SHFC Closes Out 2018 Fall Season

The fall 2018 SHFC season ended with a whimper, as the final week in the Westchester Youth Soccer League got cancelled due to snowy field conditions across the region. The Red Fury were able to play a make up game on Saturday and the Mustangs girls varsity team did hold their division championship game on Sunday as well.

Of SHFC’s 21 teams, seven teams claimed first place in their respective divisions. This is an outstanding accomplishment for the SHFC program and speaks volumes about the talent of our local youth, the loved ones that support them, and the volunteers who coach them.

The teams who won their divisions are: Boys 2010 All Reds, (Division 6); Boys 2009 Red Lions (Division 4); Boys 2008 Fusion (Division 5); Girls 2007 Blaze (Division 1); Boys 2005 Red Devils (Division 4); Boys 2005 Legends (Division 1); and Girls 2002 Varsity Mustangs (Division 1). Congratulations!

Players will see a break from outdoor WYSL play until the league formally resumes in April 2019. In the meantime, many of our players will relax, play other sports, or take part in indoor play either as part of regular team practices or in a competitive league.

Thanks to all players for their hard work, families for their unwavering support, and the volunteer coaches for their commitment to ensuring an enjoyable and successful fall season. SHFC has more than 275 players and 40 adult volunteers who appreciate the support of their extended community in their pursuit of their athletic endeavors.

Here are each SHFC team’s results for the fall 2018 season:

2010 Boys All Reds took their division by storm, winning all but one game and ending the season with an undefeated 7-0-1 record. The boys improved dramatically as the season played out, both with their passing, ball skills and overall field awareness. Gary Fairley took on the new challenge of training our youngest SHFC players with the help of assistant coaches Oladipo Ashiru and Aaron Lucchetti. Team managers Becca Zohar and Niki Ashiru, and our great team parents, helped keep the kids focused and ready to play. Of course, the ones who made it happen with teamwork, hustle and dedication were our players: Joaquin Rodriguez, Matthew Bartolacci, Kellen McGuire, Nico Barbosa, Leo Zohar, Luca Bruno, Andrew Lucchetti, Bobby Gonzalez, Leandro Santorum, Dennis Suqui, Jackson Pena and Elion Ashiru. This winter, the boys plan on honing their skills and having some fun at the Chelsea Piers indoor league in Stamford, Conn. Congrats, All Reds! Shown in the photo: The All Reds celebrate with a pizza party!

2010 Girls Bandits, playing together for their first season, is coached by Mike Levine and Michelle DeFillipis. The girls under the age of 9 played nine hard-fought games this fall. The players rotated between offensive and defensive positions with success, showing how well-rounded and versatile the team is. The Bandits showed great improvement and resolve with each game, much to the delight of their coaches and spectators. They are looking forward to a fun and successful spring season! Go Bandits!

2009 Boys United are another new SHFC team this year, comprised of boys under the age of 10. They played this fall with great heart and won 3 of their last 4 games. Coaches Gary Fairley, Kurt Pisani and Eric Valenti are looking forward to seeing their team build upon their momentum and make improvements into the spring season.

2009 Boys Red Lions are back-to-back division champions, winning division 5 in this past spring and now division 4 this fall with only one loss. Teams who win their division move up and often face difficulties playing teams with a higher ranking; not so with the Red Lions, who have proven themselves up to the challenge.

Coached by Brad Scheller, this U10 team will participate in the winter indoor season at Chelsea Piers to get ready for the tough division 3 in the spring.

2009 Girls Red Fury coached by Katie McMahon, Jim McGovern and John Sutherland ended their fall season with a 5-2 win over the Wolfgang Lady Wolves. The Fury started off the first half strong with Meghan McMahon quickly scoring a goal from an assist by Rachel Richardson. Grace McGovern played goalie during the first half and made save after save - her infectious smile kept the Fury going strong. Defensive back Breanne Rodriguez was untiring and unstoppable on defense. Strong efforts by Erin Arnegger, Charlotte Spiridakis, Dianelly Tovar and Kate Masters kept the Fury on top to end the first half.

