U12 A Boys enjoy successful run
Soccer season comes to end; players enjoy successful run
The Fort Lee Under 12 Boys travel team finally ended its fall season, which began in mid-July with summer training sessions and ended with its final Northern Counties Soccer Association (NCSA) match Dec 2. The boys played in two different leagues this year; Saturday’s they played in the NCSA and Sunday’s they played in "MAPS" (Mid-Atlantic Premier Soccer). It was the first Fort Lee Soccer League team to do so.
In both leagues, Fort Lee enjoyed success. In the NCSA, they finished in second place in the nine-team "Premier Division" [the highest competitive division in this age group] with a record of 6-1-1.
photo courtesy of john marin
The Fort Lee Under 12 Boys Travel Team pose at the end of the season, in which they finished in 2nd place in the nine-team Northern Counties Soccer Association ‘Premier Division.’
Front row, from left to right, Sasha Ivanoff, Zachary Wielkocz, Yusuke Nagano, Justin Picache, Daniel Duarte and Paul Leale. Back row, from left to right, Richard Capone, DJ Suh, Ryo Sugawara, Shunsuke Fuji, Arif Toremis, Michael Payan, Daniel Turna and Coach John Marin.
Last year’s Fort Lee Under 12 Boys team was undefeated in the Premier Division at 10-0. With only three remaining players from the 2007 team, Fort Lee was still able to provide an extremely competitive team that had a chance to finish in first place up until the final week of the season.
In MAPS, Fort Lee was undefeated in their own division with a record of 3-0-1 and had an overall record of 4-2-2. "MAPS" is made up of one of many of the top teams in the region and are meant for clubs that are ready to compete at a high level as teams must be accepted in.
Two of the wins came against top teams such as Princeton and Montclair, including an exciting draw against one of the top Pennsylvania teams on the road against FC Delco. Fort Lee was the only "town team" of the 37 in this age division with the other 36 being teams club teams that legally recruit players from their region.
In their final match of the NCSA season, Fort Lee earned a hard point in their 1-1 tie against the Den of Lions (Newark) Dec. 2. Fort Lee took the lead on Daniel Turna’s goal on a penalty kick midway through the first half. The Den of Lions tied the match early in the second half as Fort Lee spent a great deal of the final 20 minutes on the offensive end of the field and had several chances to knock-in the game winner, but the game ended in a draw.
The week before, Fort Lee defeated the Wyckoff Torpedoes 3-2, which wound up being the lone loss of the season. Fort Lee took a 2-0 lead on two goals by Justin Picache. However, the Torpedoes knocked in back-to-back goals within a 15-minute span to tie the match. With 10 minutes remaining, Shunsuke Fuji blasted a left-footed shot into the lower left corner of the goal on a cross from DJ Suh for the game-winning goal.
For the remainder of the match, Fort Lee’s backline, its strongpoint throughout the season, held tough for the win with defenders Arif Toremis, Richard Capone, Sasha Ivanoff and Ryo Sugawara marking the speedy Wyckoff forwards. Goalkeeper Michael Payan had another fine performance with 7 saves. Outside midfielders Yusuke Nagano and Paul Leale were a constant threat on the wings and Daniel Duarte and Zachary Wielkocz provided their usual hard-nosed play.
In their final MAPS game, Fort Lee defeated Americas United 1-0. In the second half, Turna fed Picache the ball, who outraced two defenders and placed the ball just past the oncoming goalkeeper. Fort Lee dominated possession of the ball for the remainder of the contest and continued the progress they’ve made since the season began.
Other accomplishments for the squad this fall include capturing the South Brunswick Invitational Tournament in September. In addition, the Under 12 Boys advanced into the third round of the NJ State Cup, despite tough competition, which included an exciting second round win at Monroe in overtime.
"We are very proud of the accomplishments of the boys," says Coach John Marin, in his 23rd season coaching the team. "It’s extremely rare for a ‘town team’ like ours to be willing and able to play quality soccer in two different leagues, compete in various tournaments and travel far to locations such as Long Island and Pennsylvania. We were able to do it because all of the families understood before the season started that this was going to be a major commitment. The players were exited to do it and looked forward to the challenge. Many of the players have played together since the Under 8 age division and the progress each individual made was evident by the end of the season, as a result of their experience this fall."
The Fort Lee Under 12 Boys travel team finally ended its fall season, which began in mid-July with summer training sessions and ended with its final Northern Counties Soccer Association (NCSA) match Dec 2. The boys played in two different leagues this year; Saturday’s they played in the NCSA and Sunday’s they played in "MAPS" (Mid-Atlantic Premier Soccer). It was the first Fort Lee Soccer League team to do so.
In both leagues, Fort Lee enjoyed success. In the NCSA, they finished in second place in the nine-team "Premier Division" [the highest competitive division in this age group] with a record of 6-1-1.
photo courtesy of john marin
The Fort Lee Under 12 Boys Travel Team pose at the end of the season, in which they finished in 2nd place in the nine-team Northern Counties Soccer Association ‘Premier Division.’
Front row, from left to right, Sasha Ivanoff, Zachary Wielkocz, Yusuke Nagano, Justin Picache, Daniel Duarte and Paul Leale. Back row, from left to right, Richard Capone, DJ Suh, Ryo Sugawara, Shunsuke Fuji, Arif Toremis, Michael Payan, Daniel Turna and Coach John Marin.
Last year’s Fort Lee Under 12 Boys team was undefeated in the Premier Division at 10-0. With only three remaining players from the 2007 team, Fort Lee was still able to provide an extremely competitive team that had a chance to finish in first place up until the final week of the season.
In MAPS, Fort Lee was undefeated in their own division with a record of 3-0-1 and had an overall record of 4-2-2. "MAPS" is made up of one of many of the top teams in the region and are meant for clubs that are ready to compete at a high level as teams must be accepted in.
Two of the wins came against top teams such as Princeton and Montclair, including an exciting draw against one of the top Pennsylvania teams on the road against FC Delco. Fort Lee was the only "town team" of the 37 in this age division with the other 36 being teams club teams that legally recruit players from their region.
In their final match of the NCSA season, Fort Lee earned a hard point in their 1-1 tie against the Den of Lions (Newark) Dec. 2. Fort Lee took the lead on Daniel Turna’s goal on a penalty kick midway through the first half. The Den of Lions tied the match early in the second half as Fort Lee spent a great deal of the final 20 minutes on the offensive end of the field and had several chances to knock-in the game winner, but the game ended in a draw.
The week before, Fort Lee defeated the Wyckoff Torpedoes 3-2, which wound up being the lone loss of the season. Fort Lee took a 2-0 lead on two goals by Justin Picache. However, the Torpedoes knocked in back-to-back goals within a 15-minute span to tie the match. With 10 minutes remaining, Shunsuke Fuji blasted a left-footed shot into the lower left corner of the goal on a cross from DJ Suh for the game-winning goal.
For the remainder of the match, Fort Lee’s backline, its strongpoint throughout the season, held tough for the win with defenders Arif Toremis, Richard Capone, Sasha Ivanoff and Ryo Sugawara marking the speedy Wyckoff forwards. Goalkeeper Michael Payan had another fine performance with 7 saves. Outside midfielders Yusuke Nagano and Paul Leale were a constant threat on the wings and Daniel Duarte and Zachary Wielkocz provided their usual hard-nosed play.
In their final MAPS game, Fort Lee defeated Americas United 1-0. In the second half, Turna fed Picache the ball, who outraced two defenders and placed the ball just past the oncoming goalkeeper. Fort Lee dominated possession of the ball for the remainder of the contest and continued the progress they’ve made since the season began.
Other accomplishments for the squad this fall include capturing the South Brunswick Invitational Tournament in September. In addition, the Under 12 Boys advanced into the third round of the NJ State Cup, despite tough competition, which included an exciting second round win at Monroe in overtime.
"We are very proud of the accomplishments of the boys," says Coach John Marin, in his 23rd season coaching the team. "It’s extremely rare for a ‘town team’ like ours to be willing and able to play quality soccer in two different leagues, compete in various tournaments and travel far to locations such as Long Island and Pennsylvania. We were able to do it because all of the families understood before the season started that this was going to be a major commitment. The players were exited to do it and looked forward to the challenge. Many of the players have played together since the Under 8 age division and the progress each individual made was evident by the end of the season, as a result of their experience this fall."
FL Soccer Teams Earn Place at Giants Stadium
April 11, 2008
Posted in The Bergen News
FORT LEE – The Fort Lee Soccer League will be fielding a record five teams in the annual Red Bulls Coliseum Cup on Saturday, May 17.
The tournament, held at the Teaneck Armory the past two weeks, pitted top club soccer teams from the tri-state area with the semifinalists advancing to play at Giants Stadium prior to the start of the Red Bulls home match that night. The Fort Lee teams that will be participating in the Championship matches are the Under 11 Boys, Under 10 Boys, Under 9 Boys, Under 8 Boys and Under 8 Girls squads.
The Under 11 Boys advanced to the finals by defeating N.J. State Cup Champion Den of Lions (Newark) in overtime 3-2 on March 26. Fort Lee took a 2-0 lead 10 minutes into the contest on goals by Justin Picache. Fort Lee’s defensive backline of Arif Toremis and Richard Capone held DOL scoreless for most of the match as goalkeeper Paul Leale came up with several key saves. With 5 minutes remaining, the Den of Lions tied the match to send the game into overtime to force a sudden-death penalty kick shootout.
The opening shot was taken by the Den of Lions who converted. If Fort Lee was to miss their shot, the contest would be over, however, Yusuke Nagano’s shot narrowly beat the keeper. In the 2nd round of penalty kicks, DOL missed their shot while Daniel Turna scored for Fort Lee to send his team to Giants Stadium. The Under 11’s will be facing Golden Touch Soccer Academy of N.Y. in the finals.
The Under 10 Boys advanced to the finals by winning their semifinal match 4-3, after trailing 3-1 early in the contest. Picache tallied twice while Mark Rendon and Benny Kern also scored one each. In the first game of the evening, Fort Lee defeated Fairview 8-1. In their second match, Fort Lee defeated Middlepath United 8-5. In their third match against Soccer Vision, the U10’s had trailed for most of the first half of the contest, but came back to win 5-3. Filip Milic anchored the backline for the U10’s as Daniel Duarte and Amil Prajapati were standouts at midfield to set up their teammates. Goalkeeper Josh Posner made several key saves throughout the tournament and the team also received fine play from Nozomu Ohtsubo and Cristian Sanchez.
