On the Pitch: 2008 Spring

Weekly Highlights from EBSC teams

Tournaments:

The EBSC Strikers (U10B), coached by Gary Hoeni, had a wonderful Memorial Day Tournament in Manalapan, winning all four of their games.

The EBSC Hurricanes II (U12B), coached by David Kirschenbaum, played very well in the Manalapan Memorial Day Tournament in an extremely tough bracket, finishing with two big wins.

The EBSC Force (U13B) played a four-game round robin this weekend at the 2008 MSSL Explosion Tournament held at Ft. Dix and went home champions of the Boys U13 division. Playing against teams from Delaware, New York and New Jersey, the Force demonstrated how 11 players -- defense, midfielders and forwards -- operate as one cohesive team. Coached by Lennaert Bitters of Soccer Centers with Peter Grimando as General Manager, Force team members include forwards Zach Becker, Jaysen Bohrod, Luigi Buffolino and Feli Csombok, midfielders Thomas Cagnetta, Sean Doyle, Eric Geider, Joseph Grimando, Josh Kersner, Dan Korman and Thomas Merse, defenders Kevin Brix, Rich Kehoe, Chris Mosier and Domenic Polidoro, and keepers Grant Korten and Evan Manno.

The EBSC Rockets (U14B) showed off some great soccer and a never-quit attitude at this past weekend’s Manalapan Memorial Day Tournament, earning runners-up trophies in their group. Sitting in third place behind their second-place opponent, Waldwick, the Rockets knew that a victory would mean a chance to take home some hardware. Despite trailing Waldwick 1-0 at halftime, the boys showed no quit. For the last 30 minutes, they attacked the Waldwick goal relentlessly, first tying the game five minutes into the second half and then scoring the game-winner halfway through. The Rockets’ rock-solid defense and aggressive midfield play took over from there. Team members include Rahul Guha, Andrew Au-Yeung, Stephen Ripp, Konnor Kish, Rohan Rao, John Michael Bicho, Andrew Chimento, Doug Bason, Tim Khalil, Jaineel Kothari, Peter Sassine, Carlos Torrelio, Kevin Wood, Corey Schiffres and Jon Sweet. William Ying contributed as a guest player. The Rockets are coached by Steve Wood, Mike Ripp and Factor Torrelio.

The EBSC Bulldogs (U-14G) have been on quite a roll lately. The girls finished in first place in the East Windsor Summer Blast Off tournament, thanks to two shutout wins. They followed that up by shutting out two of three opponents and coming away with a close second place finish in the Burlington Memorial Day tournament, losing first place on a tie-breaker. The Bulldogs are anchored in goal by Ashley Gomola and on defense with Erica Amen, Hanna Lustig, Irene Shoung and Nicole Schwailik. Midfielders include Allison Regna, Claudine Michael, Michelle Mule, Danni Lebovitch and Lyndsey Gatton. The forwards are Jill Lawnick, Sivan Yair and Jamie Banhalmi. The Bulldogs are coached by Rich Amen and trained by Tommy Coohill.

The EBSC Lightning (U15B) proved that good guys do finish first sometimes. Playing a Silver Lake Spartans team from Staten Island that had just 7 players for this past weekend’s Manalapan Memorial Day Tournament, the Lightning’s coach, Joe Evans, took EBSC players off the field to avoid exploiting his team’s numbers advantage. The Lightning fell behind, 2-0, and, even though many other teams would have put its additional players back on the field to even the score, the EB team stuck to its plan and came back with three late goals for an exciting 3-2 victory that reminded everyone that good sportsmanship -- and not just winning -- is what’s most important.

