New England Aztec – A History: 2004

Sara Hourihan Named Player of the Year Aztecs U18 Player Receives Boston Globe All-Scholastic Div. 3 Honor

Sara Hourihan, Aztec U-18 standout, received Player-of-the-Year honors from the Boston Globe for her part in bringing Lynnfield its 2nd State Championship in as many years.

In addition to being named the Boston Globe All-Scholastic Player of the Year, Hourihan was Cape Ann League and Division 3 EMass Player of the Year, and earned her first nod onto the All-New England team. She notched 30 goals and 19 assists this fall, leading 22-0- 2 Lynnfield to a second consecutive Division 3 State Championship.

With a career total of 64 goals and 51 assists, Hourihan led the Pioneers in scoring for the last three years. She's not just a standout soccer player. Hourihan was on Lynnfield's 2004 EMass champion squad and ran on the state champion 4x400 relay in 2003. She will attend the University of New Hampshire next fall.

Aztec Soccer Stars Excel in High School Boys and Girls Shine in Fall Season

Several Aztec players are having notable success in their high school soccer teams. For those that follow the high school game, this is no surprise. The names have been steadily holding and advancing their positions in league and state categories.

Some of the Aztec girls having success this fall include: From the Aztec U-18 girls team ... Erin Lensky leads the in points with 21 and second in scoring in the NEC is Shawna Medina with 18 points. In the Cape Anne Small Sara Hourihan is second in the conference in points with 25 points. Cape Anne Large Goalkeeper Laura Doran has the best goals against average in the league with a .73 GAA. Merrimack Valley Conference standout Jackie Powers, a new addition to the U-18 girls, is leading the conference in points with 36. Meg Neary, Jenna Tracia, and Jess Dolbeare are all captains of the undefeated team. Caitlin Walsh and Jill Jenkinson are hanging tough captaining Masconomet this year. Michaela Hardy is captaining her Reading High School team to a 500 season. Caroline Kennerson is captaining Pingree and holding down the fort defensively. Rachel Wright is captaining the Danvers Varsity team into the state tournament. Conference All Star and last year’s team MVP Katie Weinstein is running the offense for the Marblehead Headers.

U-16 Aztec sophomores Sarah Lambe and Kirsten Lundquist are defending like champions for the Masconomet Varsity. Last year's freshman sensation from Danvers Jennie Barrett is coming back from a torn PCL suffered in a tournament out in Memphis TN last spring with her U16 Aztec team. Jennie should be back with her U-16 team this Spring. Sophomore Stephanie Glowick from Peabody High School is doing great in the . Sophomore starter Stephanie Naugler has been a consistent threat this season at Hamilton Wenham. Last year's freshman star for Methuen Jen Courossi is having a great sophomore year. St Mary’s freshman star last year Kerri Domohowski has been bitten by the injury bug this past Summer and Fall. Brianna Russo is one of the leading scorers on the Danvers High Varsity as a sophomore. Liz Brenton is the starting keeper for Stoneham High School.

Freshman Aztec U-15 players making waves for their varsity teams include: Morgan Healy and Mariah Dellea at North Andover High, Sam Weinstein at Marblehead High School, Erica Leber at Andover High and Jackie Gauthier and Kelly Getchell at Danvers High. We have many others that are doing extremely well for their respective schools. Shannon Fitzgerald from Newburyport has started every game as a freshman at centerback.

On the boy’s side ... from the Aztec U-18 squad: Chris Ethier from Beverly leads the Northeastern Conference in points with 23. Chris Rappoli, a Senior Captain at Malden Catholic High School finished the season as the leading scorer in the Catholic Conference from his center mid-field earning him All Eastern Mass and All State honors. Jack Lindsay is captaining Waring School in the MBIL. Chris Pickul is captaining North Andover to an undefeated season. Greg Badavas, Brian Doucette, Duke Travers, and Paul Tussini are captaining Masconomet and are headed into a showdown last game of the regular season with North Andover. Mark Pierce is captaining his Gloucester team to one of the best seasons in their history and Christian Slack is captaining the Ipswich High Boys to another successful season.