The Under 9 Boys will actually be playing two games at Giants Stadium since the team won both tournaments in this age division. In the first round of the first tournament on March 15, Fort Lee won all three matches, defeating the Long Island Rough Riders 4-1, beating the East Fishkill Rampage 5-2 and topping South Central Blue 6-0. In the semifinals, Fort Lee “edged” FC Somers Razors 2-1 to advance to the finals. Sam Keller started off the scoring with a shot past the goalie to put Fort Lee ahead. With 10 minutes left, the Razors then tied the game at 1-1. The game-winning goal came when Jared Brusco faked a pass and shot the ball past the keeper. Fort Lee then held onto to the lead with a “heads-up” play from defender Hassan Awad who headed out a ball on the goal line with only seconds to play.
In their second tournament on March 19, the Under 9’s defeated CDC Soccer Academy 4-1 in their semifinal match. Hyuga Kasai scored on free kick from midfield to put Fort Lee ahead 1-0 and minutes later, Taichi Myazaki had a free kick of his own to make it 2-0. Hassan Awad made it a three-goal lead with a header and Kasai added another to win the game 4 -1. Last year, as the Under 8’s, this same group of players were the first Fort Lee Soccer League team to win a Coliseum Cup championship match at Giants Stadium. They will be facing the Den of Lions and Arsenal in the finals.
The Under 8 Boys advanced to the finals by defeating Inter Lodi 3-2 in their semifinal match.
The Under 8 Girls advanced to the finals by winning 3 of their 4 matches. In the first match Fort Lee defeated Northern Valley 4-0. Gianna Nitti and Olivia Capone both scored 2 goals apiece on assists from Saori Ohtsubo and Megan Cooper. Outstanding defensive play came from Tommasina DiMeglio, Natalie Elmers and Veronica Chen. Ellen Kim was stellar in goal recording 6 saves. In Game 2, Fort Lee played a tough Arsenal team and came away with a 4-2 victory. Sarah Elhomsi scored her first career goal to put Fort Lee ahead on a cross from Capone. Ohtsubo notched the second goal on an assist from Cooper. Nitti tallied twice to round out the scoring for Fort Lee. In Game 3, Fort Lee played the Americans and wound up with their only loss 2-1. A last minute shot that would have secured a tie hit off the crossbar.
Fort Lee needed a win in their last match to advance to Giants Stadium and did so with a resounding 5-0 win over Manhattan Soccer Club. Saori Ohtsubo notched her third goal of the tournament on an assist from Capone to start the scoring and Nitti tallied the remaining 4 goals on assists from Cooper, Elhomsi and Rachel Kim.
To purchase tickets to see all 5 Fort Lee travel teams in the Red Bulls Coliseum Cup finals on May 17, send an e-mail to boardmembers@fortleesoccer. com.
FORT LEE – The Fort Lee Soccer League will be fielding a record five teams in the annual Red Bulls Coliseum Cup on Saturday, May 17.
The tournament, held at the Teaneck Armory the past two weeks, pitted top club soccer teams from the tri-state area with the semifinalists advancing to play at Giants Stadium prior to the start of the Red Bulls home match that night. The Fort Lee teams that will be participating in the Championship matches are the Under 11 Boys, Under 10 Boys, Under 9 Boys, Under 8 Boys and Under 8 Girls squads.
The Under 11 Boys advanced to the finals by defeating N.J. State Cup Champion Den of Lions (Newark) in overtime 3-2 on March 26. Fort Lee took a 2-0 lead 10 minutes into the contest on goals by Justin Picache. Fort Lee’s defensive backline of Arif Toremis and Richard Capone held DOL scoreless for most of the match as goalkeeper Paul Leale came up with several key saves. With 5 minutes remaining, the Den of Lions tied the match to send the game into overtime to force a sudden-death penalty kick shootout.
The opening shot was taken by the Den of Lions who converted. If Fort Lee was to miss their shot, the contest would be over, however, Yusuke Nagano’s shot narrowly beat the keeper. In the 2nd round of penalty kicks, DOL missed their shot while Daniel Turna scored for Fort Lee to send his team to Giants Stadium. The Under 11’s will be facing Golden Touch Soccer Academy of N.Y. in the finals.
The Under 10 Boys advanced to the finals by winning their semifinal match 4-3, after trailing 3-1 early in the contest. Picache tallied twice while Mark Rendon and Benny Kern also scored one each. In the first game of the evening, Fort Lee defeated Fairview 8-1. In their second match, Fort Lee defeated Middlepath United 8-5. In their third match against Soccer Vision, the U10’s had trailed for most of the first half of the contest, but came back to win 5-3. Filip Milic anchored the backline for the U10’s as Daniel Duarte and Amil Prajapati were standouts at midfield to set up their teammates. Goalkeeper Josh Posner made several key saves throughout the tournament and the team also received fine play from Nozomu Ohtsubo and Cristian Sanchez.
The Under 9 Boys will actually be playing two games at Giants Stadium since the team won both tournaments in this age division. In the first round of the first tournament on March 15, Fort Lee won all three matches, defeating the Long Island Rough Riders 4-1, beating the East Fishkill Rampage 5-2 and topping South Central Blue 6-0. In the semifinals, Fort Lee “edged” FC Somers Razors 2-1 to advance to the finals. Sam Keller started off the scoring with a shot past the goalie to put Fort Lee ahead. With 10 minutes left, the Razors then tied the game at 1-1. The game-winning goal came when Jared Brusco faked a pass and shot the ball past the keeper. Fort Lee then held onto to the lead with a “heads-up” play from defender Hassan Awad who headed out a ball on the goal line with only seconds to play.
In their second tournament on March 19, the Under 9’s defeated CDC Soccer Academy 4-1 in their semifinal match. Hyuga Kasai scored on free kick from midfield to put Fort Lee ahead 1-0 and minutes later, Taichi Myazaki had a free kick of his own to make it 2-0. Hassan Awad made it a three-goal lead with a header and Kasai added another to win the game 4 -1. Last year, as the Under 8’s, this same group of players were the first Fort Lee Soccer League team to win a Coliseum Cup championship match at Giants Stadium. They will be facing the Den of Lions and Arsenal in the finals.
The Under 8 Boys advanced to the finals by defeating Inter Lodi 3-2 in their semifinal match.
The Under 8 Girls advanced to the finals by winning 3 of their 4 matches. In the first match Fort Lee defeated Northern Valley 4-0. Gianna Nitti and Olivia Capone both scored 2 goals apiece on assists from Saori Ohtsubo and Megan Cooper. Outstanding defensive play came from Tommasina DiMeglio, Natalie Elmers and Veronica Chen. Ellen Kim was stellar in goal recording 6 saves. In Game 2, Fort Lee played a tough Arsenal team and came away with a 4-2 victory. Sarah Elhomsi scored her first career goal to put Fort Lee ahead on a cross from Capone. Ohtsubo notched the second goal on an assist from Cooper. Nitti tallied twice to round out the scoring for Fort Lee. In Game 3, Fort Lee played the Americans and wound up with their only loss 2-1. A last minute shot that would have secured a tie hit off the crossbar.
Fort Lee needed a win in their last match to advance to Giants Stadium and did so with a resounding 5-0 win over Manhattan Soccer Club. Saori Ohtsubo notched her third goal of the tournament on an assist from Capone to start the scoring and Nitti tallied the remaining 4 goals on assists from Cooper, Elhomsi and Rachel Kim.
To purchase tickets to see all 5 Fort Lee travel teams in the Red Bulls Coliseum Cup finals on May 17, send an e-mail to boardmembers@fortleesoccer. com.
FLSL U14 Boys Earned Spot for Cup
May 8, 2007
Posted in The Bergen News
The Fort Lee All Star U14 Boys team (top, l-r): Coach Ranko Gogic, Jonathan Hroncic, Michael Petrecca, Shun Sugawara, George Padin, Justin Elkhechen and Coach Joe Holzapfel and (kneeling, l-r): Paul Popa, Nikola Gogic, Joey Holzapfel, Max Zimmerman and Riku Takahata, earned a spot in the finals by defeating the Vikings 2-0, playing Everton America to a scoreless draw, edging the Terrey Stine 1-0 and defeating the Montville Stine 4-0, played at Giant Stadium, Saturday, April 21. Against the Vikings, Nikola Gogic tallied on a pass from George Padin and Jonathan Hroncic knocked in an insurance goal. Against Everton, George Padin, Max Zimmerman, and Paul Popa were defensive walls in the shutout. In the Montville contest, Hroncic knocked in two more goals, both assisted by Riku Takahata. Shun Sugawara tallied on a pass from Joey Holzapfel and Gogic scored on a pass from Michael Petrecca. Fort Lee did not give up a single goal in this tournament.
The Fort Lee All Star U14 Boys team (top, l-r): Coach Ranko Gogic, Jonathan Hroncic, Michael Petrecca, Shun Sugawara, George Padin, Justin Elkhechen and Coach Joe Holzapfel and (kneeling, l-r): Paul Popa, Nikola Gogic, Joey Holzapfel, Max Zimmerman and Riku Takahata, earned a spot in the finals by defeating the Vikings 2-0, playing Everton America to a scoreless draw, edging the Terrey Stine 1-0 and defeating the Montville Stine 4-0, played at Giant Stadium, Saturday, April 21. Against the Vikings, Nikola Gogic tallied on a pass from George Padin and Jonathan Hroncic knocked in an insurance goal. Against Everton, George Padin, Max Zimmerman, and Paul Popa were defensive walls in the shutout. In the Montville contest, Hroncic knocked in two more goals, both assisted by Riku Takahata. Shun Sugawara tallied on a pass from Joey Holzapfel and Gogic scored on a pass from Michael Petrecca. Fort Lee did not give up a single goal in this tournament.
