Compiled by Ashley Winchester and Erin Bruehl
Dundee vs. Celtic (M-9)
Team Celtic defeated Dundee for their third win in a row in a hard-fought contest at Battery Park City fields last Saturday. The Celtic offense took some time to get going but exploded in the second half with two goals from Elias Sosa, and one goal apiece by Devin Kolb and Lucas Ortega. Gabriella Marino did an outstanding job on offense as well. Michael Herman provided the offense for Dundee, with one goal in the first half and another just minutes into the second half, in what was his best performance of the season. Katherine Lombard, Avalon Jackson, and Emmet Smith all took shots on the Celtic goal but were frustrated by the collapsing Celtic defense. Rebecca Anthony stopped many Celtic attacks with aggressive play, including a well-timed header that sent the ball sailing to the Celtic side of the field. Trevor Dolan’s powerful punts and Henry Gunderson’s scrambling saves protected the Dundee goal for much of the game, but the Celtic offense went into high gear in the second half to secure the victory. “It was a great game. It took awhile for us to get going but our offense was brilliant. Devin, Elias, Lucas really put the game in our favor in the second half,” Celtic coach Robert Kolb said.
Wimbledon vs. Ipswich (Jr-6)
The much-improved Ipswich team came out on fire and dominated the early going in their rematch against league powerhouse Wimbledon. Ipswich’s Fischer Bodwell and Jackson Spindle were strong at midfield and created several good chances for strikers Owen O’Keefe, Scotty Bamford and Aidan Rogers, who all ultimately failed to find the net. There was no score at halftime. Wimbledon then took the field for the second half and Max Kraidelman soon scored what was to be the deciding goal for Wimbledon, taking advantage of a poorly placed goal kick to bury a hard shot in the corner of the net. For the next 10 minutes, defenders Tao Hunt and Anthony O’Donnell kept the game close, turning aside numerous Wimbledon offensive probes. Wimbledon kept the action in the Ipswich zone for much of the rest of the game with tough midfield play from Uriah Frederick, Otis Hatfield, and Delia Costello and Elliot Loving took advantage of two more goalie throwing errors to put the score at the final 3-0, in Wimbledon’s favor.
Nice vs. Lyon (M-11)
Nice’s play continued to improve this week, much to the excitement of all parents, relatives and fans. The offense for Nice came within the second minute of play in the first half on a pinpoint pass from Philip Kay to Tim Rossi, who scored on a hard kick into the net, just out of reach from the diving Andrew Chow of Lyon. Nice’s midfielders, William Sinn, Jack Scordato and Cole Evelev, played a game of ball control clearing a number of attacks by Lyon’s offensive line of Lila Low-Beinart, Ray Perez and Victor Smith, who was a standout on defense for Lyon turning away a number of Nice’s attacks, supported by fellow fullbacks Matthew Hickey, Jukie Tsai, Maya Ilyashov and Rashid Oord. Alessandra Fusillo and Meryl Dominguez also played excellent defense for Nice, denying several Lyon attempts. At one point, the parents applauded an excellent sequence of about five headers and “air kicks” in a row, as both teams struggled for possession. Miro Boncich was awarded a penalty kick for Nice near the end of regulation play, but the shot went wide left. Both goalkeepers, Scott Franchi and Andrew Chow, were outstanding, as the match ended in a 1-1 tie. Lyon’s weekly game balls were awarded to Alex Wedmore for his strong work in goal and offense, Victoria Smith for hustle and defensive saves and Matthew Hickey for contributions at defense and midfield.
Aston Villa vs. Leeds (Jr-7)
Aston Villa’s teamwork paid off in a late second half rally to surpass a two-goal lead and send Leeds United to a heartbreaking loss with a final score of 3 – 2. Both teams played hard and Leeds had a one-goal advantage at the end of the first half thanks to brilliant offensive play from sweeper Violet Beinart. Aston Villa’s first half goalie, Liam DeVoe, deflected several tough Leeds shots at goal to keep the score close. Forward Bryan Burns scored another goal for Leeds early in the second half, but Aston Villa’s offensive line, including Theo Munger, Peter Manny, Alexander Irikura and Connor Doherty, roared to life. They paved the way for the first AV goal, scored by Peter Manny to get the team on the board, with Alexander Irikura kicking in the second goal to tie the score. Helping out with strong offense for Leeds were Lee Perry and Ethan Skelskie. Tristan Myers and Cliff Benfield shared goalie responsibilities for Leeds. Aston Villa’s defensive wall of Clara Hendler, Thomas Rauffenbart, Rosamund Berdann, Zachary Lemonides and Austin Chin held back Leeds’ aggressive offense and AV’s second half goalkeeper, Robbie Martino, made a spectacular save by deflecting a strategically kicked ball with his fingertips to stop it from entering at the edge of the net. AV’s Theo Munger broke through the solid defensive efforts of Ethan Feldman, Jackson Collins, and Marina Ouranitsas to assist Conner Doherty, who scored the winning goal. “This was a real team effort. These kids always play their hearts out, and they are having a blast,” Aston Villa coach Bill Manny said.
