On the Pitch: 2008 Fall

Weekly Highlights from EBSC Teams

Week Ending 11/23:

The EBSC Revolution (U9G) capped off a successful first season with a 1-0 win against Metuchen yesterday. The Revolution victory was made possible by a tough defense led by Lauren Krinsky in goal and Casey Caroselli, Ashley Desrosier and Gabby Brancato in the back. The team’s offensive trio of Callie Luftig, Kayla Kaplan and Victoria Gil kept pressure on Metuchen’s goal, while a strong midfield tracked back to aid in the defensive end against a tough Metuchen offense. Outstanding play in the midfield by Tori Constantin, Gina Morrison, Dayna Dobkowski, Jessica Kehoe, Lauren Krinsky and Meghan McSpiritt helped lead the Revolution to victory.

Week Ending 11/09:

The EBSC Gladiators (U9B) continued their run at being undefeated at home this season with two strong efforts this past weekend. In Saturday’s match, where the team’s dark green jerseys were quickly dark brown with mud, the Gladiators jumped out to a 2-0 lead by halftime against the Greater Flemington Wolverines, and the game seemed well in hand. However, defensive breakdowns against a furious assault by the Wolverines saw the score tied at 2-2 late in the game. Playing strong to the finish, though, the Gladiators’ left back made a strong run up the touch line, then cut into the box and slotted home past the keeper to cement the 3-2 win in the final seconds of the game. In Sunday’s match, the visiting Berkeley Heights Bobcats got an early gift when a tumble in the box sent a Gladiator onto the turf and onto the ball, where contact with an arm created a PK opportunity. Not letting their heads drop for a moment, the Gladiators came back and evened up the score a minute later. The rest of the game saw both teams battling to secure the game-winning second goal, but neither team could manage it, and the final whistle ended a hard-fought 1-1 draw.

A team of EBSC coaches won the championship in the fourth annual Coaches Tournament at Soccer Centers in Somerset last Saturday evening. The EBSC team swept through its four games before meeting Scotch Plains, last year’s champion, in the final. With the score tied 0-0 at the end of regulation, the game went into penalty kicks, and EBSC won on the sixth round.

Week Ending 10/19:

The EBSC Spirit (U12G) won the top flight at the Wall Soccer Fall Classic this past weekend.The Spirit posted victories over Ridgewood (2-0), Lionsville Youth (PAE) (4-2), Spirit United (PAE) (1-0) and West Windsor, 1-0, in a battle of undefeated teams in the finals. The defense, led by Shannon McCarthy in goal, Margeret Lee, Alex Kalafor, Emma Feeney, Gabrielle Sachs and Kaitlyn Roughan, were spectacular in recording three shutouts in the tournament. Sydney Rosa exploded for 4 goals, while Katherine McCulley, Gabrielle Sachs, Julia Simoes and Margareta Ianosi each scored a goal.The goals were assisted by Julia Simoes, Kaitlyn Roughan and Katherine McCulley. Outstanding play in the midfield and forward positions by Nicole Girgis, Stephanie Schwailik, Margareta Ianosi, Carly Torrado, Emily Chimento and Barbara Garretson also contributed to this weekend’s championship run. The Spirit compete in the Jersey Area Girls league and are ranked in the Top 20 in NJ by "USA Rank" and Top 25 in NJ by "GotSoccer."

EBSC United (U11B) played their home opener this past Sunday and came up with their finest performance to date, beating a strong Watchung Hills team, 2-0. Forwards Matt Ross, Phil Ogalo and Drew Walcott found themselves with scoring opportunities several times in each half due to the hard work of midfield players Pat Hartman, Brendan Hills, Marco Loncar, Alex Mora, Mohamed Fquihi and Andrew Hoeni. In the meantime, the backline of Chris Cap, Philip Ripp, Ian Sawicki and Alec Hoeni, along with goalkeeper Luke Roche, denied the Tigers’ every attempt. The victory was the United’s fourth win of the season.

France (U12B Rec) had a great day at the Manalapan Fun Fest, winning two games to take home a first-place trophy. France scored an impressive 4-1 victory over a crafty East Windsor team and then squeezed by a strong Willingboro team, 1-0, to lock up the championship. Team members include Matt Barducco, Shaurya Baxi, Dhruv Bhardwaj, Aaron Chandler, Jenniston Francis, Minhyuk Kim, Corey Lew-Merwin, Kayo Ogunwale, Herman Ramirez, Ethan Rampersad, Alex Rodman, Alex Wojcik and David Zemlyanker. Team France is coached by Robert Rampersad and Andrey Zemlyanker.