FL Under 8's Win Soccer Cup at Giants Stadium
May 1, 2007
Posted in The Bergen News
FORT LEE - The borough's Soccer League Under 8 Boys All Stars defeated New Hyde Park, Long Island 1-0 at Giants Stadium on Friday, April 27 to win the annual Red Bulls "Coliseum Cup".The team made it this far by winning a tournament at the Teaneck Armory back in March as all of the finals matches in all of the age divisions were played at Giants Stadium on this day. Facing a considerably taller opponent, Fort Lee's defense stood strong, making New Hyde Park (NHP) earn their shot attempts from outside the penalty area. In the eighth minute, Ivan Maldonado made a diving save to his right to keep the match scoreless. In the tenth minute, Fort Lee tried to score the opening goal when Jared Brusco found Taichi Miyazaki down the left wing, however, his shot sailed to the left of the goal.Midway through the contest, defender Bryant Kwai blasted a shot from 15 yards out as his shot barely dipped inside the upper left crossbar to give Fort Lee a 1-0 lead. With 10 minutes remaining, NHP nearly tied the match however, their shot hit the crossbar and bounced back into play as the Under 8's managed to clear the ball away and thwart their opponent's most serious scoring threats.For the remainder of the match, Fort Lee was on the defensive to prevent the tying goal as Hyuga Kasai, Eisuke Fujita, Samuel Keller and Ethan Keller, clogged the midfield to prevent NHP from getting a quality shot off. With minutes remaining, right wing Jaidev Chhachhi and substitute George Moraitis did a great job of taking large chunks of time off the clock by making offensive runs on the right flank.When the referee blew his whistle signaling the end of the match, it also signaled the first time a Fort Lee Soccer League (FLSL) team has ever won a "Coliseum Cup" final. Although, the league has had remarkable success historically winning titles in club league play in the Northern Counties Soccer Association, success in State Cup matches the past two years, tournament titles at the Teaneck Armory against some of the top ranked teams in N.Y. and N.J. and titles in the Pascack Valley Indoor Soccer League, the only thing missing on their resume seemed to be the elusive Coliseum Cup which they first managed to advance to first in 2004, as the Under 8's became the first FLSL team to win it. Two teams (the Under 8's in 2004 and the Under 11's in 2005) both lost in penalty kick shootouts in the finals in this tournament.For the past four months, the team has actually been playing up one age level to get better competition to which the players quickly adjusted and played a large part in their Cup victory. The FLSL also are quick to indicate the maturity level of the players who always proudly represented the soccer program and the community with their team spirit and sportsmanship and the support of the families, who were always enthusiastic in every league match or tournament for the past nine months.In other Coliseum Cup finals matches, the Under 14 Boys were edged by Arsenal 1-0 and the Under 11's also fell to Kearney Thistle 1-0. The Under 10 Boys defeated AC Milan 3-1 in a consolation match with Justin Picache tallying twice.
FORT LEE - The borough's Soccer League Under 8 Boys All Stars defeated New Hyde Park, Long Island 1-0 at Giants Stadium on Friday, April 27 to win the annual Red Bulls "Coliseum Cup".The team made it this far by winning a tournament at the Teaneck Armory back in March as all of the finals matches in all of the age divisions were played at Giants Stadium on this day. Facing a considerably taller opponent, Fort Lee's defense stood strong, making New Hyde Park (NHP) earn their shot attempts from outside the penalty area. In the eighth minute, Ivan Maldonado made a diving save to his right to keep the match scoreless. In the tenth minute, Fort Lee tried to score the opening goal when Jared Brusco found Taichi Miyazaki down the left wing, however, his shot sailed to the left of the goal.Midway through the contest, defender Bryant Kwai blasted a shot from 15 yards out as his shot barely dipped inside the upper left crossbar to give Fort Lee a 1-0 lead. With 10 minutes remaining, NHP nearly tied the match however, their shot hit the crossbar and bounced back into play as the Under 8's managed to clear the ball away and thwart their opponent's most serious scoring threats.For the remainder of the match, Fort Lee was on the defensive to prevent the tying goal as Hyuga Kasai, Eisuke Fujita, Samuel Keller and Ethan Keller, clogged the midfield to prevent NHP from getting a quality shot off. With minutes remaining, right wing Jaidev Chhachhi and substitute George Moraitis did a great job of taking large chunks of time off the clock by making offensive runs on the right flank.When the referee blew his whistle signaling the end of the match, it also signaled the first time a Fort Lee Soccer League (FLSL) team has ever won a "Coliseum Cup" final. Although, the league has had remarkable success historically winning titles in club league play in the Northern Counties Soccer Association, success in State Cup matches the past two years, tournament titles at the Teaneck Armory against some of the top ranked teams in N.Y. and N.J. and titles in the Pascack Valley Indoor Soccer League, the only thing missing on their resume seemed to be the elusive Coliseum Cup which they first managed to advance to first in 2004, as the Under 8's became the first FLSL team to win it. Two teams (the Under 8's in 2004 and the Under 11's in 2005) both lost in penalty kick shootouts in the finals in this tournament.For the past four months, the team has actually been playing up one age level to get better competition to which the players quickly adjusted and played a large part in their Cup victory. The FLSL also are quick to indicate the maturity level of the players who always proudly represented the soccer program and the community with their team spirit and sportsmanship and the support of the families, who were always enthusiastic in every league match or tournament for the past nine months.In other Coliseum Cup finals matches, the Under 14 Boys were edged by Arsenal 1-0 and the Under 11's also fell to Kearney Thistle 1-0. The Under 10 Boys defeated AC Milan 3-1 in a consolation match with Justin Picache tallying twice.
Fort Lee vs. New Milford in Indoor Soccer
February 20, 2007
Posted in The Bergen News
FORT LEE - In the sixth week of the Pascack Valley Indoor Soccer League Season, the Fort Lee Soccer League's "White" (or "B") teams won two out of their three games against New Milford, Sunday, Feb. 11, at the Community Center. The Under 14's defeated New Milford 7-3 improving their record to 4-2. Fort Lee trailed 1-0 only three minutes into the game but scored three unanswered goals to take the lead. Joey Holzapfel tied the match with a shot into the lower left hand corner and in the tenth minute, defender Justin Zhang cleared a ball out to Shun Sugawara who led Holzapfel on the left wing to give Fort Lee the lead. After Sugawara scored to give Fort Lee a 3-1 lead, New Milford got on the board again, but Fort Lee scored just before halftime for a 4-2 lead. After New Milford made it 4-3 early in the second half, Fort Lee's defense didn't let up a single goal with goalkeeper Daniel Vitievsky making 10 saves in half, including several one-on-one situations and defenders David Gifford and Christian Temurcu's man marking was outstanding, making the visitors earn their shots. The U14's again scored three unanswered goals when Sugawara added two more for a hat trick and Anthony Baskin blasted a low shot for an insurance goal.A rejuvenated and much improved Under 10 "B" team from the outdoor season continued their fine form in indoor soccer with a 6-2 win over 3-2-1 New Milford as Fort Lee improved their record to 5-1 and are in second place with their lone loss coming against first place Wood Ridge. Goalkeeper Josh Posner was the star of the match when the first half could have gone either way as New Milford pelted Posner with shot after shot, as he was able to keep Fort Lee in the game. With the score at 3-2, Fort Lee scored three goals in the second half to put the game away. Bryce Maida knocked in two goals, one of them on a cross from Benny Kern, who also later tallied. Zachary Khorozian, Daniel Duarte and Mark Rendon scored one apiece. Milic was a stalwart on defense, breaking up plays and setting up his teammates on counter-attacks. Newcomer Yusuke Nagano continues to be a pleasant surprise, controlling the midfield by breaking up plays and creating scoring opportunities for his teammates.The Under 12 White squad could not muster many scoring opportunities as they fell to New Milford 4-1, as their record is now 4-2. The lone goal came from Rich Finizio.The Fort Lee Soccer League's teams also play during the week at the Teaneck Armory, in the "Soccer Coliseum" league. The Under 10 girls pulled out an exciting 2-1 win over Allendale. Bernadette Darcy scored on a penalty kick, but Allendale appeared to score the tying goal with only two minutes left. With 20 seconds remaining, Amanda LaMattina's throw-in found Nicole Florez as she sent her shot into the upper right hand corner for the game-winner. Zoe Cockinos had 8 saves in goal.The Under 12 girls defeated the Teaneck Stingrays 6-2, improving their record to 1-1-1 in Season #2. The goalscorers were Caitlin McKenna, Roni Shabo and Adriana Damato, which included a 10-yard strike. Stacy Goldberg was solid in goal and the Molinaro twins anchored the backline.The Under 12 "Orange" (or "C") squad, a week after defeating Hackensack, were defeated by 5-2 by Arsenal. Yuyu Fahmy and Mostafa Elbakly tallied for Fort Lee.
FORT LEE - In the sixth week of the Pascack Valley Indoor Soccer League Season, the Fort Lee Soccer League's "White" (or "B") teams won two out of their three games against New Milford, Sunday, Feb. 11, at the Community Center. The Under 14's defeated New Milford 7-3 improving their record to 4-2. Fort Lee trailed 1-0 only three minutes into the game but scored three unanswered goals to take the lead. Joey Holzapfel tied the match with a shot into the lower left hand corner and in the tenth minute, defender Justin Zhang cleared a ball out to Shun Sugawara who led Holzapfel on the left wing to give Fort Lee the lead. After Sugawara scored to give Fort Lee a 3-1 lead, New Milford got on the board again, but Fort Lee scored just before halftime for a 4-2 lead. After New Milford made it 4-3 early in the second half, Fort Lee's defense didn't let up a single goal with goalkeeper Daniel Vitievsky making 10 saves in half, including several one-on-one situations and defenders David Gifford and Christian Temurcu's man marking was outstanding, making the visitors earn their shots. The U14's again scored three unanswered goals when Sugawara added two more for a hat trick and Anthony Baskin blasted a low shot for an insurance goal.A rejuvenated and much improved Under 10 "B" team from the outdoor season continued their fine form in indoor soccer with a 6-2 win over 3-2-1 New Milford as Fort Lee improved their record to 5-1 and are in second place with their lone loss coming against first place Wood Ridge. Goalkeeper Josh Posner was the star of the match when the first half could have gone either way as New Milford pelted Posner with shot after shot, as he was able to keep Fort Lee in the game. With the score at 3-2, Fort Lee scored three goals in the second half to put the game away. Bryce Maida knocked in two goals, one of them on a cross from Benny Kern, who also later tallied. Zachary Khorozian, Daniel Duarte and Mark Rendon scored one apiece. Milic was a stalwart on defense, breaking up plays and setting up his teammates on counter-attacks. Newcomer Yusuke Nagano continues to be a pleasant surprise, controlling the midfield by breaking up plays and creating scoring opportunities for his teammates.The Under 12 White squad could not muster many scoring opportunities as they fell to New Milford 4-1, as their record is now 4-2. The lone goal came from Rich Finizio.The Fort Lee Soccer League's teams also play during the week at the Teaneck Armory, in the "Soccer Coliseum" league. The Under 10 girls pulled out an exciting 2-1 win over Allendale. Bernadette Darcy scored on a penalty kick, but Allendale appeared to score the tying goal with only two minutes left. With 20 seconds remaining, Amanda LaMattina's throw-in found Nicole Florez as she sent her shot into the upper right hand corner for the game-winner. Zoe Cockinos had 8 saves in goal.The Under 12 girls defeated the Teaneck Stingrays 6-2, improving their record to 1-1-1 in Season #2. The goalscorers were Caitlin McKenna, Roni Shabo and Adriana Damato, which included a 10-yard strike. Stacy Goldberg was solid in goal and the Molinaro twins anchored the backline.The Under 12 "Orange" (or "C") squad, a week after defeating Hackensack, were defeated by 5-2 by Arsenal. Yuyu Fahmy and Mostafa Elbakly tallied for Fort Lee.
