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Archived News Reel
10U season:
3/11/06: Scorpions’ final 10U-Winter Tournament @ Hudson Valley, NY.
The Big Blue Shoot Out @ the Sportsdome. Scorpions climbed the mountains of upstate NY to be crowned Champs.
Scorpions travel to upstate NY to face new challengers. It was wild as we drove through the historical old town of Marlboro, up a narrow side road to see this huge bubble rise out of the ground. The Superdome looked like the moon rising out of the ground.
The Scorpions warmed up playing YMCA Pumas, winning 2 to 0. In the 2nd game, the Scorpions looking good, slipped up, miscommunicating on a pass to allow Monroe United Wolverines to slide in a single goal to win 1 to nothing. The good from that lost, was that it brought back the Scorpion ‘Fire’. They came a long way & weren’t going to go home without making a statement. The Scorpions knew they had to win the next 3 to have a shot at winning the shoot out. One thing the Scorpions saw, was that each team they played & were to play, had big, strong & excellent goalies.
The Scorpions came back to beat the LaGrange Vikings, 1-0 in game 3. Next was the Minisink Strikers, who looked determine to beat the Scorpions, but that only drove the Scorpions harder, beating the Strikers 4 to nothing. Game 5, the final match, ironically came down to the Scorpions playing last year’s Shoot Out Champs, the Pleasant Valley Vipers. The Vipers were 4 & 0, and just needed to beat the Scorpions for the Championship. There is nothing more thrilling for a coach to see the ‘DETERMINATION’ on their players’ face to win a match & to win the championship. The Scorpions went back to operating on all 10 cylinders. Driving the ball hard, sharp passes, teamwork, defense, drilling shoots into the goal & the drive to win. The Scorpions won 4 to nothing, becoming the Big Blue Shoot Out Champs. Highlights: Johnny & ‘E’ (3), Joey & Ollie (2), and Chris (1). Asst: Joey (4), Eric (2), Nick, Brian, Paddy, and Johnny (1). Great defense & execution by Jimmy, Chris, Nick, Paddy & Bart with 11 saves.
3/4/06: Scorpions (0) Vs Dix Hills Cyclones (4)
The Scorpions took their 1st lost in a long time against the Suffolk-1, 11U Cyclones. It was the 1st time the Scorpions have ever been shut out! The Scorpions played an excellent game, battling to the end with an aggressive 23 SOGs, by Jimmy(4), Eric(4), Nick(3), & Brian, Patrick, Ollie, Johnny, Chris & Joey (2) each. Defense was strong & physical on both sides. Bart wrestled in 7 defensive saves in goal. The Cyclones played a great game & helped the Scorpions to be better soccer players that will bring our game to a new level.
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2/25/06: Scorpions (8) Vs East Islip Elite(3): ‘Scorpions rise above Elite Status’:
The Scorpions attached quickly, striking hard with 2 quick goals in the 1st five minutes of the game. The Elite battled back to score 2 goals in a row, 20 minutes into the 1st half to tie the game. The Scorpions retaliated, scoring another goal before the half was over. In the 2nd half the Scorpions continued their great ball handling skills. The Scorpions played off each other well; doing a great job of ‘give & go’ passes to drive the ball down the field. There were great defensive tackles & support for each other to win the ball. The boys were more talkative then usual to each other that gave them more control over the game. Final goal came with seconds left on the clock; Brian drives the ball down the middle of the field and lays off a pass to Patrick. Patrick races in from the left wing and power drives the ball through a defender & the goalie for a goal. Big thanks to Chris for helping us on the sidelines & cheering for the boys while he nurses a broken toe. Goals: Nick & Ollie (2), Brian, Patrick, Eric, & Joey (1). Assists: Brian (3), Patrick & Joey (2), & Johnny (1). Bart 5 big SAVES!
2/19/06: Scorpions Win ‘The Soccer Coliseum @ Teaneck Championship’
What a weekend, 1st spending the evening together, cheering on Hofstra against the only Siena fan-Ollie! The Scorpions continued their ‘Refuse to Lose’ drive, storming through the Bergen Raiders, NJ, 7–0. Next the Scorpions took on the mighty ‘Den Of Lions’ Sports Academy, NJ. It was a fierce battle the entire game. The Lions’ only score to tie the game came off a great defense save by Bart that was rebounded back into the goal. The Scorpions knew they had to win the next game to make it to the semi-finals. They face the well-known & respected Downtown United Soccer Club, Manhattan, NY (DUSC). The Scorpions rose to the occasion, coming out strong winning the game: 9 to 3. Due to the tie, the Scorpions got the wild card slot for the semi-finals, drawing the NY # 2 ranked team, the Manhattan Kickers ’95. Our last battle with the Kickers turned into a nail biter, going to a 6-round shoot-out to see who would be crown champions. The Kickers scored 1st. The Scorpions quickly retaliated with Nick providing Joey a long ball. Joey coming off his deathbed, drives the ball into the net to tie the game. The Kickers came back strong to take the lead again, but Johnny was on fire! Johnny got a great pass from Nick, to bang it in to tie the game up again. Johnny, Joey, Brian, Jimmy, Chris, Patrick & Ollie did a dynamite job of playing offense as well as getting back on ‘D’. Defense is what won this game. With less then 3 minutes left in the game, Joey pops a perfect corner kick to the net. The Kickers’ goalie deflected the shot that falls into the hands of another Kicker. Nick lines up to take the penalty kick and blast it into the upper corner of the net for the lead goal. The Kickers not willing to give up, go on the attack. They pulled their goalie and battled hard to score, but DEFENSE, DEFENSE, shut them down to win the match. What a great game. It was the game of the day. The director of the tournament came up to me during the match & said, “don’t tell me it is tied again? I guess we will have to go to a shoot-out again.” I told him, “you can’t tell until it is over.” The Scorpions advanced to the finals to take on the Manhattan Kickers ’96 team, who unset the Den of Lions 1-0. The Scorpions won the finals 2-0.