At the start of the 2nd half, the Lady Wolves were able to get a goal by the Fury's goalie Erin Arnegger. However, the Fury quickly regained the lead with back to back goals by Rachel Richardson with assists from Sofia Cruz and Megan McMahon. Although the Lady Wolves were able to score from a direct kick to the goal, the Fury scored again by Rose Ritz, converting on great passes from Breanne Rodriguez and Maeve Yox. Maeve Yox then successfully landed a goal completely unassisted. Shown in the photo: The Red Fury after their 5-2 win.

The Red Fury's ball control and team effort truly grew and changed this season. Their ability to switch the field, pass into open space and take strong shots on goal made this the best season yet for the Fury.

2008 Girls Red Comets, coached by Joe Block and Sven Armster, finished their season with a 1-8 record in their Division 3. They will focus on indoor team practice this winter and look forward to getting back outside in the spring!

2008 Boys Fusion had a perfect 9-0-0 season and led the division in defense with a 28 goal differential. Fusion are Jaiden Brito, Pierce Davis, Kieran Degen, Edwin Dutan, Bruno Flores, Dylan Largo, Aiden Lee, Sean Mackiewicz, Jezrael Panama, Ian Papadopoulos, Dylan Pasato, Justin Paute, Raul Socualaya and Jack Zhunio.

Coached by George Papadopoulos, Ken Mackiewicz, and Michael Degen, Fusion have won two championships in the last three seasons while moving up 5 divisions.

2008 Boys River Sharks, coached by Ed Greenberg, Gerardo Soto and Michael Glynn, finished their fall season with a record of 5-3-1 in their Division 4. They only allowed 13 goals total in the 9 games they played, which highlights their defensive strength.

2007 Girls Blaze – With their game snowed out this week, the sports reporter had very little game action to describe. To help keep the soccer sporting public informed, we decided to have a little Blaze Sports trivia Q&A.

Q1) Who plays for the Blaze?

A1) Emily Aridas, Julissa Casiano, Gemma Fante, Gabby Disney, Ellie Fox, Juliana Marvin, Sami Marvin, Kayla McGuigan, Penny McVey, Lizzie Molina, Zoey Murphy, Meghan O'Hanlon, Maggie Yalmokis.

Q2) Who are the coaches of the Blaze?

A2) John Sutherland is the Coach and Annette O'Hanlon is formally Assistant Coach, Team Manager and informally, Team Mom.

Q3) What division and age category do the Blaze play in?

A3) The Blaze play in the Westchester Youth Soccer League (WYSL) Girls U-12 category in Division 1.

Q4) Who became the first Sleepy Hollow Football Club (SHFC) girls team to win WYSL division 1?

A4) The Sleepy Hollow Blaze, who finished the season with a record of 7 - 2. (The SHFC Mustangs also earned a Division 1 win 24 hours later!)

Q5) Are the Blaze the youngest SHFC team to win Division 1?

A5) Yes, the U-12 team is younger than the U-13 Sleepy Hollow Legends who were Division 1 Champions in the Spring of 2018 and the U-14 Legends who won Division 1 in the Fall of 2018.

Q6) Since they play in the U-12 division are all the girls 11 years old?

A6) No, both Gemma Fante who is 10 and Sami Marvin who is 9 are both playing up.

Q7) Has the Blaze team won other tournaments or divisions?

A7) Yes, the Blaze were the 2017/2018 Chelsea Piers Winter League Champions, and also won the Somers Invitational Tournament in 2016. The Blaze also won the WYSL Westchester Cup for their age bracket in 2017/2018. The Blaze has come in first in Divisions 2, 3 and 4 in WYSL in previous years.

Q8) Is it true that once a member of the Blaze family, always a member of the Blaze family?