Fort Lee Orange Shows Its True Colors
February 13, 2007
Posted in The Bergen News
FORT LEE - Several years ago, the Fort Lee Soccer League (FLSL) began fielding two different sets of teams in most of its' boys all star teams. It was done since many kids who were talented were left off the team due to roster constraints as a second team gave more youngsters an opportunity to play. The "A" squads were called Fort Lee Black and the "B" squads, with younger and less experienced players, were known as Fort Lee White. This winter, for the first time in the Under 12 division, the FLSL created a "C" squad called Fort Lee Orange because of the continuing surplus of talented players in the league. Almost the entire team played on Fort Lee's B squad in the 2006 fall season and since indoor team rosters are smaller than outdoor rosters, the creation of the team has allowed these players to continue playing in the winter season.In only their first-ever game, the Under 12 "Orange" defeated Hackensack 5-3, Thursday, Feb. 1. Yuyu Fahmy knocked in the opening goal and Fort Lee took a 3-1 lead on another goal by Fahmy and one by Dean Ramirez. With the score at 3-2, Andrew Montagne found defender Hassan Khairat for the tally. Ramirez' added an insurance goal late in the contest.The Under 10 All Stars were inches away from winning the 6 vs. 6 tournament on Thursday, Jan. 25, but lost in a penalty kick shootout in the championship match against the Montclair Metros. In their first round matches, Fort Lee edged the Long Island Rough Riders 4-3, defeated Asphalt Green Soccer Club 5-1 and shutout the Mamaroneck Titans 4-0. In the semifinals, the U10's defeated the Arsenal Soccer Club 4-1 and advanced to the finals. Fort Lee led twice, but the game ended 2-2 in regulation.The games were decided in a penalty kick shootout as the U10's missed both of their shots. The boys walked off with runner-up medallions for their effort. In all, Turna had 8 goals and two assists, Masayuki Shimazu had 3 goals and 4 assists, while Paul Leale, Sasha Ivanoff, Zachary Wielkocz and Ryo Sugawara added one apiece. Michael Payan had a stellar performance in goal. In the first round of the playoffs at the Waldwick League, Fort Lee defeated the Wyckoff Torpedoes 6-0. Masayuki Shimazu knocked in 4 goals as Paul Leale and Justin Picache added one apiece. Michael Payan had the shutout as Ryo Sugawara, Zachary Wielkocz, Daniel Turna and Richard Capone had an assist. The team had won the regular season divisional title by defeating the Westwood Dragons 7-1.All four Fort Lee White teams played on Sunday, Feb. 4. The U10's lost their first game of the season to Wood Ridge 5-1. The lone goal came from Daniel Duarte on a pass from Mark Rendon. The U12's also lost their first match against Wood Ridge 5-2. Devin Sokolich set up Alessio Guacci's goal to make it a 2-1 contest, but Wood Ridge scored three unanswered goals to win the game. Robert Capone also tallied. The U14's rallied from a 5-2 halftime deficit to win 7-5. Joey Holzapfel and Shun Sugawara both knocked in two goals to put the game away. Daniel Vitievsky was the goalkeeper in the 2nd half and did not allow a goal.In the weekly "Soccer Coliseum" matches, the U10 White squad defeated Hackensack 4-2. Yusuke Nagano and Benny Kern both knocked in two goals. Fort Lee's defense was led by Arif Toremis and Filip Milic.
FORT LEE - Several years ago, the Fort Lee Soccer League (FLSL) began fielding two different sets of teams in most of its' boys all star teams. It was done since many kids who were talented were left off the team due to roster constraints as a second team gave more youngsters an opportunity to play. The "A" squads were called Fort Lee Black and the "B" squads, with younger and less experienced players, were known as Fort Lee White. This winter, for the first time in the Under 12 division, the FLSL created a "C" squad called Fort Lee Orange because of the continuing surplus of talented players in the league. Almost the entire team played on Fort Lee's B squad in the 2006 fall season and since indoor team rosters are smaller than outdoor rosters, the creation of the team has allowed these players to continue playing in the winter season.In only their first-ever game, the Under 12 "Orange" defeated Hackensack 5-3, Thursday, Feb. 1. Yuyu Fahmy knocked in the opening goal and Fort Lee took a 3-1 lead on another goal by Fahmy and one by Dean Ramirez. With the score at 3-2, Andrew Montagne found defender Hassan Khairat for the tally. Ramirez' added an insurance goal late in the contest.The Under 10 All Stars were inches away from winning the 6 vs. 6 tournament on Thursday, Jan. 25, but lost in a penalty kick shootout in the championship match against the Montclair Metros. In their first round matches, Fort Lee edged the Long Island Rough Riders 4-3, defeated Asphalt Green Soccer Club 5-1 and shutout the Mamaroneck Titans 4-0. In the semifinals, the U10's defeated the Arsenal Soccer Club 4-1 and advanced to the finals. Fort Lee led twice, but the game ended 2-2 in regulation.The games were decided in a penalty kick shootout as the U10's missed both of their shots. The boys walked off with runner-up medallions for their effort. In all, Turna had 8 goals and two assists, Masayuki Shimazu had 3 goals and 4 assists, while Paul Leale, Sasha Ivanoff, Zachary Wielkocz and Ryo Sugawara added one apiece. Michael Payan had a stellar performance in goal. In the first round of the playoffs at the Waldwick League, Fort Lee defeated the Wyckoff Torpedoes 6-0. Masayuki Shimazu knocked in 4 goals as Paul Leale and Justin Picache added one apiece. Michael Payan had the shutout as Ryo Sugawara, Zachary Wielkocz, Daniel Turna and Richard Capone had an assist. The team had won the regular season divisional title by defeating the Westwood Dragons 7-1.All four Fort Lee White teams played on Sunday, Feb. 4. The U10's lost their first game of the season to Wood Ridge 5-1. The lone goal came from Daniel Duarte on a pass from Mark Rendon. The U12's also lost their first match against Wood Ridge 5-2. Devin Sokolich set up Alessio Guacci's goal to make it a 2-1 contest, but Wood Ridge scored three unanswered goals to win the game. Robert Capone also tallied. The U14's rallied from a 5-2 halftime deficit to win 7-5. Joey Holzapfel and Shun Sugawara both knocked in two goals to put the game away. Daniel Vitievsky was the goalkeeper in the 2nd half and did not allow a goal.In the weekly "Soccer Coliseum" matches, the U10 White squad defeated Hackensack 4-2. Yusuke Nagano and Benny Kern both knocked in two goals. Fort Lee's defense was led by Arif Toremis and Filip Milic.
FL Soccer Team Wins 2nd Tournament
February 7, 2007
Posted in The Bergen News
FORT LEE - For the second time in less than two weeks, the borough's Soccer League Under 11 All Stars won the 6 vs. 6 tournament at the Teaneck Armory, Monday, Jan. 15. In their match against the Brooklyn Chernomorets (Ukraine), Fort Lee won 6-0 on goals by Chris Moreira (2), Daniel Turna, Alec Bloch, Alessio Guacci and George Popa. Fort Lee also defeated Commack, Long Island 6-0 as Rich Finzio and Turna both knocked in two goals and Moreira and Travis Nitti added one apiece. In the championship match, the U11's defeated North Rockland 7-2. Fort Lee took a quick 2-0 lead, but North Rockland countered with back-to-back goals only minutes apart to tie the game. Goalkeeper Aleksandar Gogic made several key saves to ensure that the game would not get away and defender Devin Sokolich blocked several shot attempts. Fort Lee went on to score five unanswered goals to win the tourney, including a goal from defender Pat Darcy.The U14 Girls team finished Season No. 1 at the Teaneck Armory on Tuesday, Jan. 30, with an impressive 3-3-1 record even though they were playing-up in the U16 division. Fort Lee defeated Northern Valley Demarest 5-1 as Claudia Morozova had a hat trick and Nicole Napolitano and Michelle Pappalardo had one each. Giana Dente, Natalie Mateus, Sophia Luppino and Morgan Romba each had an assist as Gabby DiClemente had 10 saves.Prior to the start of the 2007 Pascack Valley Indoor Soccer League season, the Fort Lee Soccer League (FLSL) decided not to enroll their Fort Lee Black (or "A" teams) and rather focus on tournaments and club league competitions since the PVISL (a very competitive town league which has been around for over 20 years) is strictly for town teams where club leagues are teams that actively recruit from across the state, making for more competitive games. Instead, the FLSL decided to send their four Fort Lee White teams (or "B" teams, which are comprised of younger and less experienced players than the "A" teams), in addition to the club leagues they play in during the week. Despite their "A" teams not participating in the PVISL this season, Fort Lee hasn't missed a beat as three of the four teams are undefeated midway through the season.Fort Lee "White" teams won all four of their matches on Sunday, Jan. 28. The Under 10's defeated Leonia 9-2 to improve to 4-0. The Under 12's also improved to 4-0 with a 5-1 win. With two minutes left in the first half, Rich Finizo found Alessio Guacci to tie the game 1-1 just before the half. In the second half, Robert Capone scored the winning goal as Shin Ito also added a goal. Naoya Kubo anchored the defense while Daniel Koch made 8 saves. The Under 14's defeated Leonia 6-3, powered by 4 goals from Shun Sugawara and one apiece from Anthony Baskin and Daniel Vitievsky, who shared time in goal with Justin Elkhechen. David Gifford and Justin Zhang also had an assist.The Under 8's improved to 4-0 by shutting out Haworth 5-0. George Moriatis knocked in the opening goal. Timothy Carriel crossed the ball to Michael Duarte for the second goal and Samuel Kemelman dribbled the ball upfield to blast his shot for a 3-0 lead. Later, Moriatis stole the ball from a defender for his second tally Carriel scored on a on a tap-in.The U8's defeated Hillsdale 5-1 on Sunday, Jan. 21. Ethan Keller scored two goals. The U8's defeated Dumont 6-2, which included goals by Yuki Usami, and Kenny Zhao, on Jan. 14. Kenneth Li played well in goal. Rohan Prajapati led the backline.
