Sleepy Hollow Football Club's Fall 2020 Week 2 Round Up

The Sleepy Hollow Football Club wrapped up week two of the Fall season. It was a gorgeous weekend for soccer and the teams worked hard and played well. Here are the SHFC team results for the past week:

The Gators, coached by John Sutherland and Shiloh Mackey, worked hard for a triumphant victory today, Sunday, October 4th. For week two, they traveled to Rye Brook to play the Rye Thunder and prove to everyone that they are a force to reckon with. Evie Mackey and Siena Spataro had two goals apiece to put The Gators ahead 4-0 in the first half. Olivia Montolio and Celia Bell also had a goal each to launch The Gators into a 6-0 lead at halftime. During the second half, the team focused on passing and positioning while working defensively to maintain their lead. Goalie Kaylee Carrigan had many saves and was an integral part in the team’s 6-1 final score.

The Red Devils lost a tough and spirited match on Sunday to the Castleford Suns. The team played well together, with strong passing up the sides from the defenders to the forwards, and tight defense to keep the Suns away from the Red Devils net. Fast speed and fancy footwork were shown from forwards David Alban, Sebastian Espinoza, Marco Robilotto, Rodrigo Figueroa, and Johan Rodriguez, while strong passing and clearing kicks were demonstrated by defenders Dylan Feroe, Declan Kennedy, Asher Gaito, and JP Williamson. Max Muinos and Ryan Mackiewicz stood tall in goal, each blocking several shots on goal.

Girls 2011/2012 Mercury lost 5-1 at home against the Mount Pleasant Lady Wildcats. Amelia Ortiz scored on a swift breakaway, and additional attempts by Kaylee Xu, Gabriella Variano, Zoe Papadopoulos missed their mark. The girls showed a lot of heart and hustle, especially from Brie Wolins, Julia Ritter, and Cameron Zuniga. Once again, Mercury saw solid defense from Ella McCarthy and Ashley Villa, as well as Marylin Suqui on both sides of the field. The team showed improvement, particularly in passing. The Mercury are coached by George Papadopoulos and Dan Wolins. They will practice hard this week and look forward to hosting the Mahopac Firecrackers at WI upper field on Sunday at 1:15pm.

The Junior Legends mounted a furious comeback in the final minutes but finished just short of pulling level as the whistle sounded in their home opener. Goals by Justin Rodriguez, Miguel Sousa Sevilla and Oliver Sillitoe kept the match within striking distance; unfortunately, a strong White Plains squad came away with the victory. The Legends look to continue their upward trajectory as they return to their home field this Sunday to take on the Harrison Union. The Junior Legends are coached by Jeremy Zifchock, Gary Fairley, and Peter Sillitoe.

This week the Boys U10 All Reds played a physical match against Yorktown but came up a little short with a final tally of 4-2. The All Reds had lots of scoring chances but just couldn’t get enough in the net. Goals were scored by Dennis Van Lent and Devin Degen. The All Reds are coached by Nathan Scherich, Ben Neilsen, and Gary Fairley.

Girls Chaos did not play Sunday in Pleasantville as scheduled, out of COVID precautions. Chaos will host the Harrison Royals on Sunday at WI upper field at 2:30pm. The team is coached by Kevin Richardson and John Sutherland.

The Red Fury, coached by Katie McMahon and Jim McGovern, faced off against the North Salem Tigercats this past Sunday and won. The Red Fury dominated the second half of the game as they controlled possession and the Tigercats rarely ventured into the Red Fury’s side of the field. The front line with Rachel on the left wing, Meghan in the center, and Maiyumi Marcus-Kanesaka on the right wing consistently attacked the goal. There were several excellent crosses by Rachel to Meghan and Maiyumi with many big opportunities to score but the Red Fury could not find the back of the net. Swara and Meadow Gurreri provided a tight defensive line that prevented the Wildcats from advancing down the field. The Red Fury came close again to scoring with a strike by Breanne Rodriguez, but ultimately the game came to an end. The final score was 1 – 0.

The Red Comets proudly held their first home game of the season on the revamped high school turf versus the West Side Red Bulls. With a scoreless but first half, the Red Comets came out stronger for the second. There were a couple of opportunities for the Comet strikers, and one was answered when the ball was led to right striker, Antonia Fanelli, who with rapid speed got around two defenders to punch the ball in past the Red Bull goalie for their first goal of the season.

A few minutes later, left midfielder, Giovanna Fanelli, was hustling for another attempt to get a shot on goal when she was tripped up by a Red Bull. This led to a penalty kick which was taken by midfielder Ava Dominguez who blasted the ball again past the Red Bulls goalkeeper. The game ended with a 2-0 shutout with Red Comets on top.

Boys Fusion travelled to the Briarcliff Bulls and ended in a 3-3 tie. In minute 10, Luke Tonaj passed to Kieran Degen for a well-placed goal. A few attempts by Sebastian Londono and Sean Mackiewicz just missed their mark until Tonaj assisted a speedy goal by Eoghan Glynn. After Briarcliff scored on a penalty kick, Fusion had a 2-1 lead going into the half.