The EBSC Breakers (U15G) won the top flight of the 2008 Virginian Tournament this past weekend, winning 4 games and tying 1 and not allowing a goal all weekend. The Breakers opened the tournament by beating the Tennessee Greenville Galaxy, 4-0. Up next came a challenge from a highly ranked team from Maryland, The Freestate Inferno. That closely contested match ended in a 0-0 tie. Needing a win to advance to the semifinals, the Breakers beat another ranked Maryland team, the CSA Fury,1-0. With that win, the Breakers won their flight and now moved on to the semifinals against a NJ MAPS rival, the Highland Power. That match ended in a 0-0 tie. After two 10-minute overtime periods, the game went to a PK shootout, which the Breakers prevailed, winning 3-1. In the finals, the Breakers would have a rematch against the Freestate Inferno. After taking a 1-0 lead early in the match, the Breakers battled for the remaining 60 minutes and went on to win the game. Team members of the 2008 Virginian Tournament champion Breakers are Rebecca Acevedo, Lauren Edelman, Vicki Fernandes, Rachael Gala, Ilyssa Kaplan, Ashley Kelly, Natalie Mchale, Shannon Nulty, Ali Ragusa, Cassie Riccio, Elise Roughan, Angie Shehaj, Linda Sollecito, Alyssa Steinweis and Hanna Wey. The Breakers are coached by Tom Sollecito and Ray Kelly and trained by Brad Caruso.

The EBSC Extreme (U16B) completed a four-game sweep enroute to winning the 2008 MSSL Explosion Tournament this past Memorial Day weekend in Fort Dix. Outstanding defense, led by Tim Brix, Larry Nicosia, Tim Gandy and Jason Chung, helped Extreme surrender just one goal all weekend. Goalkeeper Anthony Gudzak was outstanding in the nets. Offensively, the team scored 11 goals, led by Eric Palisay (4 goals) and Mike Zinberg (3 goals). Also scoring were Eddie Simoes, Mark Schaff, Shane Santiago and Mike Pavelchak.

The EBSC Rage (U16G), fresh off its semifinal appearance in the NJ State Cup/National Championship tournament, stayed red-hot this past weekend in the MSSL/MAPS Premier College Showcase in Ft. Dix. The girls won their flight championship with wins over Den of Lions (4-0), Bordentown (3-1), BMU Blast (4-0) and Phoenix, PA, in a PK shootout in the finals

Week Ending 6/22

The EB Comets (U9B) finished their first season together in grand style, winning all three of their matches at last week’s Toms River tournament. The boys played flawless soccer, outscoring their opponents, 16 – 0. In addition, they showed true sportsmanship, moving the ball around beautifully, no longer scoring after the games were in hand. Amani Alexander, Ryan Flynn, Jason Levine, Matt Mischler, Sahil Patel, Patrick Pinho, Benny Rosen, Ryan Stelicos, Matt Taffet, Connor Torrelio, Brandon Withum and Andrew Yager all contributed.

Week Ending 6/15

The EBSC Aggressive, comprised of players from the girls’ U7 division, came up with very impressive performances at the recent East Brunswick and Sayreville recreation tournaments, In EB, the girls had a great time in their very first tournament despite the oppressive heat. The girls, who played against each other during the spring season, rallied together to make one impressive, cohesive team. The highlight of their second game came when Chloe Tauber scored all three of EB Aggressive’s goals in only six minutes and led the team to their first tournament game win. EB also proved to be a force to be reckoned with at the Sayerville Tournament, with the highlight of the tournament coming when Gabriella Kurczeski scored three goals in one game. Other outstanding performances came from Kayleigh O’Kane, Jihanna Davidson, Rebecca Yager, Rory Keegan, Kayla Flynn, Kaitlyn Vasquez, Ciara Withum, Rachel Lipman, Hannah Colaiuti, Natalie Stralkus, Emily Chinchar, Suphada Kartik, Emma Chase, Kameran Anderson, Sarah Shultz, Simone Girgis and Danielle Apario. The Aggressive is coached by David Davidson, Ed Kurczeski and Robin Tauber.

The EBSC Monsters (U12G Rec) had a very successful tournament at Sayreville this past weekend, sweeping all four games (5-0, 1-0, 2-1 and 6-1) and winning first place. Even with the heat and downpour, the girls’ dedication and love of the game carried them through. Goalkeepers Emily Polinski and Sahar Hillel stood their ground with numerous saves, while the defense, led by Karen Barretto, Monica Sharobeem, Kristen Berezniak, Michelle Broitman, Jade’ McCoy and Kasey Lam, allowed just two goals all weekend. Midfielders Rebecca Simpson, Nicole Ielmini, Gina Geletei, Haley Stab, Adriana Cortez and Amanda Myertook took command of the matches, creating great scoring opportunities for forwards Jenn Lynk, Jessica Ospina, Caitlin Mosier and Sneha Vaswani, who responded with several outstanding goals.