FORT LEE - For the second time in less than two weeks, the borough's Soccer League Under 11 All Stars won the 6 vs. 6 tournament at the Teaneck Armory, Monday, Jan. 15. In their match against the Brooklyn Chernomorets (Ukraine), Fort Lee won 6-0 on goals by Chris Moreira (2), Daniel Turna, Alec Bloch, Alessio Guacci and George Popa. Fort Lee also defeated Commack, Long Island 6-0 as Rich Finzio and Turna both knocked in two goals and Moreira and Travis Nitti added one apiece. In the championship match, the U11's defeated North Rockland 7-2. Fort Lee took a quick 2-0 lead, but North Rockland countered with back-to-back goals only minutes apart to tie the game. Goalkeeper Aleksandar Gogic made several key saves to ensure that the game would not get away and defender Devin Sokolich blocked several shot attempts. Fort Lee went on to score five unanswered goals to win the tourney, including a goal from defender Pat Darcy.The U14 Girls team finished Season No. 1 at the Teaneck Armory on Tuesday, Jan. 30, with an impressive 3-3-1 record even though they were playing-up in the U16 division. Fort Lee defeated Northern Valley Demarest 5-1 as Claudia Morozova had a hat trick and Nicole Napolitano and Michelle Pappalardo had one each. Giana Dente, Natalie Mateus, Sophia Luppino and Morgan Romba each had an assist as Gabby DiClemente had 10 saves.Prior to the start of the 2007 Pascack Valley Indoor Soccer League season, the Fort Lee Soccer League (FLSL) decided not to enroll their Fort Lee Black (or "A" teams) and rather focus on tournaments and club league competitions since the PVISL (a very competitive town league which has been around for over 20 years) is strictly for town teams where club leagues are teams that actively recruit from across the state, making for more competitive games. Instead, the FLSL decided to send their four Fort Lee White teams (or "B" teams, which are comprised of younger and less experienced players than the "A" teams), in addition to the club leagues they play in during the week. Despite their "A" teams not participating in the PVISL this season, Fort Lee hasn't missed a beat as three of the four teams are undefeated midway through the season.Fort Lee "White" teams won all four of their matches on Sunday, Jan. 28. The Under 10's defeated Leonia 9-2 to improve to 4-0. The Under 12's also improved to 4-0 with a 5-1 win. With two minutes left in the first half, Rich Finizo found Alessio Guacci to tie the game 1-1 just before the half. In the second half, Robert Capone scored the winning goal as Shin Ito also added a goal. Naoya Kubo anchored the defense while Daniel Koch made 8 saves. The Under 14's defeated Leonia 6-3, powered by 4 goals from Shun Sugawara and one apiece from Anthony Baskin and Daniel Vitievsky, who shared time in goal with Justin Elkhechen. David Gifford and Justin Zhang also had an assist.The Under 8's improved to 4-0 by shutting out Haworth 5-0. George Moriatis knocked in the opening goal. Timothy Carriel crossed the ball to Michael Duarte for the second goal and Samuel Kemelman dribbled the ball upfield to blast his shot for a 3-0 lead. Later, Moriatis stole the ball from a defender for his second tally Carriel scored on a on a tap-in.The U8's defeated Hillsdale 5-1 on Sunday, Jan. 21. Ethan Keller scored two goals. The U8's defeated Dumont 6-2, which included goals by Yuki Usami, and Kenny Zhao, on Jan. 14. Kenneth Li played well in goal. Rohan Prajapati led the backline.
FL Soccer Under 8's Finish Undefeated
December 12, 2006
Posted in The Bergen News
FORT LEE - For the second consecutive season, the Fort Lee Soccer League Boys Under 8 All Stars finished the regular season undefeated in the Northern Counties Soccer League with a 9-0 record. During this span, the U8's outscored the opposition by a 43-4 margin, two of them being 1-0 and 3-0 victories over the highly regarded Wyckoff Torpedoes. In their final regular season match, Fort Lee defeated the River Dell Blackhawks 6-0 on Nov. 18 at home at Van Fleet Park. The goalscorers were Jaidev Chhachhi, Taichi Miyazaki, Hassan Awad, Eisuke Fujita and Samuel Keller knocked in two as Jared Brucso had two assists. The defense was anchored by Hyuga Kasai, Chris Korkis and Matthew DeSavino. Bryant Kwai and Ivan Maldonado split time in goal to register the shutout. The team was led by Coaches Sam Maldonado and Alan Keller.The Under 14 'A' Boys All Stars ended the season in third place with a record of 5-2-2 in the "A" Flight as they defeated Allendale 6-1. Brian Lee found Michael Petrecca for the opening goal and Luis Lobo threaded a pass to Shun Sugawara for another score. Sugawara gave Fort Lee a 3-0 halftime lead as Nikola Gogic sprung him free. In the second half, Joey Holzapfel had a hat trick knocking in one goal on a free kick and two others on long-range shots on assists from Max Zimmerman and Fukuei Yoshida. George Padin and Paul Popa anchored the backline and Troy Mattesich was solid in goal.The Under 14 'B' All Stars let slip a 3-2 halftime lead and were defeated by North Arlington 6-4. After Anthony Baskin knocked in the opening goal, Joe Nam tallied from the left wing on a pass from Evan Sophias. Baskin tallied again just before halftime on a cross from Peter Kokkosis. In the second half, Kokkosis scored as Fort Lee's defense (David Gifford, Eugene Dyagilev and Michael Zagurskiy) did a fine job of sending the ball forward. Goalkeeper Daniel Vitievsky made several one-on-one saves to help keep the lead. North Arlington kept the pressure on late in the match as the hosts came from behind to win the match 6-4.The Under 12 'A' All Stars finished their season at 5-2-3 as they tied the NJ Americans 1-1 on Cody Elkhechen's goal. The youngest Fort Lee Under 12 team in 15 years (9 of the 14 players were actually Under 11's) finished fourth among 10 teams in the A Flight, the highest competitive division in this age division. Fort Lee scored 29 goals this year, the most in the division. The team's lone losses were to 1st place Clarkstown, NY (by a 1-0 score) and to the Newark Den of Lions.Some of the teams highlights of the season included defeating the third place Wyckoff Torpedoes 6-0 at the Middle School field, a team ranked eleventh in the state by nationalsoccerranking.com. In addition, the team reached the fourth round of the State Cup, which included knocking out eighth ranked Hamilton. With the home draw, the U12's keep their 12 year unbeaten streak at the Fort Lee Middle School field intact.The Under 10 'B' All Stars fell to the River Dell Blackhawks 4-1. Daniel Duarte scored on a pass from Justin Fasman. Josh Posner and Cory Hong shared time in goal as the defense was led by Elmar Ebrahim and Serop Kechichian.The Under 14 Girls All Stars finished the season in third place, (out of 10 teams) with a 7-3 record as they fell to the Waldwick Warriors 4-2.
FORT LEE - For the second consecutive season, the Fort Lee Soccer League Boys Under 8 All Stars finished the regular season undefeated in the Northern Counties Soccer League with a 9-0 record. During this span, the U8's outscored the opposition by a 43-4 margin, two of them being 1-0 and 3-0 victories over the highly regarded Wyckoff Torpedoes. In their final regular season match, Fort Lee defeated the River Dell Blackhawks 6-0 on Nov. 18 at home at Van Fleet Park. The goalscorers were Jaidev Chhachhi, Taichi Miyazaki, Hassan Awad, Eisuke Fujita and Samuel Keller knocked in two as Jared Brucso had two assists. The defense was anchored by Hyuga Kasai, Chris Korkis and Matthew DeSavino. Bryant Kwai and Ivan Maldonado split time in goal to register the shutout. The team was led by Coaches Sam Maldonado and Alan Keller.The Under 14 'A' Boys All Stars ended the season in third place with a record of 5-2-2 in the "A" Flight as they defeated Allendale 6-1. Brian Lee found Michael Petrecca for the opening goal and Luis Lobo threaded a pass to Shun Sugawara for another score. Sugawara gave Fort Lee a 3-0 halftime lead as Nikola Gogic sprung him free. In the second half, Joey Holzapfel had a hat trick knocking in one goal on a free kick and two others on long-range shots on assists from Max Zimmerman and Fukuei Yoshida. George Padin and Paul Popa anchored the backline and Troy Mattesich was solid in goal.The Under 14 'B' All Stars let slip a 3-2 halftime lead and were defeated by North Arlington 6-4. After Anthony Baskin knocked in the opening goal, Joe Nam tallied from the left wing on a pass from Evan Sophias. Baskin tallied again just before halftime on a cross from Peter Kokkosis. In the second half, Kokkosis scored as Fort Lee's defense (David Gifford, Eugene Dyagilev and Michael Zagurskiy) did a fine job of sending the ball forward. Goalkeeper Daniel Vitievsky made several one-on-one saves to help keep the lead. North Arlington kept the pressure on late in the match as the hosts came from behind to win the match 6-4.The Under 12 'A' All Stars finished their season at 5-2-3 as they tied the NJ Americans 1-1 on Cody Elkhechen's goal. The youngest Fort Lee Under 12 team in 15 years (9 of the 14 players were actually Under 11's) finished fourth among 10 teams in the A Flight, the highest competitive division in this age division. Fort Lee scored 29 goals this year, the most in the division. The team's lone losses were to 1st place Clarkstown, NY (by a 1-0 score) and to the Newark Den of Lions.Some of the teams highlights of the season included defeating the third place Wyckoff Torpedoes 6-0 at the Middle School field, a team ranked eleventh in the state by nationalsoccerranking.com. In addition, the team reached the fourth round of the State Cup, which included knocking out eighth ranked Hamilton. With the home draw, the U12's keep their 12 year unbeaten streak at the Fort Lee Middle School field intact.The Under 10 'B' All Stars fell to the River Dell Blackhawks 4-1. Daniel Duarte scored on a pass from Justin Fasman. Josh Posner and Cory Hong shared time in goal as the defense was led by Elmar Ebrahim and Serop Kechichian.The Under 14 Girls All Stars finished the season in third place, (out of 10 teams) with a 7-3 record as they fell to the Waldwick Warriors 4-2.