Mackiewicz would assist Londono for a sneaky one touch goal. In the game's waning minutes, Briarcliff would score twice through some defensive holes. Second half attempts by Josh Ortiz, Tonaj, Londono, Mackiewicz and Ian Papadopoulos didn't find their mark. Fusion saw notable defense from Luca Dominguez, Aiden Lee, Edwin Dutan, Alessandro Soto and Raul Socualaya, as well as goalie Pierce Davis. Fusion walked away with a hard-fought tie, especially given some very tight officiating, especially late in the game. Fusion will host the Landsdowne Yonkers Meteors on Sunday at 11am at WI school field. Fusion is coached by Ken Mackiewicz, assisted by George Papadopoulos, Michael Glynn, and Michael Degen

The Blaze, the U-14 girls team of the Sleepy Hollow Football Club in the Premier Division of WYSL, had their home opener Sunday at WI against the Rye Brook Wildcats and played to a 0 - 0 tie.

While both teams earned clean sheets on the day, the Blaze had far more pressure on the Wildcat goalie than the opponents could muster against Blaze goalie Emily Aridas, who had only 4 saves on the day. On their best scoring opportunity in the first half, Blaze midfielder Daisy Star, off an intercepted pass, dribbled down the middle of the field and passed to midfielder Lily Wurster. Lily had a quick dribble and passed to teammate Gemma Fante. Gemma's shot on goal was on target, but deflected by the Wildcat goalie.

In the first minute of the second half, a corner kick by the Wildcats was on goal and Blaze goalie Emily Aridas caught the kick cleanly, her first touch of the day. Initiating a break down the field with a punt out to the 40, Blaze midfielder Julianna Marvin received and controlled the punt, spun away from a defender and quickly dribbled to mid field before making a nifty pass off the outside of her foot to sister Sammi Marvin. Sammi raced around her defender and when the Wildcat goalie came out to challenge, Sammi launched a kick past her. Unfortunately for the Blaze, the kick was just a hair to the far side of the right post. The Blaze, urged on by Kayla McGuigan, who came to cheer her friends and teammates on from the sideline, as well as Varsity Coach Paterno, controlled the tempo in the second half. Jhoselyn Pugo, Meghan O'Hanlon, and Kimmy Molina routinely executed short passes between them as they moved the ball forward, and their play created several scoring opportunities for teammates Cassie Junge, Lilly Wurster, Ellie Fox, and Lizzie Molina, but every shot on goal was successfully challenged by the Wildcats.

Throughout the day, especially in the second half, the Blaze defense was outstanding as defenders Gabby Disney, Zoey Murphy, and Lizzie Molina played cohesively as a group, kept their attacking opponents in front of them, and contested every shot.

Next week's challenge for Coach John Sutherland's Blaze team will be defeating the Castleford Ravens in a match scheduled to start on the pitch at 11 AM in Armonk. The Blaze girls hope their friends and teammates who were unable to make the game on the 4th will be able to join them on the 11th.

The JV Boys Red Legends, coached by Francisco Mendieta, Cedric Smith, and Michael Weitzen, remain in first place in the premier division after defeating the John Jay Purple on the road 1-0. Frank Mendieta Jr. hit the game winner with a 20 yard shot from the end line that curved under the crossbar with five minutes to go. The physical match was contested heavily and emotions ran high but the Red Legends maintained enough composure to get the win. Talented keeper David Urgiles earned the shutout. The Red Legends continue defense of their premier championship next week against Don Bosco.

The Girls Varsity Red Angels held their first game as a team. Coaches are pleased with the team’s coming together and progress. They look forward to working together to improve and have fun. Next game is October 11th at 2:45, at Washington Irving lower field against Yonkers Orioles. The Red Angels are coached by Matt Evans, Tracey Koch, and Nick Tsilibes.

The Varsity Mustangs had a strong opening weekend going 2-0 against their intra-club varsity Red Angels on Saturday and against the Manhattan Gotham Girls Arsenal on Sunday. The Saturday match was a high scoring affair with 3 goals by Juliana Largess, 2 goals by Isabella Chambers, 2 goals by Melanie Urgiles, and 1 goal by Maya Weitzen, Britany Alban, and Kathleen Sicha. Britany led all assists with an impressive 4 assist performance. Juliana matched her three goals with three assists. Talia Fante, Lily Ridriguez, and Julia Costa each contributed an assist.

On Sunday the girls defeated a talented Gotham Girls Arsenal 3-0. The match was physical and scoreless at the half. Arianna Vizcaino converted a direct kick from 20 yards early in the second half to break open the game. Britany then repeated the same feat on the next foul. Arianna finished the scoring off a long shot from a Melanie assist. The Mustangs just missed on many other scoring chances near the end of the game. Keeper Julia and defenders Annie Dineen, Lily, Maya, and Vanessa Silva earned the shutout. Coach John Sutherland’s Mustangs are now in first place of the highest varsity division (premier). They next play a different Manhattan team on Sunday.

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