Wednesday, June 23, 2004
Championship Game
The Scotch Plains U14 intercounty girls soccer team the “Wild Things” and the Union Vipers interrupted their nascent summer vacations and battled each other evenly for 100 minutes in a game for the league championship Thursday night at Evergreen Field, Scotch Plains. Eighty minutes of regulation time, followed by twenty tension filled minutes of sudden death overtime could not decide a winner so rather than let the game be decided by penalty kicks, the coaches agreed the best result would be to share the championship.
“This is a recreational league, not the pros and it would have been too tough emotionally for the girls to have the title decided on something so random as penalty kicks,” said Wild Thing’s coach Bob Berwick. Earlier that afternoon, on a far larger stage an ocean away, the most famous soccer player in the world David Beckham, had knocked a penalty kick over the goal, validating Berwick’s comments on randomness.
A long time high school coach added, “That was the right decision. Kids that age don’t need to have games decided that way.”
Because Scotch Plains owned two previous victories over Union by a combined 6-1 score, the 1-1 tie could be construed as somewhat disappointing but the Wild Things were also somewhat fortunate to hold onto the tie. Trailing 1-0 at halftime for the second straight game, the Wild Things almost evened the score when Kaitlyn Denker’s hard shot was just tipped away into the post. A minute later, Rebecca Von Langen hit a well placed looping shot over the goalie’s head.
The remainder of regulation was slightly in Scotch Plains’ favor but the sudden death periods belonged to Union. Cassie Berwick made a game saving deflection of a Union shot late in the second period and an apparent winning goal was called back for off sides as time expired.
Cassie Berwick and Jaclyn Lazarus did their best to make up for the loss of starting goalie Allie Thek,one of the heroes of the previous win over Rahway .They were abetted by the defense of Lauryn Adams, Christina Dokopoulos, Denker, Amanda Curcie,
Danielle Sette and Kathleen Yan.
The midfield of Katelyn Cavanagh, Whitney Adams, Debra DelleDonne, and Jillian Murphy were tireless in midfield on a very hot night.. The line combination of Rebecca Von Langen, Jessica Santos Cassie Berwick, Magan Mauro Kristin Ciecura, Jaclyn Lazarus and Jegede advanced the ball skillfully and put continual pressure on the Union goal.
“This is a recreational league, not the pros and it would have been too tough emotionally for the girls to have the title decided on something so random as penalty kicks,” said Wild Thing’s coach Bob Berwick. Earlier that afternoon, on a far larger stage an ocean away, the most famous soccer player in the world David Beckham, had knocked a penalty kick over the goal, validating Berwick’s comments on randomness.
A long time high school coach added, “That was the right decision. Kids that age don’t need to have games decided that way.”
Because Scotch Plains owned two previous victories over Union by a combined 6-1 score, the 1-1 tie could be construed as somewhat disappointing but the Wild Things were also somewhat fortunate to hold onto the tie. Trailing 1-0 at halftime for the second straight game, the Wild Things almost evened the score when Kaitlyn Denker’s hard shot was just tipped away into the post. A minute later, Rebecca Von Langen hit a well placed looping shot over the goalie’s head.
The remainder of regulation was slightly in Scotch Plains’ favor but the sudden death periods belonged to Union. Cassie Berwick made a game saving deflection of a Union shot late in the second period and an apparent winning goal was called back for off sides as time expired.
Cassie Berwick and Jaclyn Lazarus did their best to make up for the loss of starting goalie Allie Thek,one of the heroes of the previous win over Rahway .They were abetted by the defense of Lauryn Adams, Christina Dokopoulos, Denker, Amanda Curcie,
Danielle Sette and Kathleen Yan.
The midfield of Katelyn Cavanagh, Whitney Adams, Debra DelleDonne, and Jillian Murphy were tireless in midfield on a very hot night.. The line combination of Rebecca Von Langen, Jessica Santos Cassie Berwick, Magan Mauro Kristin Ciecura, Jaclyn Lazarus and Jegede advanced the ball skillfully and put continual pressure on the Union goal.
Wednesday, June 16, 2004
Rahway
In what might have been the defining moment of their magical season the Scotch Plains U14 intercounty girls soccer team the “Wild Things” showed their mettle and came up with their most important victory to date as they ran their record to 8-0-0 with a comeback 2-1 victory over previously undefeated Rahway, Sunday at Evergreen Field, Scotch Plains. Trailing for the first time all season and held scoreless in the first half the “Wild Things” rallied for two goals on direct kicks by Kaitlyn Denker and Alexus Jegede
and with clutch goal keeping by Allie Thek ,held on for the dramatic win.
The game had all the aura of a championship game, befitting the two squads who had 14 wins and one tie between them this year. A large crowd was treated to a pre game “shout down” where each team tried to outyell each other during warmups.