Fort Lee Girl All-Stars Battle For First Place
November 21, 2006
Posted in The Bergen News
FORT LEE - The Soccer League Under 14 Girls All Stars are one game away from winning the Northern Counties Soccer Association championship as they defeated the Teaneck Stingrays 5-0 on Sunday, Nov. 12 at Van Fleet Park. In a downpour, Fort Lee controlled the match led by Kristina Leale's hat trick and Nicole Napolitano's 4 assists. Sophia Luppino had a goal and Giana Dente scored her first goal of the year on a blast from outside the penalty area. Kimberly Napolitano also assisted on one of the scores. Morgan Romba, Lauren Ritchie and Bianca Esposito controlled the midfield and Megan Gimson, April Flaim Michelle Pappalardo and Jenny Valdeon led the defense. Gabby DiClemente notched her fifth shutout in nine games as the girls improved their record to 7-2 and are in second place. Fort Lee's final match is against the first place Waldwick Warriors, as a win is needed to win the title.The Under 12 Girls are now 4-4 as they fell to the Wyckoff Torpedoes 4-0 and also lost to Nutley 3-1 on Sunday, Nov. 5. The lone goal came in the second half by Haley Brescia on a cross from Diba Arami.The Under 10 Girls All Stars defeated the Glen Rock Shooting Stars 3-1 as Haruhi Noaki tallied twice and Elissa Cho also added a goal.The Under 14 Boys All Stars broke out of their mini-slump and defeated Rutherford 6-1 to improve their record to 5-2-2 and are in third place, keeping them in the hunt for first place. At halftime, Fort Lee led 2-0 as Troy Mattesich scored on a pass from Max Zimmerman and minutes later on a tally from Brian Lee on a pass from Luis Lobo. In the second half, Shun Sugawara knocked in back-to-back goals as Michael Petrecca and Nikola Gogic set him up on each one. Jonathan Hroncich knocked in the last two Fort Lee goals with Joey Holzapfel assisting on both. George Padin, Fukuei Yoshida, Erolv Avci and Paul Popa led the defense.The Under 12 All Stars rallied with 7 minutes remaining as Cody Elkhechen's second goal gave Fort Lee a 2-2 tie against Arsenal as they are now 5-2-2 and in third place.The Under 10 "A" All Stars, who clinched first place last weekend, had a bye week. The Under 10 "B" All Stars were defeated by Ramapo Valley 4-1 as Daniel Duarte scored on a pass from Josh Posner. Despite the loss, Elmar Ebrahim, Arif Toremis, Justin Fasman, Zachary Khorozian and Serop Kechichian stood out in this contest.The Under 8's remain undefeated at 9-0 as they defeated Kearney Thistle 4-0. Taichi Miyazaki scored twice as Chris Korkis set up one of the goals. Jared Brusco's corner kick led to a goal by Eisuke Fujita and the final goal was when Samuel Keller setup Jaidev Chhachhi for the score. Ivan Maldonado and Bryant Kwai split time in goal for the shutout.
FORT LEE - The Soccer League Under 14 Girls All Stars are one game away from winning the Northern Counties Soccer Association championship as they defeated the Teaneck Stingrays 5-0 on Sunday, Nov. 12 at Van Fleet Park. In a downpour, Fort Lee controlled the match led by Kristina Leale's hat trick and Nicole Napolitano's 4 assists. Sophia Luppino had a goal and Giana Dente scored her first goal of the year on a blast from outside the penalty area. Kimberly Napolitano also assisted on one of the scores. Morgan Romba, Lauren Ritchie and Bianca Esposito controlled the midfield and Megan Gimson, April Flaim Michelle Pappalardo and Jenny Valdeon led the defense. Gabby DiClemente notched her fifth shutout in nine games as the girls improved their record to 7-2 and are in second place. Fort Lee's final match is against the first place Waldwick Warriors, as a win is needed to win the title.The Under 12 Girls are now 4-4 as they fell to the Wyckoff Torpedoes 4-0 and also lost to Nutley 3-1 on Sunday, Nov. 5. The lone goal came in the second half by Haley Brescia on a cross from Diba Arami.The Under 10 Girls All Stars defeated the Glen Rock Shooting Stars 3-1 as Haruhi Noaki tallied twice and Elissa Cho also added a goal.The Under 14 Boys All Stars broke out of their mini-slump and defeated Rutherford 6-1 to improve their record to 5-2-2 and are in third place, keeping them in the hunt for first place. At halftime, Fort Lee led 2-0 as Troy Mattesich scored on a pass from Max Zimmerman and minutes later on a tally from Brian Lee on a pass from Luis Lobo. In the second half, Shun Sugawara knocked in back-to-back goals as Michael Petrecca and Nikola Gogic set him up on each one. Jonathan Hroncich knocked in the last two Fort Lee goals with Joey Holzapfel assisting on both. George Padin, Fukuei Yoshida, Erolv Avci and Paul Popa led the defense.The Under 12 All Stars rallied with 7 minutes remaining as Cody Elkhechen's second goal gave Fort Lee a 2-2 tie against Arsenal as they are now 5-2-2 and in third place.The Under 10 "A" All Stars, who clinched first place last weekend, had a bye week. The Under 10 "B" All Stars were defeated by Ramapo Valley 4-1 as Daniel Duarte scored on a pass from Josh Posner. Despite the loss, Elmar Ebrahim, Arif Toremis, Justin Fasman, Zachary Khorozian and Serop Kechichian stood out in this contest.The Under 8's remain undefeated at 9-0 as they defeated Kearney Thistle 4-0. Taichi Miyazaki scored twice as Chris Korkis set up one of the goals. Jared Brusco's corner kick led to a goal by Eisuke Fujita and the final goal was when Samuel Keller setup Jaidev Chhachhi for the score. Ivan Maldonado and Bryant Kwai split time in goal for the shutout.
Fort Lee U10's On Path To Title
November 9, 2006
Posted in The Bergen News
FORT LEE - While some soccer games were postponed due to high winds and heavy rain, on Saturday, Oct. 28, the Under 10 All Stars continued their winning streak on the path to a second consecutive Northern Counties Soccer Association title with a 5-1 win over the Den of Lions at Newark. It was scoreless for most of the match, but with 10 minutes remaining before the break, Masayuki Shimazu knocked in a rebound off of a Daniel Turna shot for a 1-0 lead at halftime.In the second half, playing with the wind against their backs, Fort Lee turned on the pressure as Shimazu tallied again and Turna scored on a one-touch pass from Paul Leale. The highlight of the contest was when Nikolas Menne got through a crowd of players on a rebound in front of the ball and "slide-kicked" the ball into the net, for his second goal of the season. Shimazu notched his second hat trick of the season on an indirect free kick with five minutes remaining to make it a 5-1 match.Fort Lee's backline held the team from Newark to only one goal with strong defensive play from Zachary Wielkocz, Richard Capone, Sasha Ivanoff and Ryot Sugawara. Goalkeeper Michael Payan recorded six saves. The U10's improved their record to 6-1 and need only to win one of their three remaining games to win the title. Full standings can be seen on the Northern Counties website at www.ncsa.com.The Under 12 All Stars rallied from a 2-0 deficit in the opening 10 minutes of the match to defeat the Mahwah Raiders 3-2. Travis Nitti tallied twice and Cody Elkhechen knocked in the game-winner early in the second half. The team improved their record to 3-2-1.The U8 All Stars defeated Northern Valley 3-0 to remain undefeated.The Under 14 All Stars tied the Demarest Vikings 3-3 on Sunday, Oct 29. Joey Holzapfel's corner kick was headed in by George Padin to knot the game at 1-1 and Jonathan Hroncic tallied to give Fort Lee a 2-1 lead at halftime. In the second half, Fort Lee took what seemed to be an insurance goal at the time when Max Zimmerman and Troy Mattesich set up Hroncic's second goal to make it 3-1, however, the Vikings rallied back to score two late goals to knot the contest at 3-3. The day before, Fort Lee was behind 2-0 at halftime and rallied in the second half on Brian Lee's assist to cut the lead to one but failed to score the equalizer before time ran out.The Under 14 Girls are now tied for second place as they shutout Fairlawn 2-0. Fort Lee scored both goals in the first half of the game and going against the wind. The first goal was scored off a pass from Nicole Napolitano to a streaking Kristina Leale who beat the defense and the goalie for a 1-0 lead. Prior to halftime, Leale crossed to Napolitano for the second and last goal of the game. Gabby DiClemente had seven saves in the game and recorded her third shutout of the season.The Under 12 Girls had their four game winning streak snapped as they were defeated by first place Wayne 3-0. For further information on the Fort Lee Soccer League, go to www.fortleesoccer.com.
FORT LEE - While some soccer games were postponed due to high winds and heavy rain, on Saturday, Oct. 28, the Under 10 All Stars continued their winning streak on the path to a second consecutive Northern Counties Soccer Association title with a 5-1 win over the Den of Lions at Newark. It was scoreless for most of the match, but with 10 minutes remaining before the break, Masayuki Shimazu knocked in a rebound off of a Daniel Turna shot for a 1-0 lead at halftime.In the second half, playing with the wind against their backs, Fort Lee turned on the pressure as Shimazu tallied again and Turna scored on a one-touch pass from Paul Leale. The highlight of the contest was when Nikolas Menne got through a crowd of players on a rebound in front of the ball and "slide-kicked" the ball into the net, for his second goal of the season. Shimazu notched his second hat trick of the season on an indirect free kick with five minutes remaining to make it a 5-1 match.Fort Lee's backline held the team from Newark to only one goal with strong defensive play from Zachary Wielkocz, Richard Capone, Sasha Ivanoff and Ryot Sugawara. Goalkeeper Michael Payan recorded six saves. The U10's improved their record to 6-1 and need only to win one of their three remaining games to win the title. Full standings can be seen on the Northern Counties website at www.ncsa.com.The Under 12 All Stars rallied from a 2-0 deficit in the opening 10 minutes of the match to defeat the Mahwah Raiders 3-2. Travis Nitti tallied twice and Cody Elkhechen knocked in the game-winner early in the second half. The team improved their record to 3-2-1.The U8 All Stars defeated Northern Valley 3-0 to remain undefeated.The Under 14 All Stars tied the Demarest Vikings 3-3 on Sunday, Oct 29. Joey Holzapfel's corner kick was headed in by George Padin to knot the game at 1-1 and Jonathan Hroncic tallied to give Fort Lee a 2-1 lead at halftime. In the second half, Fort Lee took what seemed to be an insurance goal at the time when Max Zimmerman and Troy Mattesich set up Hroncic's second goal to make it 3-1, however, the Vikings rallied back to score two late goals to knot the contest at 3-3. The day before, Fort Lee was behind 2-0 at halftime and rallied in the second half on Brian Lee's assist to cut the lead to one but failed to score the equalizer before time ran out.The Under 14 Girls are now tied for second place as they shutout Fairlawn 2-0. Fort Lee scored both goals in the first half of the game and going against the wind. The first goal was scored off a pass from Nicole Napolitano to a streaking Kristina Leale who beat the defense and the goalie for a 1-0 lead. Prior to halftime, Leale crossed to Napolitano for the second and last goal of the game. Gabby DiClemente had seven saves in the game and recorded her third shutout of the season.The Under 12 Girls had their four game winning streak snapped as they were defeated by first place Wayne 3-0. For further information on the Fort Lee Soccer League, go to www.fortleesoccer.com.