Aztec U-17 standouts include Jared Joaquin from North Andover High, second leading scorer in the Cape Ann League Large and 7th in the state with 28 points. Leading the Cape Ann Small in points is Rob Kennedy from Lynnfield. Both Jared and Rob can thank their Aztec counterparts, center midfielders Pete Koskores (North Andover) and Alex Doto (Lynnfield), for some of their success. Center midfielder Matt Chin is playmaking for NEC Conference leader Danvers where Andrew Ames is providing steady defense and added scoring punch. Erik Sheedy and Greivin Lehman are helping lead Beverly's late charge in the NEC after evening the season with a win over Aaron Tibbetts and Gloucester. Matt Furlong has been a consistent scoring threat for Newburyport. Stew Barrett has dropped into the midfield after scoring some early goals at forward for Georgetown. Senior Caleb Evanter and junior Alex Martland are invaluable pieces to the Marblehead High season. Andrew and sophomore Leo Desbois are both playing varsity for ISL powerhouse Belmont Hill which will face Ross Solomon and Lawrence Academy later this month. Cullen Donohoe is marshalling St. John's Prep with goalkeeper Taylor Bracken.

5 Aztecs on Lynnfield State Champion Team

Five players on the Aztec '87 Girls team helped the Lynnfield Pioneers to the school's first state championship for girl’s soccer with a 2- 0 win over the defending champion Lady Tigers of Douglas. The girls (Sara Hourihan, Meg Neary, Jessica Dolbeare, Jenna Tracia, Stephanie Salisbury) were part of a Pioneer team that had a remarkable six-game march through the tournament where they allowed only one goal. They were clearly the most dominant team in the Division 3 tournament and were voted the number 10 team New England in all divisions.

Lynnfield recorded its fifth shutout in six games with the victory at Worcester State College. Meghan Neary drew the challenge of defending Douglas' leading scorer. The Pioneers ripped off nine shots in the second half, including a Hourihan bullet that bounced off the crossbar.

The Pioneers dominance in the tournament was an extension of their regular season play, where they surrendered just 11 goals in 18 games while scoring 68.

"Our defense started with our forwards. They put the pressure on the opposition at midfield and they were not able to attack. When they did, our defense was ready to shut them down," coach Mark Vermont said.

That forward line included Hourihan (14 G, 10 A) and Tracia (9 goals, 9 assists).

The Cape Ann League had four teams in the North semifinals: Lynnfield, Ipswich, Georgetown and North Reading.

Aztecs Continue To Develop Recognition in Youth Soccer in the Bay State

Since its inception in 2000, Aztec has sought to help the youth soccer players of the region improve, and it is evident that the Aztec approach is paying off

Many of our teams found themselves at or near the top of the table in their MAPLE leagues this year, and many found success in indoor and outdoor tournaments around the region and the country

Facing Long odds, playing several teams whose outdoor seasons have already begun, the Aztec U-13 girls prevailed over Virginia Rush Academy Blue 2-1 on Sunday, to win the 2004 Virginia Beach Spring Classic. The girls had earned a 1-1 draw with the Richmond Mystix and a 4-3 win over Stronghold Milan (Central NJ), before beating both Virginia Rush Academy teams (VRA White 2-0 in the semis) to take the crown. Some of the Girls also took part in the National 3v3 tourney in Orlando.

The U14 Girls were runners up in Memphis, Tenn., going 2-1-1 in the round robin tourney.

Five Aztec teams won the 2004 Memorial Day Weekend Dartmouth Cup tournament in New Hampshire. The Aztec 12 Girls coached by Mike, Matt, and Pete Kersker, the Aztec 14 Girls coached by Mike Kersker and the Aztec 15 Girls (in the 16 Girls Division) coached by Sean Killeen and Mike Moschella all won their divisions. The Aztec 15 Boys won their tourney in the 16 Boys Division, and the Aztec 17 Boys, coached by Justin Dechene and Kenny Hannan, brought the cup home in their bracket.

