [U.S. Soccer Development] Academy team for them.
"We have a lot of speed. Our game plan coming into this game was to stay compact and to use the space. That’s what we did. We were able to counter attack a lot and create a lot of opportunities and don’t allow them to have much against us. Overall, that was a great game for us and exciting for all of the players because this group is kind of a new group."
The Rough Riders won their age group division in the Northeast Premier League.
"It’s the group of players," Rebay said. "You know, many times people are thinking of having a lot of talented players. But at sometimes the chemistry of the team is not there. I thought one of the basic and most important of what we have here is the chemistry between players, the willingness to get better, to listen to the coaches, to be there for every practice.
"The first medal that I gave was to one of the kids who got hurt in one of our State Cup games right at the beginning. That kid, since he got hurt, has been to every single practice, even though he cannot do anything for the next two months. He was there for every single game -- whatever it was -- Massachusetts, Connecticut. That shows the commitment for everyone."
Boys Open Cup U-19 champions: Yonkers United Tornadoes
LaGrange, N.Y. -- It’s not easy beating the same team three times in a row. Add the pressure of the Eastern New York State Cup and it turns into quite an accomplishment.
The Yonkers United Tornadoes just did that against the FC New York Supersonics, registering a 1-0 win in the Boys Under-19 Open Cup championship game at Stringham Park on Saturday, June 13.
Michael Mazzullo converted a penalty kick midway through the opening half and Yonkers held on to win.
Yonkers coach Tony Cullinan said that Mazzullo is the team’s designated penalty-kick taker and has a perfect record.
"He doesn’t practice them a lot," Cullinan said. "In games he doesn’t really miss any. It was the difference today."
Cullinan said he was expecting a hard-fought battle from the Supersonics and the Tornadoes got it.
He said the game was "physical but fair. No bad tackles, real end-to-end football with nobody shy about tackling. It wasn’t a game with a lot of opportunities in it. It was basically a game dominated by defense on both sides."
Putting together a U-19 can be a challenge and a half. Most, if not all of the players are at college and some might not want to play, even in a short season.
But Cullinan felt he was fortunate.
"I was lucky," he said. "Everyone returned to the team that I had at U-18. They all came back. I had the nucleus of the team for many years. We’ve been together since we were a U-9 team."
Cullinan did not have to bring in players from other U-19 teams, which has been frequently done.
"We never had to do that," he said. "We were pretty fortunate. We had great loyalty amongst the players. They all came back."
And that’s what makes this team so special to Cullinan -- the camaraderie.
"We have a fantastic turnout at training and the fact they’ve been together so long." he said.
That the Tornadoes have participated in the past two Region I tournaments, Cullinan feels that experience will help his team at this year’s event in Huntington, W.Va. from July 2-7..
"It will help us a lot this time, that we were there before," he said. "When we went there two years ago, we come from Yonkers, which is not a big club. Nobody from our club had ever been to a regional championship. So we had no idea what to expect. So I think the level of competition surprised us a bit. I think that experience will stand towards a lot. We expect to do well this time."
Girls U-11 Open Cup champions: North Rockland Magic
La Grange, N.Y. -- There’s nothing like scoring the first goal of the match to settle down a team. That’s what the North Rockland Magic did and went on to register a 3-0 victory over the Patriots FC 98 side to capture the Girls Under-11 title at Eastern New York Open Cup on Saturday, June 13.
Amber Alfonzo scored 20 minutes into the match at Stringham Park.
"That was the key," coach Richard Barrios said. "You got out there looking to get up on the other team. So you can start working on things. They get out of sorts when you score first. We settled down and played our game.
Olivia Szeker-Cortez converted a free kick nine minutes into the second half.
"That kind of settled the game down a little bit," Barrios said.
Taylor Aylmer added a third goal with three minutes left in the match.
"It was a great game, great fought," Barrios said. "They had chances. we got off real quickly. We dominated at the beginning of the game. They picked up towards the middle of the first half. They pressured the ball a lot. They got behind our defenders a couple of times on the right side, but our defense played tremendous. We were able to clear the ball out of the back every single time.
"In the second half, we took it right to them. We came out strong, made a couple of substitutions and got some fresh players in there. We were pressuring them. They had to take out their sweeper, bring her up forward and we were able to player our game a little better."
Girls Open Cup U-12 Champions: Long Island United Red Wolves
La Grange, N.Y. -- Long Island United Red Wolves coach Jackie Timmes certainly had mixed emotions after he team won the Eastern New York Girls Under-12 Open Cup on June 13.