Rahway was riding the momentum gained from a comeback from a 2-1 deficit to tie Scotch Plains last week at Soccerfest and eliminate the “Wild Things” while winning the tournament, and came out strong in the first half. Their pressure resulted in an own goal by Scotch Plains off a corner kick. With the “Wild Things” back on their heels, Rahway had a couple of other good scoring opportunities but several good saves by Thek kept the halftime score 1-0.
Ten minutes into the second half, The “Wild Things” got the break they needed when Denker’s 40 yard direct kick went high into the goal over the goalie’s reach. The goal fired up the “Wild things” who pressured Rahway continuously and got another break on a handball near the net. Jegede calmly converted the penalty kick and now it was up to the defense and Thek to nurse the lead which they did although there were many nervous moments. Lauryn Adams made a game saving block on a point blank shot in the last five minutes.
Thek played the entire game in goal and was extremely aggressive in the second half, taking numerous loose balls away from possible trouble.She was abetted by the defense c of Lauryn Adams, Christina Dokopoulos, Denker, Amanda Curcie,
Danielle Sette and Kathleen Yan.
The midfield of Katelyn Cavanagh, Jessica Santos, Whitney Adams, Debra DelleDonne, Kristin Ciecura, and Jaclyn Lazarus were effective advancing the ball. The line combination of Rebecca Von Langen, Mary Kate Feury, Cassie Berwick, and Jegede advanced the ball skillfully and put continual pressure on the Rahway goal. Cavanagh was a huge weapons with her long throw ins.
The remaining schedule is not known at this time but the “Wild Things” cannot finish worse than second.
and with clutch goal keeping by Allie Thek ,held on for the dramatic win.
The game had all the aura of a championship game, befitting the two squads who had 14 wins and one tie between them this year. A large crowd was treated to a pre game “shout down” where each team tried to outyell each other during warmups.
Rahway was riding the momentum gained from a comeback from a 2-1 deficit to tie Scotch Plains last week at Soccerfest and eliminate the “Wild Things” while winning the tournament, and came out strong in the first half. Their pressure resulted in an own goal by Scotch Plains off a corner kick. With the “Wild Things” back on their heels, Rahway had a couple of other good scoring opportunities but several good saves by Thek kept the halftime score 1-0.
Ten minutes into the second half, The “Wild Things” got the break they needed when Denker’s 40 yard direct kick went high into the goal over the goalie’s reach. The goal fired up the “Wild things” who pressured Rahway continuously and got another break on a handball near the net. Jegede calmly converted the penalty kick and now it was up to the defense and Thek to nurse the lead which they did although there were many nervous moments. Lauryn Adams made a game saving block on a point blank shot in the last five minutes.
Thek played the entire game in goal and was extremely aggressive in the second half, taking numerous loose balls away from possible trouble.She was abetted by the defense c of Lauryn Adams, Christina Dokopoulos, Denker, Amanda Curcie,
Danielle Sette and Kathleen Yan.
The midfield of Katelyn Cavanagh, Jessica Santos, Whitney Adams, Debra DelleDonne, Kristin Ciecura, and Jaclyn Lazarus were effective advancing the ball. The line combination of Rebecca Von Langen, Mary Kate Feury, Cassie Berwick, and Jegede advanced the ball skillfully and put continual pressure on the Rahway goal. Cavanagh was a huge weapons with her long throw ins.
The remaining schedule is not known at this time but the “Wild Things” cannot finish worse than second.
Monday, June 07, 2004
Soccerfest
The Scotch Plains U14 intercounty girls soccer team the “Wild Things” took time off from their rampage through league play to participate in the Darwinistic Soccerfest held at St. Josephs Metuchen the weekend of June 5-6. Despite keeping their unbeaten record intact, a 2-2 tie with Rahway managed to keep Scotch Plains out of the championship
round. Unlike most tournaments Soccerfest is immediately flighted so the top teams are all put in the same division and the survival of the fittest makeup often means that the best teams don’t make it through.
Depleted by injuries and missing several key players who had a dance recital, the “Wild Things” were unable to maintain a 2-1 second half lead against Rahway and had their first close game of the season end in a tie.
Playing Union for the second time in three weeks, the “Wild Things” repeated their
earlier success with a 2-0 victory. Although impressive the margin of victory fell short of what was needed to advance as Rahway had scored three goals in their game.