The U16 Boys won their MAPLE Division and earned promotion, recovering from a season opening 7-2 loss to the Boston Blast and not losing a game the rest of the way...giving up just one more goal in the process. They also won the President's Cup at the Cocoa Beach February Vacation Tourney, outscoring their opponents 7-0 and beating the Palm Bay Hornets 3-nil in the final.

The Aztec U18 Boys and Girls also won their MAPLE groups, with the Boys winning MAPLE's D1, and the Girls featuring a team that included 17 players who were captains, all-stars and/or state champs with their high school programs.

Aztecs Win Regional Over 30 Open Cup Simpson, Lage, Benoit Head to Dallas in August

August 2004 - Aztec Coaches Doc Simpson and Tony Lage are heading to Dallas for the over 30 Open Cup National Tournament after defeating Bier FC from Washington DC 5-1 at the German-Hungarian Sports Club just outside of Philadelphia. Doc Simpson was awarded man-of-the-match honors for his 3 goals and 2 assists against the defending regional champs. Simpson played the lone striker in a 4-5-1 formation featuring midfielders Tony Lage and Markens Benoit from the Aztec PASL national champion men's premier team.

Each of the Aztec players and coaches played an outstanding game despite temperatures bordering 100 degrees. The National Tournament is in Dallas Aug 5-7.

Aztecs 2004 PASL Recap

Aztecs Outlast Legend, Earn Spot in Final 8-7 Win Means Saturday Rematch with Shockers in New York

Beverly, MA - March 6, 2004 - Matt Lemire's goal with just over five minutes remaining in the game, gave the Aztecs their first lead (8- 7) their only lead over the Mass Legend from Springfield and it set the stage for the PASL Northeast finals - a rematch against the New York Shockers who beat the Connecticut Pythons in the other semi-final.

The Aztecs struggled to find their flow from the moments after Gosey Jevito's singing of the national anthem to the final whistle and post-game squabble mediated by all-star referee Ryan Davis, but their hard work and perseverance brought them their just rewards.

The Aztecs win was especially impressive considering the Aztecs were playing without several of their premier players including Dushawne Simpson, Ebbie Kodiat and league all-stars Ben O'Brien and Dave Evans.

"It was a very intense game," said first year Men's Coach Mike Kersker. "We went with two lines and we were missing some of our big guns but we got it done."

The Legend used a physical brand of soccer to limit the rhythm of the Aztecs. That style proved to be the Legends unraveling as they received three 2-minute penalties, including two in the final quarter. Trailing 7-4 in the forth quarter, the Aztecs were able to convert twice on man-up opportunities after Legend penalties.

Captain Justin Dechene, making his first presence in back-to-back games for the Aztecs this season, scored twice for the Aztecs. Netminder Peter Levasseur continued his solid play in net.

The end of the game resulted in some extra-curricular conversations at center field climaxed with the throwing of an unfinished gallon of water -- apparent indication of the Legend's derision with the officiating or possibly a vocal dissent of the refreshment selection, or both.

"It was hectic," said Kenny Hannan, Aztec Assistant Coach. "It took a lot of hard work and we were hanging on for dear life at the end. But I'm proud of the effort they've put it all year.

"I know we weren't playing that well," said Dechene. "But there was never a point in the game where I thought we weren't going to win."

The Aztecs will now travel to Schenectady, NY next Saturday looking to avenge a 15-14 loss to NY earlier this season.

(Note: The Aztecs would fall in the '04 Regional Finals 16-11 on 3/13/04 to New York)

Aztecs Escape From Pythons 6-4 Win Assures Second Place

Beverly, MA -- Feb. 22, 2004 -- Despite losing a disappointing 16-13 road game the night before, the Mass Aztecs bounced back with a 6-4 home victory on Sunday versus the Connecticut Pythons. The victory secured home field for the region semi-finals for the Aztecs.

The Aztecs showed tremendous heart, playing their second game in less than 24 hours and battling for 60 minuets to hold off an extremely dangerous Pythons team.

"It was clear that the players were exhausted from last nights game, but they all knew how important the game was and they all reached down deep and fought hard," said head coach Mike Kersker.

With just under three minutes remaining in the game, midfielder Matt Kersker gave the Aztecs the lead with a powerful strike from twelve yards outs. From there goalkeeper Peter Levasseur continued his incredible play, stopping a late onslaught by the Pythons.