Goals: Eric, Joey & Johnny (4), Nick, & Jimmy (3), Ollie (2), and Brian & Chris (1). Assists: Eric (6), Nick (5) Patrick & Chris (3), Joey, Jimmy & Brian (1). Bart 29 outstanding SAVES! Jimmy & Eric both had hat tricks in a game. Johnny scored the 100th goal of the winter season & the Scorpions BANGED 118 shots on net. Note: The Tournament Director wants to know who is going to pay for the shot Jimmy took that drilled a dent in the garage door?
2/11/06: Scorpions (4) Vs HBC Devils(3) Good always triumphs over the Devil!
The Scorpions played like a professional team, stepping up their game, to put on a show.
Highlights: Brian stealing the ball at the centerline and driving a pass out to Johnny, who crosses back to Eric. Eric drives it up the middle to blast in the 1st goal. Nick B., makes a nice sweeper stop, drives the ball down the middle of the field, delivering a nice lead ball out to Joey. Joey takes it home for the score. Joey & Johnny demonstrated an outstanding battle for the ball in the box, working together to win the ball. Johnny fights through the crowd & rips a shot off the top of the crossbar. Eric battled hard against 3 defenders, to get a pass out to Ollie. Ollie races in to blast a shot, but the goalie made a great save. Minutes left in the half, Jimmy makes a nice defensive save over the centerline and provides a quick pass to Joey. Joey turns & lays a pass out to Ollie who nails it for a goal.
In the 2nd half, the Scorpions were up 3 to 1 and continued to play their game, good clean soccer. The Devils came back to tie the game. With 5 minutes left in the game, Nick B lines up a penalty shot, just over the centerline. Ollie creates a screen and a diversion that confuses the Devils in the box. Nick B laces a blast down the middle for a strike & the winning goal. Big D-Defensive, came from Jimmy, Chris, Brian, Patrick, Nick B, Nick M, Ollie, Joey & Bart. An outstanding effort by Nick B & Brian, who worked hard through aggressive physical contact to win the ball. Bart had 11 saves and 2 coming out of the box to delivering crushing saves. The Scorpions stood strong after the game.
1/29/06, SCORPIONS TRI-STATE CHAMPS- 3 years in a row. The Scorpions returned to NJ to defend their last year’s title as Tri-State Champions. As always the Scorpions won the tournament with panache, given the crowd their money’s worth. The Scorpions quickly got their rhythm winning their 1st, 7:30AM game against Larchmont, NY, 5-0. The Scorpions looked like the “Harlem Globetrotters’ in the 2nd game, moving the ball around so well, beating the NJ Arsenals 8–3. The 3rd game, the Scorpions again won 5-0 against Scarsdale, NY. Parents from the other teams & the Directors running the event spoke highly to Paul & me, on how well the boys played. This is always great to hear & to be proud of. The Finals came down to a very strong, Manhattan Kickers, who have been ranked #1 in NY & #49th Nationally, according to USA Soccer Rank.com.
The Scorpions scored 1st, then Manhattan came back to score 2 goals. The Scorpions stayed strong, scoring 2 more goals to take the lead 3-2. With less then a minute on the clock, Manhattan & the Scorpions battled hard. With less then 4 seconds left on the clock & the announcer counting down the seconds, Manhattan drills a shot to the corner of the net to tie the game. The championship goes down to a shootout, just like last year. The Scorpions, Bart, choose to defend the goal 1st. Manhattan's 1st five players scored with Bart getting a partial block on the last 3 shots. Nick blasted in the Scorpions 1st goal and then Joey. Paul shifted to the lefties to throw off the goalie. Eric & Patrick both rocketed a shot into the net. Paul then asks for volunteers? Nick volunteered to take another shot & scored. The next Manhattan Kicker was their best player. Bart eyed the player down, shifting his body slightly to the left & leaning towards his right. Bart started rocking, confusing the kicker who blasted a shot wide right of the goal. Big turnover! Joey smiled & just walked up to take the next kick. He didn’t need to be asked. He knew he was going to win the game. Joey put the nail in the coffin to win the game. The boys went nuts jumping on him. The Scorpions won their 2nd in a row winter tournament & going undefeated in both tournaments, to claim their title as The Coliseum - Tri-State Champions, 3 years in a row. Goals: Nick, Joey & Eric (5), Ollie (4), Johnny (3), Jimmy (2), and Brian, Patrick & Chris (1). Assists: Eric (3), Jimmy, Patrick, Chris, Ollie & Johnny (2), Joey & Nick (1). Bart 41 SAVES!.
1/28/06, The Scorpions (8) Slay the East Islip Red Titans (6)
The Scorpions had themselves a game, clashing with the E. Islip Titans. The Scorpions started out strong and only got stronger as the game continued. Highlights: Eric & Joey battled hard for the ball in the Titans’ territory. Joey wins the battle, clearing the ball out to Eric, who launches a shot over the Titans’ goalie for the 1st score. Next Patrick knocks down a ball with his chest, at midfield. Patrick drives toward the net and lays a pass off to Ollie. Ollie passes back to Joey, who nails a shot into the net. Bart races out of box when the Titans launched a long ball on a breakaway. Bart crushes his way through their attack & clears the ball out of his territory. The Titans scored 1 goal before the half was over.
2nd Half, the Titans started out strong, quickly scoring 3 goals in a row. The Scorpions followed by stepping up their game with determination to score & score again. Eric places a perfect corner kick into the crowd battling for the ball in the box. Chris wins it & nails it in for a goal. Joey follows on a penalty kick from midfield, launching a ‘field goal’ just over the Titans' Goalie to tie the game. The Scorpions ‘Rocked & Roll’ until the end of the game. Nick & Johnny drove down the field ‘given & going’ all the way until Johnny drives to the right corner to deliver home a goal. Joey follows with his 2nd field goal of the night, quickly stealing a long pass by the Titans, to place a perfect shot into the net from just over the centerline. Ollie follows ‘TWICE” in the final minutes of play, providing great defense, to steal the ball & deliver Johnny the long ball. Johnny races down the field with speed & determination to drive in 2 back-to-back goals. Goals: Joey (3), Johnny (3), Eric (1) & Chris (1). Assists: Ollie (2), Nick (1), Eric (1), Patrick (1) & Joey (2). Bart 8 outstanding saves.