In the Westfield game, which started under threatening skies, Jegede broke the
scoreless tie on a bizarre play in which a Westfield players had a clear
handball that was not whistled by the referee. While the Westfield players
stopped to anticipate the whistle, Jegede continued playing and deposited the
loose ball into the net. With the thunder getting louder, some scary lightening
encouraged the referee to stop the game just before halftime and the teams
waited out the storm under the shelter of Scotch Plains High School. When the
game finally resumed 40 minutes later, the teams took several minutes to get
accustomed to the slick ball, resulting in sloppy play. The “Wild Things” got
some breathing room when Jegede scored again off a scramble in front of the
goal. Krista Ciecura completed the scoring with a hard low shot. Cassie
Berwick was the unsung hero as the absence of starting goalie Allie Thek forced
her to play the entire game. The defense combination of Lauryn Adams,
Christina Dokopoulos, Kaitlyn Denker,
Amanda Curcie and Kathleen Yan kept Westfield attacks to a minimum.
The midfield of Katelyn Cavanagh, Jillian Murphy, Whitney Adams, Debra
DelleDonne, Ciecura, and Jaclyn Lazarus dominated the game. . The
line combination of Rebecca Von Langen, Mary Kate Feury, Magan Mauro
Danielle Sette and Jegede advanced the ball skillfully and put continual
pressure on the Westfield goal.
The Springfield game was threatened all day by damp weather. When the teams
arrived
and saw the condition of the field it was questionable whether a game could be
played. As it was the game started almost 30 minutes late with shortened halves
and a Springfield soccer coach as referee. With all that against them, the
“Wild Things” took a long time to acclimate their strategy to the field
conditions. Jegede finally broke the scoreless tie with
a nice move in the penalty area and deposited the ball into the corner. Despite
dominating, the “Wild Things” were only able to breathe easier when Jegede took
a pinpoint pass down the middle from Katelyn Cavanagh and scored on a
breakaway.
Jaclyn Lazarus played the entire game in goal and was rarely tested as the
defense
combination of Lauryn Adams, Dokopoulos, Denker, Curcie and Yan kept
Springfield attacks to a minimum. The midfield of Cavanagh, DelleDonne,
Ciecura and Mauro were dominant, while the line combination of Berwick,
Whitney Adams, Sette and Jegede advanced the ball skillfully and put continual
pressure on the Springfield goal.
round. Unlike most tournaments Soccerfest is immediately flighted so the top teams are all put in the same division and the survival of the fittest makeup often means that the best teams don’t make it through.
Depleted by injuries and missing several key players who had a dance recital, the “Wild Things” were unable to maintain a 2-1 second half lead against Rahway and had their first close game of the season end in a tie.
Playing Union for the second time in three weeks, the “Wild Things” repeated their
earlier success with a 2-0 victory. Although impressive the margin of victory fell short of what was needed to advance as Rahway had scored three goals in their game.
In the Westfield game, which started under threatening skies, Jegede broke the
scoreless tie on a bizarre play in which a Westfield players had a clear
handball that was not whistled by the referee. While the Westfield players
stopped to anticipate the whistle, Jegede continued playing and deposited the
loose ball into the net. With the thunder getting louder, some scary lightening
encouraged the referee to stop the game just before halftime and the teams
waited out the storm under the shelter of Scotch Plains High School. When the
game finally resumed 40 minutes later, the teams took several minutes to get
accustomed to the slick ball, resulting in sloppy play. The “Wild Things” got
some breathing room when Jegede scored again off a scramble in front of the
goal. Krista Ciecura completed the scoring with a hard low shot. Cassie
Berwick was the unsung hero as the absence of starting goalie Allie Thek forced
her to play the entire game. The defense combination of Lauryn Adams,
Christina Dokopoulos, Kaitlyn Denker,
Amanda Curcie and Kathleen Yan kept Westfield attacks to a minimum.
The midfield of Katelyn Cavanagh, Jillian Murphy, Whitney Adams, Debra
DelleDonne, Ciecura, and Jaclyn Lazarus dominated the game. . The
line combination of Rebecca Von Langen, Mary Kate Feury, Magan Mauro
Danielle Sette and Jegede advanced the ball skillfully and put continual
pressure on the Westfield goal.
The Springfield game was threatened all day by damp weather. When the teams
arrived
and saw the condition of the field it was questionable whether a game could be
played. As it was the game started almost 30 minutes late with shortened halves
and a Springfield soccer coach as referee. With all that against them, the
“Wild Things” took a long time to acclimate their strategy to the field
conditions. Jegede finally broke the scoreless tie with
a nice move in the penalty area and deposited the ball into the corner. Despite
dominating, the “Wild Things” were only able to breathe easier when Jegede took
a pinpoint pass down the middle from Katelyn Cavanagh and scored on a
breakaway.
Jaclyn Lazarus played the entire game in goal and was rarely tested as the
defense
combination of Lauryn Adams, Dokopoulos, Denker, Curcie and Yan kept
Springfield attacks to a minimum. The midfield of Cavanagh, DelleDonne,
Ciecura and Mauro were dominant, while the line combination of Berwick,
Whitney Adams, Sette and Jegede advanced the ball skillfully and put continual
pressure on the Springfield goal.
