FALCON FLYER

Spring 2014, Last weekend of April edition

Tim Driscoll, Editor-in-Chief

Sponsored by: La Cocina de Cindy ([email protected]), and The Brothers’ Gym (14 Bayville Ave., Bayville, NY) How about that Bu9 White team!!!!! AMAZING! Our boys, pictured below, put on a clinic for their first shutout! A special shoutout to parent coordinators Mike Brielmann and Wendy Fentress who have recruited several new players to join our “veterans” from past seasons.

Gu 7 Falcon Fire

0-3 Loss

The Falcon Fire faced the Bellmore Bluehearts this weekend. Although the Fire played more aggressively than in the past, the Bluehearts solid positioning and passing skills overpowered us us. Goalkeepers Lianna Morra and Brayden Haas both made some great saves, but the Fire defense was unable to keep Bellmore out of our zone. Cristiana May and Katie Nabet both had several shots on goal, but they were shut down by the Bellmore goalie each time. Even with the tenacious Ryann Croke, speedy Alix Smith and fierce defender Katie Kuebler, the game ended in a muddy 0-3 loss.

Gu9

Friday Game (Makeup Game)

Lost 0-1

The Little Lady Falcons lost a heartbreaker to the Village of the Branch/Smithtown in their first game back in action following spring break. The girls spent much of the first half getting the rust out and shutting an aggressive offense down with strong defense. Going into the second half, score tied 0-0, we were back in form and put together repeated drives to goal. Just when it looked like the game would end with a 0-0 tie, Smithtown got one in with about 40 seconds left in the game. The girls valiantly made one final drive up the field to tie it up but just ran out of time. Special recognition to Lauren Babich and Meg Kuebler, who both made contributions on the field and did great work tending the goal.

Saturday Game

Won 4-0

After the tough loss the evening before, the little lady falcons were hungry. Unfortunately for Merrick, the girls came out with a great team effort with the defense shutting things down and the offense pressuring with quick passes and hard shots. Riley O'Brien and Makena McManus worked hard together on offense each scoring a goal and assisting on others. Olivia Leone dominated the center of the field, winning loose balls and intimidating Merrick. Cate Barry and Caitlin Barnaby worked the wings and kept the pressure on Merrick's defense. Lauren Babich tended goal the first half and got herself a goal in the second half. Ava Leone and Grace Scheffel held down the defense, communicating and playing smart throughout the game. Payton Tini was a force with a number of beautiful runs up the field, the last of which ended in a hard shot and goal. Gianna Agostino helped lock down the defense in the first half and then took over in goal, preserving the shutout. A great win for the girls!

Sunday

W 3-0

The girls came out of the gate quickly and jumped to an early 3-0 lead against Mt Sinai Express. Olivia Leone landed two great shots and Payton Tini had the third. When it became obvious that Mt Sinai would not be able to contain our offense, or penetrate our defense, Coach Nicole implemented a 3-pass rule before shooting. The girls took advantage of this great opportunity to work on passing in a game situation. Lauren Babich and Gianna Agostino teamed up for the shutout in goal. We welcomed Alexa Moschetto, who in her first game with the team had a great effort and looks to be a solid contributor on the field. Mikaela Leandrou in her second game with the team, played hard on defense and spent some time on the offensive line. Special thanks to U-8 players Kaila Van Cott and Lauren Klein who gave us a little relief in our third game of the weekend. Kaila and Lauren both had some great drives to goal and made the Mt. Sinai defense scramble.

Coach Nicole was pleased with the game and awarded a “TMVP”- a team MVP to all the girls for working together. She also noted Cate Barry for her hard play all weekend and for her positive attitude and willingness to play wherever she was needed.

A good weekend for a great group of U9 girls. We are looking forward to some hard work at practice and another busy weekend of soccer!