1/22/06, LaMonica OUSC Indoor Tournament – 1st Place
Goals: Joey (5), Johnny (4), Nick (3), Ollie (3), Eric (2), Jimmy (1) & Patrick (1). Assists: Patrick (3), Brian (3), Ollie (3), Jimmy (2), Nick (1), Johnny (1), Eric (1) & Joey (2). Bart 15 outstanding saves.
Highlights: Chris McGrath named MVP, Best Defender in the OUSC Indoor Tournament. Nick Bigilin had TWO huge defensive saves. One in the Semi-Final’s match against the Dog Pounds, Nick saved a goal with less then 2 minutes left on the clock & with the game tied, 1 – 1. Bart dives through the crowd to deflect a corner throw-in. Nick extends his leg & BIG foot out, just in time, to tip the ball out of the net. With less then 25 seconds on the clock, Patrick provides Joey a perfect throw-in towards the goal. Joey slips the ball pass a defender to Johnny waiting in the wings. Johnny slams it home for the Victory. In the Finals, Nick also cleared out a tipped ball just before it when into the net to keep the game scoreless.
As it should be, the Finals came down to the 2 best teams on Long Island, if not the world, the Massapequa Arsenals & the Massapequa Scorpions. The Tournament Directors knew from the beginning, based on a prediction made on ESPN, who the top 2 teams would be. The fans included the supportive parents & the other teams who stayed to watch two great teams battle for the championship.
1/21/06: The Scorpions (6) take the crown from the king of the jungle, the Levittown Lions (2)
The Scorpions continue to run at the top of their game, providing fierce attacks on the Lions’ den. The Lions & the Scorpions battled hard, but the Scorpions seem to have the stamina to dominate the game. 15 minutes into the 1st half, the Scorpions all attacked the Lions’ den. Joey traps a kick, just over the centerline & drives in for the kill. Joey draws in the lions, surrounding him. Joey lays off a soft pass to Eric, wide open in the left wing flats. Eric launches a shot into the net for the 1st goal. 23 minutes in, Chris makes a great defensive save and pushes it out to Joey, who takes it quickly down the left side to launch a shot into the net. Scorpions were up 2 to nothing at the half.
Within seconds into the 2nd half, Eric drives down the left side, lays a pass back to Patrick. Patrick swings the ball over to Johnny at right wing. Johnny sees no shot, quickly passes to Joey in the center of the field, just outside the 18-yard line. Joey launches a rocket in for a goal. Lions got organized and scored 2 goals. Scorpions then took control of the game, with Brian trapping a defensive pass out from the Lion’s box. As the Lions attack, Brian quickly crosses a pass to Eric, wide open to nail a shot into the corner of the net. Things got excited when Eric launches a corner kick that Johnny just misses a head ball into the net. But Eric & Johnny get a quick 2nd chance, when ‘E’ launches another corner kick perfectly to Johnny who bangs in a head ball for a goal. Final goal came from 2 basketball players, Ollie & Patrick, driving down the field, providing each other give & go passes to have Ollie stuff the ball into the net.
Defensive continued to be strong for the Scorpions. ( ) Defensive saves: Patrick (8), Nick (7), Jimmy (5), Chris (3), Joey (2) & Brian (2). Our Fullbacks, who out hustled, stepped up & challenged the Lions’ every time they crossed the centerline. They aggressively fought to win the ball back or defused the Lions’ drives by blocking shots, providing support to each other, then starting our offensive attacks. BART-unbelievable (12) saves, including a fierce battle in the box. Bart crashes through everyone to dive on the fumble & save a goal. Bart took a few kicks to the body to save the goal. I asked Bart when he came out, if he was hurt from the kicks. Bart smiled at me with a grin and a little laugh, and said No, it was fun.
1/07/06: The Scorpions (11) battle the Levittown (A) Gladiators (2):
The Scorpions stung quickly, with 2 minutes into the game, Joey delivers a pass to Johnny. Johnny takes it to the right corner & delivers a beautiful cross to Brian in the box, who nails it for a goal. The Scorpions quickly followed with 3 minutes into the game, with Chris providing a perfect throw-in into the box that gets deflected out, but Jimmy in position, chips in a shot over everyone for a goal. 15 minutes into the half, Levittown scores. 17 minutes in, Patrick drives a shot down the left side. Eric takes it to the left corner and drills a cross through the box. Johnny in position on the right, traps the ball & drills it quickly back across the box. Mad Man Mangone provides a diving head shot in the box to knock the ball in for a goal. 18 minutes into the game, Patrick wins the ball over on defense and passes out to Eric. Eric delivers a great long ball to Mangone. Mangone all alone on a breakaway takes it all the way home for a goal. 22 minutes in, Eric again delivers a rocket pass across the goal box. Johnny traps it & battles in the box to score. The Scorpions were looking sharp, up 5 to 1 in the 1/2 half.
In the 2nd half, the Scorpions were prepared for the Gladiators to come out strong. Brian quickly steals the ball and passes out to Johnny. Johnny lays a perfect cross to Eric who nails it for a goal. Next, Ollie aggressively drives down the field laying off a nice pass to Joey at right wing. Joey takes it to the corner, dances around defenders to softly lay the ball off, untouched, into the net. Ollie fly-fishing, delivers a perfect throw-in into the box. Mangone puts a body on it for the score. Next, Joey works his magic down the right side, delivering a cross to Eric, who nails it home for a goal. Ollie again running threw and over defenders, wins the ball and lays a long ball off to Mangone down the middle. Mangone races to beat 3 defenders to the ball. Mangone crashes through the defenders, to race down the field and blast in his 4th goal of the game. The Scorpions final goal came from Jimmy, who delivered a blast from the right corner to score, his 2nd of the game. The Scorpions were running on all cylinders.