She was happy her team won the Eastern New York State Cup crown. But she was sad as well because this was the last time Timmes was going to coach the team -- in the 3-0 win over Farmingdale United at Stringham Park.
Timmes, 24, has taken a teaching job in San Francisco through Teach in America.
"They were all kind of fired up to play," she said. "Farmingdale came out and played great in the first 10 minutes. They had us backed in. We got one goal. The game kind of opened up and we just kept pushing and pushing. It was a great game at both ends.
"I’ll miss them very, very much. They’ve come a long way."
Timmes has coached United for the past two years. Last year Farmingdale eliminated LI United in the second round.
Meaghan Loyst struck for a hat-trick, connecting 12 minutes into the match and twice in the final half.
"She’s the fastest girl in her age group. No one can catch her," Timmes said. "And she’s tough. This kid doesn’t stop hustling. She just doesn’t stop. She’s incredible.
Timmes said she was impressed with how close the team was, even though they come from all over Long Island.
"They still have that bond and that friendship almost as if they go to school together," she said. "They have such a passion for the game. They’re 12, but they hate to lose. They sleep with their soccer balls. They just always want to get better. They just have this passion to do better. They hold themselves to high standards. They hold each other [to those standards]. They compete. They love to play.
"They have a bright future. That’s for sure."
Girls U-13 Open Cup Champions: East Islip Strikers
La Grange, N.Y. -- The East Islip Strikers defeated the Massapequa Stars to capture the Eastern New York Girls Under-13 Open Cup crown at Stringham Park on June 13.
The reason why the Strikers prevailed in the State Cup encounter and for their success? Easy, says coach Frank Santoro. They have heart.
"It was a good game," he said. "We probably played a little better than they did. I think we played with a lot of heart.
Sara Miraval, Taylor Saagar and Sidney Cammeyer scored for the Strikers in the opening half.
Asked what made has made the Strikers so special, Santoro replied, "Their heart. They have an amazing heart. Small little hometown team. Most of the girls are from the original U-10 team. They’ve got a tremendous heart. But now we do have a couple of extra players and they helped us out a great deal.
"The girls just never stop fighting. They’ll claw their way to win. They play very good soccer, but their hearts just never stops. It’s one of those teams."
The Strikers qualified for the Region I tournament, which will be played in Huntington, W.Va. from July 2-7.
"I hope we play like we’ve played all season," Santoro said. "If we come there with the same heart we’ve played all season, we’ll do very well.
"It’s going to be a a marathon, a step-up in the competition. I think its going to be very difficult. If we play like we’ve played all season, i we stand a little bit of a chance."
Girls U-14 Open Cup Champions: Massapequa Elite
La Grange, N.Y. -- A tough season for Massapequa Elite was made a lot easier on Saturday, June 13, when the team defeated HBC Intense to win the Girls Under-14 Open Cup crown.
The Masspaequa side recorded a 1-0 triumph at Stringham Park.
Bridget Lesterman scored 18 minutes into the first half for the only goal of the match.
"It was a hard-fought game," Ho said. "We have a lot of respect for HBC. They are a very talent group, very athletic. We came with a game plan. We talked about defense winning championships. We had a defensive game and the kids did it to a T."
Elite had finished third in the Northeast Premier League and had to battle some injuries.
"We’ve had a rough year," coach Christine Ho said. "It’s definitely been an up and down. We lost a lot of players to injuries. All year we’ve been playing with a different lineup. We still have two players out, one with an ACL in the semis, another has a stress fracture in her femur. So we’ve been toying with our lineup, moving people around. But we always preach team that its a team effort. The girls really stepped it up. I’m so proud of them."
So, winning the title made it sweeter.
"It’s never easy," Ho said. "We’ve had a lot of obstacles in our life the last two years and the girls keep plugging away. They show up and they train hard. They’re disciplined in what we need to do. I’m just so proud of them. They did a great job today. It’s not been easy, not at all. It makes it that much sweeter.
Ho said the Elite players get along very well.
"We don’t have a superstar," she said. "We’re a team, every sense a team, That’s us. We don’t rely on one player. We never have. We rely on the group to get it done and that’s what I think got it done today."
Open Cup Girls U-15 champions: Albertson Fury
La Grange, N.Y. -- After losing in the Girls Under-14 final last year, the Albertson Fury bounced back this year in the U-15 championship game.
The Fury scored early and grabbed a 2-0 halftime lead en route to a 4-0 win over the Manhattan Pride to capture the Eastern New York State Cup crown at Stringham Park on Saturday, July 13.
