The Sleepy Hollow Football Club teams continue to advance this season, playing with determination. Across the club, coaches tested new formations and worked to counter short rosters and tough opponents. The players demonstrated flexibility and focus to test out the new plays and welcome new faces and borrowed players. The play on this hot and humid weekend, was an in impressive show of resilience and heart. Read on for the highlights of the spring season Week 7.
Many of the SHFC teams will take the Memorial Day weekend to refuel and recharge and teams will return to the field next weekend on June 6&7.
For more information about SHFC, please visit http://www.sleepyhollowfc.com
Find out what's happening in Tarrytown-Sleepy Hollowfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The Girls Varsity Mustangs struggled to field a team against Manhattan Portero all the way down at Pier #40 downtown. Only 9 of 19 Mustangs were available to compete in this premier match due to prom, lacrosse, jobs, and family events. The team of mostly seniors and juniors were unable to borrow from the junior/sophomore Red Angels or the freshman Storm as both teams had games at the same time. Luckily four brave 8th grade Blaze stepped up to help out their much older Mustang seniors. The girls played great together in the heat and managed to score first as Blaze player Juliana Marvin punched in a goal off a Talia Fante assist. In the second half Talia again hooked up Anna Marissa Lara with a near post pass in after completing a similar play on a corner kick last week. Late in the game Manhattan forced an own goal to make the final score 2-1. It’s a testament to this team in their tenth year and SHFC that they can pull out a win in the mightiest girls division in all Westchester Youth Soccer League missing their starting midfielders and playing four 8th graders. It was a sight to see the talented 8th graders making their mark with their older Mustang “sisters” in this varsity division. The second place Mustangs next face third place Bronx after the holiday weekend.
The JV Boys Red Legends kept their championship hopes alive defeating the Harrison Revolution 4-3 and maintaining a 3-way tie for first. The Red Legends were missing many players in the road and yet managed to score first off an Aiden Smith break-away. Harrison answered with a score from outside. Dylan Orellana answered to retake the lead but Harrison again scored from outside. Aiden scored a third after beating two players but Harrison again answered with a direct kick from a handball that snuck under the Red Legend Wall. The good guys finally took the lead for good with Aiden scoring his third goal as the game was winding down. The boys next face a tough Manhattan Mustang team at Sleepy Hollow High School.
Find out what's happening in Tarrytown-Sleepy Hollowfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The Sleepy Hollow Blaze, the U-14 Premier girls team of the Sleepy Hollow Football Club had two games last weekend.
Learning and implementing a new system to match the system used by the varsity coaches of Sleepy Hollow High School, the team played a home match Saturday against the Rye Running Rock Stars. The teams played to a 0 - 0 tie. The Blaze did come close to goals several different times. In the first half, newcomer Bianca Lopez Parnetti, showing off her powerful kicking leg, launched a high arching kick from the 30 yard line toward Rye's goal. The ball sailed just a bit high, hitting the goal post just above the crossbar of the net. In the second half, Ellie Fox, who is usually amongst the team leaders in goals, took a free kick from the 20 yard line, but her shot on goal was stopped by the Rye goalie. In the closing seconds, the Blaze had their only corner kick of the day, but a shot on goal sailed above the crossbar, leaving the teams in a 0 - 0 tie. Goalie Emily Aridas had 13 saves on the day, including 9 in the first half.
On Sunday the Blaze traveled to Fox Valley to take on the John Jay Purple team. In the 8th minute of the match the Blaze, coached by John Sutherland, jumped on top when a throw-in by Lizzy Molina to Sami "Beast Mode" Marvin allowed Sami to beat her defender down the far sideline. Sammi made a perfect crossing pass to Cassie "Instant Offense" Jung who was in exactly the right position where she should be. Cassie's quick short kick from just in front of the Purple goalie found the back of the net, putting the Blaze on top 1 - 0. Despite significant pressure throughout the first half, particularly by forwards Jhoselyn Pugo and Zoey Murphy, the game remained 1 - 0 until the half.
The Blaze controlled the ball for most of the second half as well, thanks to the strong midfield play of Zoey Murphy, Lily Wuster, and Meghan O'Hanlon. Lily and Megan seemed to reach every loose ball and made quick passes to teammates keeping the ball and the pressure on the John Jay side of the field. The pressure paid off in the 63rd minute of the match as the Blaze broke through for another score. Blaze striker Gemma Fante made a left-footed crossing pass to Sami Marvin. Sami's initial shot was blocked by the goalie, but Sammi, in full beast mode, won the ball back from the Purple defender and made a quick pass to Blaze midfielder Daisy "Hustle" Star. Daisy's strong-low kick went past the leaping Purple goalie and doubled the Blaze lead to 2 - 0.