Gu10 Cup Game

L 1-2

This one was a heartbreaker! With a start time of 6:00pm, the rain started to fall. Our girls played a physical team where they were falling all over the field (some bad slips and some tough shoves). We gave up a goal but then Morgan Griffin got a penalty kick and as usual, sailed the ball right into the net. Chloe Angelone was absolutely amazing for the rest of the game in goal blocking shot after shot. With her socks and shin guards covered in mud, she fearlessly charged the other players and threw herself in front of the ball. With the rain pouring down on them, we went into a double overtime and then a shoot out. Morgan Griffin was the first to shoot and planted the ball in the net. Up next was Evie McCreery. She kicked it so hard and had a great angle but unfortunately the ball slammed off the post. Ashton Guss had a great kick but their goalie was able to bat in out of the way. The other team made their next two shots and we lost the game 2-1. The girls were so fired up and emotional that when they walked off the field, practically in the dark, their little faces were red and wet with rain and tears!

GU10 Fighting Falcons

T 1-1

We were up against a solid academy team from East Meadow (your editor proudly notes that HE was the head soccer trainer at East Meadow back in the late 80s . . . ) and came out a little flat. We gave up a goal but then came right back out and immediately scored. Celia Labbate made a beautiful cross to Laine DeNatale who had to stretch out and twist her body to kick the ball into the right side of the net. We played a good game but couldn’t get the ball in the net again even thought we took many shots. Toddy called out Tammie Perez and Rebekah Lando for their outstanding effort. Tie game 1-1.

Gu10 NYCSL D-4 Diamonds

W 6-2

The girls played a FANTASTIC game this weekend with a big 6-2 win! A few parents from HBC were complimenting their level of play after the game. Noelle Valdinoto played a great game as did Chloe Angelone at midfield. Coach Paul moved the girls around a bit to give them the chance to try new positions as well. Star of the game was Rebekah Lando with an unbelievable hat trick! Three great goals!!

Gu11 LIJ

L 2-3

It was a hard fought battle with our North Shore neighbors (and some fellow teammates) on a muddy field that was far from desirable! Regardless, the girls opened up strong with great passing up and down the sidelines from Lindsey Campbell, Gretchen Waechter, Gabby Treble, Kyra McCreery and Michaela Morra. The girls took an early 2-0 lead with goals by Gabby Treble and a left foot slam by Michaela Morra. Georgina Hutzel, staying true to her position proved fearless while Karina Fox showed excellent footwork and aggressive attacking of the ball. Ryleigh Gilligan, Emma Knopf and Jenna Stanco had some gorgeous moves coupled with great shots on goal which unfortunately never made it past the goalie. We let our guard down a little early in the second half and North Shore came back fighting their way to tie it up 2-2. Maria Ciprino, Jane Maleady, Cami Kleinwaks and Bella McGlone remained steady throughout. Thank you Graziella Didio for a stellar performance in goal, an unfortunate call led to a penalty kick which ended the game 2-3. Overall, nice performance girls!

Gu11 NYPL D-1 L 1-3

First off, is this spring soccer or still winter? When are the temperatures going to warm up for the parents sitting on the sidelines? Our team traveled to Dix Hills and we knew we were going to have our work cut out for us. Again, we saw great passing up and down the sidelines from Emma Knopf, Lindsey Campbell, Maddy Berry and Michaela Morra. Gretchen Waechter had some gorgeous corner kicks which unfortunately we just couldn't put in the net, not to mention her poor head, which may be black & blue due to amount of beautiful headers she took! We all love watching the ever aggressive and speedy Sophie Rosenkranz hustle her way up and down the field. Unfortunately, the Destroyers took a 2- 0 lead but it didn't take all the wind out of our sails...We thankfully watched Ryleigh Gilligan "soar" like a falcon as she had an excellent follow up shot to make it 1-2. Georgina Hutzel & Karina Fox played their positions well doing what they could to hunt down the ball and keep it away from the Destroyers. Daniella Cavellone, Ellie Haff and Madison Berry moved the ball along the sidelines very nicely and had many strong attempts in the box. We saw some excellent goaltending and booming kicks from Julianna Graziosi. Thank you Evie McCreery who stepped up to help us out after her sister, Kyra, had to sit the game out due to injuries from the previous days NS game! Feel better Kyra, we need you back!