FL Soccer One Round Away From Fort Dix
October 24, 2006
Posted in The Bergen News
FORT LEE - The Under 12 Boys All Stars defeated Westfield 5-0 on the road on Saturday, Oct. 14 in the third round of the New Jersey State Cup. The borough took a commanding 3-0 lead only eight minutes into the game. Travis Nitti scored in the opening minute on a breakaway and Cody Elkhechen scored from 10 yards out. Rich Finizio made it 3-0 and Daniel Sokolich scored seconds before halftime on a 20 yard shot to give the U12's a 4-0 halftime lead. In the second half, Elkhechen tallied again when the goalkeeper bobbled a free kick, as he pounced on the rebound to score. The defensive backline of MarcAnthony Petrecca, Patrick Darcy, Eric delaCruz and Alec Bloch and goalie Aleksandar Gogic limited Westfield to only one shot on goal. Fort Lee's next match was against NJSA04 (New Jersey Soccer Academy), Saturday, Oct. 21, who is ranked No. 2 in the state. A victory will propel Fort Lee to the quarterfinals at Fort Dix on Saturday, Oct. 28.The Fort Lee U14 Boys lost their third round State Cup match 1-0 to Somerset Hills on a late goal and the U14 Girls All Stars lost to Mantua Township 1-0.In Northern Counties Soccer Association action, the Under 14's defeated North Rockland 4-1 on Sunday, Oct. 15. Just before halftime, Joey Holzapfel scored on a free kick and Fort Lee went up 2-0 when Max Zimmerman started a counter-attack by feeding Luis Lobo, whose one-touch pass created an opening for Jonathan Hroncic whose shot beat the keeper.Minutes later, George Padin sent a 35-yard pass to Hroncic for a breakaway for his second goal. Fort Lee finally gave up their first goal of the season as Northern Valley made it 3-1, but Troy Mattesich added an insurance goal. Great defensive effort by Fukei Yoshida, Erol Avci, Nikola Gogic and goalie Justin Elkhechen. The Under 12A squad fell to undefeated Clarkstown, NY 1-0. The Under 12B squad fell to Newark Ironbound 7-3.The Under 8's shutout Harrington Park 6-0. Taichi Miyazaki knocked in two goals while Ivan Maldonado, Chris Korkis (on an assist from Jared Brusco), Samuel Keller and Eisuke Fujita added one apiece. Hyuga Kasai led the defense and Matthew DeSavino was in goal.The U14 Girls improved their record to 3-1 with a 4-1 win over the Glen Rock Shooting Stars. Nicole Napolitano had two goals, Natalie Mateus had a goal and two assist and Kristina Leale had a goal and an assist. Fort Lee was ahead 1-0 after the first half and in the second half, Nancie Sophias changed the course of the contest with some great hustle and speed to help the girls increase their lead and take control of the game. Gabby DiClemente was stellar in goal with seven saves.The U12 Girls raised their record to 3-1-1 with a 4-1 victory over the Glen Rock Shooting Stars at Van Fleet Park. Fort Lee controlled the flow of the game with good passing, teamwork and scoring by Adrianna Damato (2), Jillian Scrivanich and Caitlin McKenna. Roni Shabo had two assists and in an unusual first half play, goalie Stacy Goldberg's punt resulted in a goal by Damato, creating a goalie assist. Maxime Menne had a strong game on defense and Larissa Anndenherz contributed off the bench in the midfield.
FORT LEE - The Under 12 Boys All Stars defeated Westfield 5-0 on the road on Saturday, Oct. 14 in the third round of the New Jersey State Cup. The borough took a commanding 3-0 lead only eight minutes into the game. Travis Nitti scored in the opening minute on a breakaway and Cody Elkhechen scored from 10 yards out. Rich Finizio made it 3-0 and Daniel Sokolich scored seconds before halftime on a 20 yard shot to give the U12's a 4-0 halftime lead. In the second half, Elkhechen tallied again when the goalkeeper bobbled a free kick, as he pounced on the rebound to score. The defensive backline of MarcAnthony Petrecca, Patrick Darcy, Eric delaCruz and Alec Bloch and goalie Aleksandar Gogic limited Westfield to only one shot on goal. Fort Lee's next match was against NJSA04 (New Jersey Soccer Academy), Saturday, Oct. 21, who is ranked No. 2 in the state. A victory will propel Fort Lee to the quarterfinals at Fort Dix on Saturday, Oct. 28.The Fort Lee U14 Boys lost their third round State Cup match 1-0 to Somerset Hills on a late goal and the U14 Girls All Stars lost to Mantua Township 1-0.In Northern Counties Soccer Association action, the Under 14's defeated North Rockland 4-1 on Sunday, Oct. 15. Just before halftime, Joey Holzapfel scored on a free kick and Fort Lee went up 2-0 when Max Zimmerman started a counter-attack by feeding Luis Lobo, whose one-touch pass created an opening for Jonathan Hroncic whose shot beat the keeper.Minutes later, George Padin sent a 35-yard pass to Hroncic for a breakaway for his second goal. Fort Lee finally gave up their first goal of the season as Northern Valley made it 3-1, but Troy Mattesich added an insurance goal. Great defensive effort by Fukei Yoshida, Erol Avci, Nikola Gogic and goalie Justin Elkhechen. The Under 12A squad fell to undefeated Clarkstown, NY 1-0. The Under 12B squad fell to Newark Ironbound 7-3.The Under 8's shutout Harrington Park 6-0. Taichi Miyazaki knocked in two goals while Ivan Maldonado, Chris Korkis (on an assist from Jared Brusco), Samuel Keller and Eisuke Fujita added one apiece. Hyuga Kasai led the defense and Matthew DeSavino was in goal.The U14 Girls improved their record to 3-1 with a 4-1 win over the Glen Rock Shooting Stars. Nicole Napolitano had two goals, Natalie Mateus had a goal and two assist and Kristina Leale had a goal and an assist. Fort Lee was ahead 1-0 after the first half and in the second half, Nancie Sophias changed the course of the contest with some great hustle and speed to help the girls increase their lead and take control of the game. Gabby DiClemente was stellar in goal with seven saves.The U12 Girls raised their record to 3-1-1 with a 4-1 victory over the Glen Rock Shooting Stars at Van Fleet Park. Fort Lee controlled the flow of the game with good passing, teamwork and scoring by Adrianna Damato (2), Jillian Scrivanich and Caitlin McKenna. Roni Shabo had two assists and in an unusual first half play, goalie Stacy Goldberg's punt resulted in a goal by Damato, creating a goalie assist. Maxime Menne had a strong game on defense and Larissa Anndenherz contributed off the bench in the midfield.
FL Soccer Girls Rally Defeating Ridgewood
October 3, 2006
Posted in The Bergen News
FORT LEE - The borough's Soccer League All Stars competed in Northern Counties Soccer Association games on Sunday, Sept. 24, with the girls' teams winning two of their three matches. The Under 14 Girls All Stars rallied from a 1-1 tie late in the second half to defeat the Ridgewood Maroons 3-1 at Van Fleet Park. Ridgewood knocked in the opening goal in the eight minute as their shot caromed off the right post and into the goal but All Stars tied the score 12 minutes later when Nicole Napolitano crossed the ball to Claudia Morova for a blast in the right corner of the net.For most of the match the contest remained knotted at 1-1, but with eight minutes left, Kristina Leale's corner kick was redirected by Natalie Mateus for the game-winning goal. The All Stars added an insurance goal with two minutes remaining when Sophia Luppino's lead ball found Leale as she chipped the ball over the onrushing opposing goalkeeper. Megan Gimson, Michelle Pappalardo, Jenny Valdeon and April Flaim led the defense. Gabby DiClements had 10 saves, including a diving shot in the second half, which prevented Ridgewood from taking a 2-1 lead. The team now evens their record at 1-1.
FORT LEE - The borough's Soccer League All Stars competed in Northern Counties Soccer Association games on Sunday, Sept. 24, with the girls' teams winning two of their three matches. The Under 14 Girls All Stars rallied from a 1-1 tie late in the second half to defeat the Ridgewood Maroons 3-1 at Van Fleet Park. Ridgewood knocked in the opening goal in the eight minute as their shot caromed off the right post and into the goal but All Stars tied the score 12 minutes later when Nicole Napolitano crossed the ball to Claudia Morova for a blast in the right corner of the net.For most of the match the contest remained knotted at 1-1, but with eight minutes left, Kristina Leale's corner kick was redirected by Natalie Mateus for the game-winning goal. The All Stars added an insurance goal with two minutes remaining when Sophia Luppino's lead ball found Leale as she chipped the ball over the onrushing opposing goalkeeper. Megan Gimson, Michelle Pappalardo, Jenny Valdeon and April Flaim led the defense. Gabby DiClements had 10 saves, including a diving shot in the second half, which prevented Ridgewood from taking a 2-1 lead. The team now evens their record at 1-1.