The EBSC Mustangs (U12G) took second place in the JAGS Tournament this past weekend, thanks to a big 2-0 win over West Windsor in their final game. The Mustangs got great performances from Marlena Bevilacqua, Gillian Blewett, Victoria DeLaHoz, Alyssa Elman, Taylor Evanchik, Devon Himelman, Amber Kelly, Kayla Kennedy, Megan Kosa, Ronni Luftig, Jessica McDonald, Jackie Miskanic, Stephanie Pasewaldt, Jordyn Worby, Leah Zweig and guest players Rebecca Haber, Lauren Coletti and Ashley Cafarella. The Mustangs are coached by Herman DeLaHoz and trained by Brad Caruso.

The EBSC Cosmos (U10B Rec) finished in second place in the Sayreville Tournament. After going undefeated in their first three games (2-0, 3-2, 2-2), the Cosmos dropped a tough first-place match to the undefeated Pinelanders in the pouring rain to finish 2-1-1.

The Cosmos were led by the scoring tandem of Mohamed Fquhi (scoring two incredible goals directly on corner kicks in one game) and Alex Mora. Joining them in the attack were Bradley Glick and John Berezniak. Keeping steady possesion in the midfield were Dennis Krasnoiartsev, Michael Kersh, Eric Leisten, and Ayman and Mohammed Saleh. Holding down the back line were Trevor Styles, Tyler McLean, Shane McQueen, Jason Chang and Phillip Tattegrain. Playing between the posts were the goalkeeping trio of Mike Kersh, Trevor Styles and John Berezniak. The Cosmos were coached by Jay Glick and Serge Krasnoiartsev.

The EBSC Charge (U8G Rec) played spirited soccer this past weekend in the Sayreville Tournament, compiling a 1-1-1 record. Victoria Constantin and Casey Caroselli scored second-half goals on Saturday against Pinelander Storm, leading the Charge to a 2-1 victory. On Sunday, the girls fought the Edison Tornados to a 3-3 draw with well over 15 shots on goal that were stopped by a very good goalkeeper. The heat and fatigue got to the girls on Sunday afternoon, as they suffered a 6-2 loss to a very aggressive and physical Manalapan team. EBSC’s Dayna Dobkowski scoring on a penalty kick. According to the team’s coaches, the EBSC Charge represented the the club very well in their first experience away from East Brunswick.

Week Ending 6/8

The EBSC Blazers (U11B) finished the season on a high note with a second-place performance in the Sunburst Tournament in West Windsor/Plainsboro. Coming through with strong efforts were Ahmed Alloka, Brian Amriddinov, Josh Barkoff, Brandon Enny, James Fiocco, Jake Hanzes, Derek Morgen, David Nadler, Matt Perel, Adam Rosa, Dylan Serra, Matt Siegel, Jake Stolzenberg and Michael Zuckerman. The Blazers are coached by Steve Morgen, Ladio Hanzes and Alan Nadler.

The EBSC Blasters (U15G) battled the heat and some outstanding competition over this past weekend in the Ocean County Tournament of Champions. Competing with only 11 players, the Blasters scored an upset 3-1 win over Wall SC, a strong MOSA Flight 1 and JAGS team. The goal scorers were Briana Politi with two goals and Casey Stephens with one goal. Goalie Sarah Botzenhart had an assist with a 50-yard punt that sailed over the heads of the Wall defenders to a racing Politi, who scored her second goal. Other big contributors in the win included defenders Pooja Adarkar, Devin Massih, Sabrina Singh and Shannon Thuring. The team is coached by Pete Botzenhart and Andy Politi and trained by Jim Buchanan

Week Ending 6/1

The EBSC Spirit (U11G) followed up a strong showing in the Manalapan Memorial Day Tournament -- in which they finished 1-1-2 in the top flight, including a 2-1 victory over eventual tournament champ Manalapan -- with a 3-2 victory in Bridgewater this past Saturday. Sydney Rosa’s goal broke a 2-2 tie with less than 5 minutes to play to lift the Spirit to a thrilling win in their final JAGS game of the season. Kaitlyn Roughan scored twice in the victory, assisted by Stephanie Schailik on the first. The Spirit completed their first season in JAGS with a very respectable 2-2-2 record. The Spirit will be competing in the JAGS tournament over Fathers Day weekend.