Forward Ali Kaba and midfielder Markens Benoit also added goals for the Aztecs. The Aztecs will now wait and see whom they will play in the region semi-finals. The Aztecs will host a region semi-final match on March 6th at 8pm in Beverly, MA. The Aztecs will send four representatives to this weekends PASL all-star game: goalkeeper Peter Levasseur, defender Dave Evans, midfielder Ben O'Brien, and head coach Mike Kersker. The game will be played in St. Louis, MO, and will be the opening game as part of the Major Indoor Soccer League all-star weekend.

Aztecs Schooled in Connecticut Academica Gets Revenge with 16-13 Win

Winstead, CT -- February 21, 2004 -- Jimmy Machado scored 7 points (3 goals including a 3-pointer) in the Aztecs 16-13 loss to Academica. The victory keeps the playoffs hopes alive for Academica who lost to the Aztecs in last year's AISL final.

The Aztecs fell down two goals early and were playing catch-up all night.

"It's always tough to play down there," said second year player Doug Prouty. "Last year we got a huge game and a three-pointer from Coach (Mike Kersker). We could have used him inside the touchlines tonight."

Matt Kersker provided strong attack from the midfield adding two goals. The Aztecs were just three points down when Academica got a two minute penalty sending them a man down, but the Aztecs weren't able to penetrate the Academica's box defense.

The Aztecs will host a region semi-final match on March 6th at 8pm in Beverly, MA. The Aztecs will send four representatives to this weekends PASL all-star game: goalkeeper Peter Levasseur, defender Dave Evans, midfielder Ben O'Brien, and head coach Mike Kersker. The game will be played in St. Louis, MO, and will be the opening game as part of the Major Indoor Soccer League all-star weekend.

Aztecs Extinguish Flames 10-6 Win Keeps Squad in Second Place

Beverly, MA -- February 14, 2004 -- Matt Lemire continued his red hot play for the Aztecs as they remained undefeated at home with 10-6 win over the visiting Mass Flames. Lemire scored two goals for the victors, running his goal-scoring streak to four games.

Following an 8-6 first half score, a defensive battle broke out in the second half. Goalkeeper Graig Murphy helped keep the Aztecs in front with an array of stellar saves.

The back line of Dave Evans, Jim Machado, Chris Messinger, and Jeff Roy held the Flames to their lowest scoring output of the season. Midway through the fourth quarter, forward Ali Kaba sealed the victory for the Aztecs with an impressive goal from just inside the red line. The Aztecs also got goals from midfielders Ben O’Brien and Matt Kersker.

The victory keeps the Aztec in second place heading into this weekend’s double header. A win this weekend will secure home field for the regional semi-finals.

Aztecs Shocked in New York Drop First League Game in History, 15-14

Schenectady, NY -- January 24, 2004 -- An array of injuries, a hostile playing environment, and a questionable 3 point goal were too much to overcome as the Mass Aztecs (3-1) lost their first regular season game in club history by a 15-14 score. The loss also dropped the Aztecs in second place in the all important race for home field advantage.

Weary of the Aztecs past success, the host NY Shockers (4-0) employed some questionable game tactics that gave them a substantial home field advantage. In a less than professional move, the public address system play music throughout the entire match, making it hard for players and coaches to communicate. The Shockers only supplied one game official who made the aforementioned the 3-point goal call from well out of position. Combine that with slippery playing surface and the Aztecs had their work cut out for them.

Compounding the Aztecs troubles was missing four regular contributors from the lineup. Justin Dechene, Matt Kersker, Annibal Mazraani, Dale Morgan, and Ebbie Kodiat missed the game due to injury or illness. Regardless of the conditions the Aztecs battled hard all game and had a chance to win at the end.

"Games like this can be a real gut check." said head coach Mike Kersker following the game. "People around the league may see this score and remember this game as a loss for us, but we know how much character it took to play through all the distractions and have a chance to beat a team that hasn't lost at home in 25 games." The Aztecs now turn their attention on this Saturday, as they host the CT Pythons. The Aztecs winning streak may be over, but their home field winning streak is still going strong.