The EBSC Galaxy (U13B) were entered in the competitive top bracket of the Parsippany Pride Tournament over Columbus day weekend. All games were against MAPS teams with the Galaxy going 4-0. The first game was against a top ten ranked team from CT, Newtown Samba. After giving up an early goal, the Galaxy battled back, ending the first half 1-1 behind superb keeper play. Playing good team-play during the second half they were able to end the game 4-2 behind goals from 4 different players. The next game was against Hans Soliz Academy, and the Galaxy were able to pull off a 5-3 win in a scrappy, physical game. Sunday morning the Galaxy did enough to pull out a 2-0 win against Madison YMCA Avalanche, dodging a bullet in the form of two penalty kicks awarded to the Avalanche in the second half.The tournament final was against the other bracket winner, the Ironbound Vipers. The Galaxy controlled the match and posted a convincing 3-1 win. Ironbound could not develop any sustained offense, with their lone goal coming on a PK after a handball in the box late in the game.

The EBSC Blazers (U12B) enjoyed a very successful weekend. Playing 4 games against very good competition, they mananged a 3-0-1 record including winning First Place in the North Brunswick Spook-a-rama Tournament. In all of the games, the Blazers dominated both offensively and defensively giving up only 3 goals in the 4 games. Members of the Blazers are: Brian Amriddinov, Josh Barkoff, Alex Coward, Brandon Enny, James Fiocco, Alex Gomez, Ryan Josephson, Evan Kleiner, Kyle Knotts, Noah Levine, Derek Morgen, David Nadler, Adam Rosa, Dylan Serra & Matt Siegel. The Blazers are coached by Steve Morgen, Lou Serra, and Alan Nadler. Team Trainer is Jim Buchanan of Maestro Soccer.

Week Ending 10/05:

The EBSC Mustangs (U13G) have qualified for the Sweet Sixteen in this year’s State Cup tournament. The Mustangs defeated Morris United, 3-0, in the first round and then scored an exciting 3-2 win over the North Caldwell Galaxy to keep their State Cup championship dreams alive. Starring for the Mustangs were Marlena Bevilacqua, Gillian Blewett, Lauren Coletti, Victoria DeLaHoz, Gabriella DiLiberto, Taylor Evanchik, Rebecca Hager, Devon Himelman, Rachel Kaplan, Amber Kelly, Tori Kelner, Kayla Kennedy, Ronni Luftig, Jackie Miskanic, Jordyn Worby and Leah Zweig. The Mustangs are coached by Herman DeLaHoz and Brad Caruso.

After having to cancel their home opener last weekend due to thunderstorm activity, EBSC United (U11B) took to the road once again on Sunday, this time heading to Washington’s Crossing State Park to challenge the Hopewell Valley Riptide. United came out strong in the first half and scored three goals. The Riptide tried to rally with a goal in the second half, but United’s defense was not about to concede any further ground. EBSC’s 3-1 victory was especially satisfying for the boys as the Riptide had managed a 3-2 come-from-behind upset the last time these teams met.

The EBSC Galaxy (U13 B) lost a tough 1-0 game in state cup play against Hillsboro Roma on Sunday at home. In spite of dominating time of possession they could not find the back of the net against a strong Hillsboro defense after giving up an early goal to go down 1-0. They will look to rebound in the Parsippany tournament next weekend.

Week Ending 09/28:

The EBSC Galaxy (U13B) has been plagued with injuries and illness this year and has not yet had their full squad together for a game, but they were still able to post two big wins this past weekend. In the first round of the State Cup qualifiers on Saturday, the Galaxy traveled to Delran and defeated the Delran Avengers, 4-0, on goals from four different players. In MAPS league play on Sunday, the boys traveled to Newark to face the Ironbound Vipers and won a hard-fought 2-1 game. With only 12 active players, the Galaxy took a 1-0 lead in the first half, then gave up the tying goal later in the half on a free kick after a hand ball just outside the box. After a back-and forth second half with each side playing good defense, the Galaxy broke through with a late goal and held on for the remaining 5 minutes of play for the win. In the next round of State Cup play the Galaxy face Hillsborough Roma at home on the turf field on Saturday

The EBSC Twisters (U10G) played a tough match against a very strong Westfield team this past Sunday, coming away with a decisive 3-1 win. After spotting Westfield a one-goal lead at the half, the Twisters came back strong, with Maria, Andrea and Megan R. each scoring unanswered goals in the second half. The tough Twister defense successfully shut down several late scoring drives by a very fast and skilled Westfield offense. The Twisters are now 3 - 0 on the season.