Gu13 PL-1 Fearless Falcons

L 1-5

The girls looked VERY rusty this weekend after the layoff. As always with this group, going a few weeks without a game seems to make them forget how to play! The first 10 minutes were especially rough but they did seem to improve a bit once they realize we actually had a game to play. Hats off to Commack though, that team was very good.

Great effort at center D from Gabby Angelone who played her very strong, athletic style with reckless abandon.

Gu14 W 4-1 Our 3rd game and second win! These girls played amazing, giving 100 100% effort from start to finish and keeping the ball on our side 90% of the game. Every single girl played hard. Even their goal game on a penalty shot that was impossible to save, and yet Guiliana got her hand on it. Defense and mid field continually pushed the ball up giving the girls opportunities to shoot Our opponent had a great goalie but Emily McManus scored one, Alexia Troia scored twice, and after a nice corner kick by Emily McManus, Eva Schieferstein was there to kick in a goal. What a fun game to watch!

GU14 Lady Falcons

W 2-0

The Lady Falcons finally got to play some league games this past weekend. They hosted Merrick on Saturday playing a sound defensive game the girls came away with a 2-0 victory. The defense was led by goalie Emily Moran, Jessica Caracciola, Caroline Mangan, Julia Santucci , Shabnamm Nasary, EJ Waechter and Ally Zucker, which held Merrick to just a few chances. Our first goal was scored by Lily D’Addario with some nice passing from Adriana Tzavaras and Avery Weissman. The midfielders controlled most of the play led by Chloe Fichtl, Olivia Miluso, Amanda Woods, and Caroline Smith. Their second goal was scored by Bailey Hughes who placed a beautiful shot from the corner into the net. The girls had several scoring chances led by Delilah Perez, Marissa Stanco and Grace Haff.

On Sunday the girls hosted Sachem in a physical game that went back and forth with scoring chances on both sides. The teams were tied at the half 0-0. Once again the defense was solid as Emily made some outstanding saves, and her defense led by Shabnamm, EJ, Ally, Julia, Caroline M, Jessica and Claire held Sachem at bay. The girls’ first goal was scored by Lily on a beautiful volley over the goalie’s head. The girls pressured Sachem and forced some turnovers led by Chloe, Grace, Olivia, Delilah, Rachel and Avery, Amanda, Adriana and Caroline S. The game was winding down when Lily struck again on a breakaway blasting a shot off the goalie and into the net. The win was a total team effort as each player won’t give an inch on the field. Well done girls.

The girls participated in State Cup and finished 1-2 in a tough bracket which had some top rated teams in the state. We look forward to Sunday’s game at Sachem in the quarterfinals of the Long Island Cup.

Bu9 White --- GAME OF THE WEEK W 4-0 CLEAR EYES, FULL HEART... SHUT OUT! The Mighty Falcons White had the game of their career this week, crushing the competition, Jericho! It would be impossible to choose an MVP, as it was an incredible group effort, but here are some highlights! Michael Gottlieb set the pace of the game by, early on, blasting the first goal into the net. The next 2 goals came from Pele'-like footwork by Camillo Cruz, as he dribbled around the entire other team and blasted both in. The fourth and final goal was cemented by a fantastic shot by Jackson Brielmann, with a clean assist from Jack Fentress. On the other end of the field, Richard Wang had the game of his life on defense and allowed nothing to get by him! Mark Jennings was a dominating force on offense and never once gave up! And of course, one could not go on without mentioning the spiderman-like ability of our goalkeeper Julian Good, who had some incredible saves. Phenomenal effort by the entire team and Coach Paul. Looking forward to an entire season of victory!