The EBSC Hurricanes II (U12B) finished the season with a stunning come-from-behind 2-1 victory over a previously-unbeaten Woodbridge team. It was the Hurricanes’ best game of the season, and everyone played great. Team members include Richie Toth, Jared Kirschenbaum, Luca Loncar, John Cosenza, Jack Mehr, Brent Lardieri, Ethan Yaros, Pierre Saad, Ryan Oleary, Kevin Baron, Luke Smalley, Adrian Pietrzyk, Christian Chlan and Bryan Temin.

The EBSC Thunder (U18B) clinched the MNJYSA U19 Flight 1 championship on Monday night with a big 5-2 victory over arch-rival North Brunswick. The Thunder players and coaching staff didn’t know the significance of the game until the North Brunswick coach confirmed that, with his team’s loss over the weekend, the Thunder could not be caught. He then congratulated head coach Joel Lunney, who let the boys know. After Monday’s win, the Thunder’s record stands at 8-0-1, with 48 goals for and just 12 goals against. This is the second year in succession that EB Thunder have "played up" at U19 Flight 1. Incidentally, 13 of this season’s Thunder squad started with EBSC at the club’s Recreational level.

Week Ending 5/18

The EBSC Spirit (U11G) came through with a big 1-0 win over the Thistle Magic this past Saturday in Kearny. Sydney Rosa took a great pass from Gab Sachs and knocked in the only goal of the game. Shannon McCarthy was outstanding in goal for the Spirit, while Gabriella Merse and Margeret Lee anchored a solid backline.

Week Ending 5/04

The EBSC Wildcats II (U9G) lost a hard-fought thriller, 2-1, to the division-leading South Brunswick Tornadoes. Coach Steven Blaustein said he could not be more proud of his team as even in defeat, the Wildcats II have announced to Flight One that they have arrived and are a team to be reckoned with. Team members include Dominique Brancato, Sara Gilbert, Ciara Gaertner, Courtney Brancato, Gabrielle Blaustein, Jennifer Brauer, Swathi Chikoti, Elizabeth Toto, Jessica Cortez, Melissa Ciaccio, Sarah Shnayder, Gabrielle Coward and Andrea Apostolescu.

The Rage (U16G) won their quarter-final National Championship/NJ State Cup game this past weekend, beating NJ Freedom Rangers, 1-0. The Rage will advance to the NJ semifinals, where they will go up against Mt Laurel on Saturday, May 17 at 11:30 a.m. at The College of New Jersey. Finishing off a great weekend, the Rage also closed out their JAGS premier season undefeated

The Pink Panthers (Girls U11-12 Rec) had an intense game last Saturday against the Orange Team (Girls U11-12), winning 3-1 in a well-played game by both teams. For the Pink Panthers, outstanding plays were made by Sumi, Adriana, Jessica T and Jessica O, while Michele and Amanda T led a powerful defense. Adriana scored two goals and Jessica O added another. Coach Nora also credited Haley, Mary, Nicole, Amanda K and Sahar for their outstanding passing and teamwork

Week Ending 4/20

EB Force (U13B) advanced to the third round of the US Club New Jersey Cup with a 7-0 win over US Parma Ragazzi at Heavenly Farms last Friday night. Coach Peter Grimando thanked all EBSC players and parents that came out to root on the team’s victory. The Force will travel to PDA for its next US Club Cup game. The Force wrapped up a successful weekend with a 4-0 win over Bridgewater Lightning in a MAPS game. According to Peter, the team is playing "beautiful" possession soccer with calm execution -- a result of training in the Dutch Total Soccer methodology.