Blaze goalie Emily Aridas had her second clean sheet of the weekend Sunday morning. Aiding their goalie was the Blaze's swarming defense headed by Gabby "the Minister of Defense" Disney and Juliana "V-8 Engine" Marvin, Emily's third clean sheet of the weekend was accomplished Sunday afternoon when she was on loan to the Sleepy Hollow Storm who played the Manhattan SC Rockets to a 0 - 0 tie in the U-15 division of WYSL.
The Blaze came close to a third goal when a handball in the box allowed the Blaze a penalty kick in the closing minute of the game. Coach Sutherland, selected Zoey Murphy to take the kick, showing her increasing role and importance on the team. The Purple goalie was able to make a diving save however, and the game ended seconds later.
With 4 points earned on the weekend, the Blaze will look to continue their season in two weeks on June 6th with a game against the Rye Running Rock Stars, with a game scheduled for 2:15 at Sleepy Hollow High School.
Fusion, SHFC's 2008 boys team, travelled to the Doxa Wolfgang in Pelham. Despite having a smaller squad than usual, less-than-ideal field conditions in a nonstop squall of pollen, as well as no league referee, Fusion persisted in difficult circumstances to prevail 4-2 against the team who had handed them a loss earlier this spring.
In minute 12, Sebastian Londono scored, off a pass from Josh Ortiz, when Doxa's goalie had been drawn away. Minutes later, Ortiz would score on a breakaway. Despite additional attempts from Kieran Degen, Edwin Dutan, Eoghan Glynn, Ian Papadopoulos, and Jayden Perez, Fusion would go into halftime up 2-1. In the second half, Luke Tonaj scored on a free kick and Ortiz scored again after a great series of passes between Papadopoulos, Perez and Londono.
Defensive play from Aiden Lee, Luca Simbana and Luca Dominguez was key to minimizing Doxa's momentum. Dylan Largo, Raul Socualaya and Bruno Flores provided much needed relief in a game where breaks from field and game conditions were essential. Special kudos to Alessandro Soto, who volunteered to play in goal after some team absences. Soto blocked several key shots and his positive spirit truly set the tone for the day.
Coaches Mackiewicz, Glynn, and Degen were proud of Fusion's composure in a very physical, contentious game. Sitting atop their division with a 6-1 record, Fusion hopes to tackle the remaining 3 games of this spring season with the same determination as shown all season long and in particular against this week's opponent.
The Red Fury had two games this weekend. First, on Saturday, the Red Fury played against the Rye Panthers in an exciting home game. This was a makeup game that had originally been scheduled for April 25 but had been canceled due to rain.
During the first half, the Red Fury controlled possession and displayed excellent passing. Meghan McMahon early on caused the Panthers trouble as she had several excellent attacks on their goal. Mia Gurreri had several excellent passes to Meghan and Sofia Cruz both of whom continued to apply pressure on the Panthers. Sofia had the first goal of the game after a sublime pass by Mia. Meadow Gurreri and Breanne Rodriguez, playing midfield, did a great job intercepting passes and feeding the ball to the front line. Defenders Maiyumi Marcus-Kanesaka, Kate Masters, and Natalie Coffman stymied the Panthers' attacks and were never a threat to the Red Fury during this half. Maiyumi broke up several big advances and goalie Rose Ritz prevented any balls from going in. At some point, the Red Fury turned up the heat. A pass by Meghan to Sofia brought goal number 2 in, securing a brace for Sofia. Meghan then assisted in another play by crossing the ball from the left into the center of the box. Lauren Monachelli was there but was knocked over by the goalie. Despite this, Lauren managed to kick the ball into the goal for goal number 3. Meghan again crossed another ball which Lauren struck in for goal number 4 and who also secured a brace in this game. In the second half, the Red Fury conceded a goal but had numerous attacks on goal by Breanne and Kate. There was also a beautiful save by Maiyumi, now playing goalie. The game ended with Red Fury winning 4 to 1.
On Sunday, the Red Fury faced off against the Castleford Stingrays. This was a hard-fought game that showed two equally talented teams fighting for the win to the very end. Early in the first half, the Red Fury took the lead by an excellent pass from Breanne Rodriguez to Sofia Cruz who hurled her shot towards goal. The ball bounced off the post but Rachel Richardson was there and slammed it in. Shortly after, the Stingrays rallied and managed to penetrate the Red Fury defense to even up the score. There was a lot of back and forth at this point. Mia and Meadow Gurreri had several big plays in midfield. Julia Maad had some excellent runs down the left side of the pitch and crosses to the center which gave Rose Ritz a very close opportunity to score. Towards the end of the first half, the Red Fury dominated possession and there were several great shots by Sofia, Kate Masters, Rose, and Rachel on goal but the Red Fury could not find the back of the net. Meghan McMahon, playing goalie, was quite active in the first half and saved many balls.