12/10/05: Scorpions (3) Vs Hicksville Hurricanes (2) The Scorpions took their 1st winter win battling a Hurricane. The Scorpions scored 1st with a nice long ball by Nick B., out to Johnny. Johnny took it to the right corner lacing a long perfect strike over the goalie for a GOAL! The Hurricanes came back to score 2 goals before the half was over. The Scorpions down 2 – 1, started to get aggressive in the 2nd half. A big defense block at the centerline by Jimmy, who dropped off a pass to Joey. Joey put on his dancing shoes to drive through traffic and down the center to blast a shot on net, for a GOAL! The Game tie 2-2, defense stepped up hard as the Hurricanes picked up their intensity, to try and break the tie. Patrick, Brian, Chris, Nick B., Nick M., Jimmy, Ollie, Joey, Johnny, Eric & Bart all played hard to block shots & win the ball back. Bart again, outstanding with 11 saves in goal & only taken out one Hurricane in a battle in the box. The boys fought hard to get the ball out to Nick M. (Skate) on point. Nick M. had 2 shots on goal, one with the Hurricanes taking him down in the box. Finally, with 5 minutes left to play, Joey makes a nice defensive stop at the centerline and lays off a pass to Nick B. Nick dances his way through heavy traffic, up the middle, to tip in a shot for the winning goal.
12/3/05: Scorpions (4) Vs Deer Park Warriors (7) Best Lost we ever had!
Outstanding! – Is what keeps running through my mind after watching the way these boys played today. The Boys knew they were playing older kids, kids that were at least a foot taller, stronger(?) & faster(?) then most of them & a team that had won a State Championship. But, the Scorpions didn’t miss a beat coming out hard, out running the Warriors to the ball, winning the ball, fighting through traffic, taking the hits & still standing after the hits, while others fell to the ground. The Scorpions made more of a statement today & grew as a team then they probably realized. Every one of them played 110% - on the money. They had the Warriors worrying more then they will ever know. They had more heart & endurance, demonstrating a great future lies ahead of them. Paul has always told the boys, “You cannot always control the results of a game - but you can always have control of the effort you put forth.” Well they were in total control of their destiny today. They should be proud as Paul & I were of them.
Highlights: It was a ‘Defense Game’ for the Scorpions. This time, I have to give a lot of credit to the outstanding defensive players. Brian Flecker played Center Fullback or Sweeper. A Sweeper is defined as a fast & tough player, that is to stop "breakaways" & "sweep up" the ball or kick long "through balls" so the defense has time to recover. A good sweeper must be willing to make contact to steal the ball. Brian accomplished all of that today. Brian made 13 BIG defensive saves, taking hits & delivering hits to win the ball. Brian took down the Warriors’ biggest player to win the ball. () Defensive saves: Patrick (10), Jimmy (6), Chris (5), Joey (5) & Nick B.(5) – our Fullbacks, who out hustled, stepped up & challenged the Warriors’ Wings every time they crossed the centerline. They aggressively fought to win the ball back or defused Deer Park’s drives by blocking shots, providing support to each other, then starting our offensive attacks. BART-unbelievable saves (16), including taking out 3 Warriors coming out of goal to deliver crushing blows to win the ball.
Goals: Eric dazzled the Warriors & folks with his moves to drive pass the defenders. Eric drove down the left side to lay off a pass back to Ollie. Ollie quickly drives toward the goal, looks up to take the shot, drawing in 2 defenders to stop him, including the defender covering Johnny. Ollie lays off a perfect pass to Johnny at right wing, who nails it in for our 1st Goal. Joey on a great defensive save at midfield, dances his way through heavy traffic up the middle to slam in a goal. Eric placed a beautiful cross to Johnny, who rips a shot just wide, inches off target. Eric on another drive down the left side, fights off 2 defenders to deliver a pass back to Patrick. Patrick races up & beats the defender to the ball, delivering a rocket 20 yards out for a goal. The final Scorpion goal came with a statement. Joey on a great corner kicks, fines Johnny. Johnny traps the ball and quickly blasted a shot through everyone & through the back of the net. WoW, what a shot to nail the goal. Assists: Eric (2), Ollie (1), Joey (1). There were so many great plays, I couldn’t fine the time to write them down. Including our ‘Rookie’ Nick Mangone who had a great game & a smile on his face the entire time.
11/12/05: Scorpions (5) Vs Jericho (3): Division winners! Paul said it best, ‘WOW!!!’ What a day. I have not gotten that excited coaching a game in a long time. It will be a long time until the smile leaves my face. The weather was great, the kids played unbelievable and we had a fan with cowbells. What more can we ask for? It was a magical ending to a magical season. I thought the kids were playing well the entire game. That was until the most unbelievable soccer I have seen in a while happened with 5 minutes to go. The boys stayed calm, (almost too calm), continued doing what they do best, (moving the ball around), and broke through just as the parents were starting to go a little nuts. The best part of the day was not seeing the enjoyment of the players, but seeing all of you and how happy and proud you all were of your boys. You should be. They have worked very hard. Today is the kind of experience I hope we all will continue to have with each other and our sons. So I say to all the Scorpion families WELL DONE TODAY. Thank you for all of your support. SCORPION SOCCER- WORK HARD-HAVE FUN.
Highlights: Chris driving the ball down the field until challenged, laid a nice pass off to Nick for the 1st GOAL. Patrick & Eric working down the left side of the field, Eric lays a cross to Nick-SCORE! With a few minutes left in the 1st half, Jericho scored to take the lead on a perfect banana kick above Bart’s reach on a corner kick.
2nd half of the game, the Scorpions down 2 to 3. This was the 1st time this year the boys were down at the half & were playing great soccer the 1st half. Paul calmly told them at the half, ‘OK, we are working hard. We are playing great soccer. It comes down to who wants to win this game & be the champs.’ We made some adjustment to our attack strategy. The 2nd half the boys were determined to win the game. You could see in their faces. I could hear them calmly talking to each other with excitement in their voices. They were a team & worked as a team, drawing on each other’s support & strength. The boys continued to drive the ball, shot after shot by Nick, Brian, Jimmy, Patrick, Chris, Ollie, Johnny, Eric & Joey. Defense took over the 2nd half, not allowing Jericho pass midfield. Even when Jericho came close to crossing midfield with a long ball, Bart raced out to quickly send it back to our wings. Now - Down 2-3 in the 2nd half, Scorpions on the attack. Jericho continued to kick ‘field goals’ out of bounds to knock time off the clock. This was the only way they knew they could beat us. The kids & their parents from the other game were all sitting & watching our game. They sat there & were stunned by how unbelievable the boys executed plays and were determine to win the game, to show everyone they are the BEST.
