Game summaries by Philipstown Soccer Club
Hawks Soar Over Wallkill
The Philipstown girls’ U11 Hawks kept their undefeated season intact on Sunday, Oct. 14, besting the Wallkill Ember 6-0. The Hawks put the Ember goalie in the hot seat from the first moment.
Despite many impressive early saves from the Ember keeper, Hawks center-mid Sami Thomas opened up the scoring with a direct dribble into goal, her first goal of three. Olivia Moran followed with an additional two goals in quick succession, demonstrating yet again perfect positioning and finesse.
With a substantial lead established late in the first half, Coaches Moran and Robinson took the opportunity to allow the Hawks to mix positions on field, which showed a very versatile team indeed. Sofia Rasic, who had already executed an impressive defensive challenge early in the game, moved up to right wing and quickly scored off the knee on a high ball to the corner net. The ball unfortunately slipped through a hole and was missed by the official, though not by the coaches of either side who both acknowledged the completion.
Anna-Catherine Nelson moved into the goalkeeper position after notching her own goal, allowing Ava Vasta time on field as striker. Nelson blocked several attempts in the first true offensive action from the Ember in the second half. Thereafter, play moved back to the Hawks offense, now played Jenny Knox, Gillie Soloviev, Kate Parella and Sofia Rasic, who hammered impressively on goal but were thwarted by an indefatigable Ember goalkeeper.
Storm Fights Flames
The Philipstown boys’ U10 Storm squared off against the Poughkeepsie Flames on a chilly Sunday evening on Oct. 14. Despite several relentless defensive blocks by Lincoln Wayland, and a close save by Griffin Lucca who blocked the ball with his chest, the Flames got out to a four-goal lead in the first quarter.
Throughout the game, Gavin Mahoney and Marco DiLello, aided by mid-fielder Jaiden Gunther, drove the ball and kept it in play near the opponent’s goal, but the opposition held strong. During the second half, goalie Jack Ferreira saved five goals with mid-air catches. In the end, the game wrapped 7-0 in favor of the Flames.
Force Can’t Ground Falcons
The Philipstown Boys’ U10 Force faced off against the Falcons of East Fishkill on sunny and cool Sunday afternoon on Oct. 14. The Force started out cold themselves, allowing the Falcons to jump out to a huge 5-0 lead in the first half. An impassioned speech by Coach Danielle inspired the team to come out strong in the second set.
Goalkeeper Justin Russell made a number of great saves and Lucky Bell was a stopper on defense. The offense responded as well with three quick goals in the first few moments. The goals were driven in by Owen Powers, Lincoln McCarthy and Bryce Kenny and the Force were right back in the match. Their run was spoiled however by a strong East Fishkill team who added two more late goals to ice the game. A strong showing none the less for this Force team.
Perseverance for Arrows
The Philipstown boys’ U15 Arrows hosted the Orange County Eagles at Haldane on Oct. 14. Playing with no subs to start off, keeper Joseph Barrera notched eight saves against the fiery Orange County team.
Forwards Ryan Eng-Wong and Danny Urbanak each had two attempts on goal but couldn’t connect with the net. Great pressure all around and excellent defense by Patrick DiNardo, David Tacuri, August Lee and Rowen Kuzminski kept the match scoreless for much of the first half. In the waning minutes of the half, the Eagles were able to score quickly on two breakaways to take a 2-0 lead.
In the second half, Arrows keeper Barrera had a stellar time, in goal racking up five more saves. The Arrows held the Eagles to a scoreless second half, with Arrows midfielder working tirelessly with no rest. Stephen Robinson, Adam Sendelbach, Luca Van Dommele, and Gael Frezza had amazing performances in the 2-0 loss.
Vikings Victorious over Red Wolves
The Philipstown boys’ U10 Vikings hosted the Goshen Red Wolves and wasted little time in setting a brisk pace for the match. Darwin Saquipay was first to score, giving his Vikings an advantage they never relinquished and patiently capitalized upon.
Attacking up the left wing, Jack Fitzgerald scored next for the Vikings and center Elias Moran sent a precise shot – from some distance – into the top right corner of the goal for a 3-0 lead at halftime.
While they did not possess the number of substitutes enjoyed by their opponents – the Red Wolves, at one point, sent six fresh players onto the field – the Vikings were undeterred. Defensively, Joey DeMarco, Ames Jannetta and Oliver Choi frustrated nearly all attacks by the Red Wolves and, goalie Patrick Shields – in an impeccable “clean sheet” performance – denied all shots on goal.
The second half saw defender Ames Jannetta score his first goal for the Vikings and Jack Fitzgerald scored another one, ending the match with a convincing 5-0 win. The Vikings (3-1-0) host Newburgh’s CONA Union 09 on Sunday, Oct. 21, at noon. CONA Union is the only team to defeat the Vikings so far this season.