During the second half, the Stingrays managed to score early on. The Red Fury then began attacking their goal. Meghan had an excellent run down the left and crossed to Lauen Monachelli who scored. The Red Fury defenders, Maiyumi Marcus-Kanesaka, Kate Masters, and Sawara Ketkar, repelled numerous Stingrays attacks. The Stingrays, however, managed to score another goal towards the end of the game. The game ended 2-3.
The 2010 Girls Bandits overcame the heat, a short roster, and a tough opponent to triumph 3-1 over the Greenburgh United Chill. Once again, the Bandits were short-staffed on the field, and grateful for Arlee and Ella Judkins, who subbed in on defense from the Red Fury.
Both teams got off to a tentative start in a tense, evenly-matched first half. Mackenzie Linhart shone as the sweeper, and Elizabeth Impastato had over 6 excellent saves as goalie. Sabrina Graham opened up the offense by scoring goal #1 off a pass by Ada Chalfy.
The game heated up in the second half, as Graham took over the goal, showing tenacity with countless saves and a fearless command of the box. Impastato stepped up on offense, with a great pass to Ada Chalfy, who scored goal #2. Greenburgh's offense kept the pressure on, and Ella Judkins and Mackenzie Linhart continued to frustrate their attempts to tie things up. In the final minutes of the game, Chalfy drove the ball down the right line to angle a high goal in over the keeper's head, capping a hard-earned victory to continue the Bandits' undefeated spring season.
Girls 2011 Chaos won 2-1 against Rivertowns United at home. The team has shown a lot of growth this spring in terms of hustle, field awareness and ball control. Goals were scored by Ella and Claire. Goalie Arlee made a huge save in the game's final minutes to keep Chaos ahead. This was an enjoyable game to watch and Coach Judkins was proud of a true team effort.
The Boys U10 All Reds lost a hard-fought battle to neighboring Briarcliff 1-3 on Sunday in 90 degree heat. Hampered by sicknesses and injuries in the ranks, the boys in Red put on a spirited display of grit and played some of their finest soccer to date. As we all know, close games are decided by a lucky (or unlucky) bounce of the ball and on Sunday the bounces went Briarcliff’s way. Maybe it was because their coaches were shouting so loud the whole time, the soccer gods took pity on their children and gave them the win.... With cancellation of the Scarsdale tourney, the All Reds can benefit from off time on Memorial Day weekend and get healthy again for the final 3 week sprint of the season.
On a hot and humid weekend in the Rivertowns, the SHFC Gators took to their home field on Sunday 5/23 to take on Asphalt Green, a team from NYC that they tied 1-1 to kick off the spring season. As the previous score suggested, these two sides are very evenly matched, and played another seesaw match this Sunday.
The Gators were able to get on the board first on a beautiful run by Siena, initiated by some crisp passing on the back end by the Gators defense. Not long after the Gators took the 1-0 lead, Asphalt Green struck back with a goal of their own to knot the score at 1-1. With time winding down in the first half, an opportunistic Ella P intercepted a goal kick from Asphalt Green's keeper and deposited it into the back of the net to give the Gators a 2-1 advantage at the half.
The second half was a back-and-forth affair, with each side making runs on goal. Both defenses and keepers did a great job of keeping the ball out of their respective nets. Coach Shiloh and Coach John used their substitutions wisely in the second half to keep Gators fresh on this hot day, eventually allowing the girls to tilt the field in the Gators favor the last 10 minutes of the contest. Although they didn't cash in on the scoreboard, the Gators kept the action mostly on the Asphalt Green end of the pitch until time expired, and secured the 2-1 win.
The Gators will test themselves this weekend at the 41st Annual Memorial Day Tournament, hosted by the East Fishkill Soccer Club, where they will be playing against some of the best U9 teams in the tri-state.
This weekend the Red Devils played the Rye Earthquakes on the road, their first road trip of the Spring season. Since playing the Earthquakes in the first game of the season, the Red Devils have improved tremendously, looking like a different team! The coaches implemented a new lineup, which seemed to drive greater discipline in players keeping to position. This enabled the Red Devils to play quick, tight, end-to-end soccer. Particular mention in the first half goes to Asher Gaito, David Alban, and Dylan Feroe, whose teamwork, quick footwork, and tight passing largely kept the Earthquakes away from scoring chances. The game was tied 0-0 up until the last minute of the first half, when the Earthquakes were finally able to get a goal through. In the second half, the tight disciplined soccer continued, despite the hot sun that threatened to tire the team. Deep into the second half, the Red Devils scored an incredible team-effort goal, with an assist going to just about every player on the field, with Max Muinos finally scoring for the Devils. The final was a loss of 1 to 3 for the Red Devils, but the team showed incredible progress and talent and Coach Muinos was extremely proud of the team, saying after the game, “I am so proud of how the boys performed today, it was a fantastic team effort, with great focus, determination and application by every player. We played with a new formation for the first time, but the boys adapted fantastically. I am looking forward to further progress and development for the team and each player through the end of the season.” The boys look forward to a double-header this coming weekend.