Week Ending 09/21:

EBSC United (U11B) took to the road again this past Sunday to play a local rival, the Sayreville Bombers, and came away with a come-from-behind 4-3 victory. Sayreville took a first-half lead with a goal in the 16th minute and held the lead into the intermission. United made a few adjustments during halftime and came out to even the score just seconds after the second-half kickoff. While the first-half was dominated by defense, both offensive squads opened up the second half, with United getting the best of Sayreville for their second win of the season.

The EBSC Spirit (U12G) traveled to Hillburn, NY, Sunday night and played the defending Northern County Soccer Association champs, Monroe Woodbury Magic, to a 1-1 draw. After falling behind 1-0 in the first half Katherine McCulley scored off a cross from Sydney Rosa in the 65th minute to tie the score at 1-1. Shannan McCarthy had an excellent game in goal for the Spirit, turning away several scoring opportunities. The Spirit play in the Jersey Area Girls League (JAGS) and are currently ranked by USA Rank as the #14 team in New Jersey.

The Green Cyclones and the Green Hornets (Girls U13-17 Recreation) played an exciting match last weekend. The teams were neck and neck for the entire game. The Green Hornets took a two-goal lead late into the game but, with persistent hard work and relentless pressure, the Green Cyclones answered back with 2 brilliant goals to even the score. With only minutes left in the game, the Green Cyclones’ keeper made a tough save, but Jamie Hatala from the Hornets was able to pounce on the loose ball and score the game-winning goal. The Green Cyclones, coached by Nora Ospina and Bob McNeil, were led by keepers Lauren Cohen and Erin Concannon, defenders Veronica Ricci, Ana Vargias, Kasey Lam and Jessica Ospina, midfielders Ashely McNeil, Sneha Vaswani, Vidhi Vakharia and Ellen Concannon and forwards Amanda Geist, Lisa Quaglino and Kita Sha. The Hornets, coached by Pete Trimboli, were led by key attackers Jamie Hatala, Laurie Toich and Michele Grader, with strong midfield support from Julie and Kristen Trimboli and Jackie Mulè. Anchoring the defense were Christi and Melissa Hillen and Michelle Basilious. Adriana Cortez, Leah Weinstein, Corissa Wehr, Sarah Wilson, Kate Sisto, Jessica Chang and Danica Cotov were also key contributors to the Hornets’ performance.

The EBSC Twisters (U10G National) played a tremendous match against a very tough Metuchen Huskies team last Sunday, coming away with a hard-fought 1 - 0 victory for their second win of the season. The lone goal of the game was scored by Shelby, with Maria and Cassidy assisting on the play. The Twisters played a swarming defense, with constant support to effectively shut down the Huskies’ offensive opportunities. Samantha and Megan R. were exceptional in goal to combine for the shutout.

Week Ending 09/14:

The Blue Lightning (U9/10G Recreation) played to an exciting 2-2 tie with a very tough Green team. After a scoreless first half that featured strong defense from Mikayla, Sanya and Gillian, the Lightning’s first score was on a goal by Samir with an assist from Adriana. This was all set up by the passing of the midfielders, Tsion and Sanya. The Green quickly countered with a goal of their own to tie the score. The Lightning’s second goal was again scored by Samir, with the assist going to Tsion, for a 2-1 lead. But the Green team fought back and scored the tying goal. From there the defense tightened up, as Jordyn, Gillian and Mikayla, with help from all the girls, held off Green’s attack. Marina and Jordyn also played very well in the keeper position for the Lightning.

The EBSC Twisters (U10G National) played a tremendous match against a very tough Franklin Shooting Stars team on Sunday afternoon, coming away with a convincing 4 – 2 victory. Maria and Shelby provided outstanding offensive power, scoring 2 goals each. Assisting on the scoring drives and controlling the midfield were Christen, Andrea, Sophie and Kayle. The "Iron Clad" defense comprised of Jamie, Chloe, Cassidy, Megan G. and Ariel formed an impenetrable wall and effectively shut down the Shooting Stars’ late offensive drives. Megan R. was exceptional in goal with 12 saves.

EBSC United (U11B) opened the season with a win on the road, defeating the St. John Vianney Jaguars in Colonia this past Sunday. United played a strong defensive game and held the Jaguars scoreless while managing to put the ball into the back of the Jaguars’ net twice, once in each half of the game. These teams met once before, playing to a 3-3 draw in the final game of the Fall ’07 season.

EDP

NJYSA

Challanger

SST