With 5 minutes left, Brian – ‘Juice’ & Patrick entered the field and quickly steals the ball back from Jericho. Brian drove down the middle of the field, beating two defenders, to TIE the game up at 3. Jericho trying to tell the Ref, we must be out if time? Joey then led Nick with a perfect throw-in that led to the go ahead goal by Nick, his 3rd goal of the game. You could see the wind was taken out of Jericho’s sail. The Scorpion crowd & the boys went wild! The Ref indicating there is 2 +/- minutes left, Brian again drives the ball down the field. There is a battle in the box for the ball. Brian sees Johnny’s ‘blue shoes’ waiting for the pass. Brian places a perfect pass to Johnny, who pops it over the goalie for a GOAL.
You still can’t say enough about Bart defending the goal, along with Jimmy, Chris, Joey & Patrick shutting down Jericho the entire 2nd half. Chris made one outstanding save on a block shot deflected by Bart, Chris forced his body in between Jericho's left wing & the net to clear the ball & save a goal. Congratulations Boys. It was a well-earned VICTORY. Your coaches & parents are extremely proud of your performance.
11/5/05: Scorpions (3) Vs Manhasset Force (1): What a great day! Everyone enjoyed the beautiful sunny fall day. The Scorpions did a great job today working on some plays Paul taught them during practice.
Highlights: Brian playing center forward did a great job driving the ball down the field, laying off a nice pass to Joey playing left wing to blast in the 1st goal of the day. The 2nd goal, Eric places a beautiful cross to Brian who knocked it in for a goal. Johnny ’blue-shoes’ out hustled everyone today, coming back to chase on defense. Johnny won the ball & drove down the right side to launch a strike to the net. Patrick was trying hard to get his Dad a goal for is b’day, rocketing shot after shot at the net. Ollie, a fierce competitor, played hard through the PAIN in his foot. This is a lesson not to play soccer barefooted when others have cleats on their feet. Bart made 2 great saves coming out to win the ball. As always Jimmy, Chris, Nick, Joey & Patrick played great ‘D’ & launching powerful strikes on net to limit Manhasset’s opportunities to even cross the center line.
10/29/05, Scorpions (10) Vs East Meadow (1): The Scorpions traveled to EM’s beautiful Field of Dreams. The Scorpions came out strong leading EM 4 to 1 at the half. The Scorpions stayed strong in the 2nd half as well. It must have been all the carbs stored from Friday night’s pasta party at the Mullins. Lisa did a great job as host. Bart Sr, did a great job as the entertainment.
EM prepared their team for an intense match. The battle began quickly with EM being very physical. The mighty Scorpions stayed professional and strong, continuously running through EM’s defense and winning the ball. The battle was fierce, but the Scorpions stood strong while others got carried off the field.
Highlights: Joey centered a beautiful pass to Brian, who battled through 2 defenders to score a goal. Bart knocked down a blast on goal. Patrick quickly recovers the rebound, to blast a pass to Brian at center half. Brian quickly feeds it out to Johnny, who blasted it in for a goal. Patrick playing left wing lays off a pass to Chris making an overlap play. Chris drives towards the net. EM clips Chris in the box. Chris sets up for the penalty kick and rocketed a shot into the corner for a goal. Joey makes another great defensive save and drives down the field, ready to strike a shot on net. The only way EM was going to stop Joey was to pull his shirt off. Chris made a great defensive save and quickly provided Eric a pass for a goal. Jimmy also made a great save and drives down the field on a break away. EM decides the only way to stop Jimmy is take his legs out. Jimmy quickly recovers and gets the ball back. Jimmy laces a strike on goal, rocketing the top of the goalpost. Ollie quickly grabs the rebound and pounds it into the goal. Patrick follows driving the ball down the left wings and serves up a beautiful cross to the center of the goal box. Ollie races in and makes a flying slide kick to drive the ball in for a goal. Bart made one of his famous mad dashes out of the box on an EM breakaway. EM’s player looked up & sees Bart bearing down on him. Bart makes a nice slide tackle to clear the ball. EM didn’t know what hit them. Bart feeling pumped up, on EM’s next break away. Bart races all the way to center half to steal the ball and clear it down field.
Goals: Nick (2), Brian (1), Chris (1), Ollie (2), Johnny ‘blue shoes-Elvis’ (2), and Eric (2). Assists: Brian (2), Jimmy (1), Patrick (3), Chris (1), Eric (1) & Joey (1). Bart had 6 saves.
10/28/05, Scorpions (6) Vs Syosset (1): The Scorpions traveled to Syosset on a beautiful cold Friday night. The Scorpions started out a little sluggish in the 1st half, scoring only one goal. After an inspiring half-time speech by head coach Paul, the Scorpions seemed to fine their rhythm again. Outstanding hustling & defensive plays by all. Goals: Eric with a hat trick, Nick (1), Ollie (1) & Joey (1). But those goals couldn’t have happened without the great passes & assists from: Brian (1), Patrick (2), Eric (1) & Joey (1). Syosset never laid down, keeping the pressure up on the Scorpions’ defense. Our fullbacks: Brian, Jimmy, Patrick & Chris averaged 4 big defensive saves each. Bart got a workout with 15 saves to keep Syosset to only one goal.
10/22/05: PV Piranhas (3) ties the Scorpions (3) in the final minutes of play. What a game! The battle started early with the Scorpions looking sharp. As always, games against PV are like the 'World Cup'. Outstanding hustling & defensive plays by the Fullbacks; Jimmy, Chris, Joey, Brian & Patrick. Bart had 6 spectacular saves and battled hard for the ball in the box. The Scorpions led the 1st half 2 to nothing with goals by Nick & Eric.