Fort Lee Soccer Team Still Undefeated
September 28, 2006
Posted in The Bergen News
FORT LEE - All four of the borough's Soccer League's "A" teams remained undefeated in the Northern Counties Soccer Association after their matches on Saturday, Sept. 16. The Under 14 All Stars improved to 2-0 with their second consecutive 5-0 win, this time over Nutley. In the tenth minute, Michael Petrecca fed Jonathan Hroncic on the wing whose left-footed shot found the upper right hand corner of the goal. In the fifteenth minute, Brian Lee tallied on a pass form George Padin and moments later Joey Holzapfel took a corner kick, which Nikola Gogic redirected into the net for a three-goal lead.In the second half, Shun Sugawara assisted on Holzapfel's goal from the top of the penalty area and Max Zimmerman found Luis Lobo for the final goal. Justin Elkhechen notched the shutout and the backline, led by Paul Popa and Fukuei Yoshida, notched their second consecutive shutout.The Under 12 Boys All Stars narrowly averted losing their first match since the 2003 fall season as they played the Fairlawn Lightning to a 3-3 tie as their record is now 1-0-1. With three minutes remaining and Fort Lee trailing 3-2, Daniel Sokolich took the ball up the right wing blasted a 10 yard shot to tie the match. Travis Nitti knocked in the opening goal and Cody Elkhechen scored the second Fort Lee goal
FORT LEE - All four of the borough's Soccer League's "A" teams remained undefeated in the Northern Counties Soccer Association after their matches on Saturday, Sept. 16. The Under 14 All Stars improved to 2-0 with their second consecutive 5-0 win, this time over Nutley. In the tenth minute, Michael Petrecca fed Jonathan Hroncic on the wing whose left-footed shot found the upper right hand corner of the goal. In the fifteenth minute, Brian Lee tallied on a pass form George Padin and moments later Joey Holzapfel took a corner kick, which Nikola Gogic redirected into the net for a three-goal lead.In the second half, Shun Sugawara assisted on Holzapfel's goal from the top of the penalty area and Max Zimmerman found Luis Lobo for the final goal. Justin Elkhechen notched the shutout and the backline, led by Paul Popa and Fukuei Yoshida, notched their second consecutive shutout.The Under 12 Boys All Stars narrowly averted losing their first match since the 2003 fall season as they played the Fairlawn Lightning to a 3-3 tie as their record is now 1-0-1. With three minutes remaining and Fort Lee trailing 3-2, Daniel Sokolich took the ball up the right wing blasted a 10 yard shot to tie the match. Travis Nitti knocked in the opening goal and Cody Elkhechen scored the second Fort Lee goal
Fort Lee Soccer Team Kicks Off Season
September 21, 2006
Posted in The Bergen News
FORT LEE – The borough’s Soccer League kicked off its twentieth anniversary season on Saturday, Sept. 9, with various in-town and all-star games being played. The league has a record 610 boys and girls enrolled in the program with 52 teams, 10 of them club soccer travel teams.
The Under 14 A All Stars shutout Allendale 5-0. The opening 20 minutes were a stalemate with both teams having very good scoring opportunities. Goalkeeper Troy Mattesich came up with a big save in the eighth minute to keep Allendale off the scoreboard. In the twenty-first minute, Joey Holzapfel’s lead ball to Shun Sugawara created the opening goal and Shun blasted his shot into the lower left corner of the goal. Minutes before halftime, Lee reciprocated with a pass to Holzapfel, whose left-footed shot barely eluded the Allendale goalkeeper and sailed into the upper left hand corner for a 2-0 lead. In the second half, Lee found Michael Petrecca for a 3-0 lead. Lee would get his second goal anyway as he pounced on a rebound. The final goal of the match was scored when Jonathan Hroncich, blasted a 40-yard shot on goal, which surprised the opposing keeper and sailed into the net. The backline of Fukuei Yoshida, Paul Popa, George Padin and Nikola Gogic limited Allendale’s scoring opportunities to only a few. The coaches are Joe Holzapfel (sixth season) and Ranko Gogic (first season).
The Under 14 B All Stars had a bye week. The head coach is Moe Aissani, who led the U10 indoor team to the PVISL title in 2001 and after a brief “retirement” from coaching is back full-time with the Fort Lee Soccer League.
The Under 12 A All Stars took a 3-0 half-time lead against the N.J. Americans and held off a furious rally by the host team to win the game 3-01. Fort Lee took the lead when defender George Popa’s 30-yard pass sprung Travis Nitti free for a breakaway as he placed the ball right past the goalkeeper as he was coming out to cut off the angle. Minutes later, Fort Lee took advantage of a 3 vs. 2 counterattack when Rich Finizio found Nitti just inside the penalty area to put Fort Lee up 2-0. Near the end of the half, Daniel Sokolich’s corner kick was bobbled by the goalkeeper as Finizio pounced on the loose ball, sending it into the upper right hand corner of the goal. In the second half, the Americans had the upper hand in ball possession as they scored minutes into the half. However, Fort Lee’s backline of Pat Darcy, MarcAnthony Petrecca, Eric delaCruz and Alec Bloch held firm. Goalkeeper Aleksandar Gogic stood tall to snatch several goal-scoring opportunities while coming up with 11 saves. John Marin, in his twenty-first season, is the coach.
The Under 12 B All Stars defeated Leonia 6-2. Leonia scored the opening goal of the contest, but Fort Lee responded when Zouhare Al-Baroudi found Yuyu Fahmy who broke through the defense to score. Kang Min Kim tallied and Fahmy scored his second for a 3-1 halftime lead.
Tondi Mushandu found Kim for his second tally and Naoya Kubo scored back-to-back goals. Goalkeeper Daniel Koch notched four saves. The coaches are Marc Macri, Gerardo Guacci and Mark Sokolich, all of whom are in their 4th year of all-star coaching.
The Under 8 All Stars defeated River Dell 6-1 Jared Brusco had a hat trick, while Ivan Maldonado tallied twice and Samuel Keller added one. The coaches are Sam Maldonado and Alan Keller who are both in their first season as all-star coaches.
The Under 10B All Stars fell to River Dell 4-2 despite goals from Filip Milic, on a pass from Zachary Khorozian and David DeSavino, on a pass from Daniel Duarte. The coaches are Rich Fasman, Scott Posner and Ana Milic, all of whom are in their 2nd seasons as all-star coaches.
The Under 12 Girls All Stars suffered a heartbreaker when the Mahway Raiders scored with 40 seconds left to tie Fort Lee 1-1 at Van Fleet Park. In the 28th minute, Jillian Scrivanich’s corner kick found Jacqueline Greenfield for the lone goal. Haley Brescia and Alyssa Bonardi led the backline as Stacy Goldberg notched 9 saves. The coach is Joel Goldberg (4th season).
The Under 10 Girls, with many new faces this season, fell 4-0 to Fairlawn. Coaches are Andrew Fuentes (second season) and Henrique Hablitschek (first season).
FORT LEE – The borough’s Soccer League kicked off its twentieth anniversary season on Saturday, Sept. 9, with various in-town and all-star games being played. The league has a record 610 boys and girls enrolled in the program with 52 teams, 10 of them club soccer travel teams.
The Under 14 A All Stars shutout Allendale 5-0. The opening 20 minutes were a stalemate with both teams having very good scoring opportunities. Goalkeeper Troy Mattesich came up with a big save in the eighth minute to keep Allendale off the scoreboard. In the twenty-first minute, Joey Holzapfel’s lead ball to Shun Sugawara created the opening goal and Shun blasted his shot into the lower left corner of the goal. Minutes before halftime, Lee reciprocated with a pass to Holzapfel, whose left-footed shot barely eluded the Allendale goalkeeper and sailed into the upper left hand corner for a 2-0 lead. In the second half, Lee found Michael Petrecca for a 3-0 lead. Lee would get his second goal anyway as he pounced on a rebound. The final goal of the match was scored when Jonathan Hroncich, blasted a 40-yard shot on goal, which surprised the opposing keeper and sailed into the net. The backline of Fukuei Yoshida, Paul Popa, George Padin and Nikola Gogic limited Allendale’s scoring opportunities to only a few. The coaches are Joe Holzapfel (sixth season) and Ranko Gogic (first season).
The Under 14 B All Stars had a bye week. The head coach is Moe Aissani, who led the U10 indoor team to the PVISL title in 2001 and after a brief “retirement” from coaching is back full-time with the Fort Lee Soccer League.
The Under 12 A All Stars took a 3-0 half-time lead against the N.J. Americans and held off a furious rally by the host team to win the game 3-01. Fort Lee took the lead when defender George Popa’s 30-yard pass sprung Travis Nitti free for a breakaway as he placed the ball right past the goalkeeper as he was coming out to cut off the angle. Minutes later, Fort Lee took advantage of a 3 vs. 2 counterattack when Rich Finizio found Nitti just inside the penalty area to put Fort Lee up 2-0. Near the end of the half, Daniel Sokolich’s corner kick was bobbled by the goalkeeper as Finizio pounced on the loose ball, sending it into the upper right hand corner of the goal. In the second half, the Americans had the upper hand in ball possession as they scored minutes into the half. However, Fort Lee’s backline of Pat Darcy, MarcAnthony Petrecca, Eric delaCruz and Alec Bloch held firm. Goalkeeper Aleksandar Gogic stood tall to snatch several goal-scoring opportunities while coming up with 11 saves. John Marin, in his twenty-first season, is the coach.
The Under 12 B All Stars defeated Leonia 6-2. Leonia scored the opening goal of the contest, but Fort Lee responded when Zouhare Al-Baroudi found Yuyu Fahmy who broke through the defense to score. Kang Min Kim tallied and Fahmy scored his second for a 3-1 halftime lead.
Tondi Mushandu found Kim for his second tally and Naoya Kubo scored back-to-back goals. Goalkeeper Daniel Koch notched four saves. The coaches are Marc Macri, Gerardo Guacci and Mark Sokolich, all of whom are in their 4th year of all-star coaching.
The Under 8 All Stars defeated River Dell 6-1 Jared Brusco had a hat trick, while Ivan Maldonado tallied twice and Samuel Keller added one. The coaches are Sam Maldonado and Alan Keller who are both in their first season as all-star coaches.
The Under 10B All Stars fell to River Dell 4-2 despite goals from Filip Milic, on a pass from Zachary Khorozian and David DeSavino, on a pass from Daniel Duarte. The coaches are Rich Fasman, Scott Posner and Ana Milic, all of whom are in their 2nd seasons as all-star coaches.
The Under 12 Girls All Stars suffered a heartbreaker when the Mahway Raiders scored with 40 seconds left to tie Fort Lee 1-1 at Van Fleet Park. In the 28th minute, Jillian Scrivanich’s corner kick found Jacqueline Greenfield for the lone goal. Haley Brescia and Alyssa Bonardi led the backline as Stacy Goldberg notched 9 saves. The coach is Joel Goldberg (4th season).
The Under 10 Girls, with many new faces this season, fell 4-0 to Fairlawn. Coaches are Andrew Fuentes (second season) and Henrique Hablitschek (first season).