Albertson had won the cup in 2007.
"It was nice for the kids to get the cup back," coach Paul Riley said.
Actually, the Fury already had qualified for the Region I championships in Huntington, W.Va. from July 2-7, thanks to its regional league title win.
"My worry was that we’d come into the game a little bit lackluster," Riley said. "But they came out and they were on top of them. They put pressure on them. We forced them into a lot of mistakes."
Kerri Anne Madigan scored the first and fourth goals and Nicky McFarland and Ashley Guerara added scores.
Riley felt that Madigan’s goal was the key because she scored seven minutes into the match.
"I think that was the critical part of the game," he said. "The longer we left it, we didn’t get a goal. They were sitting back pretty deep. The first goal broke the ice. We scored the second goal 15 minutes before halftime. Once we got into halftime, 2-0 up, we’re very good defensively. I didn’t think we’d give up two in the second half. Then we got the third 10 minutes into the second half."
Riley praised several players.
"I thought the midfield was magnificent. Kristi Abbate -- she’s a regional player. Jillian Mullholland, Cari Roccaro, national player from the Long Island Fury, were fantastic.
"That midfield was tough to play against. They’re very talented. We have the best forward line in the country. But the midfield makes their job pretty easy. We created a lot of chances. We missed a good 10-15 chances. The backline’s good, too. We don’t give much away."
Albertson Fury Win U-17, U-18 Open Cup Girls Titles
La Grange, N.Y. -- After the dust had cleared at the Eastern New York State Cup at Stringham Park on Sunday, June 14, the Albertson Fury had won four Open Cup Girls titles.
The Fury had won four out of five finals -- at the Under-15, U-17, U-18 and U-19 levels.
"Great weekend for the Fury," coach Paul Riley said. "We are all looking forward to West Virginia and the regionals."
The Region I championships will be played in Huntington, W.Va. from July 2-7.
The only Fury team that failed to win a State Cup championship was at the U-16 level as the Syosset Rough Riders recorded a 3-0 win.
Riley said the team "never got going at all. In fairness to Syosset they played very well and deserved to win. The occasion got the better of our team."
The U-17 side recorded a 4-1 victory over the Stony Brook Arsenal for its first Open Cup title. Crystal Dunn led the way with two goals.
The U-18 team won, 4-2, in extratime, rallying from an early two-goal deficit to earn its fifth consecutive State Cup crown.
Molly Bruh (42nd minute), Vicky DiMartino (65th and 100th minutes) Jazmine Spencer (105th minute) scored for the Fury.
Asked what makes the Magic special, Barrios replied, "The work ethic that they have learned. They understand about working hard. They understand about what it takes to get better at the game. During training sessions, I like to bring other trainers in so they can see another perspective of the game.
"They see to understand the small things about the game. They understand that passing and moving and striking the ball and being aggressive with and without the ball. It’s a great group."
Girls Open Cup U-19 Champions: Albertson Fury
La Grange, N.Y. -- It sounds like a cliche, but the most important goal that is scored in a soccer game can be the very first one.
Albertson Fury coach Paul Riley can attest to that. He felt Alaina Beyar’s goal removed any sort of doubts as the Fury recorded a 7-0 victory over Quickstrike 91 in the Eastern New York Girls Under-19 championship game at Stringham Park on Saturday, June 13.
"The critical goal was the first goal," Riley said. "Alaina Beyar, she got us on our way. The second goal iced the game almost because they were sitting very deep."
Beyar scored on a breakaway with about 15 minutes remaining in the first half and Christina Delmistro tallied the second goal.
"Luckily she [Beyar] finished," Riley said. "You almost think if you miss that breakaway and go in nil-nil at halftime, all of a sudden the other team has got a bit of confidence. You get a bit anxious. You start kicking ball long instead of playing. Once we got the second goal, we started to play."
Riley said that midfielder Emma Moore "was the best player on the field in the middle of the park. She played really well. Alyssa Pember in the back. There were big players from big colleges all over the place. Our experience of being here four times in a row, that experience probably helped us a little bit more than them."
This Fury team is 2-2 in State Cup final.
"It’s good to finish on a winning note," Riley said.
The Fury’s next challenge is the Region I championships in Huntington, W.Va. from July 2-7.
"West Virginia, we get everybody a little bit fitter," Riley said. "From a personnel point of view, we have a good team. The question is how fit can we get. If we’re fit enough, we’ll be all right. If we’re not fit, we’ll struggle."