Eric made a great effort to hustle in to assist Bart in the 2nd half of the game. Eric tried to clear a loose ball in the box, just missing, hitting the top of the goal post & bouncing back into the goal. Joey followed with a quick defense save, then taken the ball all the way down the field to strike a goal. With less then 3 minutes left in the game PV attacked with a battle in the box. Bart knocks down the shot from PV. The ball loosely back spins into the goal to tie the game. The Scorpions then went on the attack rocketing shot after shot on PV’s Goalie. It was a great effort by all to try & pull over the win. Goals: Nick (1), Eric (1) & Joey (1). Assists by Chris & Johnny.
10/8/05: YMS Premier PA Soccer Tournament.
The Scorpions & their families were looking forward to an exciting weekend of talented soccer and enjoying each other’s company. The heavy rain for the entire weekend, drowned out playing soccer, but the hotel festivities were a lot of fun for all. The kids enjoyed the pool, eating well & running all over the hotel. The parents found a quiet corner to have some laughs & refreshments.
The Scorpions only game was against the premier LSTS Milan team from NJ, through a heavy down pour. The Scorpions with their uniforms soaked to the bone & mud flying everywhere, demonstrated how strong & talented they are as a team. Milan scored the 1st goal on a chip shot. Eric retaliated with a strike to the goal for the Scorpions 1st goal. Eric continued his fancy moves to have a hat trick by the end of the game. Milan came on strong in the beginning quickly scoring their 2nd goal. Patrick then drove the ball down the field and blasted a 20-yard strike to tie the game. Joey slammed a penalty kick in to have the Scorpions take the lead. Eric followed with less then a minute in the half, with a left hook to put the Scorpions ahead 4 to 2 at the half.
In the 2nd half, Bart came out like a Line Backer, scooping up any shot on net as if it was a fumble in the Superbowl. Brain Flecker made a great assisted save when Bart knocked down a high shot on goal that rolled along the goal line, until Brian quickly raced in to clear the ball.
Ollie wrecked havoc on Milan, crashing through their defense to slammed 2 goals in the 2nd half. Ollie also just missed a beautiful head ball shot served up by Nick. The Scorpions powerful defensive fullback line of Chris, Jimmy, Patrick, Joey & Brian slammed shut the iron gate to prevent Milan from scoring in the 2nd half. Nick, Johnny, Eric, Ollie, Joey, Patrick, Chris, Brian & Jimmy did an excellent job of passing the ball & executing plays. Great job to all the boys, you did an outstanding job.
9/24/05: The Scorpions operated on all 10-Cylinders, executing play after play. Goals: Joey & Brian 2 each, Nick 1, Chris 1, Ollie 1, Johnny 1 & Eric 1. Assists: Brian & Patrick 2, Johnny 1 & Joey 1. Bart had 6 saves. Bart came out of the goal twice on a Lynbrook break away to end the attack & crushed the ball back to his wings. Highlights were comic relief with the boys trying to get head balls for goals. Brian did a tumble & end up in the goal. Patrick rocked the top of the post. Ollie did the twist, Joey did the worm, Johnny & Eric were on the money with their serves for head balls.
9/17/05:The Scorpions put on a show for their 1st home game at Walker, executing perfectly, play after play. Joey had a day to win a bet with his parents scoring 4 goals & 3 assist. Jimmy made a bullet of a strike from the 18-yardline for a statement. Nick, Brian, Jimmy, Ollie, Johnny & Eric all had a goal. Assists: Brian, Paddy, Ollie & Johnny all had an assist. Eric had 2 assists.
Highlights: Paul challenged the boys to only score goals with a head ball in the 2nd half of the game. They boys accepted the challenge with a smile & knowing that if they got a head ball, their dad would have to shave his head. Ollie tap the ball up into the air in front of the net & Joey launched his body, with a header - dive into the ball for a GOAL. Ollie took a corner kick from Nick & slammed it in with his head for a GOAL. Patrick, Jimmy & Chris remain the wall that nobody got by. Bart played QB getting pass-backs and distributing the ball up the sidelines. Bart made 2 solid saves to shut down our opponent.
9/10/05: The Scorpions started the fall season off with a statement, beating Oceanside 8 to 1. Ollie had 2 goals with Nick, Brian, Jimmy, Patrick, Eric & Joey each having a goal. The big assists came from playmakers: Patrick & Johnny with 2 assist, and Nick, Brian, Eric and Joey with one assist each.
Highlighted plays: Patrick trapping the ball at midfield and drilling the ball towards the goal. Patrick looked for an open wing to make a play, freezing Oceanside’s defense. Patrick sees the opportunity and launches a 20-yard shot to the corner of the net for a goal. Eric laced a beautiful cross to Johnny, who taps a pass to Ollie for a goal.
On defense, it was like the ‘iron curtain’ with Chris, Jimmy, Patrick, Joey and Brian stopping everything at midfield to frustrate Oceanside. Bart had 4 saves, including coming out of the net, launching his body at the ball to block a power shot from Oceanside.
9/4/05: 'TRIPLE CROWN WINNERS'
Scorpions had a ‘hat trick’ winning 3 tournaments in a row. Another milestone was Johnny scoring the 100th goal from a beautiful cross from Eric. Paul & I cannot tell you how many times other coaches & the refs have come up to us to tell us that are kids are outstanding players. Coaches were bringing their teams over & telling their boys to watch how the Scorpions operate.
Other highlights: Ollie had a weekend with a slide into the goal on a beautiful cross by Johnny for a score. Ollie on a break away was about to blast a shot in the net and was taken down in the goalie box. Out of the cloud of dust, Ollie was able to recover, a little dirty but the defender had to be carried off the field. Bart then came out of goal to take the penalty shot. At 1st it looked like Bart was waiting for the defending goalie to take the shot. But then Bart did a little wiggle dance his mom taught him & let the shot ripped to corner of the net. Nice save by the goalie. In the Hewitt game, Hewitt launched a nice corner kick. Jimmy got a nice head on the ball to deflect it away from the goal. Hewitt stepped up & tried to slam the rebound in, but Chris blocked the shot with his body. The ball was still loose in our goalie box; Bart dove on the ball to keep Hewitt scoreless, exciting soccer.