Motherwell vs. Livingston (M-9)
The wind and sun were factors on Saturday as Motherwell outlasted Livingston, 4-3, in an entertaining and friendly match. Two goals apiece by Jake Miller and Cameron Spector with assists from Michael Martorana, Ali Rossi, Anna Schwab and Caspar Henak contributed to all of Motherwell’s offense in the first half of play. Brian Boyd played well in goal for the second time this season for Motherwell, with some powerful clearing kicks. Darcy Haylor scored through sheer determination for Livingston after a scramble in front of Motherwell’s net. Justin Valenzuela scored on his third goal attempt after his two previous shots missed the net and rocketed off the crossbar. Joshua Lawrence also scored for Livingston. Defense was again the key for Livingston. Every player from both squads had a taste of the action and deserved to win this closely contested match. “Once again, the kids played very hard but unfortunately this time they came away with a loss. I wish we had a few more games after next week since the kids are playing so well now,” Livingston coach Kate Shore said.
Metrostars vs. Crew (Sr 12-13)
The Metrostars played Crew Saturday afternoon for an informal match that resulted in a 4-1 victory for the Metrostars. Eager to play but short a few teammates, the Crew suited up with only seven players on their side, plus one substitute from the sidelines. “Credit goes to the entire team, but one goal stands out: Schuyler Duffy headed in a great kick for a goal (which was) really pretty,” Metrostars coach Carl Friedberg said.
AS Roma vs. AC Milan (M-8)
AS Roma played AC Milan to a 3-1 win. AS Roma’s offense kept a constant attack, supported by counterattacks from the defensive line. “Our forwards did a fine job of passing and opening up the Milan defense in order to score,” coach Steven Brown said. AS Roma is looking forward to their final game of the season against Juventus next weekend.
Manchester vs. Blackburn (Jr-7)
Blackburn again defeated Manchester Saturday morning on the south field. Though Blackburn had a landslide 6-0 victory in the first game of the season, this week’s game was much more well-matched at 3-2. Manchester played the first half without any substitutes and the second half with only one substitute, yet managed a strong effort and visible improvement against this difficult opponent. Midway through the first half, Manchester was in the lead thanks to an early goal by Dean Scotti. Rachel Licata and Michael Marino played well on both sides of the field. John Barbieri played a terrific game as he shadowed Blackburn’s two best players across the field. Goalies Andrew Jansen and Anthony Marino were supported by Michael Di Maria on defense. Blackburn scored three unanswered goals to take a 3-1 lead in the second half. With five minutes left in the game a very tired Manchester team left it all on the field as they stormed the Blackburn goal. Blackburn stopped a penalty kick with about three minutes left to play in a very exciting finish.
Bordeaux vs. LeMans (M-11)
Bordeaux lost in a close 2-0 match to LeMans Sunday afternoon. It was a very good game pitting two talented, competitive squads with lots of end-to-end play. Sam Gilberg, Nell Potter and Francesca Taylor made a strong effort for Bordeaux. Goalie Corey Greenblatt made several outstanding saves for Bordeaux, but LeMans’ goalie was the star, making one brilliant save on a breakaway.
Brazil vs. Canada (U-14, D.S.L. vs DUSC)
With one game remaining, Team Brazil holds the second best record in the league at 7-2, after a win Sunday against Downtown United Soccer Club’s Team Canada. Alex Burwasser once again led Brazil with four goals. Will Schraft scored the other two goals for Brazil. Simon Schreier played a solid game in the net, making numerous saves and allowing in only one goal in the first half. Joe Penney played a well-balanced game, coming away with three assists. Matt Critchlow played center midfield all game, hustling back and forth, playing both offense and defense and walking away with three assists while helping sweeper Alex Connolly anchor the defense. Remi Gottheil, Ali Sternberg and Asa Birnbaum played on the wings and point at defense, keeping a very offensively strong Team Canada at bay all game.
Argentina vs. Finland (U-14, DSL vs DUSC)
Team Argentina continued its winning streak Sunday against Team Finland. The defense was anchored by Gabriel Barth-Maron at sweeper and Stephen Miller at stopper, with Park, Alex Donnenfeld and John Paul Perdicaro playing at the wings. Max Bosworth controlle the ball in the midfield all game, setting up many potential goals and keeping possession of the ball. The teams were well-matched to the whistle in a 0-0 tie at the end of the game. An overtime period failed to break 0-0 tie, and the game went on to a sudden death penalty kick shootout. Argentina’s goalie Dagan Farancz made two incredible penalty kick saves and a third was missed wide left by Finland. Matthew Reitzfeld and Yoon-Ki Park made the first two penalty kicks for Argentina. Farancz played an excellent game in the net and kept his league-leading goals-against average at below 1. Argentina improved to a league leading 9-0 with one more game to go.
Thanks to the coaches who contributed to this report. Game information should be e-mailed Monday mornings to news@DowntownExpress.com and Ashley@DowntownExpress.com
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