Week Ending 4/13

After spotting Manalapan an early 1-0 lead, Los Vatos (EB U16/17 rec team) found the opponent’s net often and late with a 6-3 victory. Alex Segura, who had to wear a teammate’s cleats (he forgot his own), took some time to get comfortable in the borrowed shoes but went on to score 2 goals and also contributed with an assist.

The EB Rage (U16G) won their third straight JAGS game, beating Hopewell Valley, 2-1. The Rage also won their first round State Cup game, defeating Wall Crush, 2-1

Week Ending 4/6

The EB Force (U13B) advanced to the second round of the US Club-sponsored New Jersey Cup with a thrilling 2-1 victory over Medford Flash. Tied 1-1 after regulation, the two teams played a scoreless overtime before moving into a PK shootout, where the Force outscored Medford, 3-0, to earn the victory.

The EB Spirit (U11G) made a strong showing in the premier division at this past weekend’s PDA tournament.The Spirit competed against three top 15 teams and came away with two 1-1 ties on Saturday against Manalapan and Washington. In a four-way tie for first going into Sunday’s match the Spirit suffered a tough 1-0 loss to Glen Rock. Katherine McCulley scored the two goals for the Spirit, assisted by Sydney Rosa and Kaitlyn Roughan.

The EB Wildcats II (U9G) continued their smooth transition into MNJYSA Flight 1 with a 0-0 tie against the Berkeley Heights Breezers. Outstanding play by Ciara Gaertner, Sara Gilbert, Gabrielle Blaustein and Melissa Ciaccio kept the parents on their feet as the Wildcats II rose to the challenge of playing a Breezer team that finished with a 7-3 record in Flight 1 last season.

Week Ending 3/31

The EB Titans (U-14 boys) won their flight in the winter indoor league at Soccer Centers, defeating the South Brunswick Twisters, 3-1, in the championship game after losing to them a week earlier. The Titans are coached by Dan Kennedy and Mark Mulhollem and trained by Jim Buchanan ...

Congratulations to the EB Wildcats II (U-9 girls) for winning their first MNJYSA Flight One game by defeating the Westfield Marseille, 2-1, on goals by Sarah Shnayder and Gabrielle Coward. The Wildcats overcame a 1-0 halftime deficit on outstanding plays by goalkeeper Dominque Brancato and a great overall team effort.

The EBSC Blasters (U16G) defeated Parrsipany Rage, last year’s MNJYSA Flight One runners-up, 3-1. Goals were scored by Casey Stephenson, Briana Politi and Samantha Petosa, while midfielder Pooja Adarka and the back line of Shannon Thuring, Alexa Politi, Devin Massih and Sabrina Singh played a strong game. Turning in a solid performance in goal were Shea Olhestky and Sarah Botzenhart. The Blasters are coached by Pete Botzenhart and Andy Politi

The EBSC Rage (U16G) won their first JAGS game of the season on Saturday, beating FC Copa, 3-0. Goals were scored by Heather Potkulski, Heather Haskoor and Samantha Kalafor. The team is coached by Greg Potkulski and Catie Kalafor.

The EB Twisters (U9G) won their second game in a row, beating area rival Monroe by a 2-0 score. According to coaches Mik Bognar and Vince Serrao, this represented a big improvement over last season for the Twisters, as the two teams tied 2-2 in the fall.

Week Ending 3/16

The EB Extreme (U16B) pulled off one of the weekend’s most thrilling wins, bouncing back from a first half deficit with three "plays-of-the-week" highlight goals -- all on crosses -- for a 3-2 victory on Saturday afternoon at Heavenly Farms.

EBSC’s over-40 men’s team opened its Central Jersey Friendship League season with an impressive 4-1 victory over Howell, thanks to two goals by U13 Shockers coach Lou Serra.

The EB Twisters (U9G) girls played extremely well last Sunday and came away with an exciting 1-0 victory over Franklin, a team they tied last season. According to coach Mik Bognar, the girls have improved tremendously from last season.

EDP

NJYSA

Challanger

SST