Ollie & Joey both scored 8 goals, Eric & Nick 6, Paddy & Chris 3, Brendan 2, Jimmy, Johnny & BART 1. Big assists from Johnny 5, Joey & Jimmy 4; Patrick & Eric 3; Nick, Brendan & Chris 2; and Ollie 1. Great powerful strikes from our fullbacks; Patrick, Brendan, Chris, Jimmy & Joey for rockets into the net. Bart averaged over 3 saves per game and less then a goal per game. Jimmy did a great job stepping in as goalie for Bart when his glasses broke. A great highlight was Johnny launching a perfect shot from the right corner on net and Bart ‘blindly’ barreling through the ball & the goalie for his 1st goal of the season.
Great job by all!
8/29/05: The Massapequa Scorpions make it 2 in a row, winning Long Island’s biggest tournament, the East Meadow 'American Ref-Fuel Tournament’. The battle began early with Northport, but the Scorpions played outstanding to win the 1st match 8 to 1. The next challenge was Somers, who just beat the Scorpions last year, in the last minute of play by a goal. The Scorpions went offense all the way making sure there was no question on who will win, beating Somers 10 to 1.
Then came ‘Black Sunday’, ironically it was a very cloudy day, with the Scorpions facing 2 of their toughest competitors, HBC and then Gotschee. HBC was tied with us for 1st place and knew the Scorpions well. Their Coach was preparing his team intensely for the match. The battle began quickly and became a very physical match. But the mighty Scorpions stayed strong continuously winning the ball away from HBC, running through their defense, going shoulder to shoulder and firing bullets at the net. The battle was fierce with HBC firing missiles at Bart for a total of 20 outstanding SAVES. Bart looked death in the eye & stood VICTORIOUS. When the battle was over the Scorpions stood-up strong among the wounded, winning the battle 3 to nothing.
With an hour’s rest, the Scorpions when back to the battle field to face the notorious Gotschees. The Scorpions were well prepared, expecting the worst from Gotschee, once they began their assault. Credit goes to Brian Flecker who played the right Fullback & Wing, seem to be the focus of Gotschees aggressiveness, but Brian fought well, taken & giving a pounding, continuously going shoulder to shoulder to run through his opponent and winning the ball with a smile. Brian also made one outstanding defensive save. Bart knocked down a bullet and was scrambling to recover the ball. With 3 Gotschee players battling Bart for the ball. Brian sprinted to Bart assistance drilling the ball out of the box just before it rolled across the line for a huge save. Nick was also Gotschee’s focus. Nick was given two cheap shots from Gotschee to make sure he couldn’t complete his shot for a goal. Gotschee was finally issued a yellow card for their ‘tactics’. With less then a minute left, Gotschee was able to lace a high shot over Bart’s reach to tie the game. It was the fiercest battle of the tournament, but the boys should be proud of their performance and professionalism in playing the game.
The final battle came the next day. The Scorpions had to defeat Levittown to glitch 1st place. The Scorpions feeling proud & confident warmed up for the match tossing around a ‘football’. They were well prepared & knew what they had to do. Once the Ref blew the whistle, the Scorpions when full force offense, winning the match 9 to 1.
Again, beautifully executing plays, beating their opponents to the ball, wining the ball on defense and outrunning their opponents led to their Victory. Every player had at least one goal to show how well they can move the ball around. Nick 10 goals, Eric 8, Brendan 4, Joey 3, Johnny 2, Ollie 2, Paddy 2, Chris 1, Brian 1 & Jimmy 1. They couldn’t have done it without the great passes and assisted goals from: Joey 8, Paddy 5, Brian 3, Ollie 3, Eric 1, Brendan 1, Nick 1 & Johnny 1. Big defensive plays & support from our Fullbacks: Brendan, Patrick, Jimmy, Chris, Brian and Joey who played outstanding tough defense. But the Scorpions couldn’t have done it without their ‘Wall’, Bart. Bart averaged 7 saves per game and let up less then a goal per game.
8/21/05: The Scorpions win the LI Shootout, going undefeated.
The Scorpions played some of Suffolk’s premiere teams, Stony Brook Knights, Smithtown Bulls & the Brentwood Hurricanes. The Scorpions averaged 7 goals per game & allowed less then 2 goals per game. After a week of intense workouts, the boys came out firing on all cylinders. Beautifully executing plays, beating their opponents to the ball, wining the ball on defense and outrunning their opponents. Nick had a day with 10 goals, Eric Schuler 7, Johnny 5, Ollie 4, Joey 2, Chris McGrath 1 & Patrick 1. They couldn’t have done it without the great passes and assists from: Eric 6, Joey 5, Brendan 4, Patrick 3, Nick 1 & Johnny 1. Big defensive plays and the long balls to our Forwards provided the big difference this year. Fullbacks: Brendan, Patrick, Jimmy, Chris and Joey played tough defense that frustrated our opponents and wore them down. But the Scorpions couldn’t have done it without the ‘Wall’, Bart. Bart averaged over 5 saves a game and the newswire has called him ‘electric’. When the ball enters his box, he owns it making one great diving tackle on the ball to save a goal.
9U season:
3/12/05: RoughRiders Nassau Coliseum Cup U9-A-Division Bracket
The Scorpions put on an exciting show for the 'packed crowd', under the Jumbotron, to place 2nd in the Roughrider Coliseum Cup. The Boys stepped up their game each time they went on the field. The Scorpions tough break came from tying E.Islip in the 1st game, then Plainview in the 3rd Game. This allowed PV to take 1st Place.
Goals: Nick (3), Joey(3), Ollie(2), Scott(1), Mike(1), Brendan(1) & Nicky C(1). Assist: Patrick(2), Scott(1), Mike (1) Brendan(1), Craig(1), Chris(1) & Jake(1). Bart had (10) outstanding saves & allowed less than 1 goal per game. The After Party - storming the restaurant with over 45 people & watching the Dragons put on a show made this a great ending to the Scorpion Season.
3/5/05: Scorpions (5) Vs HHH (1)
Hustling & passing by the Scorpions made the difference today.
Goals; Ollie(2), Pat(1), Jimmy(1)& Mike V(1). Bart- OUTSTANDING defense with 9 saves & a tough collision to defend a goal.
2/26/05: Scorpions (8) vs The Hurricanes (0)
Ollie, OLlie, OLLIE, was on fire. Ollie gulpped up the trash & put everything in the net.