Bu9 Green

W 3-2

It was very exciting to see the team playing real soccer again, with a fine 3-2 win. Our first goal came from Gerardo Salinas on a free kick outside the box into the left top corner. We were down 1-2 when Timmy Driscoll executed nicely on a penalty kick in the top right corner after game MVP Max Unertl Cohen drove into the penalty box and forced an attack drawing the foul. Max then scored the game winner with less than five minutes to go on a low goal into the left corner that just eluded the goalie’s fingertips. Great goalkeeping by Aidan Moran and Tito Rivas!

Bu11

L 2-3

The clouds rolled in and the rain poured down for a battle on the soccer field against an accomplished Mineola Portuguese team. Our team knew they had to come out strong and not back down. Anchored by the strong play of Greg Villafane in net, our boys continuously pressured the opposition and had some good opportunities, but came out at half down 0-1. At half, Coach Kariena gave the boys a pep talk. She praised their first half play, but wanted them to step it up for the second half. The rain continued to beat down making the field conditions a bit messy for the players and less than optimal for the parents too.

The second half began with a fluky goal by Mineola to put our boys down 2-0. The scoreboard didn't reflect how well the boys were playing. Mike Battle and Francesco Sfoggia continued to win one on one battles and Lucas Nola made some key passes to create some opportunities. Louis Ross took a nice shot that rebounded, but Luciano Tuo was able to put it home to make the score 2-1. This energized our boys and they kept the pressure on. Greg continued to make key saves while dealing with a wet, slippery ball. Great defensive play by Colin McCullagh, Matthew Klein and Michael Leandrou kept the ball out of our defensive end. We had some shots, but the boys just couldn't find the back of the net to tie it up. An unfortunate third goal sealed the win for Mineola in the waning minutes. Even with the loss, Coach Kariena was proud with the play of the team pointing out their continued hustle and high level of play.

Bu12

CALLED BY LIGHTNING The BU12 Flying Falcons took to the High School fields on a rainy Saturday evening in a match against a very good East Islip Fire team. After a slight delay due to the referee not showing up for the game, the teams took the field as the rain became steady and the clouds darkened the sky. The Fire came out quickly, taking the game to our defense and forcing us to make some great saves and defensive plays. However, after a breakaway chance that was saved by an aggressive play by their keeper, our team took to the offensive and created some nice opportunities of our own. With quick and physical play from both teams, this game was shaping up to be a quite a match. However, 15 minutes into the first half the game would be called due to lightning. If the rescheduled contest plays out like those few minutes on Saturday, we can all look forward to a fast paced, exciting, and action packed rematch. Look at those determined (and wet!) faces.

And look at George Geliashvili clearing the ball after a soaking wet Teegan Rowe makes the save!

Bu13 T 2-2 Sometimes a tie feels like a win. Going up against a strong Valley Stream squad and falling behind 2-0 at the half, the boys responded wonderfully to guest Coach Pete's halftime speech and rallied for a 2-2 tie. Bryan Fox scored both goals for the Falcons - the first coming on a corner kick over the VS goalie's outstretched arms and into the back corner, and the second in similar fashion as he took a beautiful seam pass into space from Shane Goodman and drilled a perfectly placed shot over the goalie's head from just outside the 18 yard box. Special mention goes out to our always steady defensive corps of Carl Afzelius, Matthew and Adam Braun and Matthew Storch, as well as an excellent game by midfielder Vincent Alesi.

Bu15 Falcons United

W 5-0

The players gave the coaches a real gift on Sunday. United soared to its best ever win, blowing out a good Hicksville team 5-0. Never before have the boys played such a complete game with contributions from every player. Stout determined defense diffused every opponent attack before it became a threat. Decisive, assertive midfield play dominated the game with swarming pressure and quick passing. And the attack was flowing, creative and most importantly for United, efficient. Only brave goalkeeping kept the score from getting further out of hand. The boys earned effusive compliments from both the referee and opposing trainer praising the positive style and consistent effort. Coach Van Patten reports that it was a real pleasure to see them pull it all together, but then warned that they now just raised the bar on expectations. Look at Mark Salas’ perfect technique as he dribbles the ball upfield!