A8) Yes.

Q9) Who scored the most goals for the Blaze this season?

A9) Who cares? It's a team game.

Q10) Which Blaze goalie had the most saves for the team this season?

A10) See Answer #9.

2007 Boys Dynamo won their division in Spring 2018, moving up to division 7 this fall, where they struggled and ended up with a 0-7-2 record. Dynamo, coached by Alberto Blanco, will regroup over the winter and will look forward to competitive play in the spring.

2007 Boys Dutchmen, playing in Division 5, finished their season with a 3-4-2 record. During their 9 games this fall, the Dutchmen scored 23 and allowed 21 goals. Coached by Howard Allen and Pat Grimes, they will work out at Chelsea Piers during the winter.

2006 Girls Storm coached by Kevin Richardson and Tom Andruss ended their season with a 3-4-2 record in their Division 3. The Storm scored 15 goals total over the course of their 9-game season, and allowed 19 goals. The Storm will see indoor practices this winter and look forward to getting outdoors together next spring.

2006 Boys Firebolts, coached by Ricardo Gonzalez, have finished their season with a 4-2-4 record, finishing fourth in a 9-team division 4. They scored 21 goals over their 10 games and only allowed 14 goals to be scored.

2006 Boys Warriors finished their fall season with a 4-4-1 record, having allowed only 13 goals total in their 9 games. Currently in Division 4 of their under 13 age group, the Warriors look forward to playing together again in the spring.

2005 Girls Cyclones finished their fall season with a 4-5 record in their Division 2 play. They are coached by Nick Tsilibes, Tracey Koch and Michael Levine.

2005 Boys Legends -- In the spring, the Legends brought home the first Division 1 championship in SHFC history and they just pulled off the repeat. They are the top team out of 38 U14 boys teams and led Division 1 in offense and defense, clinching one week early with a 4 point lead. Coached by Fergus O'Sullivan and Herbert Weltig, the Legends will work hard over the winter in hopes of continuing to excel in the under-14 age group. Shown in the photo: Division 1 winning Legends with a trophy after practice.

2005 Boys Red Devils – This young team coached by Francisco Mendieta, Mark Taylor, and Cedric Smith won the U14 boys Division 4 championship. This is the second time they have won the division in the past three seasons. Shown in the photos are the Red Devils as a team and top scorers Dylan and Frank.

2004 Boys Argentina finished their fall season with a record of 6-3 in fourth place of a competitive 10-team Division 2. Coached by Luis Lewis, they will work through the winter to be ready for competitive play in the spring.

JV Girls Aguias finished their season with a record of 2-6-1 in Division 1 JV play. They will take part in a Westchester indoor soccer league this winter and tackle the competition anew when play returns outdoors in the spring.

JV Boys Los Gauchos saw a final record of 2-4-1 in Division 1 JV play this fall. Coached by Luis Lewis, Bill Julian and Pepe Monteforte, the team will head indoors for team practices over the winter.

2002 Varsity Girls Mustangs were the only SHFC team to see action Sunday with a 1-0 win over Landsdowne Yonkers. The win clinched their third division championship and first division 1 championship. Britany Alban scored off a forced own-goal from a well placed corner kick. The Mustangs had many other chances to score but the division leading offense was stymied by a small field and a strong Landsdowne keeper. Sleepy Hollow keeper Julia Costa and defenders Sophie Sylves-Berry, Emma Clarke, Lily Rodriguez, and Grace Ryan earned the shut out and only allowed 2 goals during the mini-season. Coach John Sutherland’s Mustangs are the first SHFC team to compete at the varsity level and their first campaign was a success. They now prepare to start their indoor season at Chelsea Piers Connecticut against local varsity squads from CT and all-star premier teams. This is the eighth year these girls have played together.

Pictured are the Mustangs after winning division 1 varsity championship.

For more information about SHFC, please visit http://www.sleepyhollowfc.com.