2/13/05: Christopher Columbus Indoor Soccer Tournament @ Pratt Institute, Brooklyn
The Scorpions were selected & invited to come to Brooklyn and play some of the top City soccer teams. The Scorpions played Bayport, SI, HHH, Gottschee & Brooklyn Italians. The only one, who looked like he came from Brooklyn, was Johnny ‘White Shoes’ Comito. The Scorpions had a rare off day, struggling through each game, but put on a show at the end. The Scorpions Vs the undefeated Brooklyn Italians. The boys knew they had a off-day, but understood they had chance to show the world they can still play with the best & are the best team out there. Scorpions(3) Vs BI(2).
Right from the beginning, you could sense their tone and quickness had changed. They quickly scored in the first few minutes & continued to put pressure on BI. Outstanding hustling & defensive plays allow the Scorpions to defeat BI, 3 to 2.
Goals: Nick Bigilin (3), Scott Waldron(2) & Oliver Roberts(1). Assists: Patrick (3), Brian Flecker(2) & Chris McGrath(1). Bart had 12 spectacular saves.
2/05/05: Scorpions (10) Vs Bethpage (1): The Scorpions came out to play today. Outstanding hustling & defensive plays by all. It was the 1st time everyone scored in a game. Goals: Nick B(1), Patrick (1), Mike V (1), Joey (1) Johnny (1), Brendan (1), Jimmy (1), Chris (1) & Scotty (2). Assists by Mike, Johnny, Brendan, Scott, Chris, Johnny, Patrick & Joey. Bart with 8 saves.
1/29/05: Scorpions (6) Vs the Plainview Thunder (7), What a game! Better then the 'superbowl'. Outstanding hustling & defensive plays by the Fullbacks Jimmy Harris, Brendan Gallivan & Chris McGrath. Bart had 8 spectacular saves. When Bart comes out of the goal to block a shot, you better brace for impact. The Scorpions never gave up coming back with less then 10 minutes in the game, from a 7 to 4 deficit, to make it 7 to 6, dominating the 2nd half. With less then 2 minutes left in the game both Patrick & Nick Comito fired off shots that rocked the top of the goal post, just missing a goal. Goals: Ollie (2), Mike V (1), Paddy (1), Joey Swenson (1) & Scotty (1). Assists by Mike Votinelli, John Romano, Nick Bigilin, Patrick Healy & Joey Swenson.
1/18/05: MASSAPEQUA SCORPIONS WIN the 2005 3v3 - 9U NATIONAL SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP. Congratulations to the Scorpion Gang. The Boys were outstanding! The Scorpions went undefeated, averaging over 7 goals per game and holding their competitors to less then 2 goals per game.
The boys learned a valuable & exciting lesson about sportsmanship, acting as little gentlemen and demonstrating a professional demeanor throughout the tournament. In the final match, the Scorpions quickly went into action and put on a show for the crowd. They scored 2 quick goals to silence their opponent sideline. Texas then came back to score a goal. With tension being high on both sides of the field and the Texas’ fans cheering BOCA, BOCA, BOCA! The Scorpions didn’t miss a beat, coming back to execute play after play and goal after goal, to silence their opponent’s fans, again. The boys soon realized that they had gained many new supporting fans & friends, as the other teams that they had previously defeated, were now cheering for them. Every time the Scorpions scored, the fans got wilder & louder with excitement. The NY-Scorpions beat Boca Jr, Texas 8 to 2. Both before & after the game, other teams, kids, parents, coaches and officials, came up to Paul & I, to wish us luck and praise our boys for their sportsmanship & outstanding performance during the games.
‘Hat Tricks’: Nick scored 4 out of the 6 games. Patrick had a pair and Joey & Brendan each had one hat trick. The crowd when wild when Jamie, provided Patrick with a perfect corner kick that was head butted into the goal. Their drive to win, hustling, speed to the ball, passing, executing plays, teamwork, incredible shots, communication, professionalism and sportsmanship all contributed to their victory.
Quote of the Tournament: “Any team can beat another team, but no one can beat a team who plays as a family.” Coach Paul Bigilin.
12/26:
The Scorpions won the Globall XMas Tournament, being undefeated & demonstrating outstanding passing and hustling by the whole team. Nick 'QB' Comito, with his white shoes, blasted in 2 big goals from just over the center line. Bart had 2 outstanding games that were shut outs. It was a great way to end the 2004 season.
12/18:
Scorpions(6) Vs the Levittown Panthers(2), win game 2 of the winter league. The play of the game was the assisted save by Chris McGrath. The Panthers shot on net was partially blocked by Bart Mullin. Chris being in position, protecting the far post, quickly stepped in to clear the ball out just before it cross the line. This was a big heads up play by Chris. Goals: Mike V (2), Johnny (2), Ollie (1), & Nicky C (1) with the field goal shot from midfield. Assist by Nick Bigilin, Paddy & Ollie. Bart with 5 saves.
12/11: Scorpions Stormed Hostra @ the Gotschee Tournament, showing the world that they better take notice when the Scorpions are in town.
12/5:
Scorpions come out on-fire, winning their opening day winter league match. Check page for updates.
11/27/04 SCORPIONS TRI-STATE CHAMPIONS
The Scorpions returned to NJ to defend their last year title as Tri-State Champions. The Scorpions put on one exciting show for the parents & fans. They battled Plainview, Dix Hills & the Baymen, going undefeated, to claim their title as Tri-State Champions in a shoot-out with the Baymen.
Shoot-out:
Bart blocked the 1st Baymen shot by taking a bullet to the gut. Joey quickly scored to rattle the Baymen. The Baymen slid one past Bart. Paddy then rocked the goal post, to unnerve the Baymen goalie. Bart blocks the Baymen final shot. Then, Nick finished it with a fierce bullet to the corner of the net!
The man of the hour was Bart, 'The Wall', who shut down the Baymen to seal the Championship.
Speed & Big 'D' by Jimmy Harris, Chris McGrath, James Macchia, Mr. B-Brendan Gallivan, Jake Roessler & the QB-Nicky Comito also contributed to the Win.
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