Aztecs Win Third Over Wonders Lemire Leaves No Doubt, Scores 7 in 17-4 Victory

Beverly, MA. -- January 17, 2004 -- Only the weather outside could cool down the Mass Aztecs Saturday night, as they kicked there way to a 17-4 win over the visiting New Hampshire Wonderers.

After surrendering an early own goal, the Aztecs struck back for six unanswered goals, heading into halftime with a 7-2 lead. During the first half run Mattie Lemire dipped in the Aztecs first three-point score of the season. The Aztecs continued to dominate their guest, scoring five more times before the Wonderers added a late 4th quarter goal.

Lemire finished with three goals, netting the team's first hat trick of the season. Defenders Chris Messenger and Jeff Roy added their first goals of the season, and Markens Benoit, Anibal Mazraani, and Ben O'Brien each tallied once for the Aztecs. Goalkeeper Peter Levasseur was sharp all game, not allowing the Wonderers any chance to get back into the game.

The Aztecs now sit atop the New England Division of the PASL at 3-0. The Aztecs will face their biggest test this Saturday as they travel to Albany to take on the undefeated NY Shockers. A victory this Saturday would give the Aztecs a two game lead in the standing, and take one game closer to clinching home field advantage throughout the divisional playoffs.

Strong 2nd Quarter Swells Aztecs Over Seacoast Aztecs Come From Six Down to Win 19-8

Hampton, NH. -- January 10, 2004 -- The Mass Aztecs used an explosive second quarter to improve their record to 2-0 on the young season. After overcoming another slow start, the Aztecs dominated host Seacoast United in Hampton, NH on Saturday night.

Seacoast United jumped out to a quick 6-0 first quarter lead before the visiting Aztecs caught fire. With just under 7 minutes left in the first quarter, the Aztecs got on the board when Markens Benoit finished a pass from fellow forward Anibal Mazraani.

Later in the quarter Benny O'Brien added his first goal of the season to make it 6-4. The Aztecs then exploded with four goals and three penalty goals to blow the game wide open in the second quarter. Markens Benoit lead the way with one goal, one penalty goal, and two assists. Chris Ethier, Matt Kersker and Mazraani all added their first goals of the season in the same quarter. Dushawne Simpson also added two penalty goals to finish out the explosion.

The Aztecs then cruised through the second half, with ball control soccer and outrunning Seacoast United. Goalkeeper Peter Levasseur settled in nicely after the first quarter, only yielding one goal while facing a fair amount of quick counter attacks by Seacoast United.

More impressive than the second quarter explosion was the Aztecs defensive control in the third quarter. After picking up their fifth team foul with eight minutes left in the quarter (one short of an opposing penalty kick), the Aztecs were foul free for the rest of the quarter emulating the cry to contain from head coach Mike Kersker.

The Aztecs next play host to the New Hampshire Wonderers this Saturday night at 8pm.

Aztec Wins Home Opener, 10-8 A Packed House at Soccer ETC. to see Aztec Win First-ever PASL match Over NH Granite

BEVERLY, MASS. -- January 3, 2004 -- After a slow start the Aztecs showed signs of there 2002-03 form, holding off the New Hampshire Granite 10-8. Dushawne Simpson led the comeback scoring two, 2-point goals within 4 minutes to give the Aztecs their first lead of the game.

After falling behind 4-0, team captain Justin Dechene energized the near capacity crowd with a magnificent display of footwork, setting up the Aztecs first goal. From there the momentum clearly shifted towards the Aztecs, who continued there regular season dominance, now undefeated in 3 years of league play.

The game marked not only the season opener for the Aztecs, but also their inaugural game as a member of the New England division of the Premier Arena Soccer League (PASL). This years New England division winner will be invited to the national championship tournament in Dallas, Texas. The road to Dallas will not be an easy one, but with the depth and talent on the Aztec roster, nothing is unlikely.

The Aztecs will now turn their focus to this Saturday's road game in Hampton, New Hampshire versus Seacoast United. The 1-0 Seacoast United won their season opener by a 24-9 margin.