Game summaries provided by Philipstown Soccer Club:
U10 Hawks Win in First Game of Season
Playing in their first home game of the season, the Philipstown Girls U10 Hawks came out on top against the Carmel Blue Lightning, 5-1.
Coach Ralph Moran and Assistant Coach Michael Robinson kept the Hawks focused on technique and passing throughout the game, which allowed the girls to shine. Marisa Peters scored the first goal, rushing toward the Carmel keeper to secure the shot. Jessica Tudor then placed a beautiful direct kick right over the Carmel goalkeeper’s head for the Hawks’ second goal.
Taya Robinson received a well-placed center pass in the middle of the penalty box and kicked it past the Carmel goalie for another goal. Peters and Tudor each scored a second goal, rounding out the 5 goals for the Hawks. The defense, led by goalkeeper Ava Vasta, remained strong throughout the entire game, allowing for only one Carmel goal. The Hawks left Philipstown Park confident and look forward to taking on the Poughkeepsie Blue Dragons on Sept. 24.
Philipstown Phoenix Brave Legendary Heat
The Philipstown Girls U11 Phoenix endured the heat and humidity, a delayed start, and limited substitutions against the Shrub Oak Legends in their first away game. The afternoon got off to a bit of a late start, but the girls hit the field with enthusiasm after their now-traditional kickoff cheer. Sophie Tomlins again backed up the team in goal behind a stalwart defense of Josie Foley-Hedlund, Kira Drury and defensive midfielder Amelia Alayon.
The wide defenders showed good ball control in moving forward to Zohra Kapoor, Lyla Chandler and Sofia Rasic in the midfield, and Ada Caccamise kept the team running as striker. For most of the first period, the Phoenix kept the game close, intercepting Legendary runs and moving them out of danger. Two fluky goals put the Legends ahead, and even with the addition of water breaks at the quarter the combined heat and humidity had most of the Philipstown Phoenix looking more like the Philipstown Lobsters by the half.
In the second half, the two stars of the game really came to the fore. Laurel Sassano – in her first soccer season – showed amazing poise on defense, combining a good sense of her position on the field with an ability to run down and disrupt runs by opposing forwards. And Morgan Murphy, nominally playing in central midfield but realistically wherever she was needed, kept after the ball all game, even when teammates around her were beginning to show signs that the heat was getting to them. In the end, it was a tough game, but the Phoenix showed determination in the heat and began to display glimpses of what they will become.
Storm Breaks Through
On a beautiful sunny and hot day the Philipstown Buys U9 Storm team took the field against the Carmel Titans. Once again the tireless defense led by Griffin Lucca, Theo Saks, Gavin Mahoney, Henry Hedlund, Jack Ferreira and Alex Gaugler played with great finesse, agility, and grit. They hustled hard and kept the ball out of the goal more times than not.
Numerous times they were able work the ball up the side of the field and set up plays. On offense, things really starting cooking, with strong dribbling and passing as strikers Oliver Sanders, Marco Dilello, Lenny Wolfe, and Connor Keegan kept the pressure on while serving up some impressive drives and shots, not to mention multiple corner kicks. The day belonged to standout goalkeeper and striker Connor Keegan who not only had countless saves on goal but also bolted with the ball and scored two difficult goals, a first for any Storm player. Sanders assisted on both goals. Team Storm should also be commended for the sportsmanship they showed against the Carmel Titans.
Strikers Battle Carmel Xtreme in First Away Game
Extreme humidity and high summer-like temps, combined with Carmel Xtreme’s precision led to a tough match in the Philipstown Boys U12 Strikers’ first away game of the season. Knowing they were up against a challenging team, the Strikers opted for one-man offense early in the game. The Xtreme scored two goals and hit another beautiful shot before the ref called a water break for all the players.
The Xtreme dominated most of the half with their incredible footwork and consistent passes, but the Strikers held them close as the half neared. In the beginning of the second half, however, the Strikers hit their stride, and played an impressive defensive game for the rest of the game. Luca DiLello and Vlad Saban were aggressive against their opponents, while Max Westphal found every opportunity to break away from a tough defensive line and move the ball swiftly down the field.
Despite a fourth goal from the Xtreme in the second half – which brought the final score to 4-0 — it was an impressive game for the Strikers, who are playing in a brand new, more challenging division this season.
Philipstown Force Come Out Strong
At their first game of the season, the Philipstown Boys U10 Force delighted coaches and parents with an exciting match-up that highlighted their speed, love of the game, and a few new key players. The Force offense hit the field quickly, and Roth Westphal, Force veteran and main utility player, stunned the Warriors with an early goal within the first two minutes of the game.
But East Fishkill came back strong and the Force had little time to celebrate. Despite outstanding aggressive plays by Force Goalie George Stubbs and mighty defense from Owen Sullivan Hoch, the Warriors offense hit balls hard to take a 3-1 lead. Force newcomer Bryce Kenny used his speed and ball control to receive a perfect pass from Magnus DeBois and sunk one in the net to make the score 3-2, and strong offensive runs by Force player Owen Powers lead to some opportunities for the Force to tie up the game, but East Fishkill continued to battle and scored another making the score 4-2.
One last ditch goal from Lincoln McCarthy brought the tie within reach, but time was called before the Force got another opportunity for redemption. This game, however, played out like a win for Coaches Danielle Pack McCarthy and Dirk Westphal who were so proud to see their players coming out strong and ready to play for their first match of the season. Hopes are high for this young team — keep your eyes on this Force!
Philipstown Arsenal in Skirmish
On Sunday, the Philipstown Boys U14 Arsenal soccer team traveled across the Hudson to face the West Point Jr. Black Knights. Philipstown started strong, stringing together numerous passes to maintain possession. Despite the Gunners’ dominant play, West Point capitalized on a defensive breakdown to notch the first goal of the game.
The Jr. Black Knights stayed on top of the scoreboard for most of the first half under constant pressure from Philipstown. Finally, Arsenal middle Evan Maasik intercepted a West Point goal kick and touched the ball to teammate, Ryan Eng-Wong. Eng-Wong returned the ball in a nice give-and-go, and Maasik put the ball into the back of the West Point net to tie the game at the half, 1-1. After halftime Arsenal displayed renewed vigor when Philipstown middle, Danny Urbanak, won the ball and dribbled through several defenders before crossing to teammate Maasik who put a strong finish on the ball for his second goal, bringing the score to Philipstown 2, West Point, 1.
Urbanak’s tenacity gave his team a spark early in the half and Arsenal never looked back. Urbanak won the ball again and passed to teammate Colin August who blasted a shot that the keeper couldn’t handle. August followed up his own shot and knocked it into the back of the net for Philipstown’s third goal. The final goal of the game came when August sent an expert through-ball to Maasik, who dribbled to the left of the net, cut back to the middle and finished the ball to the left of the keeper for his third goal and a hat trick on the day.
Tim Ben Adi and Aidan Sullivan-Hoch read the midfield well, distributing the ball and creating opportunities. Philipstown’s defense was outstanding, shutting down all West Point attempts on goal in the second half. Second half keeper Jake Piotrowski had several amazing saves, and stalwart backs Patrick DiNardo and David Tacuri worked together to keep the ball out of the Philipstown goal.
Ezra Beato and Rowen Kuzminksi used their blistering speed to thwart the Jr. Black Knight attackers. Daniel Carlos, Chase Mayer, Stephen Robinson, and Roy Smith along with Beato, Kuzminkski, Sullivan-Hoch and Urbanak, won 50/50 balls and kept Philipstown on the attack. A great team effort all around gave Arsenal the win at the final whistle with a score of Philipstown 4, West Point 1.
